Epic rivalry. National Player of the Year candidates. Hall of Fame coaches. Need we say more? Duke and Carolina opens the college basketball season for fair weather fans after the Super Bowl, and now they close it out. The regular season is all but over. Louisville – Georgetown has been decided. UCLA – Stanford has been decided. Wisconsin has won the Big Ten, Kansas and Texas will share the Big 12, and Tennessee gets the SEC. All of that pales in comparison to round 2 of the fight for supremacy on Tobacco Road. Tonight, Senior Night, both teams are top 5 and 13-2 in the conference. The ACC title . . the #1 seed in the East . . and the bragging rights, are all on the line. This one, then, is for all the marbles.
We get the jumpball, everyone scrambles and sizes each other up, and G has already picked out his spot on the 3 point line. FOR THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “GERRR-ald HENDERSON strikes first!” His high school buddy, Wayne Ellington, being hounded by Kyle Singler, seemingly throws up a circus shot, falling away – but it hits! UGH! It’s gonna be that kind of night for them, huh? Our honored senior DeMarcus Nelson’s first shot, however, is an uncharacteristic pull-up jumper from 17 feet out. It’s short. 3-2.
Jeez, Hansbrough is a beast. Misses, but that’s not enough, he must get the loose ball back, he must fight through 2 set defenders’ arms raised up high, and somehow, no matter how forced it looks, it always goes back in. Whatever; at least we’re making him work for it. HUH????? Lance Thomas got blocked??? By who? Awww . . you’ve got to be kidding me. QT, who’s 5 inches shorter than him. Is it really gonna be that kind of night?
Basket interference! That ball was in the cylinder! No call. Singler blocked by Deon? First subs in: Lawson comes in for UNC, Zoubek for Duke. Lawson immediately draws a help defender and dishes to an open Green for the flush. His vision, certainly, has not been impaired. OH SCHEYER!!!!!!!!!!!! What a pretty, tricky, spinning move inside! But Lawson immediately snatches the spotlight back, outrunning everybody for the easy transition deuce. Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. What are we, chopped liver? As Singler looked to have sealed off his man – but gets blocked by Green! That’s the 3rd or 4th block already by UNC! C’mon! Hansbrough is off the floor! Yet we look terrible – slower, smaller, and getting our shots sent back to us right and left. 5-10, 5 minutes gone.
YAY, Zoubs!!!!!!! Paulus with the dish inside, and big Z ain’t getting blocked! An easy one for him!!!! Nolan with a jumper! Oh no. 2nd foul on Zoubek, trying to reach in on Hansbrough. 13:58 still to go, and there goes a vital part of our 5-step plan to contain and/or otherwise dispose of Psycho T. Poor Brian – he jumped up and down at that call and looked terribly disappointed. At this point, he’s just not quick enough to guard a National Player of the Year candidate. “There are a lot of guys who can’t handle {Hansbrough]”, Dickie V offers condolences as Brian heads to the bench. Thank God we’ve got someone who can at least play with him, but he’ll be very tired tonight if he doesn’t get much help: our MVP, Kyle Singler.
Nice job, Lance, to draw the offensive foul on Lawson! Awww . . now what? Lance with a foul trying to get rid of Hansbrough on his back – and that’s his 2nd. 12:28 still left to play! This sucks! Singler is the only one left standing, and he already has one foul too. Coach K nods to DeMarcus and Greg to replace LT and Nolan, who in about 2 minutes each have picked up tiny, miniscule fouls in terms of advantage gained but are, in fact, colossal to our defensive plan. This Hansbrough guy is like the chicken pox – you get anywhere near him and the whole team becomes infected. What happened to our great plan in the first game to contain him while not picking up fouls? We are already at 6 team fouls here, and the next one sends them to the line for a 1 and 1. How can we be regressing? 9-13.
Oh, Taylor King with some energy!!! Forces Tyler Hansbrough to the floor in a sandwich between him and Kyle Singler, and forces the jump ball – to Duke! Awesome!!! Or . . not. King then fouls QT, and that’s the 7th on the team. They’re in the bonus – at 11:20 in the first half. Ridiculous! This is also, unfortunately, one of the best FT shooting teams in the nation. Coach K, may I suggest – a little – zone?
They are on fire. Carolina is, I mean. 9-20???? When was the last time we scored? I can’t remember. I think its true – in the beginning, you tend to play tighter because you’re at home, you’re expected to do well, and you especially want to do well for DeMarcus, etc. And Carolina is taking full advantage. Danny Green is virtually unstoppable. The height advantage of UNC is really bothering our drives and our passes, and we have 6 turnovers already to their 2. We’ve gone through scoring droughts before, but this is not a scoring drought. This is a confidence drought. We look uncomfortable out there. Guys are in foul trouble. Shots are being resoundingly rejected. Our offense is not even recognizable to me – just a bunch of guys dribbling and trying to create something one on one but it goes awry. Kyle has so far been blocked twice, tried a spin move but lost the ball, then got double-teamed and lost the ball. His 3 point attempt also missed. D-Marc’s been quiet – unable to drive, unable to hit the jumper, or the long range 3. Greg is being guarded like a treasure chest. Let’s turn this around, guys. One possession at a time. Have some patience. Make them guard you!
Wow, we look scary – in the worst way. After a made basket by Hansbrough driving on Singler and getting him to fall down – they steal the rebound! Thank God they missed! Then on the other end – we look to have a transition opportunity – but nope, the 3 pointer is cut off – so DeMarcus tries to drive, the next best thing – and the speed of this change or the defenders coming at him makes him lose it out of bounds. Wow. Then Lawson blows by Paulus, doesn’t care about Singler trying to protect the basket, and just lays it up around him. “Are you kidding me???” Dickie V screams. I am screaming the same thing! 11-24??? In our own house??? We’re in for a loooong night. 8:20.
With nothing pretty to see out on the court, the cameras pan to the stands. Hey look! Celebrity central tonight! There’s the Manning brothers, Jay Will, Duhon, and Laettner. LeBron James wanted to come too but is stuck somewhere in a snowstorm in Ohio. OHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! G with the super drive for the DUNK! That’s exactly what we needed!!! Deon is fouled – and the Crazies go nuts! Why? Speedo Guy is doing a dance. Deon, not a great free throw shooter anyway, misses his first. Made his 2nd, though.
We trap and steal the ball – awesome! But again, the opportunity to capitalize is missed, as Nelson misses a 3 that “we need so much,” Dickie V says as it flies in the air. Singler with the offensive board! But it sails out of bounds under pressure in a pass back out. “Nelson is trying to do too much,” Dickie V surmises, as they do a close-up on DeMarcus, those eyebrows slightly furrowed, mouthing “f***” on his missed shot. 15-29, 5:18.
This game is atrocious. Duke is only shooting 21%? Thank God UNC is shooting 38%, and not 70% as NC State was a while back. PAULUS FOR THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the sudden ROAR from the crowd, you’ll think he’d won a national championship game for us on the last second shot! Cheerleaders erupt along the baseline, the students go crazy, the stands start vibrating again, and the noise level just hit 18,000 decibels out there. It was THAT important, for a shot – any shot – to fall through . . and especially this shot, with QT right in his face. Boy, I don’t think a team has paid this much attention to guarding Greg since – ever, huh? Yet he steps up when we need him the most, when we were searching for someone to ignite this fire that has gone out. Still a stunning 18-29, but at least one of our 3 point shooters is 50%, right, Greg? 5:01.
