To Stay or To Go?

The Tar Heels are Champions!!!! It feels great to say that, doesn't it? And to read about it and to just feel it. Right? Carolina is right back on top of the college basketball world, with two National Championships in 4 years, a line of top-level recruits standing on the light blue line waiting to be next to suit up in Chapel Hill, and a coach who can obviously get things done, while maintaining the ethics, credibility, and character that has, for the most part, been what Chapel Hill has exemplified for all of us all these years.

This, my friend, is Tar Heel Heaven. And we are in the midst of it and are connected to it and we cry and slap hands and hug and wear our interlocked NC hats for days and put blue and white on our children and wrap our ears around every bit of information about Roy or Tyler or Bobby or DG. And we are on top. For the time being, there is no Duke, no Kentucky, no Florida, no Big East. Just 17 players, 8 coaches, and you and I. On top of this mountain, reigning supreme. A little overwhelming, isn't it?

As I took some time after the Game to think about this point in Tar Heel history I came to the conclusion that it may never be any better than this in my lifetime. Next season at least 7 players who were part of this will not be in Chapel Hill. And, although the potential is strong and the future looks bright so stick on those shades, it will most likely never be like it is right now.

So, as I considered all of this, and a lot of other factors, for me, this seemed the perfect time for the Anxious Tar Heel to take a bow, say "thank you", and make a quiet exit. As passionate a Tar Heel fan as I am, and as long as I have been one and will continue to be, it is extremely time-consuming and sometimes exhausting to take my thoughts and put them down in a format that will resonate with you, the reader. Being a blogger is not my profession, but it is my passion. But, I am also passionate about my family and my life and many other things that, for almost six months out of the year, get a little less attention as I attempt to document games and dramas and all that comes with them. And I squeeze it all into time that could and should be quality time for something else more important and more long-lasting and more eternal than a group of guys bouncing and shooting an orange ball. Don't get me wrong, because, like you, I have that special love and appreciation for Carolina that will never go away. But, for me, it is time to step back and be able to enjoy a 9pm game and wonder how in the world I will be able to stay up and blog after the game, what will I say about the game, how do I describe it? I want time and space to enjoy just watching.

And, let's face it, my readership is not huge. While I would imagine other sites, like Tar Heel Fan, pull in thousands and tens of thousands hits per day (maybe more), the ATH has hovered at 100 each day for a long time. And that's good, because I have felt good "talking" with all of you about our common passion. It has been great, the feedback has been fantastic, and I have been plugged into a community like no other.

But it is what it is. And it is time for me to leave. Thank you for reading. It has been a pleasure and I will miss this.

Go Tar Heels!

Villa-NO-va

By now you are exhausted. You have read every article and blog, watched every roundtable of college basketball "experts", talked to every one of your fellow Tar Heel fans, and checked StubHub 27 times just to dream about emptying your savings account and plunking down $50,590 for a suite of tickets and all the amenities.

So, the last thing you need is for the Anxious Tar Heel to add to your static. You're just ready to get the game started, right? You may have already started pacing around in the evenings in front of your TV, just for practice. Questions fill your head. Did they learn from the Kansas game? Heck, we thought they were taught a good lesson by that Georgetown meltdown in 07, so CAN this team learn any lessons? What are the players doing right now? What will next year's team look like? Where will Tyler actually be drafted? Will Ed Davis jump to the NBA?

We are right there with you. Brain on overload, winding up like a toy mouse, just waiting to be put on the floor and released. The good news is that we will have many questions answered by 11pm EST tomorrow night. The bad news? If they win then we will have another host of questions to rub together in our minds for 48 hours. Ouch. How to even get any work done on Monday?

So, as to not add to the static, we will make this very brief.

Carolina will beat Villanova.

That was easy. Nova is good and scary and a great story and how about the possibility of an all-Big East final? Not going to happen. Carolina, running on all cylinders, and using the past 2 NCAA failures as fuel, will just be too much for Wildcats. Period.

Enjoy the game! We will break down the UNC/UConn Championship matchup for you after Saturday night.

Too Easy?

Halfway through the first half it seemed impossible that Carolina had never trailed and Tyler Hansbrough was sequestered to the bench. Who knew? One word for this game: Grind. This was one of those slow-tempo deals that was only easy to watch if you are a Tar Heel fan. It was reminiscent of the Washington State game in Charlotte last season where a team thought they could control the game by bringing UNC to a halt. It didn't work then and it never worked today. Never. Not once. In fact, Oklahoma may have done better if they had tried to turn up the volume. We thought they would do that. Instead, the Heels buckled down on defense and ran a very decent half-court offense and dominated. Forcing turnovers on one end while getting good shots on the other.

