University of North Carolina Athletics
Florida State Game Guide
March 9, 2007 | Men's Basketball
March 9, 2007
By Lauren Brownlow
The Basics
No. 1-seed Carolina (25-6, 11-5) will face No. 9-seed Florida State (20-11, 7-9, 1-0) on Friday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. Florida State knocked off eighth-seed Clemson 67-66 on Thursday. Carolina is coming off an 86-72 victory over Duke to end its regular season on Senior Day in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are 36-11 in the ACC Tournament as a No. 1 seed and have won 12 of their last 16 quarterfinal games. Carolina's last ACC Championship came in 1998, and its last championship as a 1-seed was in 1982.
Game Time: North Carolina versus Florida State, noon.
Last Time: Carolina beat Florida State 84-58 in Chapel Hill on January 7, 2007. Carolina led just 36-30 in the first half, but pulled away in the second half. The Tar Heels shot 52.8% in the second half while holding the Seminoles to 29.4%. Carolina shot 47.1% for the game and Florida State shot 34.4%.
Tyler Hansbrough and Brandan Wright led the way for the Tar Heels, combining for 45 points. Tyler Hansbrough had 25 points and Brandan Wright added 20. Hansbrough also added 13 rebounds and a block. Reyshawn Terry did not score but pulled down seven rebounds, dished out three assists and had two blocks. Al Thornton led the way for the Seminoles with 29 points and 12 rebounds. Jason Rich was the only other Florida State player to hit double figures with 10 points and five rebounds.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 11 a.m.
Injury Report: Tyler Hansbrough suffered a non-displaced nasal fracture in the incident at the end of the Duke game on Sunday. Earlier in the game, he suffered an injury to his mouth that will likely result in dental work at the end of the season. He will play in Friday's game and may or may not be wearing a protective mask.
Storylines
Just play basketball: As Carolina ended its regular season with a 4-3 record in its last seven games, it did not appear as if the Tar Heels were having any fun, and not just because of losing. Players appeared tense and seemed to constantly over-think every move they made. Late free throws were missed, bad shots were taken and bad passes were bobbled. But Carolina ended its regular season with a win against Duke at home largely because the Tar Heels were able to just relax and play basketball.
"For two weeks I've been saying there's nothing wrong. We've just got to play better. All it is is a basketball game," Coach Williams said. "I jumped on their case during the course of the game, `Quit feeling sorry for yourselves and trying to manufacture problems. There are not problems. You've got to guard the other team's guy and when he guards you, you've got to try to beat him.'"
This is a fun-loving team, and earlier-season losses to teams like Gonzaga, Virginia Tech and NC State were attributed to the Tar Heels being a bit too loose and relaxed. However, the recent losses to Virginia Tech, Maryland and Georgia Tech seemed to be a result of the Tar Heels being a bit too tight. So where is the balance?
"Just be ready. When we're ready and we're focused and we're more intense, I think we can be a very good team, a team that has the potential to win it all. As long as we're focused I think we'll be just fine," Wayne Ellington said. "We just need to play basketball. He (Coach Williams) knows that we are good basketball players and as a team, we can be a good basketball team. I think that's basically what he's saying is do what we know how to do and I think we'll be just fine."
Marcus Ginyard said before the Duke game that the last time he could remember his team going into battle together, as a unit, focused and intense, was the Duke game in Durham. The Tar Heels were able to find it again against Duke in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels saw a 44-35 lead eroded to 50-48 in the course of five minutes in the second half. Instead of panicking, the Tar Heels stuck to their game plan and maintained their poise, answering the Duke run with a 14-2 run of their own to take a 64-50 lead with 6:49 left.
"We fought and we fought and we fought. We had times where we slipped up, which are going to happen. That's just the nature of a basketball game. Other teams make runs, and it's a game of runs. The biggest thing is that we regrouped during the game. We focused during the game and pushed the lead back up and clinched the game. That's the biggest thing," Ginyard said. "It's great for this team to see. We battled, got it back together and pushed the lead up again and finished. It was a complete game that we've really been needed to have."
Carolina has struggled this week to find its intensity and focus, and down the stretch mental lapses have haunted the Tar Heels. But instead of thinking too much, what this team really needs to do, according to Coach Williams, is to just play basketball.
"We've been going up and down, (thinking) `What do we need to do' - we've got to play. That's as simple as it gets. In shoot-around this morning, Coach Robinson was telling us a couple of intangible things we had to talk about, some little things on defense and offense. Coach Williams said it really just comes down to `We've got to play.' Everybody knows what they've got to do. Everybody knows what it's going to take. They know the passion and fight that we have in order to win big-time games like today (Duke). Everybody knows what we need to do. It's just a matter of everybody coming out focused and coming out together," Ginyard said.
Depth: Florida State was Carolina's first ACC game, and the Seminoles seemed noticeably worn out by Carolina's depth. Carolina played eight players double-figure minutes and so did the Seminoles, but three other Tar Heels played six or more minutes and Florida State had just one. On the season in conference play, Florida State has eight players that average double-figure minutes and Casaan Breeden averages 5.6. Carolina has eight players in double-figure minutes in conference play and four more that average 5.4 or more.