David McClure with a BLOCK! Way to go, Troy! The crowd hums with anticipation, sensing a potential turnaround for the Devils. We won’t ask you to win this game. We just ask you to keep it close, to protect our pride. Well, Carolina gets the ball back – but Hansbrough misses! McClure with the hotly contested rebound!!!! Crisp pass out – cross court – then Scheyer hits Paulus, finally with nobody in his face, free to breathe – A WIDE OPEN THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT HITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 21-29! We have hope!!! We have life!!!! Oh, thank you, Greg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now this place has really come alive. The fans are the loudest I’ve heard them thus far. It is deafening, and a little frightening, if you’re the visiting players. It sounds like an ocean wave is about to hit you, and drown you right out of the gym. 4 minutes to the end of the half. Let’s make a little run! “Let’s Go, Duke!” “Let’s Go, Duke!” “Let’s Go, Duke!” Paulus basks in the cheers of the rocking arena, walking the ball up. WOW! What a pretty move! Singler looking like he was beaten, nowhere to turn, had to pass the ball back out to Scheyer – and then Scheyer seemingly loses it – but Kyle picks it up like a hawk to a mouse and immediately turns around – doesn’t think, all instinct, just shots – and the ball banks IN! OH! Snuggles in like a charm!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a shot! And Kyle jogs back on D with a backward look, his mouth slightly open, his eyes unwavering – it’s his first made shot, and that’s got to feel good. Our two best players in that first UNC game, Paulus and Singler, are starting to heat up. That is GREAT news. Let’s add a little G, a little Scheyer, a little LT angry on the bench, and we can make this a ballgame again! 23-29, 3:36.
PAULUS AGAIN! OH MY! He can’t miss! He’s single-handedly willing us back in the game! To hear that crowd cheer for him. How reminiscent of last year was that, when we discovered his 3 point specialty? Who knew we were getting such a shooter when we were recruiting him? As Kyle set a solid screen for him on that exchange. 26-31, we are within 5.
Ellington answers with a 3 of his own. Yeah, forget about that 4 for 24 from him and Green last time ever again. With G guarding him too. Uh oh. Here it comes. That firepower unravels. Greg with a loooong 3 that doesn’t go, and immediately, they’re pushing it, they’re 3 on 1, and poor Greg is posterized as Green dunks. Then another fastbreak – a steal – as Ellington lays it in. 26-38 in a hurry, and it is looking exactly like it was last year, when UNC would flash out for easy buckets, and Duke would bring it laboriously back. We look slow and unathletic out there, while they’re looking like they’re just having fun, a breeze through the park. This is #1 vs #5, baby. Not #1 vs #25. Shore it up. And Coach K calls a timeout. 2:05 left.
You’re goddamn kidding me. Now Dickie V is playing the sympathy card for Duke? Saying things like, “the way Carolina is playing, if Duke can go into halftime under 10, they’ve got to be feeling pretty good about themselves.” Why, so we don’t get embarrassed? 3rd foul on Zoubek, doing what I don’t know, and G walks almost exasperatingly to the scorer’s table, like “you’ve got to be kidding me, I just went out 2 seconds ago.”
We hold for the last shot. It’s D-Marc’s, and he drives in, he wants this bucket – but Deon blocks him! It catapults out of bounds, we retain possession, but there’s only 3 seconds left on the clock. All we can do is have Kyle catch, turn around, and shoot – and G can’t save it. Zzzzzzzzz! End of the most atrocious first half ever. 31-42 halftime. Not only is it the least we’ve ever scored in a half – it is the biggest halftime deficit we’ve faced – EVER.
DeMarcus has not scored. Kyle has maybe 4 points. And we have had so many shots blocked and so many turnovers that they equal the total number of field goals and free throw attempts we have – stunning! Meanwhile, our defense has not been able to turn them over, or stop their shooters Ellington and Green. Our X factors, LT and Z, are no help whatsoever. Greg Paulus is carrying us, but will he hit 75% on 3s again, like last time? Well, I guess they’re #1 for a reason, huh? I think I need a cigarette.
Second half: Assistant coach Chris Collins with some generous insights: “Emotions were getting the best of us, we were a bit wild, and our shots were a bit too quick.” Let’s see if we can turn this thing around. Lance Thomas is back in, and immediately we dish to him. He doesn’t finish, but does grab his own miss and is fouled. The foul is on Hansbrough, his 2nd, and as he goes to the free throw sidelines – he sticks out his lip a little in rebellion of that foul. LT makes 1 of 2. DeMarcus looks to drive, drive, drive – and then hits G on the perimeter for THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “Duke lives by that 3!” Dickie V grins. Oh, are we ever. How else are we gonna get back in this thing? 35-44.
Things are starting to go our way. G wrestles a rebound away from Ginyard and gets fouled. Then Singler, having dragged Hansbrough out to the perimeter, goes up for a 3 – a long one. It’s a miss – but NELSON is there for the tip-in! OH FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “Nelson’s on the board!” The ensuing cheer that erupts out of the Crazies could probably be heard across the Atlantic.
Oh, this is interesting. Paulus is guarding Lawson? And the other way around too? Paulus decides to test that foot speed of Ty Ty’s. Blows right by him, gets no screen or nothing, then is hacked across the arm by a surprised Ellington – but Greg scoops up the shot anyways – and it hits! Count it! AND ONE! As the crowd goes nuts, Dickie V is screaming just to be heard: “This kid was under the heat! Got criticized last year! I mean, how can you criticize a kid that plays this hard, and competes as hard as he does! This kid is a WIN-NER! This kid can play for me any day of the WEEK!” To the raucous chants of “Greg Pau-lus! Greg Pau-lus!” 40-46! 16:58.
Hansbrough, BLOCKED BY SCHEYER! Oh, GREAT teamwork! Singler put up a wall in front of him, and that allowed Scheyer to come in from the back and help get that shot outta here! To the roar of the crowd as we race up the court – Paulus takes it on himself again, drives into a forest of baby blue shirts, throws up a floater that doesn’t go . . but ZOUBEK is there to clean it up! He does great defensive work on Hansbrough too, forcing him to shoot over him a couple feet out rather than get point-blank looks, not fouling, making him earn it . . though it just blows my mind how Hansbrough can hit it from seemingly anywhere.
Singler, left somewhat alone, tries a 3. His 3rd miss of the night. But LOOK AT THIS! Zoubek again with the rebound and put-back! And Hansbrough has no answer for him defensively! Is actually flummoxed! Do I challenge him? Do I foul him? Or do I just stand around hoping he’ll miss on his own? Uh, I’ll take option #3. And watch as Zoubs picks up the loose change, making it 44-48! Closest we’ve gotten in a long time!!! “Oh, they’ve found their player! They’ve found their player! Who said they don’t have big people!!” Dickie V is screaming himself hoarse with excitement! Can big Z be this round’s Lance Thomas?
