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4 WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5. 2008 GETTIN’ IT DONE WHEN IT COUNTS This years Heels excel in close games BY NICOLE LUKOSIUS SENIOR WRITER Almost a year has passed since the Tar Heels were left holding their heads after dropping a nail biter to Georgetown in the Elite Eight. Not only did North Carolina allow the Hovas to make a come back in the closing minutes of the second half while the team strug gled on both ends, but they also failed to capitalize in the overtime period. The squad, though, hasn’t had to experience much end-of game disappointment this year. Although victories certainly have not been easy to come by due to a vast array of injuries that have plagued the team, North Carolina has taken advantage of the last minutes of games by tightening up on the defensive end and exe cuting on offense to come out on top again and again. “This year we're not perfect, but in comparison to last year, the team isn’t so quick to take the first shot or force the issue with a bad pass early on in the possession when we get in those late game situations," junior guard Marcus Ginyard said. “We’re being sharper with our focus and concentration and exe cuting down the stretch and mak ing big plays’ These big plays are what have propelled North Carolina to a tie for first place atop the ACC with 12 wins and only two losses. Last year the Tar Heels w*ere 0-2 in overtime, and of their other five losses, only none was by more than eight points. Of the 29 games UNC has played this year, five have been decided by five points or less with only one resulting in a loss an 82-80 loss to Man-land. One of these games was an over time win at Clemson on Jan. 6 to open conference play. Sophomore Wavne Ellington hit a 3-pointer just as time was winding down to seal the deal on a 90-88 victory. It U * College is all about competition. How do your grades stack up against other *ll students? Will your basketball team beat its big rival this year? Will your roommate | be able to outlast you in a keg stand? Well, at the Verge we love competition because we know we are the best. Check out how we compare to our compe !| tition and find out for yourself why we were voted # 1 Student Community. il „ Tip CAU. CLICK. OR STOP IN IB * OLDER CAN LEASE lilC V/ VOTED =1 STUDENT COMMUNITY = - - ■ --•-- • was UNC’s first dabble in an over time scenario this season, but there would be more to come. Feb. 3 marked guard TV Lawson's ankle injury —and North Carolina’s next showing in overtime —and the Tar Heels were able to pull away in the extra period to win by 11 points on the road. The Clemson Tigers came to the Smith Center a week later on Feb. 10 looking to avenge their overtime loss a month before and break that pesky 53-game losing streak in Chapel Hill. Neither would be done, but they did put up a good fight. Not willing to get shown up at home, the Tar Heels battled back from an 11-point deficit in the final three minutes to send the game into the first overtime on a driving layup by point guard Quentin Thomas, who was still running the floor due to Lawson's injury. Thomas said that he can real ly tell a difference in the team’s chemistry at the end of regulation compared to last year’s team, and that this is going to help North Carolina once tournament time rolls around. “We’re just a lot more comfort able and poised being a lot more confident in running our offense and half court offense, I think we’re a lot more patient at that," he said. “And on the defensive end we’re getting a lot better, and we’re more consistent in the areas we need to be.’ One way that North Carolina has looked to improve its late game performance is by working day in and day out on its half-court offense in order to prepare for tight situations. Due to Lawson’s absence, the Tar Heels have lost a little speed and play-making ability at the point position, so the effectiveness of the half-court offense has been crucial. “Today is practice No. 76, and we've worked on the half-court ACC Preview ST HE~ ■PHWb jfc a ■ mi . ■HL DTH FILE/DAVID ENARSON North Carolina's Marcus Ginyard attacks the basket during UNC's come back win against Clemson on Feb. 10. UNC is 3-0 in overtime this season. offense on practice No. 1 and every practice since,’ Williams said Thursday at his weekly news con ference. “We have not one day failed to work on the half-court offense; there is not one day we have failed to work on the defense.” Not having any freshman on the team also has played a big role in UNC’s