University of North Carolina Athletics
Virginia Tech Game Guide
January 12, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2007
By Lauren Brownlow
The Basics
No. 1 North Carolina (15-1, 2-0) won its 13th straight game and its second-straight ACC victory over Virginia, 79-69 on Wednesday. The Tar Heels will travel to Blacksburg on Saturday afternoon to face Virginia Tech (12-4, 2-0), who have won eight of its last 10 games and three straight. The Hokies are coming off a 74-51 victory against UNC-Greensboro in which they hit 10-of-15 three-pointers.
Game Time: North Carolina at Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m.
Last Time: Reyshawn Terry scored seven points in the final 7:37 to spur the Tar Heels to a narrow 64-61 victory. Tyler Hansbrough led the Tar Heels with 20 points. The only other Tar Heel to score in double figures was David Noel, who had 10 points despite being plagued by foul trouble and playing just 19 minutes. Reyshawn Terry added nine points, seven rebounds and two blocks and Danny Green had seven points. Four Virginia Tech players hit double figures as Wynton Witherspoon led the Hokies with 17 points and added three steals. Zabian Dowdell added 13 points. Jamon Gordon had 12 points and three steals, and Deron Washington had 11 points two blocks, four steals and two assists.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 2:30 p.m.
Injury Report: Ty Lawson continues to be limited by a sore wrist, but he is expected to play.
Storylines
Turnovers: Three Hokies rank in the top 10 of the ACC in steals. Jamon Gordon is 2nd (2.5 a game), Zabian Dowdell is third (2.25 a game) and Deron Washington is 9th (1.75 a game). Virginia Tech is second in the league behind Carolina in assist-turnover ratio, with just 234 assists on the year to a mere 184 turnovers, or a 1.27 ratio. The Hokies lead the league in turnover margin at +6.94. The Hokies average 11.5 turnovers a game and are forcing their opponents into 18.4 a game. The Hokies rank third in the league in steals with 9.5 a game.
Carolina ranks third in turnover margin with +3.50, and the Tar Heels are averaging 13.7 turnovers a game and forcing 17.2. The Tar Heels lead the league in assist-turnover ratio with 326 assists to 219 turnovers, or a 1.49 ratio. Carolina ranks fifth in the league in steals with 8.81 a game. The Tar Heels lead the league in assists with 20.38, while the Hokies rank eighth with 14.63.
In its losses, Virginia Tech has 41 assists to 58 turnovers for a 0.7 assist-turnover ratio. In its wins, Virginia Tech has 193 assists to 126 turnovers, or a 1.5 assist-turnover ratio. The best assist-turnover ratio Virginia Tech has allowed an opponent all season is 1.0 against Richmond, when the Spiders dished out 12 assists but turned it over just 12 times, which was a season-low number of turnovers for Virginia Tech's opponents this season.
On the year, Virginia Tech's opponents have 164 assists and 295 turnovers (0.56 ratio). That number ranks first in the league. Carolina has allowed its opponents 225 assists and forced 275 turnovers, or a 0.8 ratio that ranks 7th in the league.
Last year's squad turned the ball over 25 times in the game and 14 in the first half alone in their first ACC road game in Blacksburg. This young Tar Heel backcourt will have to contend with a very experienced Virginia Tech backcourt that not only forces turnovers, but also takes care of the ball. Much of the Carolina defense and transition game is dependent upon forcing turnovers with pressure and converting them into points. It will be a challenge to do that against this team, but what Carolina will need to do even better than that is to take care of the basketball against this savvy Virginia Tech team.
Second-half team: In the last six games, Carolina has increased its first-half points by an average of +14.3 points in the second half. In the Smith Center, the Tar Heels have shown significant second-half improvement. They shoot 43.5% in the first half and that goes up to 46.5% in the second half. The Tar Heels' three-point percentage improves from 37.1% to 42%.
Outside the Smith Center, the Tar Heels are shooting 45.4% in the first half from the field and 48.2% in the second half. The Tar Heels also average 6.2 free throw attempts in the first half while not at home and 11.5 attempts in the second half.
Of four games played away from the Smith Center, Carolina showed statistical improvement in the second half in just two. They scored 37 points in the first and second halves against Gonzaga, and shot worse from the field in the second half (from 43.8% to 30.6%). Against Tennessee, they scored 56 points in the first half and just 45 in the second half, though their shooting percentage stayed fairly consistent (57.9% to 56.5%).
In St. Louis, the Tar Heels went from shooting 29.4% in the first half and scoring 27 points to scoring 42 points in the second half on 15-25 shooting (60%). Against Winthrop, the Tar Heels scored 30 points in the first half and added 43 in the second. Against Sacred Heart, the Tar Heels went from shooting 54.5% in the first half to 62.9% in the second.
In the last three games, the Tar Heels have turned it over 19 times in the first half and 11 in the second half, including just three turnovers in the second half against Virginia. They increased their scoring output in the second half 14 points against Penn, 12 against Florida State and two against Virginia. Though there was no significant increase in shooting percentage from half to half against Virginia, against Florida State, the Tar Heels went from shooting 41.2% in the first half to 52.8% in the second half, and against Penn the improvement was from a 49.6% first half to a 61.1% second half.
