Dear Diary
7:36- ESPN.com's Andy Katz is reporting that the Spartans are encouraging a "white out" tonight with their fans. In response, Tyler Hansborough has been sequestered to his hotel room until tip.
7:43- 98-63 the first time these two teams played. Says Spartans coach Tom Izzo, if they had been completely healthy, they "would have maybe lost by 20."
Needless to say, the Spartans are a much better team now than they were back then. But, so are the Heels. Biggest difference with them? UNC has started to defend.
7:52- I have undiagnosed ADD, so I'm switching to Family Guy. Got me thinking... how am I going to handle not seeing 24 tonight???
8:36- I am undoubtedly going to be relegated to TV No.2. My mom is a big 24 fan and she is NOT giving up the tube, reason No. 202,841 why Justin needs to move out. At least it'll be high def.
8:55- I had to wrestle the Sidekick out of Cadence's hands. She's barely three but she loves playing games on this thing.
9:00- As much as I miss Billy Packer, Clark Kellogg does give the telecast a little bit of flavor. And, off subject, everytime I see this Buffalo Wild Wings "send it into overtime" commercial, I think of Tim Donaghy.
9:23- Tip time is two minutes behind schedule! Already having some technical difficulties, just accidentally deleted like five minutes worth of writing. Live and learn.
9:25-Deon Thompson scores the first basket. Game over... J/K Rawlings.
9:27- UNC three for three with three different scorers. 8-3 Heels.
9:28-Hansborough is a good free throw shooter... just not on TV.
9:32- First TV time-out. Random but true thought: due to work I haven't seen a ton of basketball during the tourney, but I think in all the action I've seen I can count the number of times I've seen Wayne Ellington miss on one hand, and I wouldn't even need the whole hand to count it.
9:35-Oscar Robertson, Christian Laettner... Tyler Hansborough??? He's had an amazing career, just moving into the top five scorers all-time in tourney history.
9:37- "Spurtability" cannot be a word, but if it was, Carolina's picture would be under the definition. Here I am, helping Cadence put stickers on her new purse (daddy stuff), and I look up and it's 22-8. Sick.
9:40- Everyone knows that UNC can score in bunches, but they've come so far defensively over the course of the season. They kind of remind me of the '06-'07 Indianapolis Colts, whose defense turned it on late after being much-maligned during the year, helping them win a title.
9:47- Nobody talks about Thompson. He's athletic with a good array of post moves inside. It's because of him that this game is turning into a joke. 31-11 and we're not even halfway through the first half.
9:50- Mr. Kellogg... what is a "lower body root canal?"
9:52- MSU's Chris Allen has awful shot selection... not just tonight but throughout the weekend. He's been like the polar opposite of Ellington.
9:55- Kalin Lucas steps to the line for the first time with 8:20ish left in the half, and I know it's early but he's playing even worse than he did in the first game.
9:56- TV time-out. If the game stays like this, we'll really get a feel for Kellogg's chops. Packer and Nantz were always pretty good at filler, like a couple that had been together forever. Let's hope for no awkward silences.
20-4 Carolina points in the paint thus far. Unless you're playing NBA Live, you can't give that up and hope to win.
10:00- Maaaaan... of all the places for Morgan to get hit... he seems okay but talk about bad luck.
10:02- If Kevin Harlan was calling this game, Wayne Ellington would make his head explode. "ELLINGTON JUST CREATES TIME-OUTS!!!"
43-20 UNC.
10:05- I don't think the Spartans can play any worse than they have this half. The opposite is true for Carolina.
10:11- With this game getting out of hand... can anyone give me a 100 word or less synopsis of what went down on 24?
10:12- Holy crap... Ellington missed a shot.
10:13-Maybe Korie Lucious can "J.R. Smith" the Spartans back into it. 48-30 with 2:30 left in the half.
10:16- Draymond Green called for a charge, to which Nantz responded, "Nothing coming up Green for the Spartans." Come on, man.
10:18- Random thought that my teacher John Eisenberg pointed out to me on Tuesday: Maryland beat two of the four Final Four teams this year. That assertion turned out to actually be the final two teams in the tourney.
Go figure.
55-34, largest half-time lead in title game history.
10:33- Magic Johnson just summed tonight's game perfectly. UNC has significantly more talent than MSU, but when you turn it over as much as they have, that just compounds things even more. I'm waiting for a points off turnovers stat, because I'm sure it has to be off the meter.
Meanwhile, on top of limiting TOs, they have to, for Pete's sake, recognize that #22 in blue is the best shooter in college basketball right now, and that you can't help off him. You can't even give him an inch.
Oh, and on top of all the effort stuff, they have to hope that UNC gets uncharacteristically cold.
To sum it up, my future brother-in-law Rav called to prematurely congratulate me on my first pool win in six years. There's still 20 minutes left... but right about now Tyler Hansborough is probably saying to a CBS publicist, "My hat size is a 7 3/8" as he's getting sized for a championship hat.
10:50- Yes, Michigan State is playing harder, having shaved three points off the lead, but it's like I said... Carolina needs to get cold, and I just don't see it happening.
