University of North Carolina Athletics
Boston College Game Guide
January 3, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2009
By Lauren Brownlow
The Basics
No. 1/1 North Carolina (13-0, 0-0) will host Boston College (12-2, 0-0) in the conference opener for both teams. Carolina is coming off of an 84-61 win at Nevada on New Year's Eve, the longest streak since 1925 (23 games) with the 15th consecutive road victory. Carolina also continued its new school record streak of 13 games won by double digits. Carolina has won eight of its last nine ACC openers, including the last four. Last year, Carolina defeated Clemson on the road in overtime after Wayne Ellington nailed a buzzer-beating three-pointer. The last loss in an opener came in Roy Williams' first season when Carolina fell to Wake Forest in triple overtime, 119-114.
Boston College has won nine straight games, including an 89-76 home win over Sacred Heart on New Year's Eve. Carolina leads the all-time series between the two teams, 6-3, including four straight. Carolina is 1-1 against Boston College in Chapel Hill, winning the last meeting last season and losing in the 2005-06 season. The Eagles swept both meetings in the 2005-06 season, marking their last wins against the Tar Heels and completing a streak of three straight.
Game Time: Boston College at North Carolina, 5:30 PM.
Last Time: Carolina beat Boston College in Chestnut Hills on March 1, 2008, 90-80, despite a ridiculous performance from Tyrese Rice. The Boston College guard had 34 of his 46 points in the first half and 38 in the first 20 minutes and 40 seconds, putting Carolina in a 17-point hole early in the second half. It was 61-44 with 17:20 to go in the game. At the 16:50 mark, Carolina began a 38-9 run that turned a 17-point deficit into a 12-point lead. Wayne Ellington and Danny Green combined to shoot 6-of-8 from beyond the arc in that span and score 26 points. Carolina shot 39.3% in the first half and a blistering 61.3% in the second half, withstanding Boston College's 60.7% performance in the first half. The Eagles shot 38.5% in the second half.
Tyler Hansbrough led Carolina with 25 points but he did not score during Carolina's decisive run. He also had a team-high nine rebounds. Wayne Ellington had 18 of his 20 points in the second half. He began the game shooting 0-of-5 from the floor and finished by making 7-of-7 shots, including two three-pointers. He also had two assists and three steals. Danny Green had 18 points, 12 in the second half, on 7-of-11 shooting and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. He also had seven rebounds. Tyrese Rice's 46 points were the most by a Boston College player in over 40 years and second-most in school history. Shamari Spears and Josh Southern each had eight points but no other Eagle was close to double figures. Corey Raji had a team-high seven rebounds.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 4:30 PM.
Injury Report: Marcus Ginyard returned to limited action in the last two games after an October 8th surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot. Mike Copeland tore his ACL in May and saw his first action of the season against Nevada. Tyler Zeller broke his wrist against Kentucky. He had surgery and will likely miss the rest of the season.
Storylines
Free-throw differential: After holding all but two of its first ten opponents to 21 or fewer free-throw attempts, Carolina has allowed two of its last three opponents to attempt 24 or more. Valparaiso attempted a season-high 27 and Nevada attempted 24, including 20 in the second half. Valparaiso attempted 23 in the second half. After its first ten opponents to 16.3 attempts and 11 made foul shots, Carolina's last three opponents have averaged 15 made foul shots and 21.3 attempts per game. Carolina's 13 second-half fouls against Nevada were the most by the Tar Heels in a half since Valparaiso when they had 15, the most all season in a half.
"I was disappointed the way we kept putting them on the free-throw line in the second half," Williams said. "To let them shoot 20 free throws in the second half is not what we wanted to do and to have them out-rebound us, but you got to win some games like this that are a little uglier than you like."
