Oh? How did this game get in here? Just 2 days after celebrating our biggest win of the year at Chapel Hill – we have to play again? Against – let me check the program again – the Boston College Eagles? Uh, didn’t we actually beat them last year, twice? Hmmm . . not much motivation here. But something’s not right. BC, after starting off hot with 3 straight ACC wins, including at Maryland, has dropped its last 5 – to be 3-5 in the league. Yikes. I was gonna skip this game and Tivo it for later – hosting a party et al – but then I casually check the score, and – what?????? BC is leading????? That’s impossible!!! We just beat UNC! We can’t possibly lose! Aaaaaand that’s exactly what they mean by the “trap” mentality, I guess. Great. No more taking this game off. No more sleeping in.
Because a team like BC isn’t just gonna come in and play dead, not after having lost 5 in a row already, and suddenly, to them, this is bigger than just one game – this is about them, their season, and quite possibly their manhood. Meanwhile, Duke has had, what – only a day? To enjoy its magnificent UNC win? A win that is still being debated, from Anchorage to Zaire, as whether this means Duke can go all the way? “Oh, yeah, their record’s great, BUT, no post presence . . eh, great win, BUT, without Lawson . . dah dah dah.” Whatever. Guys, don’t listen to them. We have motivation too. This is our year. This is our raison d’etre. This is for DeMarcus. And, so, with my heart in my throat, I scramble for the remote, and, once again, tune out 2 hours of the real world for a thrill ride with my Blue Devils.
Rice scores the first bucket, cutting into the paint to freeze Paulus, immediately telling its host that there will be no shutting down this prize guard, a la Ellington/Oglesby/Fells. LT gets an entry pass, bobbles it dangerously, sends it out to Paulus, who fires a 3 ball that hits the rim. Is the UNC magic still there? They grab the loose ball and get a fastbreak bucket. Then Singler beats his man down the floor for the easy, easy layup! “Oh, BEAUTIFUL!!!” Billy Packer raves. And Singler with a near-steal! First turnover forced.
Aww-howwwww!!! PAULUS!!!!!! With such an on-the-dime bounce pass to a full-speed Nelson that leaves my jaw on the floor. Through 5 sprinting bodies! To a running DeMarcus Nelson, all the way on the other side! Who wasn’t even looking! How did he do that???? They are charging up the court like a herd of wildebeest towards water, everyone is running, and somehow Paulus just pulls up and fires a lightening bounce pass – through Lance Thomas, it looked like – to a cutting DeMarcus Nelson on the other side, who just becomes one with it, and – hell, I can’t even describe it! Then he goes up and it’s in. Done. Back the other way. It’s as if they both had superpowers to teleport, and could communicate seamlessly with one another to boot. Astounding! And the defense still doesn’t know what’s hit them. If Paulus keeps making these kind of passes, who cares if Lawson comes back or not? 4-4, 18:10.
We are sharp. There is no letdown from the UNC game, “trap” game or not. How can you not be, when you’re at home playing in front of the Cameron Crazies? Who are still treating every move as if the opponent was UNC? Singler with another near-steal! Then, with the shot clock down to 11, 10, 9, Rice drives and gets it into the hands of a big guy, but Singler immediately hedges up and stands his ground, and the pass somehow zooms upward 30 feet towards the ceiling, before coming back down. And a travel! Ha!!
Hmmm. Paulus is really looking to get that UNC magic back, no? Fires off 2 quick-trigger threes in a row after Singler taps the ball out for an offensive rebound, and now he’s 0 for 3. But on the next possession, Singler, loitering about the perimeter, looks around, sees no great alternatives, sees his guy loafing in front of him, and goes up effortlessly for the three-point shot. And it rolls right in! This is gonna be a terror for other teams if he becomes a 45% 3 point shooter!
Scheyer with a block from behind? Really???? OOHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DEMARCUS NELSON IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Spins, weaves, explosive first step, and he soars towards the basket only to be stopped by the 6’10” wall John Oates – but he doesn’t care, just uses him as a ladder, and leans in just enough to support himself for the floater over him – score! Followed by yet ANOTHER turnover for BC!!!!!! 9-6, 15:34! This is turning into a laughter!!!