But really, this game was decided by coaching. Roy is just better and more experienced than Capel, and there were several times when the Sooners coach could have used a timeout and he chose not to take it. To his credit, he tried everything he could to stop the bleeding, including playing zone on a couple of possessions, which, just to an outsider, seemed like madness. When OK finally did start making shots it was too late and Marc Campbell was already on the floor running the Carolina offense. And, lets be fair, if anyone besides Blake had been making shots, this may have been closer throughout. As it was, Griffin made 75% of his shots. The rest of the team? 35%. Just a bad night for them.

Two years in a row in the Final Four. And, rest assured, barring injury or team morale breakdown of some sort (SEE: Kansas game), Carolina will compete hard in Detroit.

And that's really all we want.

Eight is not Enough

Wow. Who knew? While the Carolina win over Gonzaga is no surprise to us, the way it happened is a pleasant surprise. This version of the 2008-09 Tar Heels has not played since they annihilated Michigan State--at Ford Field no less!

Yes, there were problems. Five or six times the defense completely fell apart and there was no switch or help. I do not remember who was on he floor during those lapses, but my guess is that they occurred when there was no vocal leader. And, Gonzaga was able to, on separate occasions, drive and pull up in the lane and make that little 6-footer, and had the Heels not been completely on fire offensively, this could have presented a problem. Also, while I love Ed Davis, for a time in the second half he was doing his best Danny Green impersonation by continuing to shoot when he was ice cold.

Free throw shooting was off (55%) but when you are shooting over 50% from the floor, that kind of thing just fades into the background. This is not a pattern and should be considered a fluke.

Next up, Oklahoma and Blake Griffin. What can you say about this kid (that hasn't already been beaten into your head already)? Blake is a big package. He jumps out of the gym, has deadly persistence when it comes to rebounding, is agile and quick, can handle the ball, and is tall (6-10). He shoots 65% from the floor. Did you catch the dunk last night where he scraped his head against the backboard? How about the "I can do it better than you" dunk and stare after Flynn missed the same windmill jam on the other end? Scary stuff. Quite a mountain in front of the Tar Heel bulldozer.

And the hype has begun. Last season's POY v. this season's POY. Hopefully, because of this, we won't hear the words "toe" and "Lawson" again in the same sentence. Ever.

Truthfully I am sweating this one. ANXIOUS, as it were. Carolina must contain Griffin with a steady diet of big men, and force him to turn the ball over, which, if he has another weakness besides FT shooting, taking care of the ball is it.

We know that Tyler will step up to a new level when challenged. So it will be interesting to see how he reacts. One snapshot, in my mind, defines Tyler Hansbrough for me. UNCA game last season. Tyler has been a little hampered by Kenny George's size the first half of the game, trying to find how to play his way with a 7-7 person in front of you. Hans gets the ball at the foul line, pumps a little tentatively, then, you could see on his face that he decided that enough was enough and he drives and dunks over George. That's Tyler. Sees the challenge and lets the challenge drive him and not defeat him.

So this will be a tough one. Oklahoma is a fair team without Blake. They have more players who consistently hit the 3 than Carolina does, so perimeter defense will be key. And they go 8 deep, so good minutes from Ed and Larry and Z and Bobby will be important. Of course, throwing fresh bodies at Griffin, luring him into turnovers and foul trouble, will be a staple. I don't know that you can frustrate Blake, because he is unwavering in his focus, just like Hansbrough. But, you can make it very hard for him to move and operate. And you know he's not going to take the jumper, so that helps defend him.

I'll go with a Carolina win.

UNC 96

OK 90

Briefly, here are today's games.

Missouri v. UConn

While I would probably pay money to watch UConn fall, it isn't going to happen. Missouri handed it to Memphis, but don't expect that kind of game here. Thabeet completely changes opposing teams' offenses, and the Tigers are probably not able to adjust as successfully as a more talented team might be. Missouri will try and force the turnovers, which they do well, but this will go down as a "nice try."

UConn 79

Missouri 68

Villanova v. Pitt

Game of the day. Hate the Big East, but are dominating the Tournament. Help me out here, but can anyone tell me the last time the ACC had 4 teams in the Elite Eight? Probably never. Villanova is picking up speed and peaking at the right time. This game will come down to Big East bragging rights. Who wants it more.

