University of North Carolina Athletics
Georgia Tech Game Guide
March 1, 2007 | Men's Basketball
March 1, 2007
By Lauren Brownlow
The Basics
No. 8 North Carolina (24-5, 10-4) will travel to Georgia Tech on Thursday night for the Tar Heels' final ACC road game of the season. North Carolina is coming off an 89-87 loss at Maryland on Sunday. The Tar Heels have lost three of their last seven games and look to maintain their spot on top of the ACC standings, though they will need some help to win the regular-season crown. Georgia Tech (18-10, 6-8) is coming off a narrow 75-69 road loss to Virginia.
Game Time: North Carolina at Georgia Tech, 9 p.m.
Last Time: North Carolina beat Georgia Tech 77-61 at home on January 20. The Tar Heels forced the Yellow Jackets into 21 turnovers and 34.5% shooting in the first half.
Tyler Hansbrough led the way for the Tar Heels with 24 points, and Reyshawn Terry added 16 points. Seven other Tar Heels scored. Thaddeus Young led the way for the Yellow Jackets with 22 points and Anthony Morrow added ten points.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 8 p.m.
Storylines
Rebounding: The Terrapins out-rebounded the Tar Heels 46-33, the worst margin of the season and the most rebounds allowed this season. At halftime, the Terrapins had a 29-15 edge on the Tar Heels, and they had 15 offensive rebounds to five for Carolina.
"What we talked about at halftime is just two things: getting a body on somebody and being more aggressive, going after the basketball and understanding it's a physical game," Coach Williams said. "Steve Robinson always says, `You cannot have friendly box-outs. It's not a friendly thing. If I box you out, I'm going to try to knock the crap out of you and get you to stop where you are.' We had too many friendly box-outs in the first half."
The Tar Heels have had a few too many "friendly box-outs" lately. The Tar Heels have had just five out of 15 games in ACC play with fewer than 40 rebounds. Carolina is 3-2 in those games. One of the three wins was against Georgia Tech, when the Tar Heels ended up narrowly edging the Yellow Jackets in rebounding, 35-34. Just two teams have out-rebounded Carolina - NC State, who had a 31-25 edge in a game where the Wolfpack missed just four second-half shots, and Maryland. Only five teams have pulled down 40 or more rebounds against Carolina, and the Tar Heels are 2-3 in those games.
"They just physically beat us up. They were more aggressive to it, and I'm not talking about anything beyond the rules. They went after the basketball harder than we did," Coach Williams said. "We were No. 1 in the conference in rebounding margin and I think they're ninth or tenth, but they came in with an attitude of they haven't been to the tournament since their freshman year and we'd beaten them five times in a row. All those things sort of combined and built up and they came in and were much more aggressive than we were."
Georgia Tech absolutely needs this win to save its NCAA Tournament hopes, and, like Maryland, will put it all on the line to try to get this win. The Tar Heels need to come out with intensity and hit the glass hard against a team that rebounded well against them last time.
Defense: In the loss at Maryland, the Tar Heels could simply not get a stop down the stretch as the Terrapins scored 14 points on their final nine possessions of the game. Carolina had a hard time fighting through screens the entire game, and it's a problem that has haunted the Tar Heels in more than one game this season.
"We just didn't defend it. They got it every time they wanted it. We just didn't do what we needed to do to get around the screen or through the screen. It's just not enough toughness," Marcus Ginyard said.
Carolina started ACC play out well, holding seven of its first eight opponents to 45% or less from the field. In the last seven games, three of Carolina's opponents have surpassed 45% and three have shot more than 50%. In Carolina's last two road games, it has allowed its opponents to shoot 50% or better. Four out of Carolina's seven road opponents have shot higher than 50%. The Tar Heels held seven of their first eight opponents under 70 points and in the last seven games, all but two Carolina opponents have passed 70 points.
"I've got to go back to the drawing board and do a better job, particularly with the freshmen about covering people," Coach Williams said.
The tough Carolina defense was able to take opponents out of their offense in the beginning of the season. Since, it has struggled to do that. The Tar Heels have proven they can do it in the past and the problems seem to be much more mental. However, as Marcus Ginyard pointed out, fighting through screens, staying in front of your man and maintaining defensive intensity all involve effort more than anything. If Carolina can maintain that, we should see flashes of the old defense.
The free-throw line - getting there and keeping opponents away:
"For us to be a pretty doggone free-throw shooting team and normally keep people off the free-throw line - we've made more free throws this year than our opponents have shot - but yet we haven't been doing that in the ACC games," Coach Williams said. "I think we're not moving our feet as much defensively and we're willing to be satisfied just to reach in as opposed to moving our feet."
