University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: UNC Basketball Mailbag Nov. 21
November 21, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2006
By Adam Lucas
Carolina fans will do almost anything to watch their team. Don't believe it? Check out our winners from last week's contest to find the most unusual stories from fans about trying to watch the season opener against Sacred Heart, which was only available on ESPNU.
Yesterday, Monday Nov 13, I had a kidney stone attack at work around 3:00. My wife came to my work and took me to the Emergency Room. I had plans to go to the game in Charlotte with my wife and 3 good friends. We have been looking forward to it since it was announced. My pain faded for awhile while waiting in the waiting room of the ER and I thought I've got to go tomorrow.
After waiting 2 1/2 hrs in the waiting room I had another BIG kidney stone attack and they came and took me back right then. Just as I got to the room I passed out. They got my IV going and pain medicine and got me stable. I thought I may be going to the game with IVs hanging on me. I had a CT scan and they saw the stone and said it had moved on down. We went home around midnight and I passed the stone this morning. I am healing up at home today and will be going to see My Heels tonight.
Michael Stewart
Lenoir, NC
In Maine, we have Time Warner. I had Adelphia, complete with ESPNU, and then along came TW. Now I have no Carolina game at home for Tuesday night.
So, first I go to Carolina All-Access so I can at least listen, and yes, I am covered. So next, I start checking out the sports bars here in Portland, 45 minutes from my home in Goose Rocks Beach, since Maine beaches in the winter only have six people living there year round. No neighbors with the Dish, no restaurants open, only moose, who have no interest in anything that doesn't look like them.
So I go to my favorite place, Binga's Wingas, Monday night after work to see if they will have the game on Tuesday night. Of course, I have to order wings and an adult beverage, and their wings are so hot I have a couple of adult beverages, and, well, that is another story. So I suffer today, but only a little, because I know that yes, they will carry the game.
I put them on notice that they are now the official winter home of the Butch Davis led Heels, and the 140 point scoring machine basketball powerhouse that Coach Roy has primed to smack Ohio State, Kentucky and Duke around on their way to the Final Four. Binga's Wingas is so impressed that they give me all I can eat wings tonight, and so, Adam, because of the diesel sauce and the adult beverages that I must negotiate to watch Carolina tonight, I clearly will need some reading material as I recuperate this week. So please send me a copy of The Best Game Ever to read in my bed.
Mic Harris
Goose Rocks Beach, Maine
We're also awarding one book to Lee Gilliam for using the following two sentences: "I'm a man who loves a bargain, especially when it comes to food. My friends say I'm so tight I have to screw my socks on in the morning."
That gives us the opportunity of pointing out that Phil Ford once described one former Tar Heel who now plays in the NBA as "so tight he could rub the buffalo off a nickel."
Michael, Mic, and Lee: email us your mailing addresses so we can send your copies of The Best Game Ever. And speaking of books, check back next week for a book deal that will make your Carolina Christmas shopping much easier.
By the way, just one preemptive answer this week: there have been a lot of questions about Danny Green. He sprained his ankle against Winthrop and was held out of Sunday's game. If all goes well in practice this week, he'll be back for tomorrow night's game with Gonzaga.
Hope to see all our Charlotte-area readers at next week's book signing featuring Joe Quigg. The one in Durham was a lot of fun, as Quigg had lots of stories to tell about the '57 team. It's an easy way to get a head start on Christmas shopping for your favorite Carolina fan.
With the impressive talent level of the incoming freshman class, the Tar Heels have put together two amazing recruiting classes, and while they are being coached by one of the greatest in the game, these guys are still only freshmen and sophomores. Can you think of another Tar Heel team led by so many underclassmen?