Ellington quiets the celebration with a 3. But DeMarcus has had enough. He circles the defense, drives determinedly in from the top of the key – and gets right to the rim for the FLUSH! “Performance is leadership!” Dickie V applauds. And then AGAIN! For the encore! Scintillating move! This time, he drives into a forest of guys all trying to block him, challenge him, he doesn’t pay them any mind, just focuses on that rim – and take it ALL THE WAY. “I tell ya, something’s gotten into the mind of Nelson. Unbelievable drive to the goal.” I think he recognizes that there’s 14:30 left to go in his last home game, and it’s now or never. 48-51! 48-51! I can’t believe I’m that excited about the score!
STEAL by Scheyer! But it’s thrown ahead to D-Marc, who has it pickpocketed away by Lawson. They score 2 quick ones, it’s 48-55, and Coach K calls a timeout.
“They need SINGLER!” And his THREE HITS! 51-55! Then SCHEYER FOR THREE! Just a phenomenal pull-up 3 in transition, with a little dagger in his eye as he backs away on D. 54-57, and it’s amazing that the players are not going deaf right now from all this noise. “Listen to this place! Unless you are here, you cannot appreciate the – “ As G BLOCKS Green! OH, returning the favor! Return to sender, thank you very much! Then, as Green gets it back – steps on the baseline! Finally, a turnover! I tell you, this Carolina club is harder to turn over than a soggy pancake. 11:41.
For 2 minutes, the pace is racehorse, with both teams either shooting terribly, or getting it blocked/stolen away from them. Guess who’s doing the latter? Nelson is forcing it a bit too much on his drives, taking it amongst 2 or 3 defenders collapsing on him. Wants to bull through desperately, but winds up losing it. Next trip, G drives, and I cringe on us losing the ball again or getting it blocked – but he recognizes the defense collapsing inward – and kicks it out to Scheyer on the wing! “This would TIE it!” Just as it SNUGGLES IN! OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT’S DUKE BALL! That’s how we’re supposed to play! We are tied at 57-57! Thank you, G! Thank you, Scheyer! 9:38.
Oh, f***. Again with the open 3 on their end. Paulus leaves QT to help out with Hansbrough, and he kicks it out immediately to good ol’ QT, who drains the killer. Playing catch-up yet again. But SINGLER ANSWERS! Oh my God! I can nearly cry as that ball whips through the net, as dead-on as ever! It’s back! His shot, in crunch time, is back! 60-60!!! And once again, it was classic Duke ball, crisp ball movement, Nelson driving baseline and looking cut off, but flashes the pass cross-court to Scheyer, who sends it to G, who sends it to Greg, all touch passes – and by the time they realize it’s intended for Singler, that shot’s gone – and IN! We live and die by the 3. If you’re gonna block us, if you’re gonna contest us, then please God, at the very least let us shoot well from 3.
Erin Andrews, reporting amongst the Crazies: “It’s 90 degrees down here! The players are tired, they’re gasping for breath, hands on their hips. They’re all exhausted, and you can just see it.” As all hell breaks loose under the basket, as it usually does with a Hansbrough miss, and a Dukie, as always, is whistled for fouling a bigger Tar Heel.
Lance Thomas with another crisp move to the basket! Much better than the first half! Kyle Singler has become Lance’s personal assistant in these UNC games, setting him up for easy baskets from the top of the key. We are again dead-locked, at 64-64. They get a put-back. Scheyer with a tremendous drive! 66-66. As they miss on their next trip down – now we can take the lead! The ball is worked to Singler in the corner – his favorite spot, the one right in front of the Duke bench! Oh, all our hopes and dreams soar with his shot . . a perfect 3, that high arc, almost completely uncontested . . but it bounces off the front iron. And the rebound, as always – comes down to UNC. 6:11.
Scheyer is a LION! That will he has shown in the Miami game, in the NC State game, is coming out in full force. Look at that DRIVE! He is challenged by a leaping Hansbrough, alters his shot and realizes its horrible, rebounds his own miss, and then weaves in between 2 huge Carolina guys for the PUT-BACK! Incredible! Let me tell you, when this kid’s game is on, he can do some superhuman things! AND we have our first LEAD of the night! Since EVER! 68-66, 5:42. Alright, guys. It is nearly the 5 minute mark. It is time now for Brian Zoubek to “outrun some of the wing players in this league”, whaddayasay?
G with an incredible rebound, instantly flying with it to the rim – but misses the dunk??? G! How can you miss that???? That could mean all the difference! OH, then astounding work defensively, as they throw the ball down low to Hansbrough, he is immediately fronted by the double team of Kyle and G, but Hansbrough tries to get a shot off anyway – right into the hands of G, who blocks it – and Scheyer is there to snatch away the turnover!
“Let’s Go, Duke!” “Let’s Go, Duke!” “Let’s Go, Duke!” The crowd is sensing a turn of the tide. Carolina now is nowhere near as scary as they were in the opening minutes of the game. We pause, spread the floor, take a look at mismatches – and the ball movement is worked around again, with Singler whipping the ball to Paulus – who, to our heartbreak, shoots an airball 3. He’s getting tired. Having chased Lawson all night long – what Erin Andrews said about exhaustion around the 8 min mark is true. Now they race the other way – but they cannot hit either, even from about 3 feet out. 68-66 still, 4:04 left.
We have a tiny, miniscule, improbable 2 point lead, there is still 4 huge minutes to be played, and as soon as we get it across the halfcourt line, Singler holds the ball while catching his breath. No one objects. Hansbrough is unsure what to do now. Should I go all the way out past the Coach K Court logo to guard this tyke? And possibly get embarrassed like John Oates did? Nope. Declines the invite. We take so much time off the clock that Scheyer basically has no choice as it winds down to 8, 7, 6, and he must drive – but loses it! Kyle cannot recover! Bowling ball pins flying everywhere! And it’s Carolina ball. 3:30.
Ellington ties it up at the 3 min mark, 68-68. Then, 1 min later, Hansbrough just somehow gets every rebound to fall to him, and gets a 2nd chance bucket off the glass. It is Carolina on top, 68-70, and Greg signals a timeout at 1:58. I can’t wait. This is much better. No matter what happened in the first 38 minutes – it comes down to this. It always comes down to this. The last 2 minutes. No matter how poorly we played . . no matter how much a gulf seemingly existed between these 2 teams’ style and strategy and execution . . it always comes down to the last plays in the last 2 minutes. Who will step up? Who will pull it out tonight? I have a hunch that when the game is on the line, the ball will go to DeMarcus. And though he didn’t play well in the first UNC game . . and he hasn’t played well here tonight . . I am almost okay, if we give it to him, and we lose. He has to be given that opportunity. He deserves it. If anything – he deserves that much.
Out of the timeout: we go to Greg – and he lets fly a long, long 3 that is just a bit too strong. Singler with a rush to recover the miss – but it flies out of bounds, just beyond his fingertips. Now we need a stop.
They move it around. Paulus is on Lawson, which is making me nervous – and now, Lawson rushes him, licking his chops at the whole right side cleared out for him – and Paulus stays glued to him, reaching in with his arms and all his QB strength to tie him up – but no! Foul! Lawson sinks both, making it 68-72, 1:31 left.
What? He traveled? Oh, that’s funny! Scheyer drove, missed the shot, they get the rebound – but we don’t give up, we harass Ginyard in a tight Dukie sandwich, and Ginyard is called for a travel. Finally, a Tar Heel is called for the travel! It is not mutually exclusive! We get the ball back!!! Aghast, Roy Williams just kneels down by the sidelines and pulls his hands speechlessly over his face. 1:07 left.
