I could easily spend garbage time spitting words onto a burning paper bag of frustration that sits right outside my door due to Carolina's 2 game ACC losing streak, but instead, I'm going to just let the bag burn for the time being and hope that Al-Farouq Aminu (pictured below) steps on it tonight. Yes, the North Carolina season right now rests on hoping that other team's players step in dog poop, or Carolina could just stop turning the ball over every other time down the court. Carolina tries to halt its losing streak tonight against Wake Forest.
-An analysis of what an American-born Asian superstar would mean over at FreeDarko.
-Somehow someway the Portland Trailblazers and their injuries and their ability to carry on despite injuries begs one to make an analogy between them and God's chosen people--the Israelites. Seriously, one minute it's Palestine. Then, it's a ceasefire. And, then it's Lebanon. Get well, Brandon Roy's hamstrings, the Promised Land awaits you.
-Does anyone else feel that Brendan Haywood's play adds insult to injury with what's happened to the Wizards this season? He's averaging 9.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg, and is fourth in the League in blocked shots per game with 2.18. Aside from Jamison and Butler, is he the Wizards' most marketable piece of trade bait?
Langston:
While Teach is trying to find any glimmer of hope in UNC's season, I am trying to understand how UT is playing so well. Since the last garbage time, they have had three games against SEC opponents and won all three despite playing with a shortened bench. Each game had one thing in common, second half domination by the Vols. Last Thursday, they entered the second half against Auburn down by one point and won by 26. Last Saturday against Ole Miss, their biggest deficit was 12 points yet they played well enough to outscore the Rebel's in the second half helping them force an overtime in which they won 71-69. And then there is last night's game against Alabama. Down by one at the half, they proceeded to outscore the Tide by 8 to win 63-56.
While Teach is trying to find any glimmer of hope in UNC's season, I am trying to understand how UT is playing so well. Since the last garbage time, they have had three games against SEC opponents and won all three despite playing with a shortened bench. Each game had one thing in common, second half domination by the Vols. Last Thursday, they entered the second half against Auburn down by one point and won by 26. Last Saturday against Ole Miss, their biggest deficit was 12 points yet they played well enough to outscore the Rebel's in the second half helping them force an overtime in which they won 71-69. And then there is last night's game against Alabama. Down by one at the half, they proceeded to outscore the Tide by 8 to win 63-56.
For any basketball team, this would be quite the feat. But for a team with just 6 scholarship athletes and 3 walk-ons, it's rather remarkable. Now how is it that a team with so little help off the bench can repeatedly take the game over in the second half? Maybe it's the elimination of cold players being forced to come off the bench late in the game. Maybe the team feels closer after the recent events. Maybe the bench players are eager to prove they have always deserved this much PT. Or maybe Bruce does his best work with less talented players.
Actually, scratch all of that, the reasons don't really matter. It's the progression of this team that deserves the attention and admiration. After all, it was just two weeks ago that this team was dead in the water. Now they sit at 15-2 (5-0 since the Tennessee Four got locked up), are climbing up the polls, and appear to be primed for a deep run in March.
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