Off the cuff: It would have been a tremendous win if the Tar Heels could overcome the loss of Lawson and found a way to beat the Devils at home. I'm not sure if the coach could have kept me out of playing against Duke. So, I have to assume Lawson's injury is pretty bad. Duke's offense was smooth and led to open shots. Carolina's offense was ragged and led to bad shots and turnovers. That's about the size of it really - except that the Heels also missed open shots. Hansbrough played his heart out. Thompson got called for ticky-tack fouls that limited him. Alex Stepheson seemed a step slow and a bit out of it. Q was ok except for that stretch when the Devils opened up a double-digit lead for the first time. If Wayne Ellington wants to turn pro after this season, he better pick up his shooting. He was 0 for 6 from the three-point arc. Danny Green was only one of 10 from the floor. Duke's defense was good but not that good. Bench scoring for Carolina amounted to only four points. A free throw by Will Graves and a late three pointer by Green. Depth, the thing most of us thought was Carolina's strength at the first of the season, has taken a hit. How much does Carolina miss Bobby Frasor now? Those of us watching the game in North Carolina did not get to hear and see Dickie V's return to the microphone. We got the ACC TV feed featuring Billy Packer, who incidently voiced a Duke "air ball" call - even though it wasn't really an air ball because it hit the backboard. No, I will not get over my "air ball" kick. To read more about my aversion to emulating Dukies, please click here.
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