University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Running Men
March 24, 2005 | Men's Basketball
March 24, 2005
By Adam Lucas
The Carrier Dome is one of the most versatile (and quirky--visitors have to make sure to obey the airlock procedures lest they be sucked into the frigid Syracuse air) arenas in college sports. Since its opening on Sept. 20, 1980, it's hosted everything from football to men's basketball, lacrosse to ice skating, and Elton John to Frank Sinatra.
If Thursday's NCAA Tournament press conferences are any indication, Friday evening it will host something else--a track meet.
Most of the talk at Thursday afternoon's Carolina and Villanova press sessions was about the running game. It's something that has become fairly commonplace for the Tar Heels. Last week, Iowa State expressed a desire to try and press the Heels. This week, Villanova did the same thing. The Wildcats frequently employ a 1-2-2 trap in the backcourt and they won't change their approach for the regional semifinal.
"We like to run," head coach Jay Wright said. "We have to do what we do. We realize there are going to be a lot of opportunities (for Carolina to run)."
Presses are usually thought of as a way to speed the tempo. That's what the Tar Heels try to do, as their defensive pressure is intended to steal the basketball, not just impede the opposing offense. But Villanova will apply defensive pressure to do something else--slow down the Tar Heels. Wright compared this year's Heels to the early 1990s UNLV squads, but the Wildcats have a guard-laden lineup that can keep pace.
Both teams want a frenetic tempo, but they achieve it in very different ways. Carolina leads the nation in assists per game with 19.6 per contest; Villanova, which prefers more one-on-one play, ranks 248th (12.2). Carolina likes to pound the ball inside and has the field goal percentage (50 percent, good for fifth in the country) to prove it; Villanova's guards take three-quarters of their field goal attempts and the Wildcats rank just 173rd in the nation in field goal percentage (43.7 percent).
To try and limit their missed shots--which would create Tar Heel running opportunities and make it tougher to set up defensive pressure--Villanova will rely on a driving, dribbling attack.
"Guard play is the strength of their team," Roy Williams said. "And they've got four guys who can penetrate to the basket and I think that's the hardest thing to guard in college basketball these days."
Once the Villanova guards get into the lane, they'll try to find former Carolina recruit Jason Fraser, who has been troubled throughout his career by injuries but had an impressive game against Florida in the NCAA second round. Sean May said Fraser impressed him during McDonald's All-American game practices three years ago and compared the Wildcat junior's defensive presence to that of Duke's Shelden Williams.
But with Curtis Sumpter out, Fraser (along with Will Sheridan) makes up the majority of Villanova's inside strength.
"We rotate three really good big guys and can put David Noel down there some," May said. "I think that's going to be a focal point. We want to get the ball down low and attack with our bigs."
Notes: Jawad Williams's hip flexor injury continues to improve. He will play wearing compression shorts tomorrow night but had his bandages removed on Thursday...Sumpter is Villanova's leading scorer but they may miss his size even more than his scoring. "Curtis gives us size on the front line when we play him at the three spot," Wright said. "That's something we're going to miss. He gives us the opportunity to guard big perimeter people like Marvin Williams or Jawad Williams who can shoot the ball well."...Villanova's guards have gotten significant attention for their offense, but their defensive skills will be key on Friday. The Wildcats are holding opponents to 39.4 percent shooting from the field. "You have to be concerned about the basketball, because defensively they play with a lot of intensity," Williams said...Carolina held a 50-minute open practice on Thursday afternoon and will shoot around in the Carrier Dome on Friday.
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.
