University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Heels Ready to Light Up Smith Center
January 6, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2005
By Adam Lucas
For some reason, Maryland always seems to be involved when new things happen at the Smith Center.
The Terrapins handed the Tar Heels their first-ever loss in the building behind an extraordinary performance (35 points, 9-of-9 from the free throw line) by Len Bias, losing 77-72 on Feb. 20, 1986.
And then there was the memorable "snow game," as the Heels hosted the Terps on Jan. 27, 2000, behind a raucous student-led crowd. Snow and ice blanketed the Triangle on that evening, and when the lower levels were sparsely populated several minutes into the game, ushers allowed the crowd to begin to fill in the unused seats. The outcome? Carolina captured a 75-63 victory, stopping a four-game losing streak and capturing a key Atlantic Coast Conference win.
The unseasonably warm Chapel Hill weather is expected to continue through the weekend, so don't expect snow on Saturday. But it'll still be a unique Smith Center game, as Saturday's noon tipoff will mark the debut of two new 50-foot LED boards on the building's upper deck façade. Crews have worked tirelessly to install the boards this week, and during Thursday afternoon's practice both were nearing complete functionality.
Fans will also notice a new scorer's table at Saturday's game that includes the same LED technology.
Unfortunately, however, the boards (which were paid for by the facility fee on home game tickets, another way Carolina fans are responsible for building the infrastructure of Tar Heel athletics) won't impact the outcome of the game against a team that has proved to be a thorny opponent in recent years. Maryland has claimed five of the last seven meetings, including a 90-84 decision at the Comcast Center last season.
In that game, the Terps simply outmuscled the Heels, as Jamar Smith powered up 22 points and dominated the game in the paint.
"We had a lot of problems with their flex cut, and they had a ball screen that really gave us trouble up there," David Noel said.
The Heels have spent this week focusing on some of those details that gave them trouble in College Park. With a full five days with no games and no classes, Roy Williams has put his team through some preseason-like practices this week.
They responded--the head coach called Monday's session one of the best of the season.
"We went back to the way we practiced in the preseason," Williams said. "We're trying to build that foundation."
That foundation includes some basic habits, such as boxing out and a focus on rebounding, that haven't been as necessary during a recent six-game stretch that included a margin of victory of over 35 points.
That won't be the case Saturday, as the Terps are 9-2 and, along with the Heels, rank near the top of most ACC categories. Point guard John Gilchrist--who averaged 16 points and 6.5 assists per game against the Heels last year--whose strength makes him one of the toughest matchups in the league for Raymond Felton, directs an offense that has diverted somewhat from their methodical pace of last season.
"They're playing at a fast pace," Williams said. "This year they're freelancing more and getting baskets off that."
It's worked--the Terps are scoring 88 points per game.
Notes: Jesse Holley joined practice this week just in time for his 21st birthday on Saturday (students, get the "Happy Birthday" serenade ready). He was joined by a surprise guest--fellow wide receiver Brooks Foster, who redshirted on the gridiron this year and will go through a handful of practices before the coaches determine his ultimate place on the team...Don't disband the Clef Hangers just yet, but the Heels have displayed some singing talents recently. After treating Sunday's kids clinic audience to a rendition of the Barney theme song, the team also performed a hit from Late Night--"Roy, Roy Roy Roy, Roy Roy Royyyyyyy!" to get out of practice that afternoon...Noel participated in the first-ever edition of "Ask the Tar Heels" on TarHeelBlue.com on Thursday afternoon, sitting down with Jones Angell to answer an avalanche of questions from site readers. All-Access members will be able to watch the video of the conversation later this afternoon.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly and can be reached at alucas@tarheelmonthly.com. His book on Roy Williams's first season at Carolina, Going Home Again, is now available in bookstores. To subscribe to Tar Heel Monthly or learn more about the book, click here.
