News
Email
Print
In Control: Eagles dictated flow of the game
AP Photo
Coach Al Skinner of Boston College encouraged his team to avoid a “track meet.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: January 5, 2009
CHAPEL HILL - Nobody's perfect, which anybody with half a brain understands, but imperfections are sometimes harder to swallow.
North Carolina gradually grasped the inescapable facts last night. Boston College refused to leave town without nailing down an 85-78 win that eliminated the giddy Tar Heel fantasy of an undefeated season. The witnesses included Lennie Rosenbluth, the All-America scorer on Carolina's unbeaten 1957 champions.
The road upset over America's unanimous No. 1 college team exposed enough flaws to unravel assumptions about a thundering romp to the ACC title and Final Four spot. Senior Tyrese Rice patiently broke down the rickety Carolina defense like an All-ACC point guard should, and the quick-shooting Tar Heels broke down in a flurry of second-half heaves.
It looked like one of those end-of-the-road NCAA games where everything went wrong at the wrong time. The Smith Center emitted telltale sounds all night long, the atmosphere punctuated by more groans and silent sighs than boos.
Some fans headed for the exits as Rice approached the foul like with 27.7 seconds remaining, prepared to extend the four-point lead to six. Rice smiled and waved goodbye.
"I love it," he said. "You don't want to see people who stand around cheering. You want to see them with their backs turned stomping up the stairs."
The full-scale exodus began 20 seconds later, after Carolina banged a couple more 3-pointers off the rim.
Boston College, picked 11th in the ACC but now 13-2, hadn't beaten a No. 1 team since eliminating the Tar Heels from the 1994 NCAA Tournament.
Coach Roy Williams hadn't lost since Kansas evicted Carolina from the Final Four last season. His team had dominated every opponent this season, by margins of at least 15 points. Michigan State's Tom Izzo, beaten by 35, said that Carolina might turn into the best team he had ever coached against.
The elements didn't suggest such an upset. "It didn't feel like a good day," Williams said. "I'm not one that believes it's just in the cards. I believe you can control how you play. You can control your emotions. You can control how mentally you are into the game and how physical you are going to be."
The Eagles won because they controlled the game in concept and delivery, playing with greater energy and self-discipline. Coach Al Skinner, who measures his thoughts and speaks slowly, prefers the methodical approach.
"We just really wanted to play the way wanted to play," Skinner said. "We just played Sacred Heart the other night, and we played the same way."
This wasn't Sacred Heart. This was heart-stomping Goliath, loaded with size and speed, driven by point guard Ty Lawson and center Tyler Hansbrough, the reigning national player of the year. Skinner didn't dwell on their attributes during his preparation. Instead, he reminded new Eagles about the 91-69 blowout here last season that embarrassed the veterans.
His message: "Let's come in and execute our stuff and adhere to the things that we do. We're not a team that's going to win a track meet by any means, and let's not get caught up in that. They're going to make some plays in transition. It's not like we have to come back and respond right away. I thought it helped to have a senior point guard that understands that and kept the pace the way we wanted it."
Rice did his part. He hit 7 of 13 shots, 9 of 10 free throws. He scored 25 points, with five rebounds, eight assists and six turnovers. He dictated the flow and outplayed Lawson (10 points on 3-for-13 shooting, with four assists and four turnovers). Like a maestro, Rice drew out the best in teammates. Wing guard Rakim Sanders scored 12 of his 22 points from long range. Reggie Jackson, an unrepentant advocate of advanced pace, flourished in transition and scored 17.
At the other end, Carolina lacked its customary bounce and fired a lot of jumpers. The Tar Heels shot awfully in the second half (29 percent from the floor, 19 percent on 3-pointers, 61 percent at the line). They fell behind by 15 points before a comeback finally forced BC turnovers and aroused the antsy crowd.
That wasn't enough. Williams insisted later that Carolina needed to be tougher and smarter.
"It's not characteristic for the way our team has played to play the way we did," Williams said. "Hopefully we won't play that way again."
Carolina will play an ACC opponent again next Sunday night. That would be Wake Forest, a team with a perfect record.
■ Lenox Rawlings can be reached at lrawlings@wsjournal.com.
Email
Print
ADVERTISEMENT
See community events or add your own! Click here!
Advertisement
