Off the cuff: Coach Roy Williams did not like his team's play or at least he says he did not like his team's play against Oral Roberts. I didn't think the Heels played all that bad. They shot 54 percent from the field. Deon Thompson scored a career high. Ty Lawson had only one turnover. They led by 16-20 points most of the game. They survived a guy throwing in threes from Honduras. I thought it was a pretty good effort - especially coming off exams.

My friend John Maddrey got some air time as Hansbrough banged into the scorer's table. Maddrey, a Raleigh attorney, works stats for ESPN whenever that network is covering a game in the area. His monitor was knocked over but survived. Hansbrough's knee was gashed. Just another nagging injury for Hansbrough. Speaking of injuries, Danny Green got five stitches above his eye but is expected to play Thursday.

The announcers - Mike Patrick and Len Elmore - are two of the better announcers. It was nice to hear a play-by-play guy have strong opinions - like when Patrick dissed Terrell Owens. Not exactly sure how that came up but he lit into him nonetheless. Among other things he said was that "There could be a bigger jerk that T.O. but I honestly can't think of one... Some people are out for themselves and that's it."

Among many excellent comments during the game, Elmore extolled the virtues of staying in school all four years. He said that Hansbrough's run at several records is "a celebration of guys staying the full four years. Not only do you improve your game but you make a mark here at Carolina that will be everlasting." Amen Len.

Years ago, I worked with Elmore on a public service video aimed primarily at black kids who put everything on the slim chance that they'll be a professional athlete rather than putting more time into academics. I wrote the PSA before meeting Elmore and he rightly came in at the last hour and changed it to sound more like himself.

I appreciate Elmore's dedication to his race. However, I disagree with his putting the Texas Western victory over Kentucky in 1966 as the greatest college game of all time. It gets a little exasperating when everything revolves around race. Just because Texas Western started five black players doesn't make the actual game one of the best games in college history. Not sure where I would rank that game but it probably wouldn't make the Top 10. But a game Elmore played in - the 1974 Maryland vs. NC State ACC tournament game - would be up there, perhaps at No. 1. I'm not really all that sure how important the 1966 game was socially because it was just a matter of time as more black athletes were recruited to play in college.

In explaining his Texas Western choice, Elmore said that it "destroyed all the stereotypes whispered" about players of color. Speaking of stereotypes, it might be an even bigger story if an all-white team won the NCAA tournament this year. But of course a big deal would not be made about that - other than to say something like, "These guys aren't the best athletes but they work hard and give it all they have as a team."

By the way, I also disagree with Elmore's choice for the second best game where he picked Duke's last-second victory over Kentucky in the 1992 regional when Laettner hit that dramatic shot. I watched that game at a bar and was more interested in looking at a cocktail waitress until the very end. Yes, it would make my list of best finishes but the game itself was fairly forgettable. Of course, I also forget what the cocktail waitressed looked like.

Halftime analyst Jimmy Dykes made some comments that proved he doesn't know a lot about the history of UNC basketball (even though he spent some time as an assistant coach at Appalachian State). He said, "(Hanbrough's) a guy who has such a great communication and relationship with Roy Williams that he will take himself out of a ballgame" when he's tired. Dean Smith started that tradition years ago - any player can take themselves out when they are tired and will be allowed to go back in when rested. Pretty much every UNC player does that so that's not what makes Hansbrough special. And it's also not just because he works hard, although he does. Don't let anyone fool you, just because he isn't always pretty making a shot, he is a very good athlete. How many times have you heard people say things like "Hansbrough isn't the best athlete but he works hard and gives it all he's got." I wonder how that would go over in the world of academia if someone said that a black person wasn't the smartest student but he works hard and gives it all he's got. Stereotypes indeed, Mr. Elmore.

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