Nelson dribbles, finds a defender all over him, gives it to Singler in the corner to create for himself, he looks, sees McClure tussling in the post – not exactly a great option – where is Lance? Or Brian? I thought he was gonna play in this game? And then he fakes left, drives right, tries to slide into the post but is immediately met by 2 goons, sort of tries to flip it up even as he’s trying to avoid contact. The shot has no chance, going up awkwardly, but Singler, following it around the rim, scoots over and soars just enough to meet it as it comes back out to tip it in. And it goes!!! Awesome! The defenders were caught completely flat-footed.
They answer back with 2 good scores, but then commit the fatal error of sending a lazy pass in the backcourt. Scheyer taps it away immediately, it’s almost too easy – and the guy goes down, leaving Scheyer all alone to cruise to the other end for the layup. “I don’t like how nobody hustled back,” the announcer huffs. “In case Scheyer missed.” In case Scheyer missed???? Uh, who do you think we are, the North Carolina JV team? Did you see anybody within 30 feet of him??? No, I didn’t think so.
Oh, here comes the liberal substitutions! I ::heart:: thee! LT, Henderson, Paulus, and King comes in for Nelson, Singler, Nolan, and McClure. Scheyer with another STEAL! Take that, DeJuan Blair, who creams me for an uber-foul that’s not called for in the Garden game! Rice on the exchange with Oates, goes down to the floor, Oates looks on concerned, and Scheyer just runs in and taps that ball away right out of his hands, speeding off laughing with it, the loose ball bouncing along happily in front of him, and nobody on the BC team, again, can catch our shooting star as he lays it in off the glass.
The ACC is the ONLY conference where every team has a winning record. That’s incredible! (Although it is almost immediately disputed by Virginia, who lost to Wake today and is now 11-11, 1-8) It is also the only conference with a #2 and a #3 nationally, that’s not going to go anywhere but up. As Paulus tosses a fireball up high for Gerald the Hedgehog to fly in and DUNK IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hello, Sonic!!! What perfect execution!! The announcers are so blown out of their chairs that they immediately bring up comparisons to Bobby Hurley and Grant Hill. Bobby’s quote, and probably what Paulus was thinking too: “I just throw it up somewhere near that rim, and I know he’ll go get it.” They try a thunderdunk of their own with Blair, but KING is right there! Offensive charge on Blair!!! Turnover #6! 17-14, 12:01.
Another great stat: second-chance points off our great offensive rebounds so far!! Nelson, despite missing both free throws, determinedly grabs his own rebound, Henderson tries a 3, miss, but King is there to grab the weak-side rebound, and then Nelson, again, penetrates and then just so alertly dishes to LT who’s waiting right under the basket and just towers up for the DUNK! I love second chance points!
Hmmmm. Our shoots are just not falling. Jay Bilas has repeatedly warned about this – you can’t win 6 games in a row in March strictly based on perimeter shooting. And, so far, our perimeter shooting has been horrendous. I don’t know the stats, but everyone has tried one so far, to only 1 make: Singler’s. We’ve had 22 shot attempts – DOUBLE BC’s – forced them into 7 turnovers vs our none – and yet, we are now tied? 19-19? And, behind? 19-21? This is when Singler comes back off the bench. And, immediately, he makes a potential 3 point play by going up strong off a McClure dish despite being fouled, and one! Or not . . missed the FT.
“This is the same point where BC and Carolina were tied, 21-21, and Roy Williams pulled all 5 of his guys off the floor to send them a message,” Packer reminds us. Carolina wound up winning by 22, 91-69. Well, Coach K has no reason to pull any of his starters off the floor right now, let alone all 5. It’s not like we’re not playing hard right now – we’re actually very scrappy, very alert – but our threes are just not going down. A lot of short shots, actually, bouncing off the front rim, including Paulus, and King? Gah. Are visions of the spectacular shooting night in Chapel Hill still dancing in our heads? And why not? We are getting some great, open looks here. Including being wide open on our free throws! They’re just not going down. As the crowd suddenly ROARS at Cameron Indoor – Brian Zoubek is BACK!!!!!! Welcome back, big guy! We missed ya! 21-21, 9:12.
Oh, no – a bit too eager, perhaps? “My bad!” he says, tapping his chest, as he commits a cheapie on the perimeter. Ah, but how happy must Singler be that he doesn’t have to play the 5 anymore? As Zoubek brings his imposing frame over to help him guard the low-post guy with the ball, and he overshoots it, right into Scheyer’s lap on the other side. We swing the other way, and – NOLAN, with a THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That baby just snuggles in there. “Smith was camped out there!” Packer chuckles.
