The Greatest Rivalry (2010) Chapter 3: The Interrogation Process

Because his team won, Iceman will pretty much be running the debriefing of last night's Duke-Carolina game as well as the Q and A.

Iceman's Game Notes:
Just like every other Duke/Carolina game in the history of all history this one was competitive and meaningful. It was also the beginning of a new chapter in the rivalry, full of fresh faces. Duke is the more experienced and more polished team, but the odds and the Smith Center guaranteed this would be a close match regardless of the rosters and season records. From the onset Carolina just looked young and in need of a leadership. As you (Teach) so astutely pointed out at the beginning of the season, that leadership would more than likely have to come from Marcus Ginyard, but to date, it really hasn't. To me he seems to be the quiet veteran who knows what to do, but is not talented enough to "lead-by-example."

Duke on the other hand did what you expected of them as well, they played a strong yet wildly varying brand of offensive basketball, letting their defense and rebounding remain the only consistent elements of their game plan. Scheyer looked great as usual, Smith looked athletic and inconsistent as usual, and Singler looked oddly at ease and at the same time awkward playing on the perimeter, as usual. While the main story line for this game was that Carolina is young and can get better from here, I think there is also a case that while Duke has veteran talent and is relatively polished, some of their most prized players may be on the young side as well, and the growth of their game will determine Duke's future this season and beyond.

Iceman's Game Bullets:
- Jokes about Jon Henson's long arms are very, very old now......but on a more serious note, does he not know how to find the cafeteria?

- Roy Williams looks exhasperated, he seems to be a man set adrift on a sea of despair, and I'm only talking the ACC basketball coaches commercial where he has to give the punchline to Coach K's joke.

- I hope Lance Thomas is okay, he's a good defender for Duke, but it's still painful for me to watch Zoubek and him in the game at the same time.

- Every Carolina student in the stands looked manic tonight. People weren't just cheering, they were screaming their heads off, like every time Harry Potter has a flashback to when his parents were murdered.

- I am happy with this Duke win, but it doesn't feel as significant the outcome of other UNC/Duke matches.


Iceman's Questions for Teach (seeing as how UNC lost and Duke won):

Q1. Who is going to step up and be the point guard that Carolina needs going forward? Is it Larry Drew II or Dexter Strickland?
Teach's Answer: Well, it's got to be Larry Drew doesn't it. Coming into the season, some people thought Strickland might be a point guard, but, by now, it's obvious that's not the case. Drew has to be the point guard, if not for this year, then for Carolina's future. Also, Drew seems more suited to find a balance between scoring and getting everyone else involved. Drew actually played a solid game up until the 7:29 mark in the second half. He's going to be a decent player; it's just that he's following Tywon Lawson and Ray Felton, who were each transcendent college point guards. They were outliers while Drew is the norm. Also, it's quite possible that both are sitting behind Reggie Bullock and Kendall Marshall next season.

Q2. Will Graves seemed to be the only semi-stable offensive player during the game for Carolina, was his performance (big three-point shots) customary, or surprising?
Teach's Answer: One of the problems with UNC is that Graves is the only guy consistently not scared on offense. It's not surprising that he takes and makes big shots. The dude will shoot anything, but I would be a lot more comfortable with him as a sixth man than with him as a starter. I don't know what else to say other than he's a werewolf.

Q3. UNC's forwards are all considered very talented and are all former McD's AAs, but who in your opinion is the best of the bunch and should be a main focus of the game plan?
Teach's Answer: Before he got hurt, there were times when I believed that Tyler Zeller was the best of the bunch. He's the true invisible man on this team. He's going to miss basically the entirity of the ACC schedule from his freshman and sophomore years. If he's healthy, then the Wears and Henson are playing very little in terms of meaningful minutes; although, Henson oozes potential, and his blocks last night impacted the game beyond the stat sheet.

"Ed Davis is overrated." I wrote that about halfway through the second half. He's not a top 5 pick. A top 5 pick should be a transcendent player. He should make other players better. Ed Davis does not do that. He's a good shot blocker, and a decent rebounder; but he doesn't rebound as well now that Tyler Hansbrough isn't next to him. He only has one post move, a lefthanded jump hook that Duke players just sat on like hawks all last night, and he doesn't really fight for looseballs, rebounds, and post position. He's weak, not nt, and if he goes pro after this year, then his career will land somewhere between Marvin Williams' and Brandan Wright's.

Q4. What is the sum total of your feelings from last night given all that occured (the game, Hansbrough, etc..)?
Teach's Answer: I'll keep my thoughts on Tyler brief because I could go on forever. Most guys who come back to watch their alma mater are too cool to cheer and show emotion for the uniform they once wore; it was awesome to see Tyler high-fiving people in the stands after big plays. It made him even more endearing to UNC fans.

Other than that, Carolina played one of its better games of the New Year last night, and they still lost. This team just doesn't have what it takes in terms of offensive weapons and intangibles, but if they bring that kind of defensive effort every night, then they could possibly make the second half of their ACC schedule more enjoyable to watch. At some point, they've got to decide whether to play like they did against Duke or the way they did against Maryland.

Q5. Are you bothered at all by the public criticism that Coach Williams has given the team throughout the year, or is it the right move for his young team?
Teach's Answer: Not really. I don't think a guy earns the highest winning percentage, two national titles, and a slew of Final Four appearances without knowing how to motivate his players properly. I don't think he quite knows what buttons to push with this team because they are not meeting his standards, but I don't have a problem with how he's handled things. He's always been honest, and he's always bore his emotions to everyone. He'll be the first to praise these guys in public also, and I don't think he's saying anything to the media that he hasn't already said to the team in private. Personally, I'm not going to question Roy Williams about how he's handling these guys, unless they still "don't get it" by the time they're juniors and seniors.