Jim White
Richmond, Virginia
The first thing we have to do is decide what qualifies as "in the rotation." For the purposes of this research, we'll say anyone averaging double-digit minutes is in the rotation. As of right now, 9 players on this year's team fall into that category: Terry, Green, Wright, Hansbrough, Miller, Frasor, Ellington, Lawson, and Ginyard. It's a little early to be doing this, and hopefully someone will remind us to go back and do it again later in the year once the rotation crystallizes. But let's pretend this year's team has a 9-player rotation. Seven of those nine players are freshmen or sophomores. The last 20 seasons of Carolina basketball look like this:
1986: 8 players in the rotation, 2 were underclassmen
1987: 9 players in the rotation, 4 were underclassmen
1988: 9 players in the rotation, 6 were underclassmen
1989: 8 players in the rotation, 3 were underclassmen
1990: 7 players in the rotation, 2 were underclassmen
1991: 7 players in the rotation, 3 were underclassmen (Final Four)
1992: 8 players in the rotation, 5 were underclassmen
1993: 8 players in the rotation, 1 was underclassman (National champions)
1994: 9 players in the rotation, 4 were underclassmen
1995: 7 players in the rotation, 4 were underclassmen (Final Four)
1996: 7 players in the rotation, 4 were underclassmen
1997: 6 players in the rotation, 4 were underclassmen (Final Four)
1998: 6 players in the rotation, 1 was underclassman (Final Four)
1999: 8 players in the rotation, 5 were underclassmen
2000: 8 players in the rotation, 4 were underclassmen (Final Four)
2001: 8 players in the rotation, 4 were underclassmen
2002: 9 players in the rotation, 5 were underclassmen
2003: 8 players in the rotation, 8 were underclassmen
2004: 7 players in the rotation, 4 were underclassmen
2005: 8 players in the rotation, 1 was underclassman (National champions)
2006: 9 players in the rotation, 5 were underclassmen
So what did we learn? That rotation-wise, this will be the second-youngest Carolina team of the past 20 years. And because college basketball has been an entirely different game in the 21st century, it's probably safe to say it would be the second-youngest Carolina team ever.
Notice anything about the best teams on this list? We'd argue that the three best teams of the past 20 years are 1993, 1998, and 2005 (1987 has an argument but their lack of a Final Four appearance gives 1998 the edge). Those three teams also happen to be the most experienced on this list--each had only one freshman or sophomore in their regular rotation.
My father, Tom Butler, played on the freshman team in 1958 coached by Dean Smith. He continues to go to all home games and as a child at Carmichael we would always go down to the court and shake hands and wish him luck. When I saw Coach Smith at the Final Four in 2005, the first thing out of his mouth was "How's your father's health?" It struck me as to how he even knew that dad had recently suffered a mild stroke. Being part of the "Carolina family" is truly special. With that in mind here is my question....
Coach Dean Smith's record win total will be passed this season by Coach Bobby Knight. What was the average number of games per season for both coaches and what are their all time winning percentages? I believe that Dean coached for 35 years and this is Bobby Knight's 41st season. I would find it interesting to compare more than just the games won column. I believe that in all other measurable categories Coach Smith will outshine Coach Knight. Especially in the immeasurable categories!
Bo Butler
Chattanooga, TN
Smith and Knight have some similarities: they're both great coaches, they both have legendary memories, and they'll soon be alone at the top of the all-time college basketball win list. They also have some differences, including...well, if you're reading this you probably already know the differences.
Knight is currently 873-350 in 41 seasons, a winning percentage of .714. Dean Smith's career record was 879-254 in 36 seasons, a winning percentage of .776. With either coach, it's difficult to isolate the most impressive stat on their resume. Knight has turned Texas Tech--Texas Tech!--into a perennial 20-game winner, while it's hard to imagine anyone emulating Smith and racking up nearly 900 victories at one school.
By the way, Adolph Rupp went 876-190 in 41 seasons at Kentucky, an impressive .822 winning percentage.
The numbers prove what everyone already knew: all three are great basketball coaches. Picking one requires exploring some of the intangibles, an area where Smith has no peer.
By the way, Coach Smith was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend as a member of the inaugural class.
We always see the assists handed out in the stats but I have never heard a true definition of what an "assist" is. For instance, does the player receiving the pass have to shoot without any dribbles to create an assist or can they take one dribble, 2 etc.? What if the player receives the pass, stands there for a while and then eventually shoots and scores, is that an assist? Always wondered when you see records being set whether they where even scored the same way by different teams etc.
Ed Short
Newville, PA
Let's go to Section 5 of the 2007 NCAA Basketball Statisticians' Manual:
"A player is credited with an assist when the player makes, in the judgment of the statistician, the principal pass contributing directly to a field goal (or an awarded score of two or three points)...Such a pass should be either (a) a pass that finds a player free after he or she has maneuvered without the ball for a positional advantage, or (b) a pass that gives the receiving player a positional advantage he or she would otherwise not have had."
"An assist should be more than a routine pass that just happens to be followed by a field goal. It should be a conscious effort to find the open player or help a player work free. There should not be a limit on the number of dribbles by the receiver."
The manual goes on to say that based on game analysis, approximately 50-60 percent of a team's field goals should involve an assist. As you can see from the text in the manual, it's entirely a judgment call. There was a time in the mid-80s when other teams complained that Carolina was too lenient with assists; those days have mostly passed in the modern ACC. But that doesn't mean assists are uniformly credited; there have been a couple of nonconference road trips in recent years with very dubious stat reporting.
