Driving home from Chapel Hill Saturday, I was struck by a number of impressions from Virginia's 96-77 loss to North Carolina. Here they are in short, simple paragraphs. Perfect for Monday morning.
Things are cooking again down at UNCChapel Hill is one of the holy sites of college basketball. From the Dean Dome to the dance team to the fight song, North Carolina has it all. And now, at 12-4, it has its winning team too.
Roy Williams has brought the 'Heels back into the national spotlight by doing all the right things. He gets the crowd involved before games by throwing out t-shirts and waits around afterwardsto sign autographs. He commands the respect of the fans, the players and the media. During the post-game press conference, Roy promised that if a reporter's cell phone went off again, he'd make the whole media brigade run sprints. Add these attributes to a program which already boasts talented players and one of the largest followings in the nation, and it will be a while before the ACC title leaves Tobacco Road.
Despite all that, Virginia could have won Saturday.
The recent resurgence of the Carolina program makes yesterday's loss even more frustrating. Virginia played UNC even in the first half and led early in the second. At 53-52, this reporter thought they had the Tar Heels right where they wanted them. They had come back in the first half and silenced the Dean Dome crowd. Furthermore, Carolina had lost a heartbreaker in overtime Thursday night, and even Williams acknowledged how tired his players looked.
Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, they didn't stay in the game long enough for fatigue to take effect. Two quick turnovers and two quick dunks led to an all-too-familiar ending.
Elton Brown could be a dominant player in the ACC if he wanted to.
Brown is one of the biggest guys in the league and boasts a solid repertoire of low-post moves. On a number of occasions Saturday, he made Sean May look silly. But he'll never do that on a consistent basis if he isn't in the games. And he'll never be in the games if he doesn't start rebounding and diving for loose balls. Twice the ball rolled within reach of his feet. Once he watched it roll through his legs, and the other time he ran away from it. To modify a phrase from Bill Walton, "Get on the ground, big fella!" And please, Elton, leave the fadeaway where it belongs
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