We are doing everything right, in every foreseeable category, except one – FG%. Forcing 8 more turnovers, grabbing 7 more offensive rebounds, going to the free throw line for 6 more attempts – and yet, yet, we are down 25-26? Ah, here is why: they are shooting 67%, while we are shooting only 38%. In our own gym, no less. And there is Coach K, with an entire, rapt audience around him, listening as he essentially tells his guys the same thing that Roy Williams told his guys, except maybe with less of a threat to pull them off the floor. They’ve done nothing wrong – they’re picking up them full court, for Christ’s sakes, they’re playing hard – those turnovers do not create themselves, ok? But, as we’d seen from numerous games before: Michigan . . Temple . . We will shoot like we’re on Ice Mountain for the first 10 or 15 minutes, and then suddenly we’ll pour it on like oil gushing from the wells. You’ll see.
Coming out of the timeout, Henderson forces another turnover by hustling after a loose ball, but turns it right over with a bad pass. They rush down the court – but we are MONSTERS on our defense, and my God, how high does G soar for the rebound!!! Great hustle again on our possession to recover a near turnover, as Singler just refuses to lose that ball, manages to bat it up high, and grabs it back for Duke, then dishes to LT who’s fouled. And here comes the free throw virus again, lingering from the UNC game . . as he misses his first . . then his second . . and we are batting a woeful 2 of 10. Yikes.
Well, Rice is not having any shooting woes – drills another 3 despite a hand in his face. Then Nelson commits an offensive charge. We answer right back with another forced turnover – their 10th. “You commit 10 TO, don’t get to the foul line, and you’re up by 3. Weird game,” Packer muses for BC. Oh s***!!! Singler wasn’t looking, and Paulus sends him a pass anyway, immediately picked off by BC, and it’s an instant two for them. UGH. 26-31???
Who is guarding Rice????? He’s torching us right and left! As King fouls him on a 3, and soon it is 28-35. I am in disbelief. Halftime is less than 5 minutes away. This is starting to become a bad habit. That is when our senior captain, DeMarcus Nelson, takes the team on his shoulders, curls in from the right wing, shifting through 4 gears, attacking, imposing, waits for the defender to jump out of the way before throwing it up strong, and getting the whistle for the and-one! ARGGGHHHHH!!!! And Singler is so excited, he hugs him!!!! There’s our leader!!!! 30-35.
Awww, damn. King with the blocking foul rather than the offensive charge he was looking for, and now he has 2. They hit all their and-ones, and suddenly it’s a scary 30-38, 4:35. And Nolan Smith, as discontent as I am, circles in from the perimeter to go all the way! Nice!!! “The shot blockers are off the floor, so once you penetrate, you probably can finish.” Just as I’m wondering why King is still in the game after picking up 2 fouls – oh, oh – there he is, KING for THREEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!! He just lets it rip, and this time, finally, finally, finally, it finds the bottom of the net. And we’re back, just like that!!! 35-38!
Now we need a defensive stop. And Nolan Smith is all over Tyrese Rice, hounding him, staying in front of him, not letting him penetrate, or see beyond 3 feet, and the guy can’t get nothing off, not a pass, not a shot, and finally with the clock down to 2 or 3 seconds he has to toss it up, and it goes over the backboard, as he himself falls out of bounds. GREAT, GREAT defense by the freshman. I love how this Duke team responds when it’s down. Different guys finding different ways to step up and get a stop, get an ear-splitting score. 3:11.
Well, Al Skinner definitely agrees. While they show Coach K maybe sharing a joke with his staff, Skinner on the other side is busy wiping off his brow with a towel. As he watches Nelson pull up for a sweet, sweet 15 foot jumper. 37-38! Then Nolan does a tremendous job of penetrating, drawing in the sharks, all with the aim of kicking the ball out to Taylor King, and – wow – there’s nobody within 5 feet of him! Yet, the shot is way short. And Kyle Singler is immediately inserted back for King. Perfect timing, too, because though LT gets a great pass inside, and has no competition for it, he misses a 1-incher. And Kyle steps right up behind him to clean up the mess. 39-42.
And LT returns the favor. Last shot, we free up Singler all alone on the right wing, he fires a 3 – looking good! We can tie the game! OH! Miss. But Thomas, right under the basket, reaches up for the put-back with 1 second left – and it’s GOOOOOOOOD! Right before the buzzer! 41-42 Halftime.
