Feb. 7, 2010
By Adam Lucas
COLLEGE PARK, Md.--You can either read the short version or the long version of this column. Both will try to sum up what in the world happened in College Park on Sunday. One will leave you more time to go watch Super Bowl ads on YouTube or do something constructive.
So here's the short version: Over the last 120 minutes of basketball, which stretches over three games, Carolina has led for exactly four minutes and 30 seconds. Yes, you read that right. Over the last three games, the Tar Heels have had the lead for exactly 3.75% of the time.
You don't compile that kind of statistic if there's just one thing wrong, or if just minor tweaks are needed. That's a complete breakdown.
That's the end of the short column. Someone asks you what's wrong with Carolina, you tell them, "It's complicated. And it's complete."
Now for the longer version. It's not simple, because if it was the coaching staff would fix it. They know more basketball than I do, and they know more basketball than you do and they spend hours and sleepless nights trying to figure this out.
But some things don't fix easily. Offensively, the Tar Heels don't really have a go-to play or player and the halfcourt offense has been laborious. On Sunday, while the Terps were in the process of sprinting from a four-point lead to a 21-point lead--which took nine minutes and 30 seconds--the Tar Heels made exactly two field goals. Earlier on the road trip, at Virginia Tech, Carolina went 6:30 with just one field goal in the first half and 5:50 with one field goal in the second half.
We don't want biscuits anymore. We just want baskets.
"Offensively, we're not working as well together as we need to be," said Marcus Ginyard, who looked as close to the old Ginyard as we've seen in calendar 2010, including some vociferous on-court lecturing of a teammate on occasion. "Sometimes we're not making shots. Sometimes we get a good look and it doesn't go in. There are other times we force things and don't work well together. But there's been a good amount of shots you'd think would be good shots, and we have to toughen up and make them."
He's right. As has been thoroughly discussed, the Tar Heels are turnover-prone, and part of that drought was due to coughing up the ball and never getting a shot. But also during the dry spell,
Ed Davis had a good look in the post and Larry Drew penetrated to the rim but couldn't convert. This isn't a team that can afford to squander scoring chances. This year, any odd-man fast break is precious, every post-up look is a necessity.
There are aspects of offense, though, that simply can't be improved during the season. A 30-percent three-point shooter won't turn into a 40-percent three-point shooter without a summer to work on it. On defense, though, the needs are simpler.
Remember that a Roy Williams-coached team is built on transition basketball. Now consider this statistic from Sunday's second half: In the final 20 minutes of the game, Maryland piled up 16 fast-break points to Carolina's two.
They came in a flood--layups and dunks and three-point plays and runners. What was more troubling was that they came with very little resistance...until one particular basket caused Williams to slam his fist on the scorer's table and call timeout.
"We have to make it a priority to sprint back," said Deon Thompson. "We can't leave our point guard 3-on-1 or 2-on-1. Also, scoring the ball helps you get back."
The disturbing thing about giving up a bucketload of fast break points is that it's preventable.
"It's more of an effort thing," Will Graves said. "Actually, it's a little bit of both. It's also being together on offense and not being surprised by a shot or a turnover. So it's both effort and togetherness."
"We had all five guys looking at the ball," Ginyard said. "It wasn't a priority for us to get back on defense. That's the way we played. It wasn't a big deal for anybody to sprint back on defense and they killed us."
Combine the offensive shortcomings with the defensive lack of intensity, and that's how you reach a 92-71 Terp whipping. Carolina is 2-6, in deep NCAA Tournament trouble and facing college basketball's biggest rivalry on Wednesday. The pride that wasn't evident as Maryland zipped down the court uncontested on Sunday will have to be apparent against the Blue Devils.
"What kills me more than the loss," Ginyard said, "is the way we're losing."
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of five books on Carolina basketball, including the just-released book on the 2009 national title, One Fantastic Ride. Get real-time UNC sports updates from the THM staff on Twitter.