Longtime Carolina fans will fondly remember the following words from numerous Dean Smith press conferences: "The way we keep it..." Smith charted assists differently from the stat sheet, as the Tar Heels awarded a coach's assist for any good feed to the post or a pass that led to a player being fouled in the act of shooting. Smith was often quick to note the difference in the way the coaches kept the stats rather than the way the statisticians charted it.
I'm going to try to keep my expectations in check this season. If we do better than last year, then wonderful -- from second to first in ACC, and Round 2 to Sweet 16 ain't bad, right? That being said, what is UNC's NCAA and ACC Tourney record when they're picked in the preseason to finish first in the conference, and when they're ranked in the preseason top 5?
Anil
Minneapolis, MN
Interesting question. The Associated Press has released a preseason poll before every season since the 1961-62 campaign. Carolina has been ranked in the top 5 in that poll 17 times. Over half the time, that lofty preseason ranking has translated into a Final Four appearance--the Tar Heels have gone to the Final Four in 9 of those 17 seasons. Incidentally, Carolina has gone to the Final Four just once when ranked below number-8 in the preseason poll. Before the 1980-81 season the Tar Heels were picked 13th and advanced to the national championship game.
Brownlow's Down Low
At the Pfeiffer game on Saturday, I noticed that the low position of the free-throw lane (closest to the end line) was unoccupied during foul shots. Is this something that the NCAA is trying out on a temporary basis? How long will it be in effect? What is the reasoning behind it?
Rob Nicholas
Chapel Hill
While listening to the Sacred Heart game I heard Woody say something about a new rule when a Sacred Heart player tried to call a time out while falling out of bounds and didn't get it. What is the new rule?
Matthew Beavers
Winston-Salem, NC
Twice this season we have seen two officials disagree on a blocking/charge call and then give the ball to the team with the alternating possession arrow. I have never seen or heard of this phenomenon before this season. Was there a rules change to allow this? Are fouls actually charged to both players, or is it effectively a jump ball?
Sam
Hillsborough, NC
Lauren writes:
First thing's first - the free-throw lane. This is an experimental rule that began this year. During free-throw attempts, teams will only have players in the second, third and fourth lane spaces. According to the NCAA, this was done in response to concerns that the defensive player is located too far underneath the basket to effectively rebound the ball.The timeout rule is new: "A timeout shall not be recognized when an airborne player's momentum carries him either out-of-bounds or into the backcourt." But another part of the timeout rule falls under one of this year's new points of emphasis, which is loose ball recovery. When two or three players are rolling around and there are a bunch of hands grabbing for the ball, the first player who had at least one hand on the ball and managed to call timeout would often get it. Now, the official must be sure the player has control before granting a timeout.
The block/charge thing is a bit perplexing. "A double personal foul occurs when two opponents commit personal fouls against each other at approximately the same time," according to the rule book. The result of the play is that both players are charged with a personal foul, the offensive player does not get to shoot free throws, and the ball is awarded based on alternating possession.
Here's my assessment - one official can't overrule another, so regardless of what one official saw, if the official he is conferring with won't change his mind, a double foul is likely to be the result.
For the record, the 2006-07 officiating points of emphasis are:
1. Rough Physical Play and Illegal Contact (10th year in a row)
2. Palming (2nd year in a row)
3. Loose Ball Recovery - This is new, and basically says that the player on the floor diving for a loose ball should be protected because he is in a vulnerable position and any "non-incidental" contact will be a foul.
The fourth point is listed as a "major concern" - Airborne Player/Excessive or Severe Contact. The NCAA wants to emphasize that an airborne player is in a vulnerable position and should be protected as such. So if a player is airborne, then any "excessive contact" by an opponent will be whistled as an intentional personal foul, even when the opponent is "legitimately attempting to play either the ball or the player." If the contact is "severe," a flagrant foul could be called.
This is not a new rule, but as you've likely seen in most college basketball games, hard fouls in airborne situations are often justified by saying the defender was "going for the ball". This point of emphasis seems to state that interpretation is incorrect.
Adam Lucas's third book on Carolina basketball, The Best Game Ever, chronicles the 1957 national championship season and is available now. His previous books include Going Home Again, focusing on Roy Williams's return to Carolina, and Led By Their Dreams, a collaboration with Steve Kirschner and Matt Bowers on the 2005 championship team. To submit a Mailbag question, click here.