"That's part of our plan against everybody. I think that we do have depth. Earlier in the season, I said, `If my eighth, ninth and tenth guy is better than your eighth, ninth and tenth guy, I'd like to have those guys be a factor in the game. We need to get down to that eighth, ninth and tenth guy on the other team. All year long, we've wanted to try to create a tempo that's really fast, going to offense and pressure on the defensive end so it works the teams that we're playing. Sometimes it works out better than it does others. We hope to be able to do that," Coach Williams said.
In the first half of Carolina wins, its opponents have shot 39.4% from the floor, 35.8% from the three-point line and 70.1% from the free-throw line. In the second half, its opponents have shot 39.4% from the floor, 29.7% from the three-point line and 54.2% from the free-throw line. That shows how the Tar Heels have been able to weaken their opponents' legs. The Tar Heels have shot 49.4% from the floor, 39.0% from the three-point line and 73.3% from the free-throw line in conference wins. In the second half, the Tar Heels have shot 50.9% from the field, 34.7% from the three-point line and 76.3% from the free-throw line.
In conference losses, its depth hasn't been much of a factor. The Tar Heels have allowed opponents to shoot 46.4% from the field in the first half, 45.2% from the three-point line and 78.9% from the foul line. That hasn't changed much in the second half as Carolina opponents have shot 54% in the second half, 42.2% from the three-point line and 70.1% from the free-throw line. The Tar Heels, by contrast, have shot 49.7% from the field, 37.8% from the three-point line and 66% from the foul line in the first half of conference losses. The Tar Heels have shot 43.3% from the field, 20.8% from the three-point line and 62.7% from the three-point line in the second half of league losses.
"It was a new thing for me at the beginning of the year. It was almost in my career it had either been you're playing a lot of minutes or you're not and it was kind of one or the other. It was a new thing for me to deal with and I'm sure for some of the other guys too, when you play for awhile and you sit for awhile. But by this point in the year, we're accustomed to it. I think everybody is comfortable with the rotations. I don't think it's any excuse with bad play, that's for sure," Wes Miller said.
Carolina will need its bench to come in and make a contribution early and often against Florida State. Carolina will not be able to use its depth to wear down a team like Florida State that is playing its second game in a row unless the bench can get into the game, make some offensive contributions and play solid defense.
"Once you get in the Tournament, if we can play well the first game on Friday I think our depth will then become more of a factor because on Saturday we could be playing somebody who played Thursday and Friday. If not, you're also playing somebody who played the day before who may not have as much depth. When you're playing 3-4 days in a row like that I think that is one time where the depth could be a major factor," Coach Williams said.
At The Game
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The in-arena frequency is likely to be around 92.7.
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.
Raycom/LF coverage: The game will be available on Raycom/LF locally and ESPN2 nationally.
Names To Know
Tyler Hansbrough: Hansbrough has a non-displaced nasal fracture and could wear a protective mask against Florida State, though it will likely be his option.
"I'm not too crazy about the mask. It's one of those things where they strongly recommend me wearing it, but at the same time I have no problem taking it off. The only problem is they say if I get hit my nose could get adjusted and moved or be changed, but I'm not too worried about that," Hansbrough said.
The short-term effect on the injury from a physical standpoint would be how his nose would react to the occasional bump. Hansbrough shrugged off the physical problems, saying he still be aggressive and play his game. Hansbrough has spent the week attempting to get used to the mask, but it is not an easy thing to get used to. Coach Williams would not let him speak to Jawad Williams this week, who wore the mask and did not like it. Psychologically, one might wonder if Hansbrough will shy away from contact or be more reluctant to bang in the post because of the brutal hit he took on Sunday. Hansbrough and his teammates feel fairly certain that the hard hit will likely have little to impact on his game.
"Tyler is one of those people I don't really worry about. He goes down, he's one of those guys that I know he's going to pop right back up. His nose, I'm sure it hurts and I'm sure it will hurt I fit gets hit, but I don't think that will ever change the way he plays," Wes Miller said. "He gets that mindset when he's out there, and he's not going the way he plays because he has a mask on or he has some kind of injury. He's an absolute animal. He's psycho. That's why we call him `Psycho T.'"
Some people agree with Tennessee Head Coach Bruce Pearl who famously suggested that Hansbrough "takes it to the contact." But he plays a physical style of game in which he makes up for a lack of athleticism with his superior strength and tenacious work ethic.
"He's that kind of player that is physical and aggressive. He's not going to fake left and jump right over your head. It's a working man's game with him, so that means there's going to be more contact. It's not that he's always looking for contact, it's just that he's not a jump-over-the-moon guy. If he wants to be at the basket and it's on the other side of you, he wants to get there," Coach Williams said. "He has a tremendous focus, the best focus I've ever seen, about making the basket. A lot of guys will try to draw contact and then throw it up. Tyler goes in reverse - he tries to make the basket and oh yeah, I got fouled too. If I were an official, I would want to make sure that I didn't penalize him because he is so strong, but at the same time, it is hard to call the game with him involved."