SHIT! G loses it to Lawson! And he’s gone faster than a Concorde, but – HA! He doesn’t convert! Green with the tip-in! No one boxes him out! 68-74??? 49 seconds left? Are we done??? Singler could only watch as Green beat him to that ball, but now he pulls it out of the net and sends it forward, with no second thought at all, no remorse, no regret. Next play. Focus on the next play. Scheyer races it upcourt, zeroing in on the goal, he sees nothing else – just drive, drive, drive – nobody around him – but OH! Shot is BLOCKED by Green! He is freaking bloody everywhere!
It’s over.
Our inbounds play: Scheyer looks for the 3 – Hansbrough leaps into the air – knocks Scheyer down soundly as he then jumps up – but NO CALL! WTF???? We’re still waiting for the whistle when they grab our ball, race the other way, and get in one more dunk. It’s all over. 68-76.
Where is Nelson? Where is G? How come it’s just been Scheyer the last couple of minutes? AARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!! This is devastating. We miss our last 11 shots. Green with 7 blocks alone??? DAMN! They block our final 3 point attempt from Paulus, not that it makes any difference anyway, and no one stepped up in the endgame. It’s done. UNC gets the #1 seed. UNC wins the ACC title. UNC walks away with the bragging rights – again. You have to admit . . championships are often won in the final few minutes . . and if this is our endgame . . .
I don’t want to gripe about one foul call. I see now that because this is Duke – Carolina, they did not want to turn it into a free throw shooting contest, and their raison d’etre coming in was “let them play.” A lot of contact wasn’t called, and this hurt Duke somewhat in trying to take charges, as only 1 got called, I believe. But it’s just freakin’ hard to take when you see other teams employ this same strategy, late in the game: when you need a 3, and can’t get an open look, get the bigger guy to jump in the air and then jump into him, for the foul and 3 shots. What Scheyer did was smart. What he didn’t bank on was the double standard of the officials. If you don’t believe me, Mr. Official, just give me your address, and I’ll send you tape of All-American guard DJ Augustin doing the same thing – and promptly getting the friendly whistle, no questions asked – in the Texas – Kansas State game a while back. I know the game shouldn’t come down to 1 call, but c’mon – after watching UCLA waltz away with 2 wins this weekend because of ludicrous calls in their favor – how can you tell me that a call/no-call would not have made a difference?
I hate this. I hate this because this game was winnable. They are just cookie monsters, nothing more. But I will relent in saying this: those games, with Lawson out and QT running the show, helped them tremendously. It got them into close games that they otherwise may not have gotten into, and it tested their togetherness and their resilience. QT got comfortable running the show. Tyler made his case for POY. Ellington learned to get his own shot. When Ellington said, “We've been [in close games] before -- been there plenty of times,” it made me shiver. It’s true. They have, and they’ve proven that they can fight through it. They are older and more experienced than we are, and it shows.
So, I guess I have to admit: Carolina is kind of a good team. For the entire first half and key stretches of the second half, they made Duke’s offense become completely unrecognizable to me. Guys got frustrated, we kept getting our shots blocked, limited to one and done, and couldn’t drive and kick out as much as we wanted to. They always seemed to have 2 or 3 guys near the goal that could swat away or severely challenge shots. We dug ourselves into such a hole (15-29) – and this was in Cameron! We were playing catch-up, in Cameron! Unreal!
I mean, what happened to the crisp execution of the first UNC game in Chapel Hill? In that game, you could clearly recognize Coach K’s strategy: limit Hansbrough’s free throws, double-team him, let him get his 30 and 20 or whatever, and shut down everyone else. It didn’t work here. In the first opening minutes, we committed 4 or 5 fouls right off the bat, Green and Ellington got whatever they wanted, and that was that. They knew to expect our drives and stayed home to contest our shots, they also switched on ball screens so that someone was always on our shooters (taking a page out of our book!), and they refused to play along with our defense and commit turnovers. Ken Pomeroy is right. Just like Tennessee, when your offense feeds off of turnovers to be successful, then you’re gonna run into trouble when you face very good teams that refuse to be turned over. Last night, we got turned over, not the other way around, to the tune of 10 in the first half, while botching pretty much all of our fastbreak opportunities. No wonder our offense stalled. My hat’s off to Carolina. They made us look, at times: slow, unathletic, and unprepared. This was a very disciplined Duke team that knew what was at stake, and they made us disintegrate into chaos.
Those last 2 minutes were the longest in my life. You simply cannot go down by 14 to a team like Carolina, and expect an easy way to climb back up. Your work’s not done when you tie. Your work’s not done when you go up by 2. We spent all our energy getting back to 68-66, and then they just spurted away again. We had a great chance, and we blew it. Don’t give me “emotions drained us”. You’ve been a competitor for 4 years, Nelson. You know better than anyone how to turn emotions into deadly weapons. No, the minutes played drained you. 35 minutes? Singler with 37, Scheyer and Paulus with 32, and G with 29? Meanwhile, Lawson motoring at the end only played 23, and Green blocking 7 shots only played 25. Both were fresher at the end, and it showed. If Lawson hadn’t gotten that steal . . if Green hadn’t gotten that tip-in . . if, if, if. Sigh.
Remember the NC State game, where we were able to storm back because Nelson played a phenomenal last 8 minutes? That’s because he came in with fresh legs, having only played 19 minutes up to that point, for 27 total. We lost the LSU game in 2006 because our starters were exhausted by the end, while their starters were fresh due to foul trouble having kept them on the bench. I am not asking for McClure to play 30 minutes – but might he have kept Green in check? He only played 4 minutes, but I thought he did a great job, blocking a shot, then grabbing a hotly contested rebound and starting the offense that got a wide open 3 from Greg Paulus. I am also worried about Kyle. He has clearly hit the freshman wall, and though he won’t acknowledge it, he is clearly exhausted from having to guard big, burly opposing centers all the time. Sure, we play team defense . . but that means 80% on Kyle and 20% on the team. His 3 point shooting for the last 7 games now have been 33% or less, he is driving less and less, and getting blocked more and more. 37 minutes in big games are not helping . . especially when Lance was only good for 12. I hate playing the “if” game, but if our starters were fresher in that LSU game . . . who knows what would’ve happened?
Still, we are an amazing 26-4 . . #7 in the country . . a consensus 2 seed. Astonishingly cool, especially when you consider how we finished last year. Now for the good stuff!
We get the jumpball, everyone scrambles and sizes each other up, and G has already picked out his spot on the 3 point line. FOR THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “GERRR-ald HENDERSON strikes first!” His high school buddy, Wayne Ellington, being hounded by Kyle Singler, seemingly throws up a circus shot, falling away – but it hits! UGH! It’s gonna be that kind of night for them, huh? Our honored senior DeMarcus Nelson’s first shot, however, is an uncharacteristic pull-up jumper from 17 feet out. It’s short. 3-2.
Jeez, Hansbrough is a beast. Misses, but that’s not enough, he must get the loose ball back, he must fight through 2 set defenders’ arms raised up high, and somehow, no matter how forced it looks, it always goes back in. Whatever; at least we’re making him work for it. HUH????? Lance Thomas got blocked??? By who? Awww . . you’ve got to be kidding me. QT, who’s 5 inches shorter than him. Is it really gonna be that kind of night?
