UNC 64, Virginia Tech 61
by T.H. on Jan 13, 2011 11:47 PM EST
in Basketball
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PrintFor the second straight game UNC floundered in the first half, and fell behind, only to claw their way back with solid defense and win the game late. It's an unfamiliar way of winning to most Carolina fans, and not a habit I think we want to get into, but a win is a win, and this team is showing a lot more backbone than last year's squad. That's really all there is to say.
Oh, and Kendall Marshall tore the game up. That's probably worth discussing.
Marshall took the simmering point guard debate among Carolina fans and cranked the heat to eleven. Given extra playing time by virtue of Larry Drew's foul trouble, Marshall had an excellent second half, and finished the game with 9 points, 9 assists, 3 steals and 0 turnovers. More importantly, he finished out the game, entering at the 5:33 mark with the game tied at 47 when Drew picked up his fourth. After quickly falling behind by five – Reggie Bullock took three straight ill-advised shots, all misses – Marshall hit his own three in response that sparked and 8-0 run. And in the waning moments, he again came up big, with tough defense on Malcolm Delaney to prevent a game-winning three and clutch free throws to seal the win. Expect Drew to still start the next game, but also expect the grumblings from the fans to be loud.
Delaney, of course, had another huge game for Tech against the Tar Heels; he finished with28 points and despite being in foul trouble a lot late sat only one minute of the game. The same could not be said of Jeff Allen, who was out much of the first with two fouls and was held to 4 points and 7 rebounds. For the most part, the game followed Allen's lead, and was incredibly ugly. There were a combined 35 turnovers between the teams, and UNC was often out-hustled, especially in the first, to loose balls and rebounds. The play was often lackadaisical and almost incompetent at times. A team with more depth and less ball-handling problems of their own would have torn through North Carolina.
John Henson did a good job of firing the team up with some tremendous dunks as the Heels reasserted themselves; he'd finish with 17 points and 8 rebounds, but be on the bench in the final minute again. He's free throw shooting is killing him, as he went 1-4 from the line, not that the team was much better. Harrison Barnes will probably also get a lot of talk tomorrow, for a brief spurt where he took over the game and made three of four shots for eight points. It's not much different from the previous flashes of brilliance we've seen, except this came in the final two minutes, and propelled the Heels over the hump to the win.
This is a team still finding it's footing; the good news is that the next game against Georgia Tech should be a little easier. Still, the first half and much of the second was almost exhausting to watch, plagued as they were with unforced errors and a lack of rhythm. UNC had a lead at 2-0 and then the next at 55-52 with 3:20 to play. That can't continue to happen, and this team needs to get a solid gameplan going. And that may involve a change in point guard.
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Count me in on the group of fans who would love to see Marshall get the starting PG spot and see Drew get much less time. Marshall just seems much more under control and seems to get everyone else involved. Drew looked like he had never seen a zone defense before, while Marshall was at least able to get the ball inside to Henson and Zeller.
Also, heard a very interesting comment from Jay Bilas near the end of the game. Said that last year’s team was disappointing and went through a lot of growing pains. He said this team may not be more talented, but this team at least has more fight and toughness in them. And I totally agree. Last year’s team was soft with a capital S. This team at least seems to fight back even when they are down. And the past 2 wins have been ugly, but have shown some toughness and heart.
I think that shows most in the defense we've seen the last couple of games
Even though this team shoots like they’re trying to put basketballs into Dixie cups, they do have an ability to play solid D and pick it up when they need to. Only negative on that side is our inability to control the rebounds, we end up putting way too many out of bounds and giving the opposition the ball back. But even that is improving.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. ~ Groucho Marx
Agreed
They really stepped up the defensive intensity in the 2nd half. That helped them get stops and got the crowd back in the game. Yeah, I think rebounding is going to always be a tougher area for this team this season. Henson is improving but still raw, Knox is a bigger guy, but I don’t remember him doing too much this game. And Zeller just can’t get everything inside all the time. But you’re right, they need to control the ball a little better when they do get it.
You're right about Henson, this has been a big area of improvement for him.
I’ve been impressed with Knox, he seems to have really good hands both in grabbing the rebounds and in catching passes. Zeller’s problem is that he tends to bring the ball down sometimes. I think he tends to do it when he starts getting gassed.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. ~ Groucho Marx
Here's the stat I found that tells the story
19-34, VT, with Drew in the game (16 min).
45-27, UNC, with Marshall in the game (24 min).
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. ~ Groucho Marx
I wondered about this for most of UNC's games
It always seems that Drew gets UNC in a hole and then Marshall digs them out.
I also think it’s pretty obvious who the players would rather play with right now. The energy level seems to increase with Marshall on the floor.
One last thing to consider. Marshall usually comes in and plays with the 2nd team, yet still puts puts up better numbers than Drew. Imagine if he was able to start and play the majority of the game with Henson, Zeller, Barnes, and Strickland, like Drew usually does.
McDonald and Bullock both made the same mistake
They put up quick shots with no players in place for the rebound. I think this is a function of getting coaching them some more and giving them more playing time. I think it’s critical to get one of those guys in the game from the start and let them get worked in as a normal part of the offense and not just desperation subs. I think if they only get limited minutes to get their shots they are more likely to take them too quickly.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. ~ Groucho Marx
Marshall's play that don't show up in the stats
Marshall had one brilliant pass to Henson down low, which Henson took and dished to Zeller for and easy deuce. Marshall gets a hockey assist for that, but it doesn’t show up in the stat sheet.
Marshall also had an excellent pass to Knox down low, but Knox was hammered and sent to the line, where I believe he made 1/2.
I Remember That One in Particular
It was just lightning-quick. I hadn’t had time to register that Marshal had the ball.