Second Half: Hmmmm, our defense is not exactly hole-free, is it? They score right away, and its 42-46 again in a hurry. Then – uh oh. Rice is down? Fell into the Duke cheerleaders and twisted his ankle there. Hobbles to the bench, but will probably return. Now can we reel off some points?
Ah, there ya go!!! Nelson, with all kinds of cheering and encouragement and whistling from the adoring Crazies, must’ve been feeling like he was at the Oscars, and this time, patiently knocks down both free throws. Then – then! Nelson with a STEAL in the backcourt!!! And he could’ve driven straight to the hole for the dunk, to finish that aborted play earlier, but instead, so unselfish – he alertly kicks it back out to Paulus, who pulls up just beyond the 3 point arc to let go a determined, hurtling shot – and it’s GOOOOOOD!!!!! 47-46!!!!! We have the lead back!!! 18:43.
And Nelson’s not done. After forcing them into another turnover – 5 second call – and Rice misses a 3, Nelson skies for the rebound, then tears off in the other direction, roaring down the lane and getting up right in John Oates’ face to scorch the net for the deuce. WOW. And they pour it on: “Boy, does he get up!” “Coast to coast!” “He took it inside against Oates who’s 7 feet, and just took it right in his face!” Our one-man offense and defense, DeMarcus Nelson, ladies and gentlemen.
His fearlessness inspires Paulus, who also penetrates for a runner – but it doesn’t go. Packer immediately rats on him as someone who can’t finish in the lane. Aww, c’mon – go easy on him. Yeah, I know Greg is only 1 for 6 so far, including 4 missed threes – but, look at him – he doesn’t care, and he sure as hell doesn’t hesitate when Nelson hits him again from the lane, and that trademark triple, once again, swishes through the net. What was the difference between then and now? Now, the game is on the line. Now, we need to gain and sustain our lead. And Paulus’s three gave us a 52-46 cushion. 16:59.
OH, Henderson!!!! He’s been pretty quiet so far – is this only his 2nd field goal of the game? And just as spectacular as the last, as he breaks free of his man to circle wide into the lane, all alone, for the DUNK off the inbounds! And Lance Thomas adds to the trophy pile! And Singler is as grateful, and as jubilant, as I am that now LT can grab the ball and lay it up with no turnover in sight, and slaps him happily on the butt. 58-51!
Oates is suddenly a deadly 3 point shooter? S***! As Singler completely forgets about him and leaves him wide open, again, Oates gets the cross-country pass and just nails it. Singler, flying in to try to stop him, slaps angrily on the press table after the defensive mistake. But oh, does he make up for it. Baseline drive!!! That’s the way to do it! Don’t go attack Oates one on one, he’ll block your shot, but take him with you, and use your speed, driving baseline and getting inside for a point-blank layup before Oates knew what hit him.
Singler goes to the free throw line after he grabs Duke’s 17th offensive rebound – now that’s a stat I haven’t heard of before – and is fouled. He’s so cute sometimes: tugs on his jersey to get it back on track, squares his shoulders, cradles that ball to his hip as he pauses for a deep breath, concentrates – his eyes, so focused on the basket – and then, shoots that pure, pure stroke.
Ok, officials? That was NOT a blocking foul on Thomas. He got whacked in the face by Southern’s big beefy elbows – how is that NOT an offensive charge even if Thomas didn’t fall down???? UGH. And of course they have no problems with their free throws.
Should I be worried? Should I be worried? Yes, because Duke has not run away from BC. Under 10 minutes to go, and – what’s this? BC takes the lead?????? 2 costly turnovers in a row, and BC capitalizes. I cannot believe it. Is this the same team that got blown out by UNC by 22, Kansas by 30 – heck, Virginia by 18 – playing this Blue Devils team that beat UNC by 11, beat Virginia by 18, blew out Clemson, and so forth? Is it??? 63-64, 9:45.
OH, SINGLERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew it!!! As soon as they kicked the ball out to him, and he was wide open, and we needed a bucket in the worst way – he delivers. A high arching 3. Yep, there it is. Beautiful as ever. And we are back on top, 66-65. Rips down a fierce rebound on the other end. Then Nelson, heart big as a lion, drives, circles, faces off against Oates again, whatever, doesn’t care, shoots a tough, tough shot, and gets it to go in off the glass! Vintage Nelson!
