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Off the cuff: Even after North Carolina blistered Louisville by 45 points, the Tar Heels aren't getting much respect. Sure, Louisville, which has a higher RPI ranking that Carolina, was playing its first game in 19 days and yes, a win over Northeastern didn't erase a lackluster effort against Virginia. But the Tar Heels are playing well and have twice as many wins as losses. Still, "experts" like ESPN bracketeer Joe Lunardi have the Tar Heels as one of the last four teams to likely make the NCAA Tournament. By the way, ESPN spent way too much time talking to him while actual play was going on. Carolina has the potential to be a very good team down the stretch. The young guys are playing well. Two freshmen were the team's leading scorers against a good Louisville team. Senior leadership is good. Baskets are starting to fall from outside. The inside game is good. The defense was active against Louisville. The motion on offense - the rhythm - was good. Coach Williams said the big guys can score but the guards and wing players need to do a better job getting them the ball. But when they do, as they did in this game, the outside shooting opportunities open up too. There's not much bad to say, except the Heels still can't shoot free throws. That usually makes a difference once post-season play begins but Carolina fans should enjoy the ride for as long as they can. The Tar Heels were just seven of 18 from the free throw line. Coach Williams practice efforts didn't work. He had every player shoot 300 free throws and no one shot less than 79 percent. I do have one long-standing bone to pick with Coach Williams. He talks about everybody getting involved and how the players enjoy their teammates' successes. But then he puts the brakes on the bench players who go in at the end of the game but then aren't allowed to play their regular offense. When I played in junior high, I was one of those guys who came in at the end of the game. (I played behind a guy who went on to earn a scholarship at Memphis State.) Regardless of what the score was, we were allowed to play the game as if the score were 0-0. Any opposing coach who is offended by bench players running the score up on his team ought to point into his own mirror. Coach Williams, with five guys on the court who never get to play, told the players to dribble the ball out with about 25 seconds left and the Heels only a point away from 100 - which would have been the first time they'd accomplished that feat in a couple of years. But, again, the score shouldn't matter when guys like Duwe Farris, who came into the game with only eight minutes of playing time and no points, is on the court. He could conceivably end the season with no points in great part because Coach Williams puts the brakes on his bench players.
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UNC's Walker Kessler goes up for two of his 10 points. (UNC sports information photo by Jeffrey A. Camarati.)