Basket interference! That ball was in the cylinder! No call. Singler blocked by Deon? First subs in: Lawson comes in for UNC, Zoubek for Duke. Lawson immediately draws a help defender and dishes to an open Green for the flush. His vision, certainly, has not been impaired. OH SCHEYER!!!!!!!!!!!! What a pretty, tricky, spinning move inside! But Lawson immediately snatches the spotlight back, outrunning everybody for the easy transition deuce. Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. What are we, chopped liver? As Singler looked to have sealed off his man – but gets blocked by Green! That’s the 3rd or 4th block already by UNC! C’mon! Hansbrough is off the floor! Yet we look terrible – slower, smaller, and getting our shots sent back to us right and left. 5-10, 5 minutes gone.
YAY, Zoubs!!!!!!! Paulus with the dish inside, and big Z ain’t getting blocked! An easy one for him!!!! Nolan with a jumper! Oh no. 2nd foul on Zoubek, trying to reach in on Hansbrough. 13:58 still to go, and there goes a vital part of our 5-step plan to contain and/or otherwise dispose of Psycho T. Poor Brian – he jumped up and down at that call and looked terribly disappointed. At this point, he’s just not quick enough to guard a National Player of the Year candidate. “There are a lot of guys who can’t handle {Hansbrough]”, Dickie V offers condolences as Brian heads to the bench. Thank God we’ve got someone who can at least play with him, but he’ll be very tired tonight if he doesn’t get much help: our MVP, Kyle Singler.
Nice job, Lance, to draw the offensive foul on Lawson! Awww . . now what? Lance with a foul trying to get rid of Hansbrough on his back – and that’s his 2nd. 12:28 still left to play! This sucks! Singler is the only one left standing, and he already has one foul too. Coach K nods to DeMarcus and Greg to replace LT and Nolan, who in about 2 minutes each have picked up tiny, miniscule fouls in terms of advantage gained but are, in fact, colossal to our defensive plan. This Hansbrough guy is like the chicken pox – you get anywhere near him and the whole team becomes infected. What happened to our great plan in the first game to contain him while not picking up fouls? We are already at 6 team fouls here, and the next one sends them to the line for a 1 and 1. How can we be regressing? 9-13.
Oh, Taylor King with some energy!!! Forces Tyler Hansbrough to the floor in a sandwich between him and Kyle Singler, and forces the jump ball – to Duke! Awesome!!! Or . . not. King then fouls QT, and that’s the 7th on the team. They’re in the bonus – at 11:20 in the first half. Ridiculous! This is also, unfortunately, one of the best FT shooting teams in the nation. Coach K, may I suggest – a little – zone?
They are on fire. Carolina is, I mean. 9-20???? When was the last time we scored? I can’t remember. I think its true – in the beginning, you tend to play tighter because you’re at home, you’re expected to do well, and you especially want to do well for DeMarcus, etc. And Carolina is taking full advantage. Danny Green is virtually unstoppable. The height advantage of UNC is really bothering our drives and our passes, and we have 6 turnovers already to their 2. We’ve gone through scoring droughts before, but this is not a scoring drought. This is a confidence drought. We look uncomfortable out there. Guys are in foul trouble. Shots are being resoundingly rejected. Our offense is not even recognizable to me – just a bunch of guys dribbling and trying to create something one on one but it goes awry. Kyle has so far been blocked twice, tried a spin move but lost the ball, then got double-teamed and lost the ball. His 3 point attempt also missed. D-Marc’s been quiet – unable to drive, unable to hit the jumper, or the long range 3. Greg is being guarded like a treasure chest. Let’s turn this around, guys. One possession at a time. Have some patience. Make them guard you!
Wow, we look scary – in the worst way. After a made basket by Hansbrough driving on Singler and getting him to fall down – they steal the rebound! Thank God they missed! Then on the other end – we look to have a transition opportunity – but nope, the 3 pointer is cut off – so DeMarcus tries to drive, the next best thing – and the speed of this change or the defenders coming at him makes him lose it out of bounds. Wow. Then Lawson blows by Paulus, doesn’t care about Singler trying to protect the basket, and just lays it up around him. “Are you kidding me???” Dickie V screams. I am screaming the same thing! 11-24??? In our own house??? We’re in for a loooong night. 8:20.
With nothing pretty to see out on the court, the cameras pan to the stands. Hey look! Celebrity central tonight! There’s the Manning brothers, Jay Will, Duhon, and Laettner. LeBron James wanted to come too but is stuck somewhere in a snowstorm in Ohio. OHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! G with the super drive for the DUNK! That’s exactly what we needed!!! Deon is fouled – and the Crazies go nuts! Why? Speedo Guy is doing a dance. Deon, not a great free throw shooter anyway, misses his first. Made his 2nd, though.
We trap and steal the ball – awesome! But again, the opportunity to capitalize is missed, as Nelson misses a 3 that “we need so much,” Dickie V says as it flies in the air. Singler with the offensive board! But it sails out of bounds under pressure in a pass back out. “Nelson is trying to do too much,” Dickie V surmises, as they do a close-up on DeMarcus, those eyebrows slightly furrowed, mouthing “f***” on his missed shot. 15-29, 5:18.
This game is atrocious. Duke is only shooting 21%? Thank God UNC is shooting 38%, and not 70% as NC State was a while back. PAULUS FOR THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH THANK GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! By the sudden ROAR from the crowd, you’ll think he’d won a national championship game for us on the last second shot! Cheerleaders erupt along the baseline, the students go crazy, the stands start vibrating again, and the noise level just hit 18,000 decibels out there. It was THAT important, for a shot – any shot – to fall through . . and especially this shot, with QT right in his face. Boy, I don’t think a team has paid this much attention to guarding Greg since – ever, huh? Yet he steps up when we need him the most, when we were searching for someone to ignite this fire that has gone out. Still a stunning 18-29, but at least one of our 3 point shooters is 50%, right, Greg? 5:01.
David McClure with a BLOCK! Way to go, Troy! The crowd hums with anticipation, sensing a potential turnaround for the Devils. We won’t ask you to win this game. We just ask you to keep it close, to protect our pride. Well, Carolina gets the ball back – but Hansbrough misses! McClure with the hotly contested rebound!!!! Crisp pass out – cross court – then Scheyer hits Paulus, finally with nobody in his face, free to breathe – A WIDE OPEN THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT HITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 21-29! We have hope!!! We have life!!!! Oh, thank you, Greg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now this place has really come alive. The fans are the loudest I’ve heard them thus far. It is deafening, and a little frightening, if you’re the visiting players. It sounds like an ocean wave is about to hit you, and drown you right out of the gym. 4 minutes to the end of the half. Let’s make a little run! “Let’s Go, Duke!” “Let’s Go, Duke!” “Let’s Go, Duke!” Paulus basks in the cheers of the rocking arena, walking the ball up. WOW! What a pretty move! Singler looking like he was beaten, nowhere to turn, had to pass the ball back out to Scheyer – and then Scheyer seemingly loses it – but Kyle picks it up like a hawk to a mouse and immediately turns around – doesn’t think, all instinct, just shots – and the ball banks IN! OH! Snuggles in like a charm!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What a shot! And Kyle jogs back on D with a backward look, his mouth slightly open, his eyes unwavering – it’s his first made shot, and that’s got to feel good. Our two best players in that first UNC game, Paulus and Singler, are starting to heat up. That is GREAT news. Let’s add a little G, a little Scheyer, a little LT angry on the bench, and we can make this a ballgame again! 23-29, 3:36.