Off the BC inbounds – Paulus with a STEAL!!!! And he’s off to the races, running the length of the court for a completely uncontested layup. I thought they worked and worked on their stellar inbounds plays last night? Ha ha! 70-65!!! Then Scheyer pours in 2. Boy, Scheyer is great at getting to the free throw line today. He just sort of baits the defender to jump up and lean into him, then calmly accepts the whistle and the reward afterwards. 74-67.
Oh, and now it’s over. We’ve finally broken the game apart. And it comes on the strength of our threes. First, Nelson, taking advantage of their cluttered transition D in the lane, steps outside for the 3. Nails it. Then, on the next possession down, Paulus, racing the ball upcourt, pauses on the top of the key looking for shooters, spots Singler in his favorite spot on the left wing, and sends it to him – bang! Bang, bang, bang! 8 unanswered points!!! Is Rice getting tired? He’s played virtually the whole game. Inside of 6 minutes, and if that’s when we wear our opponents down, then I’ll take it. Hey, it worked for Carolina last year. 80-67, 5:52.
OH!
WHAT THE FUCK??????? #*&!#@$?#$&@^!$#!?!??!!??
Kyle SINGLER!!!! Thank you very much! You did, what every one of us wanted to do, but couldn’t. Nope. Don’t care about the technical. Just plain don’t care. That kind of behavior can only be met by going up to his sorry ass and confronting him – if only to give him a piece of our mind. Since that’s about the only thing we’re allowed to do.
WOW. I am now extremely pissed off. Okay, so here’s what happened: we’re playing stallball, minding our own business. Singler is out by the halfcourt line, just holding the ball, and John Oates quickly decides not to go out there and guard him, since that part of the floor is really alien to him. When the shot clock’s run down to 14, Singler raises his hand for action. And Gerald Henderson, rather than Kyle himself so many times before, runs out to set a screen for him, and – OHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just as he runs past the 3 point line, his defender is so frustrated with his quickness that he just collars him, yanks him up by his lapels, and drops him down onto the ground – hard. It is almost a virtual replay of what DeJuan Blair did to Kyle Singler in the Pitt game, except this time, Gerald was going full speed. And the boy just looked so helpless, his arms flung out wide to try to regrasp his balance and avoid potential injury.
And Kyle Singler would have none of that. Oh, HELL NO. You don’t do that to my boy. He runs immediately over to say a few words to Spears – game completely forgotten – that, I felt, were completely necessary. C’mon, BC – that was goddamn inappropriate – and I don’t even care that he got a technical for it. If Coach K can take a technical for arguing a no-call in the Maryland game, then we can take a technical for arguing as near a combative move as we’ve seen in the last few games. It didn’t hurt our score, and it showed that we stand up for our teammates. Bravo, Kyle. And that is why they were chanting “Ky-le Sing-ler! Ky-le Sing-ler!” as G stepped up for his free throws.
You know what? Kyle Singler has been on the receiving end of enough intentional fouls to know what it feels like – and I’m sure that he wished he could say something back during all those times – it’s just human nature. It is nice, though, that Coach K pulls his head down and says a few words to him, one on one – “calm down, it’s okay, let’s win this one with class. Let your game speak louder than your words.” As Kyle took to the floor again, he knew what to do. Okay . . let the game speak louder than my words. I can do that. And he goes out, and makes the last 2 minutes more memorable than the entire game preceding it. I’m not going to care about what BC has done. This, is for my team – and me.
That image, will forever sear in my memory. That close-up of Kyle, just toying with a senior center. DeMarcus had the ball, but Kyle called for it, and we go to four corners. Out in the middle of the court, just inside the halfcourt line, Kyle stood to his full height, holding the ball, and John Oates begrudgingly comes out to guard him, one step at a time, as if it was the most unnatural thing in the world to do. Holding out tentatively with his right hand, stretched out as far as it can go – his whole body language quaking in fear of Kyle’s quicker first step. Words are exchanged, and Kyle, now bending his body low, torso thrust forward in battle stance, holds the ball low to the ground, the fate of the world in his fierce eyes. He fakes right, and Oates nearly has a heart attack. Then, quick as lightening, he tears off, blowing right by Oates and running as fast as he could towards the basket, looking like he would throw down a monster jam – except – OH!!!!! Oates fouls him! And Kyle dusts himself off after nearly going over the photographers to go to the free throw line. Making 1 of 2.