In Carolina's four ACC losses, its opponents are averaging 31.5 free-throw attempts and are shooting 73% from the line. Carolina's opponents get 15% of their points from the line as opposed to over 25% in wins. Carolina is averaging 16.9 fouls in ACC play and 23.3 in its four ACC losses. The Tar Heels were whistled for 25 fouls against the Terrapins. At Maryland, the Terrapins made 20-of-26 free throws, including 8-of-8 down the stretch. The Tar Heels made just 3-of-6. One was missed intentionally after Brandan Wright was fouled with less than four seconds left and missed his first shot.
"It wasn't just Brandan's free throw - Alex Stepheson missed both shots of a two-shot foul with seven minutes to go, Ty missed on a one-and-one, Tyler missed the second shot of a two-shot foul. So it wasn't just Brandan, but that's the one you think about because it happens that late in the game," Coach Williams said.
The Tar Heels shot 47.1% as a team in the game against Maryland, making just 8 free throws in 17 attempts. It was the lowest percentage that the Heels have shot from the foul line this season.
In the last game against Georgia Tech, the Tar Heels attempted 27 free throws and made 19. Georgia Tech attempted just 10 free throws, the lowest by a Carolina opponent in ACC play, in the last game.
At The Game
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The in-stadium frequency in the Comcast Center will likely be on or around 92.7 FM.
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.
ESPN2 or Raycom/LF coverage: The game will be available on ESPN2 or on Raycom/LF.
Names To Know
Tyler Hansbrough: Hansbrough had a team-high 22 points in the loss at Maryland. His 10 made field goals (out of 15 attempts were his most made in league play and the most this season since he shot 11-of-14 in the season-opener against Sacred Heart. However, he made and attempted his fewest free throws in league play - just two out of four. His 28 minutes played were just the fifth time in ACC play that he has played fewer than 30 minutes and the only time that has happened in a close game. He was limited by foul trouble.
Hansbrough had just four rebounds against Maryland and is averaging just 4.7 boards a game in the last three ACC road games.
Hansbrough had 24 points last time against Georgia Tech, but 14 came from the free-throw line. Like most ACC teams, the Yellow Jackets took a physical approach in defending Hansbrough, and he is not as likely to see the free-throw line as much. Hansbrough is averaging 11.6 free-throw attempts in the Smith Center, but just 6.4 on the road.
Ty Lawson: Lawson had seven points on 3-of-7 shooting against Maryland on Sunday. It was just his second single-digit scoring effort on the road in ACC play this season, and it was his second-lowest percentage from the field, 42.9%. He also had nine assists to just one turnover, his best effort on the road in league play since a seven-assist, one-turnover outing at NC State. Lawson is still shooting 55.9% on the road and averaging 12.7 points a game as opposed to 45.8% at home and 8.4 points a game.
In his last three ACC road games, Lawson has averaged 6.3 rebounds, 1.1 offensive rebounds, 6.7 assists and 2.3 turnovers. Before the Maryland game, Lawson was averaging 3.2 free-throw attempts in ACC road games and converting 78.9% of them. He had just one free-throw attempt against Maryland, and he missed the front end of a 1-and-1.
Lawson had 41 steals in Carolina's first 21 games (2.0 a game) and has just four in the last eight games (0.5 a game). Lawson has three or more fouls in all but two ACC games this season, and he was plagued by foul trouble during the Maryland game as well. That hurts the Tar Heels as they need his speed and play-making ability in the game.
Last time against Georgia Tech, Lawson had seven points on 2-of-5 shooting and added five rebounds (second-highest on the team), four assists, four turnovers and a steal. He will be going against Crittenton, who will likely be looking to make up for a bad game against Carolina and Lawson. Lawson struggled to guard the 6-5 Vasquez on Sunday against Maryland, but did fine last time against the 6-5 Crittenton. Carolina will need a strong defensive outing from Lawson on Thursday.
Reyshawn Terry: In the loss at Maryland, Terry had six points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field (28.6%), his worst percentage in league play since the Virginia game when he shot 0-for-1. He also had only three rebounds, and has just four rebounds in the last two games. He had just one rebound in the NC State home win when he was bothered by tendonitis. Terry averages 6.0 rebounds a game in ACC wins and 3.0 in league losses.
Terry has come up big down the stretch in close wins. His rebounding was huge in the 79-73 win at Duke. Down the stretch in the Boston College game (in the final 5:30) he had five of Carolina's final nine points, including an important three-pointer. In the loss at Maryland, Terry had four of Carolina's 10 points in the final 6:13, including 2-of-2 free throws.
