Tip-off vs. the No. 12 Tar Heels coming up
CHAPEL HILL, NC - OK this is my third blog looking ahead to the Carolina game. Enough already?! Hey, this time there’s actually something coming. In about an hour. It’s called tip-off, and if you care to join me I’ll blog some during the game.
I’m in the innards of the Dean Dome as I type, wondering if the car I borrowed from an old friend of mine to drive over here will be in the same shape as I left it. The old friend of mine is a Duke grad, and I noticed as I was walking past the back end, that she’s got a “Duke Alumni” license plate holder thing. Let’s hope nobody gets any crazy ideas walking past it, or I’ll some explaining to do when I get back to her house tonight!
I did notice it’s a little different walking into a game here two hours early than at say Virginia. Fans were lined up out the door as I walked past into the media entrance. I’d expect it to be electric in here today as the fans try to rally their team from two losses in three games (Clemson and C of C). That is, unless Tech can establish the pace, take a lead, and quiet them down.
A tall order, considering Tech has lost its last two road games at Virginia and at Georgia, and had to withstand a serious late push at Charlotte. And Tech has lost its last 12 games at the Dean Dome, dating back to 1996.
I just spoke with a North Carolina writer who emphasized that the Tar Heels will come out in this game and look to pound, pound, pound it inside, after getting embarrassed by Clemson on Wednesday. In that game, post players Deon Thompson and Ed Davis combined for a total of eight points, each scoring 4 points on 2-of-4 shooting. And neither one attempted a free throw. Wow.
So I’d imagine Roy Williams has had a thing or two to say about that in practice the past few days, and that Tech should see a team today dedicated to getting it down low. That’s something Tech could take a lesson or two on as well. And something you’d expect Tech to try to do today too.
It is interesting, at least on paper, how many similarities these teams have, in terms of where their strengths and weaknesses lie.
Without Tyler Zellner coming off the bench today – Carolina’s top reserve in the post is out four to six weeks with a stress fracture in his foot, which was announced on Friday – Carolina will go to the Wear twins. That’s Travis Wear and David Wear, identical twins, who wear mirror-image numbers – Travis is 43, David is 34.
We’ll try to keep it all straight, and keep you informed as we go.
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197 comments Add your comment
Tyler
January 16th, 2010
4:28 pm
You do expect a run. What you don’t expect is for it to be 20 points. Poor coaching nearly lost a great game by Tech today.
bigstack19
January 16th, 2010
4:28 pm
Lose to Georgia, Dayton, FSU, and U Va. Beat Duke and UNC. WTF? I don’t get this team. If they had a better coach then maybe they would be more consistent.
Jackets Rule
January 16th, 2010
4:31 pm
The headline in the AJC should read, “Jackets overcome Hewitt’s ineptitude to prevail against UNC.”
Buzzed Driving
January 16th, 2010
4:34 pm
Iman was smart enough to not even attempt to block the last 3-pointer. He actually dropped his hands and put them by his waist so the Duke/UNC… uh, i mean ACC refs could call a foul on him. Good win for the team. I had them blowing it especially when UNC got within one shot. I’ll never forget Tech’s final shot in the ACC championship game when Redick was yanking Jack’s shirt off and the refs called a foul on J. Jack. I still want Tech to leave this conference b/c of that kind of ACC favoritism for NC teams.
Was this Iman’s coming out party?
the real OLD GOLD
January 16th, 2010
4:34 pm
What an absolutely embarrising second half of “basketball.” Miserable, just miserable. It’s time to bring the Cremins back to Cremins Court!
the real OLD GOLD
January 16th, 2010
4:34 pm
*embarrassing
Fan of Good Coaches
January 16th, 2010
4:36 pm
Not pretty, but a win….Need to start playing consistently….Need to take care of business against Clemson….. Who would have thought Tech would be 2-2 in conference and the 2 wins would be vs. Duke and UNC?
Gordon
January 16th, 2010
4:36 pm
I do my share of criticizing Hewitt when we lose, so I offer my congratulations today. I don’t think it should have been that close, but the bottom line is we won. So keep it going Tuesday against Clemson.
