Took in the N.C.State-UNC game tonight and sat there in somewhat amazement as Carolina just blew out State.
The Heels dominated all phases of the game and State picked a bad night not to show up.
Carolina out-shot State 53 percent to 37 percent. The big key? Rebounding. Carolina dominated on the boards 43-26, including 19 offensive boards. David Noel broke it open with 18 first half points, 25 for the game. Went J.J. Redick with a step back three pointer over Simmons. He’s a good leader for this team. He went into the RBC Center with confidence and you could see his teammates feed off that.
You look at this Carolina team and you tip your hat to Roy Williams. I don’t think anybody thought this group would be 18-6 with the inside track for second place in the ACC.
Everybody on this team has improved since the start of the season. They play hard and they don’t back down. Reyshawn Terry could be the most improved player in the ACC. And you gotta hand it to Wes Miller -- the kid has heart and he can shoot it.
While State was dominated tonight -- and I know Pack fans are mad as heck because they just can’t seem to beat Carolina -- there's still a lot left to this season and State has a tendency to bounce back, which I think they’ll do Saturday against Boston College.
I still think State is solid. The shot just didn’t fall and when you live by the three-you can die by it and the Pack just 6 of 25 from downtown and this is from a team hitting 44 percent for the season. But what is worrisome they didn’t seem to have energy tonight, and you wonder why. I mean, it is Carolina they were playing.
The Wolfpack needs to get Evtimov healthy. He’s a steady influence and his injury has hurt.
Andrew Brackman played well, I thought. Had 16 points but only played 19 minutes, not really sure why. Cedric Simmons’ foul trouble really hurts but guarding Hansbrough is certainly not easy.
Right now, Carolina’s Stock is way up, but I wouldn’t sell State short just yet. There's too many heady players to let the season get away.
