University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Canes Take Advantage Of Struggling Offense
January 4, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2003
By Adam Lucas
As a Carolina basketball fan, there are certain things you grow to expect. Opponents firing in three-pointers like they're layups are one of them, and when the University of Miami opened Saturday night's game by making four straight trifectas, the last of them a bank shot by Michael Simmons, who was making 24 percent of his field goals for the season, it looked like another one of those nights.
And that's exactly how it turned out.
Darius Rice made a three-pointer from the right corner with 2.5 seconds left in regulation that forced overtime and the extra period turned into a horror show that culminated in a 64-61 Miami victory.
Weeklong layoffs haven't been kind to Carolina in recent history, and they ended this seven days of inactivity with their second arena-opening game of the season. The first came at Old Dominion, which had a much more rabid basketball atmosphere and a much less overmedicated PA announcer.
The creatively-named Convocation Center appeared to have a football hangover from Friday night's Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State until Rice's game-tying three-pointer, as the assembled seven thousand didn't get into the game until late in the second half.
Overtime wasn't kind, and the Heels understandably were miffed about several plays that appeared physical that drew no whistle in the game's closing seconds, but the game wasn't lost in overtime. Instead, it was lost during the final ten minutes of the second half, when Carolina's offense, like so many other Coral Gables residents, went south for the winter.
"Part of that was that we didn't shoot well, part of it was that we got a little stagnant, and part of it was my fault," Matt Doherty said after the game. "You have to give them credit too, because they're a good defensive team."
The more remarkable fact might be that despite making only two field goals in the game's final 11 minutes, this game would have been a victory if the Heels had only converted any of several free throws at the end.
The game reinforced the notion that the most important component of this Carolina team's offense is their defense. When the Heels were using a zone to lock down on the Hurricanes in the second half and force missed shots, Raymond Felton was able to get out and run in transition and create easy baskets. During an 18-0 second-half run, the exclamation point was a 60-foot laser beam of a pass that left a vapor trail from Felton to Jackie Manuel for a three-point play. With the defense forcing a bevy of missed shots, it created more effective scoring opportunities at the other end.
ut when Miami scored consistently and forced the Tar Heels to slow things down, as they did over the final portion of the second half, the Carolina halfcourt offense wasn't clicking. With May out and Jawad Williams limited by Rice, a virtual clone, the UNC inside game was reduced to taking advantage of size mismatches when they presented themselves, as the Heels did when they posted up Rashad McCants on one second-half possession, leading to an easy score.
Otherwise, the offense simply struggled, and Miami was able to sink just enough shots to get close enough for Rice's game-tying trifecta.
Felton's penetration is an effective scoring threat, but good teams simply won't let that beat them on every possession. Rashad McCants would seem to be a viable one-on-one scoring option, especially late in a game that desperately needed someone in light blue to take control, but he is quietly playing with a right index finger that is causing him significant pain and that he is unable to bend all the way. He's not a complainer--after all, we're talking about a player who has played the entire season in a shoulder harness--but he's also not full-strength.
Despite all those problems, Carolina still had a chance to win. With a one-point deficit, 33 seconds left in overtime and the shot clock off after a terrific play by Byron Sanders to keep the ball alive and retain possession for the Heels, Carolina attacked with a play that seemed well-designed, as Felton slipped backdoor with Williams at the high post.
ut although Felton appeared to find some daylight, the pass never came. It's a pass that would have usually been May's responsibility, but the Heels weren't in the mood for excuses after the game. They played this game without their big man, but they'll play every other game without him for the next few weeks.
"That's my fault," Doherty said. "It wasn't fair to Jawad to put him in that situation with that play. We either need to practice that play with Jawad at the five position or not run it."
They'll get three days to practice it before Davidson comes to town on Wednesday night. Whether it's that play or another option, the primary endeavor between now and the time the Wildcats invade the Smith Center for the second straight year is finding a way to score in the halfcourt offense. That's the only way to avoid having one of those nights on several more occasions between now and May's return.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly, click here.
