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In the end the score read 76-68.

Let the Games Begin

With all that has happened to the UNC community on the days after the Eve Carson murder, it is hard to think about the UNC-dook game. Yet, the insatiable beast of time does not but slow down a bit, just a wee bit, just enough for us to gather our thoughts before it demands that we keep moving along. As such, there will be a brief moment of silence prior to tonight's game to honor Eve and to show the support of us as a community to her family and friends. I hope we can all use that small moment to honor Eve and to honor those around us that in present and past help us become better human beings. I also hope that we all use this brief moment of silence to reflect upon ourselves and find a way to continue the work of Eve Carson. I hope in her death our community grows stronger and learn to give back to those around us with as much abandon as she did.

And once that moment of silence is done, I do hope we beat dook. I hope.

Day of Silence

Day of silence on the blog in honor of Eve Carson and her family.

The Good Guys

Now it is time to talk about the good guys a little. I want to start off with this little excerpt about Marcus Ginyard. I know having a summer job doesn't mean he is a good guy, but how many DI players do you know get out of their way to hold a summer job? That's what I thought The story was off the N&O but I cannot find the original article.

CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina's basketball season ended more than a month ago. But three nights a week on this town's crowded streets, sophomore Marcus Ginyard is still doing what he does best: working.

"Gotta go, gotta get there fast," Ginyard said Thursday evening, grabbing two tortilla wrap orders, racing to his 1995 pea-green-and-black Caprice Classic, and navigating toward South Campus. "People want their food fresh."

These days, it isn't the game that's on the line, but the tips. Ginyard, a player known for his defense and hustle, averaged 4.1 points per game last season. He's currently averaging about $2 a delivery.

Ginyard is one of only roughly 50 Tar Heel scholarship athletes -- out of about 700 getting a full or partial ride -- who work part-time while carrying a full course load and maintaining a rigorous workout schedule.

He started as a delivery guy for Franklin Street-based [B]Ski's Tortilla Wrap Grill after hoops season to save some extra rent money because he and several teammates are moving into a 3,100-square-foot house off campus. While earning minimum wage ($6.15 an hour) plus tips, he says he's learning something else: responsibility.

"It's kind of like practice: You have to be there on time, you have to be ready to work, and you have to be a member of the team,'' Ginyard said, cranking up the country music after being no-tipped on one delivery and pocketing $3 on the second. "And for me, I enjoy it, because I like talking to people, meeting people, surprising people."

PS-my condolences go to the family and friends of Eve Carson, UNC student body prez who was killed yesterday.

UNC Basketball Mailbag

We take a brief break on the [cheater] dookie bashing to bring you this Q&A from the UNC Basketball Mailbag from Tarheelblue. And yes, I am extra stoked that this came out and that Q and Surry Wood had a nice game against Florida St.

I have a quick stats question about Tyler's FT shooting. I know he has been to the FT line more than any other Tar Heel and that he shoots around 77% from the line, which is pretty darn good. The only time he seems to show that he gets tired is when he is shooting FTs while winded, as expected. My question is, does the FT shooting % for Tyler vary from 1st to 2nd halves or when he has played more minutes? I know this is not a direct way to measure that statistic but I figured this may shed some light.
Bernardo
UNC Alum Class 2007
Nashville, TN

Lauren writes: On the season, Hansbrough has made 113-of-133 free throws (85%) in the first half of games and 127-of-163 (77.9%) in the second half. He has also made 11-of-14 free throws (78.6%) in the four overtime periods Carolina has played in. He missed both attempts in the first overtime game at Clemson and has since made 11-of-12. In ACC play alone, Hansbrough has made 54-of-62 free throws in the first half (87.1%) and 64-of-84 in the second half (76.2%).

All of those percentages are good, but it does seem to be true that Hansbrough starts to lose his legs a bit at the line. In Carolina's six blowout ACC wins, Hansbrough has shot 33-of-40 from the foul line in the second half (82.5%) but in Carolina's eight close or overtime games, he has shot 42-of-58 (72.4%) in the second half and overtimes. In the second half alone of those close contests, he has shot 31-of-44 (70.5%).

Rebounding would be another sign of weak legs, though, and that has not been a weak point for Hansbrough in either half. The fewest rebounds he has had in the second half of an ACC game this season is two; in seven of 14 second halves in ACC play, he has five or more rebounds (including 11 in the second half against duke). He also has a ridiculous 14 rebounds in four overtime periods (20 minutes), or 0.7 rebounds per minute. Turnovers might also be a sign of fatigue - in ACC play, Hansbrough has 17 first-half turnovers compared to 13 second-half turnovers. He has just one overtime turnover. On the season, he has 34 first-half turnovers to 28 second-half turnovers. His steals also go up from the first to second half in ACC play, from six total first-half steals to 15 second-half steals and one overtime steal.

Hansbrough has failed to shoot 50% or higher from the field in just 11 first halves in 29 games this season. Of those 11, he turned it around and shot 50% or better in the second half eight times. The Boston College game Saturday snapped a six-game streak of shooting at least 50% in the first half and an 11-game streak of shooting at least 50% in one half.

He has failed to shoot at least 50% from the field in the second half in just nine of 29 games this season. He has shot 59.2% from the field on the season in the second half compared to 52% in the first half. Since ACC play began, Hansbrough has improved his point totals from the first to the second half in seven of 15 games. The biggest improvement came at Miami - he scored just eight points in the first half and went off for 27 in the second half. He has also had at least one double-digit half in each of the last seven games.

That kind of improvement just shows what kind of will Hansbrough has, as if Carolina fans needed additional evidence. But what shows the kind of steadiness that causes the fans and the media alike to sometimes take him for granted is this:

(In ACC play)
1st half: 11.6 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game
2nd half: 11.4 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game

He [the king of the cheaters] is a classy guy

When I think of a class act I always think of this guy before anyone else. Then again, would a class act say this about his player smashing his elbow on an opposing player's face? And defend a player that stomped on a defender's chest? Again, when thinking classy guys and classy institution shouldn't we always refer to dook first?

But seriously, if you wanted to have one guy teach your kid about how to behave in and out of the court, I think THIS GUY is really your guy. No, really, he is your guy. The guy won't even curse in front of your kids.

Addendum:

I saw this in the quotes from Roy's weekly radio show and it cracked me up:

On the team's superstitions -
"I've gotten a lot better - I'm better than I used to be. I used to be really superstitious and I guess I still am compared to most people. I walked today, found a penny that was head up and I put it in my pocket. At North Carolina State I found a penny during the day and a quarter in State's locker room. ... There are a lot of silly things that we do. Steve Robinson goes into the locker room during pregame warmups at the 13:00 mark ... If I wear a new suit or new tie and we get beat, you ain't ever going to see me wear that at another basketball game ... We've got all kinds of little crazy stuff. Never get a haircut on game day. With the Olympic Team, Larry Brown and Greg Popavich got a haircut on game day and we lost to Germany in an exhibition game and I told them it was their fault."

This is why, this is why, this is why you suck

Not PG 13 and there is a lot of cursing but always enjoyable and says a lot about the [cheaters] dookies.