On another note, Ed Davis just got an and one. He's projected as a lottery pick in the 2010 draft after coming off the bench as a freshman. Not comparing them (even though they're both lefties), but pundits said the same thing about Duke's Josh McRoberts after his freshman year. It'll be interesting to see if he can step into the leading scorer role after being a complementary guy.
10:55- Praise or a diss? Depends on who you ask. Jim Nantz just said that Izzo compared Ty Lawson to Mateen Cleaves. NBA scouts have taken notes and his stock is dropping.
10:59- Darrell "Human Facial" Summers hits a lay-up to the margin to 16. 62-46, still plenty of time left. As a Maryland Terrapin fan you learn to never stop watching a basketball game.
11:28- 78-64 with 4:46 left. Sorry I've been in and out of the seoncd half partially because of these Easter cards my mom insists that I make and partially because my girlfriend thinks I'm a nerd for blogging from my phone. Either way, State has looked better this half, but their poor start pretty much doomed them.
Here's an interesting debate to spark as the minutes begin to dwindle: how good will the Carolina kids be at the next level? While there's no denying that they're a great college team collectively, individually scouts aren't so high on the Heels' big three. As great as he's been in college, people see Hansborough as no more than a better version of Mark Madsen. Lawson is seen as a point guard who lacks the size to stick in the NBA. Ellington might have the most upside of the three, but he will be below the average height of a starting NBA two. What do I think? Personally, I believe there is room for a guy like Hansborough. I bet he'll end up being much better than people think at the next level. Lawson has the height going against him, and it'll be interesting to see if he can get his perimeter shot off or get to the rim as easily at the next level. Of the three, he probably has the highest "bust" risk. After watching Ellington play these past couple of months, I think he has the chance to be the best of the three because he has proven that he can get his shot off. At his worst, I think he'll be better than Rashad McCants.
11:44- During my tangent Danny Green fouled out. Forgot about him. He played 145 games, more than any other player in UNC history. He could end up as a more offensive-minded Bruce Bowen eventually.
11:45- In 154 of 240 possible minutes during the tourney, UNC held a double digit lead. Talk about domination. One of the more dominant runs I've seen in a tourney.
The crowd was hyped, but Carolina just came out and took the air out of the building. 21-7 before I could blink. The Spartans couldn't do anything right. The Heels couldn't do anything wrong. I wish I could write something more profound, but that's how the first half played out. Credit State for trying to make a game of it, and credit the crowd for trying to will their team back into it, but 2009 belongs to the North Carolina Tar Heels.
I WON A POOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for tuning in.
7:43- 98-63 the first time these two teams played. Says Spartans coach Tom Izzo, if they had been completely healthy, they "would have maybe lost by 20."
Needless to say, the Spartans are a much better team now than they were back then. But, so are the Heels. Biggest difference with them? UNC has started to defend.
7:52- I have undiagnosed ADD, so I'm switching to Family Guy. Got me thinking... how am I going to handle not seeing 24 tonight???
8:36- I am undoubtedly going to be relegated to TV No.2. My mom is a big 24 fan and she is NOT giving up the tube, reason No. 202,841 why Justin needs to move out. At least it'll be high def.
8:55- I had to wrestle the Sidekick out of Cadence's hands. She's barely three but she loves playing games on this thing.
9:00- As much as I miss Billy Packer, Clark Kellogg does give the telecast a little bit of flavor. And, off subject, everytime I see this Buffalo Wild Wings "send it into overtime" commercial, I think of Tim Donaghy.
9:23- Tip time is two minutes behind schedule! Already having some technical difficulties, just accidentally deleted like five minutes worth of writing. Live and learn.
9:25-Deon Thompson scores the first basket. Game over... J/K Rawlings.
9:27- UNC three for three with three different scorers. 8-3 Heels.
9:28-Hansborough is a good free throw shooter... just not on TV.
9:32- First TV time-out. Random but true thought: due to work I haven't seen a ton of basketball during the tourney, but I think in all the action I've seen I can count the number of times I've seen Wayne Ellington miss on one hand, and I wouldn't even need the whole hand to count it.
9:35-Oscar Robertson, Christian Laettner... Tyler Hansborough??? He's had an amazing career, just moving into the top five scorers all-time in tourney history.
9:37- "Spurtability" cannot be a word, but if it was, Carolina's picture would be under the definition. Here I am, helping Cadence put stickers on her new purse (daddy stuff), and I look up and it's 22-8. Sick.
9:40- Everyone knows that UNC can score in bunches, but they've come so far defensively over the course of the season. They kind of remind me of the '06-'07 Indianapolis Colts, whose defense turned it on late after being much-maligned during the year, helping them win a title.
9:47- Nobody talks about Thompson. He's athletic with a good array of post moves inside. It's because of him that this game is turning into a joke. 31-11 and we're not even halfway through the first half.
9:50- Mr. Kellogg... what is a "lower body root canal?"
9:52- MSU's Chris Allen has awful shot selection... not just tonight but throughout the weekend. He's been like the polar opposite of Ellington.