DGTech
January 16th, 2010
4:38 pm
How can a coach allow a team to almost lose a game after they were up by 20+ at one spot in the game. It was a thriller but there was no excuse in CPH calling defensive plays that allowed NC to come within two at the end. POOR coaching!!! It was also obvious and seen with true eyeballs that the ref’s did everything they could to help NC win and everything they could do to cause Tech to lose. Shame on ref’s who are intimidated by coaches such as Williams and Coack K. Treat each team and each player the same but somehow it does not work out that way.
UGAissolastyear
January 16th, 2010
4:41 pm
Come within 2? They were winning a few times near the end!
Technophobia
January 16th, 2010
4:45 pm
North Carolina has MORE talent than Tech and we beat them on the road. I can’t believe the haters on here can’t give Hewitt some credit no matter what happens. I guess Roy Williams must REALLY be a bad coach after losing to Clemson and Tech back to back. Oh wait, that wouldn’t be fair would it.
Technophobia
January 16th, 2010
4:46 pm
Oh yeah, I forgot, Cremins’ teams NEVER blew a lead. (eyes rolling)
GTech
January 16th, 2010
4:50 pm
I generally would jump on the blame “Paul Blewitt” bandwagon with everyone else on losing the big lead, but I don’t think you can hang it on him this time. UNC cut into lead after about 6 straight possessions where Tech turned the ball over and where Graves hit bunch of 3’s.We also basically didn’t hit some shots. That’s basketball, you will not score every time. We were hot in the 1st half shooting and things eventually evened out. Poof, the lead was gone. That’s on the players and the law of averages, not Hewitt.
GTech
January 16th, 2010
4:54 pm
I agree technophobia. Carolina may not be the Carolina of old, but they are still very talented, perhaps even more talented than Tech. You have to give UNC some credit.
What’s not forgiveable is losing to UGA and both UVA and FSU. I’d say its excusable to drop 1 of 3 of those games, but not all three.
Stinger
January 16th, 2010
5:00 pm
I see we are ranked in basketball but can’t find the dawgs. Are the dawgs ranked in anything except crime?
Stinger Envy
January 16th, 2010
5:02 pm
Enter your comments here
Stinger Envy
January 16th, 2010
5:03 pm
((((30-24))))
((((73-66))))
When does Baseball season start?
Not Disappointed
January 16th, 2010
5:18 pm
Good win Jackets! Keep it going!
Brunswick-Tech
January 16th, 2010
5:20 pm
nice win…go jackets
chad
January 16th, 2010
5:26 pm
technophobia or should technodumbass has not watched much tech basketball the last TEN YEARS. If he had he would slow down with Blewit praise. UNC is not that good this year and today showed everyone that. It took Shump having the game of his life and few no calls going tech’s way today for them to win. Tech still has no direction and no leadership and Paula Blewit is the reason. Techno take the rose colored glasses and come back to earth. One win today doesn’t erase anything Blewit has done in the past and do probably next week. UVA or Ugay ring a bell?
Football Fan
January 16th, 2010
5:28 pm
ZZZZZZzzzzzz wake me up when football season starts back up
Technophobia
January 16th, 2010
5:29 pm
GTech, agreed, although both UGA and UVA may be a little better than expected. The # of turnovers has been better and Shumpert had a great game, 30 points. I just hope we can keep it going. None of these conference games will be easy though, but at least we’ve already won as many conference games as all of last year combined.
Technophobia
January 16th, 2010
5:37 pm
Chad, you are a no class jerk. Feel free to cheer for another team.
Jackets Keep Rollin'
January 16th, 2010
5:48 pm
If we can only play like the first half every game!
AWESOME win though…GO JACKETS!
Carroll Rogers
January 16th, 2010
6:28 pm
Figured I’d share Iman Shumpert’s take on the how Tech could lose a 20-point lead issue:
“I knew they’d make a run. I didn’t know they’d get up on us. It’s really, really hard to bury an ACC team. That’s one thing about this conference I learned last year. Even when we were down early in game we always made a run.”
LOST to UGA 66-73.
