Off the cuff: I said that it would take at least 12 three-pointers by North Carolina to defeat Kansas. The Tar Heels got half that, hitting just six of 21 against the Jayhawks. Meanwhile, Kansas had missed all six of their three-point attempts in the first game of the NCAA Tournament and all six of their three-point attempts in the first half against Carolina. But in the second half the Jayhawks found its eye, hitting five of eight threes. Now, regrettably in this day and age, the yearly speculation begins regarding whether any UNC underclassmen turn pro. North Carolina can be a national contender next year and an ACC favorite if McAdoo, Hairston and Bullock all stay. And they should. As former UNC center Eric Montross, who serves as a Tar Heel radio announcer, said, "I don't think our players are good enough to jump to the league (NBA)." Amen. With UNC coach Roy Williams claiming that 95 percent of Carolina fans basically aren't real fans because they gave up on the team earlier in the season (untrue although I'm sure he gets tired of critical callers to his radio show), if any of those three players go pro, I wouldn't blame Tar Heel fans from losing some interest in the program. Regardless of what Williams thinks, North Carolina fans are loyal and passionately so. But it gets old with players going pro early - too early - and leaving the fans to root for a continuously rebuilding team. It's also a downer for the fan base to be unfairly generalized by the coach. This team came a long way and had moments of great promise. That promise will only be realized if they continue their education - both in the classroom and on the court. |
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