PAULUS AGAIN! OH MY! He can’t miss! He’s single-handedly willing us back in the game! To hear that crowd cheer for him. How reminiscent of last year was that, when we discovered his 3 point specialty? Who knew we were getting such a shooter when we were recruiting him? As Kyle set a solid screen for him on that exchange. 26-31, we are within 5.
Ellington answers with a 3 of his own. Yeah, forget about that 4 for 24 from him and Green last time ever again. With G guarding him too. Uh oh. Here it comes. That firepower unravels. Greg with a loooong 3 that doesn’t go, and immediately, they’re pushing it, they’re 3 on 1, and poor Greg is posterized as Green dunks. Then another fastbreak – a steal – as Ellington lays it in. 26-38 in a hurry, and it is looking exactly like it was last year, when UNC would flash out for easy buckets, and Duke would bring it laboriously back. We look slow and unathletic out there, while they’re looking like they’re just having fun, a breeze through the park. This is #1 vs #5, baby. Not #1 vs #25. Shore it up. And Coach K calls a timeout. 2:05 left.
You’re goddamn kidding me. Now Dickie V is playing the sympathy card for Duke? Saying things like, “the way Carolina is playing, if Duke can go into halftime under 10, they’ve got to be feeling pretty good about themselves.” Why, so we don’t get embarrassed? 3rd foul on Zoubek, doing what I don’t know, and G walks almost exasperatingly to the scorer’s table, like “you’ve got to be kidding me, I just went out 2 seconds ago.”
We hold for the last shot. It’s D-Marc’s, and he drives in, he wants this bucket – but Deon blocks him! It catapults out of bounds, we retain possession, but there’s only 3 seconds left on the clock. All we can do is have Kyle catch, turn around, and shoot – and G can’t save it. Zzzzzzzzz! End of the most atrocious first half ever. 31-42 halftime. Not only is it the least we’ve ever scored in a half – it is the biggest halftime deficit we’ve faced – EVER.
DeMarcus has not scored. Kyle has maybe 4 points. And we have had so many shots blocked and so many turnovers that they equal the total number of field goals and free throw attempts we have – stunning! Meanwhile, our defense has not been able to turn them over, or stop their shooters Ellington and Green. Our X factors, LT and Z, are no help whatsoever. Greg Paulus is carrying us, but will he hit 75% on 3s again, like last time? Well, I guess they’re #1 for a reason, huh? I think I need a cigarette.
Second half: Assistant coach Chris Collins with some generous insights: “Emotions were getting the best of us, we were a bit wild, and our shots were a bit too quick.” Let’s see if we can turn this thing around. Lance Thomas is back in, and immediately we dish to him. He doesn’t finish, but does grab his own miss and is fouled. The foul is on Hansbrough, his 2nd, and as he goes to the free throw sidelines – he sticks out his lip a little in rebellion of that foul. LT makes 1 of 2. DeMarcus looks to drive, drive, drive – and then hits G on the perimeter for THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “Duke lives by that 3!” Dickie V grins. Oh, are we ever. How else are we gonna get back in this thing? 35-44.
Things are starting to go our way. G wrestles a rebound away from Ginyard and gets fouled. Then Singler, having dragged Hansbrough out to the perimeter, goes up for a 3 – a long one. It’s a miss – but NELSON is there for the tip-in! OH FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! “Nelson’s on the board!” The ensuing cheer that erupts out of the Crazies could probably be heard across the Atlantic.
Oh, this is interesting. Paulus is guarding Lawson? And the other way around too? Paulus decides to test that foot speed of Ty Ty’s. Blows right by him, gets no screen or nothing, then is hacked across the arm by a surprised Ellington – but Greg scoops up the shot anyways – and it hits! Count it! AND ONE! As the crowd goes nuts, Dickie V is screaming just to be heard: “This kid was under the heat! Got criticized last year! I mean, how can you criticize a kid that plays this hard, and competes as hard as he does! This kid is a WIN-NER! This kid can play for me any day of the WEEK!” To the raucous chants of “Greg Pau-lus! Greg Pau-lus!” 40-46! 16:58.
Hansbrough, BLOCKED BY SCHEYER! Oh, GREAT teamwork! Singler put up a wall in front of him, and that allowed Scheyer to come in from the back and help get that shot outta here! To the roar of the crowd as we race up the court – Paulus takes it on himself again, drives into a forest of baby blue shirts, throws up a floater that doesn’t go . . but ZOUBEK is there to clean it up! He does great defensive work on Hansbrough too, forcing him to shoot over him a couple feet out rather than get point-blank looks, not fouling, making him earn it . . though it just blows my mind how Hansbrough can hit it from seemingly anywhere.
Singler, left somewhat alone, tries a 3. His 3rd miss of the night. But LOOK AT THIS! Zoubek again with the rebound and put-back! And Hansbrough has no answer for him defensively! Is actually flummoxed! Do I challenge him? Do I foul him? Or do I just stand around hoping he’ll miss on his own? Uh, I’ll take option #3. And watch as Zoubs picks up the loose change, making it 44-48! Closest we’ve gotten in a long time!!! “Oh, they’ve found their player! They’ve found their player! Who said they don’t have big people!!” Dickie V is screaming himself hoarse with excitement! Can big Z be this round’s Lance Thomas?
Ellington quiets the celebration with a 3. But DeMarcus has had enough. He circles the defense, drives determinedly in from the top of the key – and gets right to the rim for the FLUSH! “Performance is leadership!” Dickie V applauds. And then AGAIN! For the encore! Scintillating move! This time, he drives into a forest of guys all trying to block him, challenge him, he doesn’t pay them any mind, just focuses on that rim – and take it ALL THE WAY. “I tell ya, something’s gotten into the mind of Nelson. Unbelievable drive to the goal.” I think he recognizes that there’s 14:30 left to go in his last home game, and it’s now or never. 48-51! 48-51! I can’t believe I’m that excited about the score!
STEAL by Scheyer! But it’s thrown ahead to D-Marc, who has it pickpocketed away by Lawson. They score 2 quick ones, it’s 48-55, and Coach K calls a timeout.
“They need SINGLER!” And his THREE HITS! 51-55! Then SCHEYER FOR THREE! Just a phenomenal pull-up 3 in transition, with a little dagger in his eye as he backs away on D. 54-57, and it’s amazing that the players are not going deaf right now from all this noise. “Listen to this place! Unless you are here, you cannot appreciate the – “ As G BLOCKS Green! OH, returning the favor! Return to sender, thank you very much! Then, as Green gets it back – steps on the baseline! Finally, a turnover! I tell you, this Carolina club is harder to turn over than a soggy pancake. 11:41.