The Tar Heels always seem ready to turn it on in the second half, if they have not already. For example, even though Virginia shot essentially the same percentage from the field in each half, Carolina limited their shot attempts from 34 in the first half to just 25 in the second. In the Florida State game, Carolina's depth combined with its improved defense to cool off the Seminoles' 40% first-half shooting percentage to 29.4% in the second half.
"I think it's just because in the first half, everybody comes out trying to beat our butt and we realize it's going to be a rough night if we don't start picking it up," Marcus Ginyard said. "I just hope we get out of that - soon."
A big part of the Tar Heels' second-half surge is the fact that they simply wear the other team down on both ends of the floor with their depth. Even in the two games against ACC opponents this year, players on the other team could be seen sucking wind and holding their shorts between plays.
"You can start to see teams wearing down in the second half, not shooting as well in the second half as they did in the first half. Players really start off the first half strong - Singletary, that guy from Winthrop - everybody's just starting off real strong in the first half and kind of dying off in the second half," Ginyard said. "I think our depth has really taken away from other team's strengths and their fatigue is kicking in."
Road game: The Tar Heels will play their first ACC road game, which, as Roy Williams admitted, is considerably different than the St. Louis road game.
"We'll have to wait and see. The 22,000 in St. Louis, they all weren't cheering for us. Let's make sure we understand that," Coach Williams said. "But that 22,000 (crowd) there is not like what we're going to face tomorrow, and we'll have to wait and see how the kids react to it."
When asked if the freshmen had any idea of what it was like to play on the road after playing at St. Louis, Marcus Ginyard was very matter-of-fact in his answer.
"Not until Saturday," Ginyard said. "I think Saturday, then they'll really start to understand how it is. There's nothing like that first road game."
Danny Green saw the Virginia game as a chance for the freshmen to learn how to "win ugly."
"I think it definitely is good for us to have a good win and a close win, to get used to playing in a situation like that, especially on the road because you're going to have a lot of road games when things aren't going your way, you're not going to get the calls, the game's going to be tight and you've got to be able to come together and grind it out," Green said. "That's what we did tonight, and that's going to help us out a lot in the long run."
But both Ginyard and Green remember how the Tar Heels struggled last year in their first ACC road game. Last year's squad got one of its first tastes of not getting the calls as David Noel spent much of the final minutes of the game on the bench with four fouls. Before the game ended, Tyler Hansbrough and Bobby Frasor each had three fouls.
"I just remember it being a tough environment, just being on the road and having to deal with a crowd that's not cheering for you. Then again, the increased intensity of the ACC is just a tough environment that it's really hard to describe without just experiencing it. So these freshmen will be in for a little bit of a surprise, but I think they're already capable of responding in a very positive way," Ginyard said.
Virginia Tech is a veteran, skilled squad that recently managed to go into Cameron and beat Duke in overtime. The Hokies have hit 10 three-pointers twice in its last five games, and the roof will come off Cassell Coliseum with every three-pointer the Hokies drain. But more importantly, as Roy Williams pointed out, this is not a team that will get flustered easily, no matter how much defensive pressure the Tar Heels try to apply.
"I see a group that's never going to get befuddled, they're never going to get frustrated, they're going to be able to handle adversity, and they're very good basketball players, too," Roy Williams said.
Watching At Home
Turn down the sound: If you're watching at home while listening to the radio or over the computer via Carolina All-Access, there will inevitably be some delay. For the reason - and a possible solution - click here.
A full list of THSN affiliates can be found here.
ABC coverage: The game will be available on ABC.
Names To Know
Marcus Ginyard: Sean Singletary went off in the first half, scoring 11 points. As usual, Carolina's resident defensive stopper came off the bench to save the day, limiting Singletary to just three second-half points. What is his secret?
"The same thing I would do to anybody that's really trying to get off is just really try to make him uncomfortable," Ginyard said. "I felt the guards that were guarding him before were really pressuring him a little too much and letting him get to the side of them and that's when he really does well. He just gets that crease on the side of you and then he starts getting contact and then he starts getting the crazy foul. So I just really played off of him and waited for him to come to me."
Ginyard is a student of the game and of observing players, and he is the prime example that defense is just as much about savvy and "want-to" as it is foot speed and athleticism.
"I do think that Marcus is good on the ball defensively, he's good off the ball chasing guys around screens," Coach Williams said. "I think Marcus (Ginyard) gave us a lift."
Ginyard had 13 fouls in his first eight games and just eight in the last eight games. He also had 13 turnovers in his first eight games and just six in the last eight games. His 1.4 assist-turnover ratio is second-best among non-point guards behind Danny Green's 2.3 ratio. His assist-turnover ratio in the last eight games is 2.3.
Ginyard also crashes the boards with the reckless abandon that some of the big men lack. He has 25 offensive rebounds, third behind Tyler Hansbrough and Brandan Wright and two more than Reyshawn Terry. He is able to convert countless second chance points, but in the Virginia game, he uncharacteristically got an offensive rebound and missed a few tip-in lay-ups.