team chemistry and abil ity- to successfully close out games. Now that the Tar Heels have played almost two seasons with one anoth- er without any personnel changes, they have honed their ability to break down their opponents with time ticking off the clock. “It was a lack of experience; there were guvs that hadn't been in certain situations before at this level," Ellington said. “And I think now that we’ve been there and we’ve been in almost every situation you can think of, we just have the confi dence in each other, and we know what it takes to win." > jHTnHu 4H Haimwh swagjre* Hif' tm *|WTM I |||| jgtnfr MU Bjfigj pPB ■ BK TRUE BLUE SINCE 1924 RAH, RAH Car’linalinal GOOD LUCK CAROLINA! GO HEELS! HSm Fridays on the Front Porch 2008 Register Online for Updates www.carolinainn.com v_ J 1 QkGT Making History historic hotels yijpi ngragan v Pwmwoii. A path toward bracket glory In the coming weeks you're going to be bombarded by countless opinions and strate gies for how to fill out your NCAA Tournament bracket and win the all-important, totally legal pool. You’ll get advice from the likes of ESPN’s Jay Bilas and Andy Katz, or Luke Winn and Grant Waihl from Sports Illustrated. Those guys will dissect every region and pod down to its core and come up with a logi cal sequence for solving the chans that is March Madness. Well, I’m here to tell you to ignore the guys who watch film and “cover" games —and listen to a guy who's opinion really matters. That's right, me. See, it just so happens I'm an expert prognosticator with a track record for success I believe I correctly called a certain men’s bas ketball game. Rick Neuheisel once took my advice, and I think every thing turned out OK for him. Best of all, unlike the other guys. I don’t let facts cloud my thought process. Much like Stephen Colbert, I shoot from the gut. And lemme tell you somethin' my gut has yet to lose an NCAA pool. And just think about that guy who picked Geoige Mason to go to the Final Four. Not many would have been so bold. But not many won ESPN's SIO,OOO pool. He went with GM George Washington, who? because his gut told him to. So did his dyslexia So throw out those objective stats, turn off ESPN and please don’t watch another basketball game because I’m about to lay down the perfect plan of attack for taking your friends' “bragging rights" April 7- ■ No one likes a guy who play's it safe when it comes to picks, so don’t be afraid to pick the mid major against the big-time power. But don’t do it because the team plays unconventionally or scored a big nonconference win. Pick a team based on name, mascot or colors. This year 1 like Boise State. Why? Its football team plays on a blue field obviously that means they can play ball. too. ■ Every year there’s a conference iFlir Daily dar Brrl DAVID ELY THArS WHY THEY'RE CALLED BUSINESS SOCKS you should stay away from picking. Last year it was anyone from the SEC not named Florida. This year don’t pick anyone from the Big 10. You’re probably thinking. “I already knew that, Dave. The Big 10 sucks this year. Just look at that terrible RPI." Well that’s not the right reason to avoid the Big 10. Don’t choose a Big 10 squad because one of Wisconsin’s best players goes by the nickname “Polar Bear." I might not be a zoologist, but I know bears can’t play basketball. Any conference that allows a bear to lace ’em up endangers the safety of everyone in the gym and shouldn't be expected to boast teams that can get to the Sweet 16. ■ Don't have more than two No. 1 seeds in your Final Four. I don’t care what the statistics say, picking a No. 1 seed is a cop-out move and never should be applauded. Picking a No. 1 seed says you have no imagination. No vision. Would John McClane choose the AP’s top two teams to face off for the title? No way. He'd be bold and brash. He’d have No. Is gone in the first round, at the same time deliv ering justice to the world and win ning back his wife for the 18th time. ■ Finally —and most impor tantly don't tell people about your picks. March Madness is a war, dammit! You must pick a side. Don’t tell them your upset special. Definitely don't let them know Justin Timberlake was bom in Memphis, and that’s why the Tigers will win it all. People are vultures, and now that you have the right formula for March, they'll do anything to uncover our secret. Contact David Ely at d.ely()4(a gmail.com.
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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March 5, 2008, edition 1
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