Shamari Spears, the dude who fouled Gerald (and the foul was not even called intentional, it was just a regular foul) scores on his second straight bucket – and as we come back upcourt, Singler controls the ball again. A cheer goes up. The rest of the world melts away. It is just Singler and Oates, 35 feet out, and Singler lures him out even further, just inches from the student section, so that their roar is fully in his ears. Hey, John – listen to them. Listen! They’re chanting for me. They’re chanting for our soon-to-be 21st victory and 9th in the conference. They’re chanting for our unbeaten ACC record. We’ve rolled through tougher foes than you. You’ve got nothing on us. And just in case you need another reminder – here it is. Stutter steps, Oates is thrown back 3 feet, stutter steps again, Oates again doesn’t know which way to go, and then he just blows right past him, out of his reach, soaring into the lane uncontested and raising that ball up high for the DUNK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MISSED?????? How come????
“WOW!!!” the announcers cry together. They swing the other way, Kyle has no time for remorse, and soon he’s pulling down a hotly contested rebound furiously off the rim. And then immediately fouled by Rice. Still pissed off, he flings the ball out of reach, walking back upcourt to the free throw line glaring at that basket. How in the world – ? Henderson taps him on the chest to promise him some dunking tips later on. But you know what? I love this boy. I love him when he’s like this – emotional, hyped up – afire. He means business when he’s motivated like that, when the game is on the line – and you can see the fire that burns within him as he goes up for that three, or rips down that rebound. And here, now, with that basket in his laser-like focus, he knocks down both free throws with authority. 24 and 10, and if they’d gone another 5 minutes he would’ve had 35 and 15. That’s how fired up he was. Of course, Coach K immediately pulls him and Gerald to avoid any more trouble, to a standing ovation. Take that, Tyrese Rice. That is not imcomparable to your 28 and 7. Plus, Singler had one blocked shot, 3 steals, and only 1 turnover to Rice’s 2 steals and 3 turnovers. If you’re gonna be all-ACC anything, Singler should be right there with you. With deference to Nelson, of course. 90-80 final score.
Post-game thoughts: Singler and Nelson plain dominated. Nelson is now routinely challenging Paulus in the assists column – he is so alert when he storms into the lane, where he can either shot it or dish. And is this the emergence of Kyle Singler on the offensive end? Singler, in the last 2 minutes, looked like he would score 40 if that’s what it took to shut the opposition up. He took what Spears did to Gerald personally, as he should – and boy, did he do something about it! That intentional foul, this time on a teammate rather than on him, really stoked his competitive fire, and he showed some amazing moves and blistering speed that took my breath away. You can clearly see that he is capable of far more than his scoring average of 13 a game. He is capable, if he wanted to, of far, far more, of superstar stats. Will he let it come out now? Will he, as Coach K had said with a smile earlier this year – “assert his ego on offense”? Because he is completely unguardable. He proved that unequivocally today. No 5 is quick enough to go with him, and no 4 is going to be matched up with him because then that means their 5 will have to guard one of our guards when Thomas isn’t out there. Two double-double games in a row now, and I think, with Lance Thomas’s inspired play of late, this bodes well for the Maryland rematch on Wed!
Oh, and a word about Duke not having a plodding center to throw the ball down to. Feh – I would take Kyle Singler over some 5 any day of the week. Watching him face off against John Oates – a legit center, 6’10”, shot blocker, rebounder, and apparently, 3 point shooter – and how Oates looked so uncomfortable, not wanting to get near him so far out, yet reaching out tentatively with that hand, hoping to keep him in check – and Kyle, that slim body low, his eyes daring Oates to come closer, just come a little closer – and that ball, securely in his hands. If you foul me, I’m 80% at the line. If you let me go, I’m gonna blow right by you for the layup. And right there, watching him – just toy with Oates – my God, I loved this team. Everyone can create. Everyone can drive. Everyone can drill the 3. Why the hell would we want a true center??? And you know what? We play that much harder, because of our lack of strength inside. The Carolina players admitted it themselves. Because Hansbrough is so good, all they did was throw the ball down to him and stood around, saying “Tyler, go ahead and make a play”. We don’t get that kind of ennui around here. We trap full court, ¾ court, half court, we overplay the passing lanes on defense, and we play tremendous help D. It’s the way that we’re taught, but it’s the way that we win, too. And with a 21-1 record . . you can’t say that we can’t make it to the Final Four. You just can’t.
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