January 16th, 2010
6:31 pm
73-66. And, your APR of your men’s basketball team 914 NCAA PROBATION.
56-50. And, your Academic Progress Rate way worse than UGA again.
30-24. Worse APR again and you hire an old coot 66 years old who had graduated from college before our $ 750,000 Defensive Coordinator was EVEN BORN.
You guys are doing real well, especially still trying to replace JON TENUTA whom the nerds on the football team could IDENTIFY with, 66-year old ? Washed up. Put him out to pasture. No wonder we pay our DC 3 times what Tech can afford.
2 hot dogs, 4 Coca-Colas, 2 bags of boiled peanuts, and a parking pass, and no one goes to your games.
Carroll Rogers
January 16th, 2010
6:32 pm
Also, Peacock’s take on the game-winning play….He convinced Hewitt to change the play call from 3-out to 3-up.
“The play that he was calling three-out, I didn’t feel like it was working,” Peacock said. “And it was three-up, I feel like it works every time because our guard, if it’s Iman or Mfon is coming off that screen, normally the defending bigs go with them and that leaves me coming up for the trail three or a shot fake two dribbles and getting to the lane as I did tonight. I felt like that could have worked the whole game, but it worked when it needed to.”
Hewitt: “Zach kept saying the whole game, ‘I can take that guy’ (it was Travis Wear on him) and at the end, he got his opportunity and he did it.”
Not Disappointed
January 16th, 2010
6:35 pm
Thanks Carroll!
Ozzy
January 16th, 2010
6:45 pm
Lost to UGA used to call himself Bulldawg.
You’re still a no class A hole no matter what you call yourself bud. But congratulations on holding today’s diatribe to less than two pages.
We get it, you hate Tech. Now back to the poodle blog with you.
Technophobia is a Moron
January 16th, 2010
7:15 pm
TechnoDork, give me a break with the defending of Paul Hewitt. He is terrible and our talented team has to overcome his coaching if they want to win any game. Great win today but it makes the losses to FSU, VA, and UGA more difficult to swallow. There is no coaching on this team. It just doesn’t exist. PH has always been obsessive-compulsive with his substitutions and there is no offensive or defensive scheme. Its all about letting his athletes go make plays. Well, they made them today when it counted. Great win Jackets but Paul Hewitt still sucks.
nebraska jacket
January 16th, 2010
8:30 pm
Technophobia has no idea what he’s talking about. Have you ever watched a game of basketball in your life? Free throws help win games, but shots from the field count too buddy
chad
January 16th, 2010
8:43 pm
Like I said before Technofag hasn’t watched a lot of Tech basketball. You must be ten or eleven years old because watching this team is very painful and you obviously do not know what good basketball is. Tech basketball USED to be fun to watch. Gone are the days when Tech was considered point guard U. Gone are the days when a less talented team could come into Alexander and have NO hope of winning. Gone are the days when any ACC home game was sold out with very few spectators being from the other team. These are the days when a Duke, NC State, any ACC team’s fan can come to Atl and buy a ticket to the game and cheer for their team. Blewit has lost the confidence of everyone in the tech nation. No I will not find another team I will pull for Tech until I die, but I’m done with Blewit. I have been watching Tech basketball since Mark Price and John Salley were freshmen. He brings in too much talent to get the reslults he gets. He makes Bobby Cremins look like a coaching genius. Everyone knows that Cremins was not a great x’s and o’s coach. Call me what you want, but watching Tech basketball has become painful and no one that has any sense can argue that. Fans like you technodick are the reason Blewit is the coach and will be for a long time. He has the lottery contaract.
Saint Simon
January 16th, 2010
8:50 pm
Wow! You beat UNC. Doesn’t matter.
You still lost to UGA 73 – gt 66!!!! HAHAHAAHAHAHAHHAHAAHAHAHA!!!!!
By the way….UGA 30 – gt 24!!!!!!