Villanova 75

Pitt 71

Making the Point

On the way to the Hansbrough v. Griffin dream match-up we have this Lawson v. Pargo drama to unfold this evening.

And really, at this point, what else is there to say that we haven't already said in the past 29 games? Should UNC play good defense? Yes. Should everyone maintain desire and intensity? Of course. Does Ty need to dominate in order for Carolina to win? Probably. At this point it is play hard or go home and the Heels can beat Gonzaga only if they will not be satisfied with anything less than a win tonight, then a win Sunday, and then two more in the Motor City.

Because if its not going to be all about April 6, after gettig this far AGAIN, then why even keep playing? And stop with all the "Ty will play through the pain" babble. He should. Stop the drama. The toe hurts and he's playing, where, if it was you, you'd still be limping around between your cubicle and the copier, complaining the whole way. Ty will play and should play and the only way it would be an issue is if he was NOT going to play.

And sure Gonzaga is good. If they weren't they wouldn't be in the Sweet Sixteen. And yes, they beat Carolina, but that was November 22. Of 2006. Think some things may have changed since then?

Here's how this one is going to go. Things will be tight for 30 minutes, then the Heels will pull away.

UNC 92

Gonzaga 80

On to the others.

Syracuse v. Oklahoma

Blake Griffin, Blake Griffin, Blake Griffin. Blah, blah, blah. As the reigning flavor of the month, Blake gets so much coverage that it is easy to see why so many people hate Tyler Hansbrough. But, lets be real about it, while Griffin is good, when he is gone next season, OK will not be in the Sweet Sixteen. This game will be about sameness. The Orange(men) and the Sooners are mirror-images of one another. Points, FG%, 3FG%, rebounds, steals, and blocks all within a point or two average. Both play in tough conferences. But as much as Big East fans are foaming at the mouth about the possibility of 5 teams in the Elite Eight, it Eign't (sorry about that attempt at humor) going to happen.

OK 74

'Cuse 65

Arizona v. Louisville

The wildcats are the odd man out as the lone double-digit seed still alive, and they will feel a little odd tonight as they are lifting off from the Indianapolis Airport on the way back to Tucson.

Louisville 76

Arizona 59

Kansas v. Michigan State

Toughest call of the night. Call this one "Payback."

Kansas 76

MSU 63

Thursday Matchups

Brief rundown/our take on tonight's games.

Xavier v. Pitt
It would be good to see a couple of Big East teams fall tonight, but this won't be one of those instances. While it may be close, the Panthers will be too much for Xavier in the end despite that the Musketeers may be up at the half.
Pitt 80
Xavier 72

Purdue v. UConn
The Boilermakers are a good feel-good story but they won't have enough to match up with the Huskies. If UConn falters on offense, they make it up on the defensive end.
UConn 86
Purdue 76

Missouri v. Memphis
Even if you don't respect Memphis because of their weak CUSA schedule and that first round stumble against CS Northridge, if you watched their dismantling of Maryland you realize that they can be dangerous. The problem with playing in lesser conferences is that you don't have to bring your A-game every night. SMU? Yawn. Tulane? Wake me when its over. Missouri will not only present a good challenge but will win.
Missouri 80
Memphis 74

Villanova v. Duke
This is all Villanova. Consider this game to be the big bright spotlight on the fact that Duke is over-rated and undermanned. Forget that the Wildcats had that bad date with American. They are rolling and the clinic they put on against UCLA should be a precursor to sending Duke back to Durham. Break out the "the games in the NCAA Tournament start too late" excuses from Coach Krybaby.
Villanova 88
Duke 70

Sweet

Admittedly we at ATH had some doubts back in January that this team would get this far. And now that they are, we are all just attempting to enjoy the moment--the ride--and not count on getting to 8 or 4 or 2 or even 1. Taking it one game at a time is a little difficult, but necessary, given the outcomes and disappointing finishes for the past two years.

But, really, we need to be thankful, because, after all, we could be Kentucky fans, right? And where are teams like Georgetown and Davidson right now? Wake Forest? Clemson? Notre Dame?

Either at home or in the also-ran March tournament.

Carolina is in the Sweet Sixteen. Say it. And tomorrow may be the last dance for some Tar Heels that will be missed for a long time. So, let's enjoy the moment. Maybe it will last until April 6.