University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Heels Make Their Point
February 29, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 29, 2004
By Adam Lucas
RALEIGH--Maybe you've never been to a State-Carolina game in Raleigh. Maybe you've never seen the signs, heard the chants, watched the cups be tossed onto the floor.
If that's the case, we provide the following snapshot as a service to our readers:
After Carolina clinched their 71-64 victory and a season sweep of the Wolfpack, the elevator from the fifth floor of the RBC Center to the floor area was jam-packed. Included in that crowd was a building employee who carried a walkie-talkie tuned to the security frequency. As the elevator descended, the walkie-talkie came to life:
"Ah, we've got an assault behind section 115. We've got an assault and need security personnel."
Most in the elevator exchanged raised eyebrows. But one proud State supporter broke into a smile and proclaimed, "Another loud-mouthed Tar Heel fan gets what they deserved."
That's the mood in Raleigh, and if you've never seen a win there, you're missing one of life's great pleasures. It's like acing a test you didn't study for or looking all over the green for your golf ball and suddenly discovering it in the bottom of the cup.
"The fans here are brutal," Sean May said. "I was watching 'Outside the Lines' last week and they were talking about the fans, and this place is more intense than any place I saw on there. It's personal and they get after you."
They especially love to get after the Tar Heels, usually with handmade signs that the State administration encourages by showing on the arena jumbotron. It's certainly an atmosphere unlike any in the ACC.
The kind folks in Raleigh were generous enough to distribute Roy Williams masks throughout the lower level, although no one seemed quite sure what to do with them. Apparently it must have been in recognition of him being the only coach in the conference who is undefeated at the RBC Center.
He earned that distinction with a masterful coaching performance, as the Tar Heels played without Jackie Manuel and fulfilled the old Dean Smith adage that a team is most dangerous in the first game they have to play without a starter. The Heels wouldn't want to go without Manuel Tuesday night, but for one night, everyone on the roster picked up the slack for the injured junior.
Manuel, of course, is Carolina's defensive wizard, but it wasn't any one player who stepped into that role against the Pack. It was a team that played the point zone defense as well as they've played it all year, stepping into the correct lanes, closing out on shooters properly, and--let's be honest--catching State on a cold shooting night. The Pack took over half their field goals from beyond the three-point line and made just 8 of 34, yet again emphasizing why Roy Williams believes that the most consistent way to win a basketball game is to get the ball inside. State missed 10 of the first 11 shots they took against the point zone, and when Herb Sendek spent most of a timeout explaining how to attack the defense, Carolina promptly came out in a man-to-man.
Despite the defensive performance, it looked like Carolina was intent on blowing yet another big lead when Marcus Melvin nailed a three-pointer that tied the score at 48 with 8:50 remaining. But then something different happened: the Tar Heels didn't fold. Instead of tightening up, as they did last Tuesday at Virginia, they continued to play loose. Rashad McCants, who is now averaging 24.2 points per game in his last five contests against ranked opponents, nailed a pair of huge three-pointers, including one that was fired from his hip, gunslinger-style, and gave the Heels a 60-56 lead with under three minutes left.
As always, it was Melvin Scott who best summed up Carolina's attitude. After missing everything in sight on his first free throw with under a minute to play, he promptly nailed three straight to ice the game.
"It didn't bother me," he said. "Hey, I had already airballed a three-pointer. I was just like, 'OK, take these three and call me in the morning.'"
Oh, and about our friend in the elevator. After his pronouncement that the Tar Heel fan was getting what he deserved, someone pointed out to him that that particular Tar Heel fan's team was now 2-0 against the Pack this season. That led the friendly State fan--the one who had undoubtedly thoroughly enjoyed the way State posts "UNC-CH" on the stats scoreboard to refer to Carolina, since somehow that's supposed to be a slight--to say something that must have been extremely painful, something that will probably keep him awake tonight.
"Hmmm. Good point."
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.