9:55- Kalin Lucas steps to the line for the first time with 8:20ish left in the half, and I know it's early but he's playing even worse than he did in the first game.
9:56- TV time-out. If the game stays like this, we'll really get a feel for Kellogg's chops. Packer and Nantz were always pretty good at filler, like a couple that had been together forever. Let's hope for no awkward silences.
20-4 Carolina points in the paint thus far. Unless you're playing NBA Live, you can't give that up and hope to win.
10:00- Maaaaan... of all the places for Morgan to get hit... he seems okay but talk about bad luck.
10:02- If Kevin Harlan was calling this game, Wayne Ellington would make his head explode. "ELLINGTON JUST CREATES TIME-OUTS!!!"
43-20 UNC.
10:05- I don't think the Spartans can play any worse than they have this half. The opposite is true for Carolina.
10:11- With this game getting out of hand... can anyone give me a 100 word or less synopsis of what went down on 24?
10:12- Holy crap... Ellington missed a shot.
10:13-Maybe Korie Lucious can "J.R. Smith" the Spartans back into it. 48-30 with 2:30 left in the half.
10:16- Draymond Green called for a charge, to which Nantz responded, "Nothing coming up Green for the Spartans." Come on, man.
10:18- Random thought that my teacher John Eisenberg pointed out to me on Tuesday: Maryland beat two of the four Final Four teams this year. That assertion turned out to actually be the final two teams in the tourney.
Go figure.
55-34, largest half-time lead in title game history.
10:33- Magic Johnson just summed tonight's game perfectly. UNC has significantly more talent than MSU, but when you turn it over as much as they have, that just compounds things even more. I'm waiting for a points off turnovers stat, because I'm sure it has to be off the meter.
Meanwhile, on top of limiting TOs, they have to, for Pete's sake, recognize that #22 in blue is the best shooter in college basketball right now, and that you can't help off him. You can't even give him an inch.
Oh, and on top of all the effort stuff, they have to hope that UNC gets uncharacteristically cold.
To sum it up, my future brother-in-law Rav called to prematurely congratulate me on my first pool win in six years. There's still 20 minutes left... but right about now Tyler Hansborough is probably saying to a CBS publicist, "My hat size is a 7 3/8" as he's getting sized for a championship hat.
10:50- Yes, Michigan State is playing harder, having shaved three points off the lead, but it's like I said... Carolina needs to get cold, and I just don't see it happening.
On another note, Ed Davis just got an and one. He's projected as a lottery pick in the 2010 draft after coming off the bench as a freshman. Not comparing them (even though they're both lefties), but pundits said the same thing about Duke's Josh McRoberts after his freshman year. It'll be interesting to see if he can step into the leading scorer role after being a complementary guy.
10:55- Praise or a diss? Depends on who you ask. Jim Nantz just said that Izzo compared Ty Lawson to Mateen Cleaves. NBA scouts have taken notes and his stock is dropping.
10:59- Darrell "Human Facial" Summers hits a lay-up to the margin to 16. 62-46, still plenty of time left. As a Maryland Terrapin fan you learn to never stop watching a basketball game.
11:28- 78-64 with 4:46 left. Sorry I've been in and out of the seoncd half partially because of these Easter cards my mom insists that I make and partially because my girlfriend thinks I'm a nerd for blogging from my phone. Either way, State has looked better this half, but their poor start pretty much doomed them.
Here's an interesting debate to spark as the minutes begin to dwindle: how good will the Carolina kids be at the next level? While there's no denying that they're a great college team collectively, individually scouts aren't so high on the Heels' big three. As great as he's been in college, people see Hansborough as no more than a better version of Mark Madsen. Lawson is seen as a point guard who lacks the size to stick in the NBA. Ellington might have the most upside of the three, but he will be below the average height of a starting NBA two. What do I think? Personally, I believe there is room for a guy like Hansborough. I bet he'll end up being much better than people think at the next level. Lawson has the height going against him, and it'll be interesting to see if he can get his perimeter shot off or get to the rim as easily at the next level. Of the three, he probably has the highest "bust" risk. After watching Ellington play these past couple of months, I think he has the chance to be the best of the three because he has proven that he can get his shot off. At his worst, I think he'll be better than Rashad McCants.
11:44- During my tangent Danny Green fouled out. Forgot about him. He played 145 games, more than any other player in UNC history. He could end up as a more offensive-minded Bruce Bowen eventually.
11:45- In 154 of 240 possible minutes during the tourney, UNC held a double digit lead. Talk about domination. One of the more dominant runs I've seen in a tourney.
The crowd was hyped, but Carolina just came out and took the air out of the building. 21-7 before I could blink. The Spartans couldn't do anything right. The Heels couldn't do anything wrong. I wish I could write something more profound, but that's how the first half played out. Credit State for trying to make a game of it, and credit the crowd for trying to will their team back into it, but 2009 belongs to the North Carolina Tar Heels.
I WON A POOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for tuning in.
posted by Justin Cherot @ 7:35 PM
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