For 2 minutes, the pace is racehorse, with both teams either shooting terribly, or getting it blocked/stolen away from them. Guess who’s doing the latter? Nelson is forcing it a bit too much on his drives, taking it amongst 2 or 3 defenders collapsing on him. Wants to bull through desperately, but winds up losing it. Next trip, G drives, and I cringe on us losing the ball again or getting it blocked – but he recognizes the defense collapsing inward – and kicks it out to Scheyer on the wing! “This would TIE it!” Just as it SNUGGLES IN! OH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT’S DUKE BALL! That’s how we’re supposed to play! We are tied at 57-57! Thank you, G! Thank you, Scheyer! 9:38.
Oh, f***. Again with the open 3 on their end. Paulus leaves QT to help out with Hansbrough, and he kicks it out immediately to good ol’ QT, who drains the killer. Playing catch-up yet again. But SINGLER ANSWERS! Oh my God! I can nearly cry as that ball whips through the net, as dead-on as ever! It’s back! His shot, in crunch time, is back! 60-60!!! And once again, it was classic Duke ball, crisp ball movement, Nelson driving baseline and looking cut off, but flashes the pass cross-court to Scheyer, who sends it to G, who sends it to Greg, all touch passes – and by the time they realize it’s intended for Singler, that shot’s gone – and IN! We live and die by the 3. If you’re gonna block us, if you’re gonna contest us, then please God, at the very least let us shoot well from 3.
Erin Andrews, reporting amongst the Crazies: “It’s 90 degrees down here! The players are tired, they’re gasping for breath, hands on their hips. They’re all exhausted, and you can just see it.” As all hell breaks loose under the basket, as it usually does with a Hansbrough miss, and a Dukie, as always, is whistled for fouling a bigger Tar Heel.
Lance Thomas with another crisp move to the basket! Much better than the first half! Kyle Singler has become Lance’s personal assistant in these UNC games, setting him up for easy baskets from the top of the key. We are again dead-locked, at 64-64. They get a put-back. Scheyer with a tremendous drive! 66-66. As they miss on their next trip down – now we can take the lead! The ball is worked to Singler in the corner – his favorite spot, the one right in front of the Duke bench! Oh, all our hopes and dreams soar with his shot . . a perfect 3, that high arc, almost completely uncontested . . but it bounces off the front iron. And the rebound, as always – comes down to UNC. 6:11.
Scheyer is a LION! That will he has shown in the Miami game, in the NC State game, is coming out in full force. Look at that DRIVE! He is challenged by a leaping Hansbrough, alters his shot and realizes its horrible, rebounds his own miss, and then weaves in between 2 huge Carolina guys for the PUT-BACK! Incredible! Let me tell you, when this kid’s game is on, he can do some superhuman things! AND we have our first LEAD of the night! Since EVER! 68-66, 5:42. Alright, guys. It is nearly the 5 minute mark. It is time now for Brian Zoubek to “outrun some of the wing players in this league”, whaddayasay?
G with an incredible rebound, instantly flying with it to the rim – but misses the dunk??? G! How can you miss that???? That could mean all the difference! OH, then astounding work defensively, as they throw the ball down low to Hansbrough, he is immediately fronted by the double team of Kyle and G, but Hansbrough tries to get a shot off anyway – right into the hands of G, who blocks it – and Scheyer is there to snatch away the turnover!
“Let’s Go, Duke!” “Let’s Go, Duke!” “Let’s Go, Duke!” The crowd is sensing a turn of the tide. Carolina now is nowhere near as scary as they were in the opening minutes of the game. We pause, spread the floor, take a look at mismatches – and the ball movement is worked around again, with Singler whipping the ball to Paulus – who, to our heartbreak, shoots an airball 3. He’s getting tired. Having chased Lawson all night long – what Erin Andrews said about exhaustion around the 8 min mark is true. Now they race the other way – but they cannot hit either, even from about 3 feet out. 68-66 still, 4:04 left.
We have a tiny, miniscule, improbable 2 point lead, there is still 4 huge minutes to be played, and as soon as we get it across the halfcourt line, Singler holds the ball while catching his breath. No one objects. Hansbrough is unsure what to do now. Should I go all the way out past the Coach K Court logo to guard this tyke? And possibly get embarrassed like John Oates did? Nope. Declines the invite. We take so much time off the clock that Scheyer basically has no choice as it winds down to 8, 7, 6, and he must drive – but loses it! Kyle cannot recover! Bowling ball pins flying everywhere! And it’s Carolina ball. 3:30.
Ellington ties it up at the 3 min mark, 68-68. Then, 1 min later, Hansbrough just somehow gets every rebound to fall to him, and gets a 2nd chance bucket off the glass. It is Carolina on top, 68-70, and Greg signals a timeout at 1:58. I can’t wait. This is much better. No matter what happened in the first 38 minutes – it comes down to this. It always comes down to this. The last 2 minutes. No matter how poorly we played . . no matter how much a gulf seemingly existed between these 2 teams’ style and strategy and execution . . it always comes down to the last plays in the last 2 minutes. Who will step up? Who will pull it out tonight? I have a hunch that when the game is on the line, the ball will go to DeMarcus. And though he didn’t play well in the first UNC game . . and he hasn’t played well here tonight . . I am almost okay, if we give it to him, and we lose. He has to be given that opportunity. He deserves it. If anything – he deserves that much.
Out of the timeout: we go to Greg – and he lets fly a long, long 3 that is just a bit too strong. Singler with a rush to recover the miss – but it flies out of bounds, just beyond his fingertips. Now we need a stop.
They move it around. Paulus is on Lawson, which is making me nervous – and now, Lawson rushes him, licking his chops at the whole right side cleared out for him – and Paulus stays glued to him, reaching in with his arms and all his QB strength to tie him up – but no! Foul! Lawson sinks both, making it 68-72, 1:31 left.
What? He traveled? Oh, that’s funny! Scheyer drove, missed the shot, they get the rebound – but we don’t give up, we harass Ginyard in a tight Dukie sandwich, and Ginyard is called for a travel. Finally, a Tar Heel is called for the travel! It is not mutually exclusive! We get the ball back!!! Aghast, Roy Williams just kneels down by the sidelines and pulls his hands speechlessly over his face. 1:07 left.
SHIT! G loses it to Lawson! And he’s gone faster than a Concorde, but – HA! He doesn’t convert! Green with the tip-in! No one boxes him out! 68-74??? 49 seconds left? Are we done??? Singler could only watch as Green beat him to that ball, but now he pulls it out of the net and sends it forward, with no second thought at all, no remorse, no regret. Next play. Focus on the next play. Scheyer races it upcourt, zeroing in on the goal, he sees nothing else – just drive, drive, drive – nobody around him – but OH! Shot is BLOCKED by Green! He is freaking bloody everywhere!
It’s over.
Our inbounds play: Scheyer looks for the 3 – Hansbrough leaps into the air – knocks Scheyer down soundly as he then jumps up – but NO CALL! WTF???? We’re still waiting for the whistle when they grab our ball, race the other way, and get in one more dunk. It’s all over. 68-76.
Where is Nelson? Where is G? How come it’s just been Scheyer the last couple of minutes? AARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!! This is devastating. We miss our last 11 shots. Green with 7 blocks alone??? DAMN! They block our final 3 point attempt from Paulus, not that it makes any difference anyway, and no one stepped up in the endgame. It’s done. UNC gets the #1 seed. UNC wins the ACC title. UNC walks away with the bragging rights – again. You have to admit . . championships are often won in the final few minutes . . and if this is our endgame . . .