Last time against Georgia Tech, Terry had 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 2-of-2 from the three-point line. The Tar Heels will need Terry to play steadily and lead this bunch to what could be a tough road win. He had ten points with 10:09 remaining in the first half.
Javaris Crittenton: The freshman point guard ranks 16th in the league in scoring (14.5 points a game), third in assists (5.4 a game), fourth in steals (2.1 a game) and seventh in free-throw percentage (79.5%).
In league play, he leads the team in scoring (16.2 points per game), assists (4.6), steals (2.1), free-throw percentage (86.7%) and free throws attempted (60) and made (52). He is also one of only three players on the team to have a positive number of assists (65) to turnovers (54). He ranks second in league play on the team in made three-pointers with 21 and third in three-point percentage with 36.8%. Crittenton is also the third-leading rebounder on the team in conference play with 3.6 boards a game.
In Georgia Tech's conference wins, Crittenton has shot 57.7% from the field (compared to 33% in losses) and has averaged 22.0 points a game (compared to just 11.9 in losses). He is shooting 44.4% from the three-point line and averaging 2.0 made three-pointers a game in league wins compared to 34.6% and 1.1 made three-pointers in league losses. He is also averaging 5.7 made free throws and 5.0 attempted in ACC wins compared to 2.8 made and 3.3 attempted in league losses. Crittenton is also averaging 5.8 assists to 3.5 turnovers in league wins compared to 3.8 assists and 4.1 turnovers in losses. His steals per game go up to 2.7 in wins and 1.8 in losses.
Crittenton had just one assist, four turnovers, two steals and 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting in 25 minutes against Virginia on Saturday. Last time against Carolina, Crittenton struggled, shooting just 2-of-10 from the field on his way to seven points and added three assists, two steals and seven turnovers in a team-high 36 minutes.
Thaddeus Young: The 6-8 freshman ranks 18th in the league in scoring with 13.8 points a game and tenth in offensive rebounding with 2.4 a game. In conference play, Young is the second-leading scorer on the team with 12.5 points a game. He also ranks second in assists with 2.5 a game and adds 3.9 rebounds in league play. He ranks third on the team in made three-pointers (14) and three-point percentage (38.9%) in league play. He and Crittenton are the only two players in the rotation to have made more than 70 field goals in league play (72), and the next-closest player has hit 49.
In almost every area, Young has played statistically better in league losses than wins - except for shooting percentages. Young is shooting 50% from the field in league wins compared to 48.3% in losses, and is shooting 45.5% from the three-point line compared to 36% in losses.
Young led all Georgia Tech scorers in the narrow loss to Virginia with 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting and 2-of-3 from the three-point line. He also added six rebounds (five offensive). Last time against Carolina, Young had 22 points to lead all Georgia Tech scorers on 10-of-16 shooting (2-of-5 from the three-point line). Young had 18 of his 22 points in the second half, shooting 8-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Young had 11 of his 18 second-half points in the final 4:30.
Anthony Morrow: Morrow leads the team in conference play in three-point percentage (40%) and in made three-pointers with 23. He also ranks second in free-throw percentage (83.3%). He also ranks third on the team in conference scoring with 10.0 points a game and adds 2.9 rebounds. In league play, half of Morrow's made field goals have been three-pointers.
At home in league play, Morrow has shot 44.8% from the three-point line compared to 34.5% on the road. Morrow is also averaging 2.2 made three-pointers in league home games compared to 1.3 on the road. He is averaging 12.3 points a game in league home games compared to 8.3 on the road. Morrow is also averaging 3.5 free-throw attempts in conference home games compared to 1.1 on the road, and he is making 83.3% of his free throws in league play.
Morrow had just five points on 2-of-7 shooting (1-of-2 from the three-point line) in the loss at Virginia. Last time against Carolina, Morrow was one of only two Yellow Jackets to score in double figures with ten points on 4-of-6 shooting (2-of-4 from the three-point line).
Quotables
"My uncle a long time ago told me I was stupid because I was putting my life on how 16-18-year-olds reacted under pressure. Then when I got into college coaching, he said, `You're even more stupid, because now they're 19-21 year-olds.'" -Roy Williams
"I'm doing just fine. I'll tell you what, I've got some BC Powders and I'm about to pour all of them in my glass right here and see how many of them I can take at one time. It hasn't been a very good last 24 hours, but we're still going to be kicking tomorrow at practice." -Roy Williams, when asked how he was doing on Monday's radio show
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