Ha Ha Ha
January 17th, 2010
12:22 am
blew a 20 point lead and still won. WTF Paul Hewitt? Can’t you coach the game to not allow this kind of thing? I’m whining over a win but there are no excuses. I would not feel good about this win. Let’s hope the lack of scoring doesn’t carry over into the next game. Of course, we couldn’t win 2 in a row! Not w/ CPJ at the helm. Good grief!
Ben
January 17th, 2010
1:32 am
Seriously. This was a prayer win. UNC is loaded with young talent and Tech is at their best. Does any Tech fan really think they have any hope of making to the Sweet Sixteen??? GEORGIA BEAT YOU………….. Paul Hewitt is not the answer…………..you will NEVER be an elite program………..just like your football team.
STOP FAILING!
LOST to UGA 66-73.
January 17th, 2010
1:46 am
UGA 30 Georgia tek 24.
How can students identify with a 66-year old defensive coordinator old coot
Baba O'Riley
January 17th, 2010
6:12 am
The same way the Vols defense identified with a 70 year old defensive coordinator this past year. How’d he do against UGA????????
Baba O'Riley
January 17th, 2010
6:13 am
Ben, maybe Wofford is making the same statement to UGA basketball. Is UGA a better team than Wofford?
How to tell when someone has NO LIFE...
January 17th, 2010
11:42 am
…they come on the Tech basketball blog to remined people for the 10,000th time that UGA beat Tech..,30-24…in football…last year. And for the 10,000th time, I’m thankful I’m not you. Geez…don’t you idiots have something better to do? Talk about living in the past.
Good win for the Jackets…any road win in the ACC is big. However, I think it’s still obvious that Hewitt is simply not a good game coach, and the more success this team has, the harder it’s going to be to rid ourselves of him. It’s a catch 22…lose, and we suck…win, and Hewitt’s here for a long time. Having said that, come on, Hewitt…prove me wrong. I dare you.
George
January 17th, 2010
12:37 pm
Bought season Tech tickets for the first time in 3 years. Tech has a solid team with a lot of talent. Biggest news of the ACC so far is the officiating. Looks like Duke and UNC won’t shoot 2x more free throws than opponents. Redick player of the year??? How does an above average player become player of they year- 18 free throws a game. Who, other than his mom, has heard of Anthony Marrow. No NBA team would take Redick over Marrow. Hansbrough- we shall see.
NoCoach Hewitt
January 17th, 2010
1:18 pm
After yesterday you can go ahead and get ready for another year under BLEWITT. Next years team will be lucky to win 15 games total. Maybe 4 ACC wins. Watching the game, in the back of my mind I know I should be rooting against Tech to get rid of this no talent @$# clown, but I still root for the team.
We are .500 with, in my opinion, the most talented team in the conference. With the most talented of the bunch leaving I can only imagine how terrible they will be next year cuz as we all know they won’t be coached UP if anything coached DOWN. I still contend having an elephant on the sideline would be more beneficial because at least it couldnt screw with the talent.
Baba O'Riley
January 17th, 2010
1:48 pm
NOCoach Hewitt- Our only returning frontcourt player next year is….Brad Sheehan. It will be a loooong year, but it may be the year we lose Hewitt. the coach of the Washington Generals is a better coach than Hewitt.
truth
January 17th, 2010
4:13 pm
Oh my gosh! Keith Brookings. What an embarrassment. Where did he go to college?
Stinger
January 17th, 2010
4:28 pm
Granthams will fit in perfect at UGA. His defensive front had no discipline whatsoever. There was too many penalties and players were out of position the entire game. How embarrassing to allow a 40 year old man to stand all day in the pocket and have him pick your secondary apart. I can’t wait for Paul Johnson to disect that defense. It will be hilarious.
BravesFan79
January 17th, 2010
6:35 pm
Stinger: that 40 year old man is a LEGEND! Go Falcons, go Vikings!!
truth
January 17th, 2010
7:33 pm
Brookings looked like the most undisciplined player for the Cowpokes. Where again did he go to college?
Stinger
January 17th, 2010
7:54 pm
I understand Favre is a legend, but he’s still 40 yrs. old. My point is he would have had 8 TD passes if he was only 30 yrs. old. Brooking was the only player on that defense that played well and he is almost 40.