Just imagine what they could do if the shots would just fall.
It occurs to me after watching this game that while UNC has trouble putting the ball through the hoop at times, it almost doesn’t matter most of the time because the tempo the Tar Heels employ gives them a high volume of shots. Would it be nice to see some shots fall more often? Sure but this team is very good at putting up points even without shooting the ball well at times. There will be games where that needs to change but this wasn’t one of them. It also occurred to me that while 2009 may have been a microwave, this team is a crock pot. It takes them some time to get warmed up and finishing the dish in question is a long, deliberate process. Now that UNC is in the NCAA Tournament, advancement is all that matters. It doesn’t matter how ugly it is just so it happens.
Overall it was a solid team effort with four Tar Heels in double figures and P.J. Hairston just short of that with seven. There were two double-doubles recorded with Kendall Marshall putting his fifth double figure scoring game of 11 points to go along with 10 assists. Tyler Zeller went beast mode dropping 17 points, 15 rebounds and blocking four shots. Harrison Barnes got off to a slow start but ended the game with 14 points, six rebounds and three steals. Then there was James Michael McAdoo who continues to step up his level of play in the absence of John Henson. McAdoo dropped 17 points, six rebounds and had four steals. After starting the game 0-4, McAdoo went 6-10 from the floor which included a thunderous putback dunk off a missed shot. It was McAdoo’s best game as a Tar Heel which surpassed the one he had in the ACC Tournament.
On the defensive end UNC forced 20 turnovers, 14 of them steals to effectively disrupt the Vermont offense. The Catamounts shot the ball poorly but did manage to outrebound UNC 42-37 which was unexpected. It was not for lack of effort on Zeller’s part but certainly an indication Henson’s rebounding may have been missed.
UNC will face Creighton on Sunday with Harrison Barnes going against former high school teammate Doug McDermott who has also received more national accolades than Barnes. We will also resume Henson Wrist Watch 2012.
