Tarheel fans, I am writing this within fifteen minutes after the loss to number 11 Maryland, so bear with me, I am filled with anger. Anger, because I feel we are underrated. I feel that teams in the top fifteen are no better than us, and they proved that when they beat #6 Connecticut last week. They have people who can hit the long ball, get inside (more effective with the return of Sean May), play defense, block shots, the list goes on and on. They lack one solitary thing... e x p e r i e NC e. In my opinion, they played very well tonight. I saw intensity, heart, success. They were forcing amazing turnovers, taking charges, playing smart and playing well. But they need to eliminate spurts (regardless of how small or large) of inconsistency. And while winning is the first concern, freshmen year is all about learning. Learning to play with each other (which this team picked up quickly), learning when to get yourself fired up and when to slow things down, learning to be confident, yet not overconfident, to play smart, and to get on your way to mastering the game you've set out to master. These guys have so much potential, which brings me back to what I stated earlier: this young Carolina team is underrated. We are no worse than the likes of Maryland, Connecticut, Notre Dame, etc. People just don't know what we are capable of doing, because of our inconsistency. I am not putting the Tarheels down, I am not giving them less credit than they deserve. I've said this before, the Tarheels are an outstanding basketball team. But with the acquisition of a young basketball team, we have to accept that we'll win some very good games and we'll lose some bad ones. Regardless, they are still the best basketball team in the nation. Despite what critics say, wins and losses are deceiving and are only used to make good teams look bad on paper.
12/23/02 Update
Happy Holidays!
Well, Tarheel fans, it's been the best of times and it's been the worst of times. After starting off the season 5-0 and having their best start since they went 8-0 in '98, the Tarheels lost to Illinois. They had for the first time of the season been put into the top 25 that week. Soon after they lost to Kentucky. Both games were played well in the first half, but the team showed their lack of experience and came out slowly in the early minutes of the second half. But they're back. After Kentucky, the fabulous frosh and cru had a twelve day break for exams and came back thursday night with a blowout against Vermont. Three days later was the first Conference game against Florida St. Tied at half, 30-30, Matt Doherty was determined not to let them make the same mistake they did twice early. With a 9-2 run, they quickly put away Florida St. with a 21 point victory. Merry Christmas, everyone, they gave us the greatest gift of all!
12/1/02
Tarheels take NIT tournament
Penn St. by 30, Rutgers by four, number two ranked Kansas by eleven, and the Stanford Cardinals by 17 friday night at Madison Square Garden. The fabulous frosh continued to shine. Rashad McCants became the tournament MVP and scored 18 points against Stanford. Ray Felton stepped into scoring mode with 16 points and seven assists, while Sean May followed with twelve points and seven rebounds. First tournament of the year, first tournament championship of the year. Maybe the season will end in just the same way: Matt Doherty on top a ladder cutting down the nets.
Well Tarheel fans...college basketball is finally here. The first nationally televised game will be 11-18-02 on ESPN2 at 7:00ET against Penn St. Although Carolina had some key losses (Capel and Lang to graduation and Morrison transfered) they have so far been thriving on the addition of three freshman phenoms (Ray Felton, Sean May, and Rashad McCants). On November 9th, they defeated the EA Sports SE All-stars 109-97. Among a youthful team, sophomore Jawad Williams took on the role of superstar with 23 points and 9 rebounds. Also excellent games were played by Felton and McCants.
On 11-13-02, the Heels lost a close one to the Nike All-stars 76-72. However, the loss came without sophomore Jackiei Manuel and McCants, who were out with minor injuries. On this young team, we will look to leadership by the only two upper-classmen: Jonathon Holmes and Will Johnson. If they step up and we find freshmen and sophomores continuing to shine, they will be successful in a year that critics are doubting.
I just started up my website again, so be patient as I will be adding stuff each day. Hopefully I will have the basics done before Penn St. tomorrow.