Post-game thoughts:
I don’t want to gripe about one foul call. I see now that because this is Duke – Carolina, they did not want to turn it into a free throw shooting contest, and their raison d’etre coming in was “let them play.” A lot of contact wasn’t called, and this hurt Duke somewhat in trying to take charges, as only 1 got called, I believe. But it’s just freakin’ hard to take when you see other teams employ this same strategy, late in the game: when you need a 3, and can’t get an open look, get the bigger guy to jump in the air and then jump into him, for the foul and 3 shots. What Scheyer did was smart. What he didn’t bank on was the double standard of the officials. If you don’t believe me, Mr. Official, just give me your address, and I’ll send you tape of All-American guard DJ Augustin doing the same thing – and promptly getting the friendly whistle, no questions asked – in the Texas – Kansas State game a while back. I know the game shouldn’t come down to 1 call, but c’mon – after watching UCLA waltz away with 2 wins this weekend because of ludicrous calls in their favor – how can you tell me that a call/no-call would not have made a difference?
I hate this. I hate this because this game was winnable. They are just cookie monsters, nothing more. But I will relent in saying this: those games, with Lawson out and QT running the show, helped them tremendously. It got them into close games that they otherwise may not have gotten into, and it tested their togetherness and their resilience. QT got comfortable running the show. Tyler made his case for POY. Ellington learned to get his own shot. When Ellington said, “We've been [in close games] before -- been there plenty of times,” it made me shiver. It’s true. They have, and they’ve proven that they can fight through it. They are older and more experienced than we are, and it shows.
So, I guess I have to admit: Carolina is kind of a good team. For the entire first half and key stretches of the second half, they made Duke’s offense become completely unrecognizable to me. Guys got frustrated, we kept getting our shots blocked, limited to one and done, and couldn’t drive and kick out as much as we wanted to. They always seemed to have 2 or 3 guys near the goal that could swat away or severely challenge shots. We dug ourselves into such a hole (15-29) – and this was in Cameron! We were playing catch-up, in Cameron! Unreal!
I mean, what happened to the crisp execution of the first UNC game in Chapel Hill? In that game, you could clearly recognize Coach K’s strategy: limit Hansbrough’s free throws, double-team him, let him get his 30 and 20 or whatever, and shut down everyone else. It didn’t work here. In the first opening minutes, we committed 4 or 5 fouls right off the bat, Green and Ellington got whatever they wanted, and that was that. They knew to expect our drives and stayed home to contest our shots, they also switched on ball screens so that someone was always on our shooters (taking a page out of our book!), and they refused to play along with our defense and commit turnovers. Ken Pomeroy is right. Just like Tennessee, when your offense feeds off of turnovers to be successful, then you’re gonna run into trouble when you face very good teams that refuse to be turned over. Last night, we got turned over, not the other way around, to the tune of 10 in the first half, while botching pretty much all of our fastbreak opportunities. No wonder our offense stalled. My hat’s off to Carolina. They made us look, at times: slow, unathletic, and unprepared. This was a very disciplined Duke team that knew what was at stake, and they made us disintegrate into chaos.
Those last 2 minutes were the longest in my life. You simply cannot go down by 14 to a team like Carolina, and expect an easy way to climb back up. Your work’s not done when you tie. Your work’s not done when you go up by 2. We spent all our energy getting back to 68-66, and then they just spurted away again. We had a great chance, and we blew it. Don’t give me “emotions drained us”. You’ve been a competitor for 4 years, Nelson. You know better than anyone how to turn emotions into deadly weapons. No, the minutes played drained you. 35 minutes? Singler with 37, Scheyer and Paulus with 32, and G with 29? Meanwhile, Lawson motoring at the end only played 23, and Green blocking 7 shots only played 25. Both were fresher at the end, and it showed. If Lawson hadn’t gotten that steal . . if Green hadn’t gotten that tip-in . . if, if, if. Sigh.
Remember the NC State game, where we were able to storm back because Nelson played a phenomenal last 8 minutes? That’s because he came in with fresh legs, having only played 19 minutes up to that point, for 27 total. We lost the LSU game in 2006 because our starters were exhausted by the end, while their starters were fresh due to foul trouble having kept them on the bench. I am not asking for McClure to play 30 minutes – but might he have kept Green in check? He only played 4 minutes, but I thought he did a great job, blocking a shot, then grabbing a hotly contested rebound and starting the offense that got a wide open 3 from Greg Paulus. I am also worried about Kyle. He has clearly hit the freshman wall, and though he won’t acknowledge it, he is clearly exhausted from having to guard big, burly opposing centers all the time. Sure, we play team defense . . but that means 80% on Kyle and 20% on the team. His 3 point shooting for the last 7 games now have been 33% or less, he is driving less and less, and getting blocked more and more. 37 minutes in big games are not helping . . especially when Lance was only good for 12. I hate playing the “if” game, but if our starters were fresher in that LSU game . . . who knows what would’ve happened?
Still, we are an amazing 26-4 . . #7 in the country . . a consensus 2 seed. Astonishingly cool, especially when you consider how we finished last year. Now for the good stuff!
- Defense by Kyle and G. Although both had bad shooting nights, they didn’t let that affect their defense on Hansbrough, as this super duo teamed up for a tremendous containment job: not letting him get to the foul line even once! And limiting him to 8 of 21 from the field!
- Greg Paulus stepped up HUGE when Nelson couldn’t. I think if there’s anyone who can turn emotion into positive dagger-like energy offensively, its Greg. His four 3-pointers in the first half single-handedly saved us from getting embarrassed, and he even burned Lawson for a floater in the lane – and one! I loved that play. 15 points, 2 assists and 0 turnovers in 32 minutes – great stats. He always seems to show up in tough environments, especially late in the season, and I hope he continues this trend into the post-season!
- Jon Scheyer is a gamer, and he has a heart as big as a lion. He scored on a variety of drives and 3 pointers, and it was he who tried to get the last shot for us, a 3 on the perimeter against a bigger Hansbrough whom he got to bite on his head fake – but just couldn’t sell it as well to the officials, who, frankly, weren’t buying anything that night. He’s improved so much from last year . . can’t wait to see more!
- Another guy who is improving by leaps and bounds: Brian Zoubek! He put a huge smile on my face with those put-backs – oh, to see the look on Hansbrough’s face when he did that! Classic! He looked out of his league in the first few minutes, picking up 3 quick fouls – but then adjusted and made up for it in the second half, when he played solid, smothering D on Tyler, plus grabbing those bonus buckets. Big Z is gonna make some noise next year, but if he can continue to give us a solid 10 or 15 minutes this year, even if it’s just to keep the opponents honest . . we can go far.
- I do hope that the rocking, celebrity-packed atmosphere, and the stellar teamwork and energy we had to expand on locking down Hansbrough, screamed to Greg E on how much we need him in 2009. You’ll have a senior Zoubek to help you, but you’ll also get plenty of playing time and TV exposure. Ditto to Josh Hairston from 2010!
Nolan Smith, post-game interview:
“Who knows what would’ve happened if we’d played our game for the full 40 minutes?” Then, he finally cracks into a big smile when a reporter asks about a possible rematch with UNC in the ACC tournament finale: “Yeah, of course! You know, somebody beats you, of course you want a rematch.”
Bring it on, Carolina! This ain’t over!
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