"It was tough, but at the same time, you miss a lay-up but then you get an offensive rebound and you give your team a chance to score again. It's just something that you can't really worry about. At that point, you've already missed it. Getting mad about it is not going to help," Ginyard said.
The Tar Heels will need Ginyard's tough defense and savvy on the glass in order to beat the Hokies.
Quentin Thomas: How short the memories of Carolina fans are. Everyone has been stunned to see how quickly Thomas has recovered from his foot injury and is now running the offense off the bench, seemingly without missing a beat.
"It hasn't surprised me because of experience. I was watching the tape of our Virginia game in the ACC Tournament last year. Everybody forgets about it, but Q played 24 minutes in that game when Bobby got in foul trouble. You look back about mid-season last year, he really struggled," Coach Williams said. "Last year when everybody said he was ready to go, in his mind he wasn't ready to go, and that's when he struggled. So this year when everybody said he was ready to go, we held him out another 2-3 weeks so he gets even more comfortable himself. That's huge, especially with the responsibilities that a point guard has, not only just playing but being that leader out there on the court."
In Thomas's first four games of the season, he played just 21 minutes (5.3 a game) and had three assists, two turnovers, two rebounds, two steals and two points in that period. Since his return from injury, in the last three games he has played 23 minutes (7.7 a game) and has nine assists, two turnovers, five rebounds, two steals and five points.
"He's a player that has a huge level of confidence right now in his own abilities. When you get that confidence, that's really all you need and there's no stopping him now," Ginyard said. "Before, he didn't really have that confidence. He'd have a couple of mistakes and he'd get down on himself. Then everybody was talking about how he's not going to play anymore. But I think this year, fighting through all of the injuries, getting back and having those great couple of games that he did gave him so much confidence."
Against the Hokies last year, Quentin Thomas had zero assists to seven turnovers in just nine minutes. That Virginia Tech game marked a turning point for Thomas, however. After missing three games, in his first 9 games (including Virginia Tech) Thomas had 29 assists to 20 turnovers for a 1.5 assist-turnover ratio. In the last 19 games, Thomas had 49 assists to just 17 turnovers for a 2.9 ratio. He has spent the off-season learning and progressing even more, and has spent his entire Tar Heel career learning from the former greats.
"I remember my freshman year Raymond as well as Jackie told me that the game's going to be fast, but you've still need to play it slow. At first it was kind of hard for me to understand, `How can I play slow?' but the game's going faster than I am," Thomas said. "I'm starting to realize what they're saying, because the game is at a high pace, but you still need to see the big picture slow enough where you can play up to speed."
Zabian Dowdell: The senior guard leads his team and is tied for ninth in the ACC in scoring with 16.6 points a game. He has failed to score in double figures just once this season, a six-point performance against George Washington in a loss. He is tied for eighth in the league in three-pointers made per game (1.81). He is fourth in the league (33rd in the country) in free-throw percentage, shooting 53-of-61 (86.9%) from the line. He tied his career high in steals with five against Duke, despite having just two assists and no turnovers. He also scored 20 points in the win, and has scored 20 or more in three of the last five games. He ranks third in the ACC in assist-turnover ratio with 55 assists to just 26 turnovers (2.12 ratio), and is third in the ACC in steals (35th in the country) with 2.5 a game.
Dowdell is a seasoned ACC guard who can distribute well and play solid defense, but he is also a genuine scoring threat, both from the field and from the free-throw line.
Deron Washington: The 6-7 junior swingman is fourth on his team in scoring with 11.1 points a game but leads his team in rebounds with 5.2 a game. His 29 offensive rebounds also leads the team. He is shooting 50% from the field, but just 23.3% from the three-point line. He leads the team in free-throw attempts with 80, and though he is making just 58.8% of them, he has made 11 of his last 16 free throw attempts and is shooting 70% in ACC play.
He leads his team in blocks with 18 and ranks third on his team and ninth in the ACC in steals with 1.75 a game. Against Duke, Washington had 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, four steals, and a block of a Greg Paulus three-point attempt as time ran out in overtime. The wiry, athletic and tall Washington presents a potential matchup problem for any of Carolina's three-guards except for the 6-8 Reyshawn Terry.
Quotables
"If anybody asked, I just said that the Smith Center was getting too loud, and I didn't want them to get too loud if I made another lay-up that would take the roof off. So I just missed it and it quieted everybody down a little bit." -Marcus Ginyard on missing a lay-up against Virginia
"He couldn't guard his lunch when he first got here." -Roy Williams on Reyshawn Terry's defensive progression
"I had a prospect one time, came and watched us practice and he said, `I thought there were only Ten Commandments, but I found out today there were 11: Thou shalt box out.' So I offered him a scholarship." -Roy Williams
"I look at it as Coach Williams has coached thousands of games and he's won 500 games as a head coach. I'm pretty sure he's got some idea of what he's doing, so I don't worry about it." -Marcus Ginyard on whether or not he is comfortable with his role
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