Hansbrough is averaging just 7.4 free-throw attempts in Carolina's last five games, including just four attempts in the loss at Maryland. Despite leading the league in free-throws attempted per game with 8.4 a game, Coach Williams feels that he should attempt quite a few more with the way teams devote an endless amount of physical attention to him.
"I really believe that I can pick out plays out of every game where he probably could have shot more free throws. The way he plays, it is a difficult game to officiate, but I know that there has been a lot of contact where people would say, `Well, that wasn't enough to call a foul,' and the same amount of contact would have knocked another guy down and they would have had to bring out the paramedics and the stretcher," Coach Williams said.
"I think people get really physical with him. He gets hit in the face and all over his body more than any player I've ever played with and probably any player I've ever seen in college basketball," Miller said.
Despite Carolina going 3-2 in its last five games, Hansbrough has really stepped his game up at the right time. He has shot 56.9% from the field, 73% from the free-throw line and averaged 20.2 points a game. He also averaged 9.9 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.6 blocks. Hansbrough has 14 20-point games this season - eight have come in ACC play, and six have come in the last ten games.
Against Florida State last time, Hansbrough led Carolina with 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. He also had 13 rebounds (four offensive), one assist and a block in just 28 minutes, one of just six times he played fewer than 30 minutes in league play. Florida State lacks a strong low-post presence, and this game will be a good barometer of how the injury will affect Hansbrough - and Carolina - through the rest of the postseason.
Al Thornton: The senior Thornton had a fantastic game leading Florida State to an opening-round ACC Tournament victory over Clemson, scoring 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting and pulled down 11 rebounds.
Thornton is a huge part of what makes Florida State go. In the ACC regular season, Thornton averaged 23.5 points a game while Florida State as a team averaged 73.4. In his last five games, he is averaging 28.0 points a game and shooting 57.0% from the floor, 10-of-18 (55.6%) from the three-point line and 70.6% from the free-throw line. He has also averaged 11.0 rebounds and 3.8 offensive rebounds over that five-game span.
Thornton ended his regular-season with a bang, scoring 45 points in an overtime victory over Miami. He has scored 70 points out of Florida State's 165 in the last two games, and is also shooting 62.5% from the field and 88.9% from the free-throw line over that span. He is freakishly athletic and can bang in the post and shoot three-pointers. He presents a challenge for anyone to guard, and he led all scorers in his last meeting with Carolina with 29 points in 33 minutes on 11-of-19 shooting (3-of-4 from the three-point line) and pulled down 12 rebounds. Brandan Wright will likely guard him and will need to both Thornton with his length and attempt to stay out of foul trouble, since he presents match-up problems with Wright's back-ups Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson.
Quotables "No, I've been hit harder. Are we talking about on the court or off? Probably on the court. I was with two brothers that were pretty physical, so yeah I've been hit a lot harder than that." -Tyler Hansbrough "I don't want to wear the mask, but if that's what they say, then I guess it could (add to his on the court persona). It's just not me. It kind of makes me look like I'm dressing up for Halloween or something." -Tyler Hansbrough
"All those people that think that lead is safe, their butts have never been sitting down on that bench worried about it and their livelihood doesn't depend on it. I heard one guy say this morning, `Well, Tyler Hansbrough shouldn't have been in the game.' That guy was fired from coaching. As far as I'm concerned, I don't want to be fired from coaching and I'm going to have who the dickens I want in the game in that specific time and I don't care what anybody else says." -Roy Williams
"The bottom line is the game was not over. We miss a free throw, they throw it down, and it's an 11-point game with 20 seconds to play. So again, you think all you want to. I saw Reggie Miller in the NBA score 11 points in six seconds. Go to Duke University and look at their column about Jon Scheyer, he scored 21 points in 75 seconds. So some of those so-called experts, quit acting like a half-idiot." -Roy Williams
"It's unfortunate that the thing happened, but everybody is still focusing on a lot of other things instead of the kid that got whacked. I don't think that's the way it should be." -Roy Williams
"My guys are so wacko, who knows? We talk about things this year in press conferences they should never mention. We go in, we talk about brownies and we talk about roles what my role is. We had a closed-door meeting Friday, the coaches, we didn't even go in there. Then hello Pete, they went out and said in front of 21,000 people what the crap they talked about in the closed-door meeting. Think about that - they have a closed-door meeting, they don't let us poor innocent old coaches in, and then they get the microphone in front of 21,000 people on national television and on the radio say what they talked about. So we've got 17 guys that go between Einstein and Bozo the clown." -Roy Williams
"Last year's team, down the stretch it was smoother, because why? Because we played better. I didn't have any secret meetings or secret formulas or secret potions. It's either regular Coke or it's Diet Sprite." -Roy Williams
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
