Off the cuff: Now that Ellington seems on track, wouldn't it be nice to see Bobby Frasor get his stroke back? He missed all four of his shots, including three three-pointers, against Miami.
The thing that everybody said set Carolina apart from all the other teams was depth. With Ginyard evidently lost for the season and Zeller out and Copeland limited and Graves losing court time and Drew erratic, the Heels really aren't that deep. Against Miami, only seven players played more than seven minutes.
It seems even Dick Vitale has gotten caught up in this cult-like fascination with Barack Obama. Late in the Miami game, Vitale brought out his All-Barack Obama Best Decision Makers Team (which included Lawson and Davidson's Stephen Curry). More than 45 percent of the voting public didn't particularly think Obama was a good decision maker (think ACORN, Bill Ayers, Tony Rezko. the Rev. Wright).
Yes, the inauguration is particularly historic and yes, Americans should hope Obama helps the country, but would Vitale have done something similar had a female or a Mormon or someone of Indian descent won the presidency? I guess it's safe and politically correct, especially during a basketball game, that Vitale praise the country's first black president (born to a white woman and a Kenyan man, by the way). Ok, ok, I'll keep politics out of sports if they will. I certainly prefer it that way.
Marcus Ginyard could undoubtedly get an extra year of eligibility because of his injury but does the senior want to come back for another year. One would think this team has a much better chance of winning titles than next year's team. Still, it would be nice to have Ginyard for an entire final season.
If you'd like to sponsor this award-winning site, or agree or disagree with something written, please let me know by emailing me.
Heels 82, Hurricanes 65 UNC comes from 9 down to win easily
Wayne Ellington hit seven three-pointers in a row in the second half and the Tar Heels came from nine down to beat Miami going away 82-65 in Chapel Hill. (1/17)
North Carolina trailed 32-23 but went on a 13-0 run in the last five minutes of the first half to take a 36-32 halftime edge. Up by just three points in the second half at 41-38, Ellington went nuts, sinking seven straight threes in less than nine minutes. The lead swelled to 20 at 68-48 after one of his threes.
The largest lead of the game came with five minutes left as Danny Green hit a follow shot to make it 78-57.
When the Tar Heels were struggling in the first half, it was Tyler Hansbrough that kept Carolina in the game. Hansbrough, who scored eight of the Heels' first 10 points, finished the first half with 20 points and finished the game with 24 points.
Ellington got all 23 of his points in the second half. He said that the way the Heels came from behind is important. "It boosts our confidence and shows what kind of team we can be," he said.
While Ellington was the second-half offensive hero and Hansbrough the first-half offensive hero, it was Ty Lawson who made the engine run. Lawson dished out eight assists and came up with a couple of steals, including one that led to a Hansbrough dunk during the critical 13-0 run at the end of the first half.
The lead went back and forth during the first 10 minutes of the game but the Tar Heels turned the ball over six times in 10 possessions and the Hurricanes took control of the game until that Tar Heels' spurt turned the tide.
Green, who had a solid overall outing, sank a three with five seconds left in the half to finish off the spurt and give the Heels momentum going into the lockerroom at 36-32. Green scored 12 points and got five rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
Hansbrough said everybody on the team seems to be on the same page now and are playing better defense and offense. "Everybody was a little bitter about the two losses (Boston College and Wake Forest) but the last couple of games has our confidence back up," he said. "Hopefully now we'll keep rolling and playing the way we want to."
Carolina now stands at 16-2 and 2-2 in the ACC while Miami, which was led by Jack McClinton's 21 points, falls to 13-4 and 2-2 in the conference.