Freethrows Become Key in Cavalier Victory (1/20/02)
Whoever said freethrows were not important, apparently did not see the Virginia-Florida St. game on January 20th. Not only did Virginia get 44 shots at the line, they took advantage of 37 of them (88%) in a 91-74 victory. The Cavaliers once again prove to be strong at number five in the ACC. Florida St. was lead by Monte Cummings with 19 points.
Terps Pull Off 99-90 Victory Over Clemson (1/20/02)
The Maryland Terps, who are currently holding the number two spot in the ACC, did not take Clemson lightly. Nor should they have. Despite being seventh in the ACC, the Terps saw them as the team that defeated Virginia earlier in the season. For the Tigers, Tony Stockman hit an amazing six three-pointers and twenty-two points. Jamar McKnight had twenty points and Edward Scott added 19 to the list. However, despite doing just about everything right, the Tigers fell just short. Late in the second half Clemson took an 81-80 lead, but it was followed by a 16-7 Maryland run.
Wake Forest Unable to Match ACC's Top (1/19/02)
On January 19th, the Duke Bluedevils defeated the Demon Deacons despite fatigue. Just two days earlier they took on the Terrapins, number two in the ACC. Coach Krzyzewski told his team to play the Maryland and Wake Forest games as if it were the final four and must-win situations. It apparently worked. After a stunning conference defeat to Florida St. earlier in conference play, they could not afford to lose another if they wanted to finish on top. Not only are the Blue Devils battling for a conference title, they are battling for a nation title, and are currently second in the nation.
As for Wake Forest, they are an impressive team this year. Improving to number fourteen in the national polls. They are looking towards a big game against Maryland on January 23rd. Maryland's always a tough game, no matter what team you are, but I am sure Wake Forest will be ready.
N.C. State Victory A Kodak Moment (1/19/02)
Wolfpack fans wentinto half-time feeling a little scared as Georgia Tech took a 41-34 lead. However, they found their groove in the second half and went on to win 84-71. The game was followed by a celebration for N.C. State coach Herb Sendek who had just coached his 100th win. Players signed a ball to mark this meaningful moment.
Conference Losses:Duke, Wake Forest, N.C. State, Maryland, Florida State
Coach:Larry Shyatt
These are the articles that were on this website from the 2000-2001 season. Unfortunately only the ones from the end are still here. The others got erased.
As most of you I'm sure were, I also was quite disappointed when Carolina lost on Sunday, March 18th. I live in Illinois, so the Notre Dame/Mississippi game was televised. As a result, I had to keep looking at the corner of the television to see the scores updating on the game. And unfortunately, the game turned out positive for Penn fans, but not so good for Carolina fans. However, it was an excellent season. I will be working on a page for our seniors: Brendan Haywood, Max Owens, Michael Brooker, and Jim Edmonds. They are awesome and i'm sure everyone will miss them!! I will not be updating information about the NCAA tournament, so if you don't know where to find it, go to these websites...www.ncaahoops.com, www.finalfour.net, or www.ncaa-march-madness.com
Update:
This excellent season has come to an end, just not on the happiest of notes. They beat Florida St. 95-67, but then lost to Virginia 86-66. Then they had a big 76-63 win over N.C. St. The season ended with a 95-81 loss against the Duke Bluedevils. All in all, it was a great season. Good luck in the ACC and NCAA tournament!!!
Winning Streak to an Unfortunate End
The game was not televised in my hometown and I was filled with extreme disappointment when I watched ESPN Sunday Night. Final Score-Clemson75-Carolina65
One step closer.
On Saturday, the North Carolina Tar Heels took another step forward to a 1st place seed in the NCAA tournament. Jason Capel took his experience and came out strong. He scored 27 of the 96 points in a Carolina victory, 96-82, vs. the Maryland Terrapins. Other leading scorers were Forte with 23 and Peppers with 18. Brendan Haywood had 3 blocked shots. Max Owens went 3 for 3 at the 3 point line.
UNC vs. Maryland
Since North Carolina defeated Duke, the Tar Heels have become quite famous. From sports illustrated articles to bonfires outside the Smith Center; from #1 rankings to sheer joy, i