Tyler Hansbrough

Congrats to Tyler Hansbrough for becoming the top scorer in Carolina history. He truly is a fantastic player and seemingly a solid human being. Certainly deserving of the honor.

Still, I have a problem with this. Watch the video, including the shot to break the record a few times. Having the opportunity to listen to ESPN Radio for the first time in ages, I heard a lot about this shot. Several analysts repeated some version of this line: "It's fitting that that was the shot to break the record. It's a good example of his sometimes ugly, but hardnosed style. Blah, blah, blah..."

While that is very true (Hansbrough works his tail off and often looks a bit out of control on the floor), it is also a travel. Seriously, watch it again! One dribble, pivot, pivot again, shot. You can't move that pivot foot. I don't care if you are "Psycho T" or Patrick Moody, let's just get the officials to call real violations instead of the ticky-tack stuff that gets too much emphasis and ruins the flow of the game. For the most oft-replayed shot of the game to be such a blatant travel is very unfortunate.

To his credit, Scott Van Pelt (probably my favorite ESPN talking head) addressed this on his radio show with Mike Tirico saying the rest of the ACC will tell you "Hansbrough walks on damn near every play." It's an unfortunate reality that the best players get calls, especially on a special night like last night. While that can fly in the NBA, which is all about star promotion and selling tickets, it has to stop in college hoops. Tyler Hansbrough is fantastic player, there is no need to let him off easy and cheapen his night by swallowing your whistle every time he moves that pivot foot.

Enough of a rant, I also thought it interesting how Van Pelt broke down Hansbrough's professional future, because I think his weaknesses are very similar to Luke Harangody. Hansbrough is too small to bang inside against the multiple seven footers on NBA rosters. He will have to play a lot facing the basket and extending the game with a consistent fifteen to twenty foot jumper. Hansbrough has an inch and a bit more athleticism than 'Gody, but I think a similar pro ceiling. Both could be solid rotation guys, but not stars in the league. Still, you never know and with the work ethic of both players, we could be pleasantly surprised.

EDIT: Wow, it's been a negative Friday. Sorry about that, folks. Hopefully things will be all bright and sunny tomorrow.

North Carolina 102, Notre Dame 87

The magic finally dried up a bit in the end, but have to love the heart on this team. Kyle McAlarney set a Notre Dame record with 10 three pointers and had a career high 39. We never quit against the best team in the country and very nearly brought a 23 point deficit back to single digits. Congrats to the team for a very good week that will surely pay dividends in March.

Our lack of depth really showed as Carleton Scott was the only guy to get a handful of minutes outside the seven man rotation. Nash did not play at all. With dead legs and Harangody fighting the flu, the inability to run with Carolina really hurt.

Another good game for Tory Jackson. Just ten points and two assists, but he took the ball to the hoop a few times. He did get schooled a couple times in transition by Ty Lawson, a good learning experience. While battling the All-America caliber guard should held down the road, Tory clearly did not match up well. Lawson scored 22 and had 10 assists. Nevertheless, Tory was quite impressive this week and I hope will continue the good work this season.

Kyle McAlarney's shooting woes seem far removed from his current form. Remember last Friday? That shutout turned into a career high in less than a week. Kyle never stopped fighting and singlehandedly kept the deficit under twenty. With 4:38 remaining, Kyle knocked down a three after a whistle that would have cut the Heels' lead to eight. Had that shot counted, we could be talking about a comeback for the ages. Even without that basket, Kyle's pure heart was on display and led him to 10-19 shooting from beyond the arc. Congratulations Kyle and thanks for your hard work.

Ryan Ayers struggled a bit to 6 points. 2-8 shooting, all but one miss from beyond the arc. Only two rebounds and three fouls to go with those points.

Zach Hillesland also struggled a bit with five points, four rebounds, and four assists. He and Luke Zeller tried to defend Hansbrough but struggled. Four fouls for his work against the Carolina big man.

Luke Harangody was clearly not himself tonight, which is a shame. A healthy Harangody could have made some difference and much of the game's hype came from a matchup between the top players in the Big East and ACC. Still, 13 and 8 with the flu is no small feat. Get healthy soon, 'Gody.

Jonathan Peoples saw a lot of positive action against the athletic Tar Heel lineup. 7 points, 5 rebounds. 3-8 shooting and 2 assists. Zeller was decent, 7 points and 6 boards. He did foul out and struggled shooting (1-6 from beyond the arc). No Nash, but Scott played at the end.

In the end, a 15 point loss to the top team in out third game in three days is an acceptable outcome. You never like to lose, but the heart and drive on this team is commendable. The loss will help the team regroup and fix what we need to.

After two close losses in Paradise last year, our experience in an island tournament was much improved this season. Blowing out an in-state rival, cutting down a top ten team, and competing with the nation's best in three days is a good trip. Now the team can come home and regroup with two home games before playing Ohio State next Saturday. A win there would all but lock up a one loss nonconference schedule. Very good news.

Until then, congrats to the team for a good Maui Invitational. We clearly still do have some work to do before earning first place votes in the country, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Still, it's November, and having a win over a top ten team in the back pocket is no small feat. Let's bounce back from this loss and see how much we can improve before March.

North Carolina Preview

Biggest game since 1998-99. That season we played two #1 teams and lost both by large margins (like many games of the John MacLeod era). However, this is a different team with different goals. Coach Brey doesn't have to work too hard to convince his players that this is truly a winnable contest.

Having a shot at a #1 team is a special opportunity, especially when it comes against a historic program we haven't played in over a decade. The players will have to dig deep to overcome an opponent that Vegas sees as a 10 point favorite. It's not impossible, but very difficult nonetheless.

Adding to the degree of difficulty is the turnaround from last night's crucial win over Texas. Players must come off that mental high and be ready to trade blows in the paint for 40 minutes if this game is to be competitive. Equate it to an Elite 8 matchup with a trip to Detroit on the line. We just pulled off one of the biggest wins in recent program history in a game that went down to the final buzzer. Soon after (just one day in this case), it is time to face an even better opponent who is rested and ready.

I am looking forward to seeing how Luke and Tyler Hansbrough matchup. This is a great opportunity for Harangody to show off his skills against the best player in college basketball. However, the game will be won and lost with how the rest of the team fares against Carolina's athleticism and tenacity. Tory Jackson will be in the spotlight guarding Ty Lawson. Kyle McAlarney must be hot from the time he steps off the bus. Every other player (including possibly Carleton Scott) must be ready to give good minutes and match Carolina's depth and speed.

Enjoy tonight's game. This is the toughest opponent we will face all year. It's in November, which is really an early Christmas present for depressed ND football fans. The odds are certainly stacked against our tired warriors and it will be a fight from the opening tip. But the score starts 0-0 and both baskets are just ten feet high. This is what makes college basketball great.