I think the big difference between Drew and Marshall isn't who the pass to,
but when they pass. Marshall seems much quicker to make decisions and gets the ball to the player just a half second quicker. To me it looks like this gives the receiver another couple of beats to see the defense and make a decision. And I honestly think a lot of it is that Marshall is fearless, where Drew a lot of times looks like a guy who’s been beat down. I feel badly for Drew, to be honest. I don’t think he’s that far from being a good player, but he catches a lot of criticism and I think Roy sets him up for it by playing him more than he should. I think Drew did better in the second half (though still not great) working the offense because he saw how Marshall was beating it. Roy needs to give the guy a chance to watch Marshall which I think will help him pick up his own game.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. ~ Groucho Marx
+1
I was thinking the same thing last night. I’ve played ball with guys that will get you the ball, but at the wrong time and in the wrong positions. It is extremely frustrating. Marshall gets the ball to guys in the right positions at the right time, which is very important. That’s the kind of point guard you want to play with.
I actually think Drew would be better suited coming off the bench. His confidence is shaken, so the pressure of coming off the bench and providing a spark could be easier on him. He won’t feel like the load of the team is on his shoulders.
Marshall again and again
Been saying it since I found this fine blog and started posting. The constant reliance (is reliable even the right word??) on Drew is killing this team. I don’t care if he’s a 5th year senior, his level of play is unacceptable. Listen if this team grows like we hope it will and next year is a big year…Larry Drew is not going to be the one marching us to the final four. Roy HAS to let Marshall get all the learning done right now while expectations are low. He should be doing 30 mins a game and Drew should be playing only when Marshall needs to catch his breath.
BTW to the other author above…Justin Knox is overwhelmingly average. He’s not good, let’s be honest. lol Maybe Barnes will actually show up from now on…good finish although his passing continues to be middle school like. Also his ball handling is extremely suspect. A win is a win though, I never give one back!
Big game @ GT…need a road win and Hewitt is dying down there, he’s on his way out.
Agree with Barnes' turnovers
Barnes is really weak with the basketball and doesn’t handle it well in traffic. A lot of his turnovers look like rec basketball. That said, he stepped up and hit a big shot against Texas and a couple more last night.
I completely agree considering Marshall. I don’t even think I would like to see Drew out there to give Marshall a break. Give Strickland a chance to learn the point some. He has so much more upside than Drew.
by NCRam55 on Jan 14, 2011 11:59 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I would agree if we're playing the zone
But I seem to recall that Drew has had some good games playing against a man-to-man defense. I think he tends to match up pretty well against most PGs who play man on him. And I think he’ll actually improve his game if he comes in off the bench and sees how Marshall and Strickland are playing.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. ~ Groucho Marx
Also I disagree concerning Knox. I think he does have good hands, is a big body, and ,compared to the rest of our team, possesses a very high basketball IQ. He displays his IQ when anticipating attempted passes by opposing teams that he cuts off and also by expecting passes and getting open for another player with a very high basketball IQ, Kendall Marshall.
by NCRam55 on Jan 14, 2011 12:01 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I'm with you on Knox.
I don’t expect him to be a Zeller or Henson and score double digits every game but he’s got good hands, plays good D, and makes smart decisions. I also think he gets sort of a raw deal when Roy does the 5 man sub. I think if it’s Watts and him in there, it puts a lot more pressure on him as the only “real” big man on the floor. I’d like to see him on offense more with Zeller or Henson in there with him and see what he can do.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. ~ Groucho Marx
The key is less Marshall-Drew debate and More Zeller-Henson
While Marshall is coming on as of late and shown a more controlled effort than Drew, all this debate about the both of them is overshadowed by the fact that UNC’s success really hinges upon whether the guards [all of them] stop putting their heads you know where and start getting the ball into Zeller and Henson more consistently. There really shouldn’t be a single possession the one of the two doesn’t touch it in the post. When that happens, we score or get a great shot almost everytime. When we start passing around the perimeter and looking off the post players, we end up taking bad shots or turning it over.
If the Heels are to continue to improve, it will be because Zeller and Henson are given a chance to make an impact. We don’t need the guards to manufacture points, we need them to get the ball inside, then knock down shots when the bigs pass out of the double team.
Marshall, Drew, Barnes, Bullock, whoever. Doesn’t matter.
It does matter when the passes are getting to the post players
Are they getting the ball quickly when they have a chance to make a decision, or if they are getting it when it’s been signaled and the defense is already collapsing on them so they are pressured into making bad plays? That was probably the most glaring difference in the passing game in last nights game.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. ~ Groucho Marx
A good amount of Zeller and Henson’s points were off drive-and-dishes. It’s important to have a guard that can create. You can’t soley rely on dumping it inside and Henson or Zeller to score with back to the basket moves.
One Caveat Here
I haven’t seen much in recent games where Zeller and Henson have been open and not getting the ball. Defenses are sensibly collapsing on them, because UNC doesn’t have much of an outside shooting presence. That’s making it pretty tricky for either point guard to successfully get it inside; a couple of good threes could buy UNC the breathing room to get Zeller and Henson good looks.
Has Bullock been hurt this season?
I thought I heard in one of the games that he had an injury that was bothering him. And you make a great point. The outside shooting has been pretty inconsistent and most of the guys are such streak shooters it makes it tough. You watch Zeller and Henson working hard to get the ball, but when the D has collapsed, there is no way anybody can get the ball to them, be it Drew or Marshall.
I have seen at least 20 possessions a game where either one has post position
and the guards look them off or immediately put the ball floor. Roy sees it to and that is why he gets so pissed on the sideline.
Happens every game and too often to count.
Creating is fine, but these guys aren’t creators yet. What they need to do is run the offense to get those two position down low.
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