Williams was also concerned about his teams' offensive choices. The Tar Heels attempted quite a few three-pointers early on before settling down. The eight attempts from the foul line in the first half by Carolina were the fewest since the first half of the Notre Dame game when it attempted seven. Carolina has attempted fewer than ten foul shots in a half in six of 26 halves this season. "Danny (Green) made one or two three's, Bobby (Frasor) made a three. I didn't want us to stay that way," Williams said. "I don't think we got to a 1-and-1 in the first half until the last 45 seconds of play. We usually get some more fouls on the other team and get to the free-throw line more often. So it was a focus after the 12-minute timeout in the first half that we've got to do a better job of getting the basketball inside."
Last season, Carolina allowed 14 opponents out of 39 to attempt 20 or more foul shots. In those games, Carolina's opponents averaged 23.5 free throws; Carolina was 12-2. In the other 25 games, Carolina's opponents averaged 12.5 free throws and the Tar Heels had a 24-1 record. Of the 11 times Carolina allowed 80 points or more, five of those opponents also attempted 20 or more free throws. It didn't matter if Carolina was on the road (five times), at home (six times) or at a neutral site (three times) - sometimes, opponents just found their way to the foul line.
In those same 14 games, though, Carolina got to the line 26.9 times and its advantage was +3.4. In the other 25 games, the average was 23.9; the advantage was +11.4. The problem is, Carolina is not gaining a significant advantage from the line this season; it is +9.0 in all games. The two teams that have broken 80 points against Carolina shot a combined 16-of-24 from the foul line, averaging 12.0 attempts. In those games, Carolina averaged 25.5 attempts, a 13.5 advantage for the Tar Heels, and 20.5 made foul shots. Ironically, in Carolina's game with its fewest free throws made (nine) and attempted (17), it turned in its second-highest scoring output of the season with 115 points against Chaminade.
Inside the Smith Center this season, Carolina's opponents have averaged 15.7 attempts to 26 for Carolina, a +10.3 advantage. Outside the Smith Center, Carolina's advantage slips to +8 with the Tar Heels averaged 27 attempts to 19 by opponents. Carolina's opponents have actually had to rely much more on the foul shot when Carolina is on the road, getting 19.2% of their points from the charity stripe compared to 15.4% in the Smith Center. Carolina has also had to do that as well, getting 21% of its points from the line outside the Smith Center compared to 19.9% at home. The Eagles scored 19.5% of their points against the Tar Heels last season at the free-throw line including 21.3% of their points in the second meeting. Without those two games, Carolina's opponents scored 14.9% of their points from the charity stripe. ACC opponents not counting the Eagles scored 15.7% of their points from the free-throw line.
Keeping opponents off the glass: Defense might be something that many would quantify by points allowed, or field-goal percentage defense. Carolina held Nevada to61 points, the fewest allowed in the last six games, and 34.9% from the floor, the lowest since Michigan State. But when an opponent gets nearly a third of its points - 20 of 61 - on second-chance opportunities, that's not the kind of defense Roy Williams is looking for his team to play.
The Wolf Pack rebounded nearly half of their own misses (20 of 41) from the floor on their way to 20 second-chance points. The 14 second-chance points Nevada had in the second half alone were as many as Carolina allowed Rutgers to score in the entire game. Rutgers, a much taller team, had half as many offensive rebounds (10) as Nevada did (20). "Making teams take a bad shot and limiting them to one bad shot," Danny Green said when asked what Carolina can do to improve. "Last game, we got a lot of fouls in the second half and we allowed them to get second and third shots. We want to keep our mental focus and play better defensive throughout the whole game. Give them one shot, box out and get the ball and run, not give them any second chances."
Carolina went from out-rebounding opponents by an average of 9.5 per game in the first eight games to a margin of +4.8 in the last five games. Carolina has rebounded 73.9% of the missed field goals alone by its opponents on the season. In the first eight games, that number was 76.3% and 25.9% of offensive rebounds allowed. In the last five games, that number has sky-rocketed by 44.6% of offensive rebounds allowed and Carolina has rebounded 69.7% of opponents' missed shots.
The most offensive rebounds Carolina allowed all last season was 19 at Duke; the Blue Devils managed just 14 second-chance points. Carolina allowed 18 or more second-chance points just four times last season in 39 games. Kansas had the biggest differential with 18 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds. Carolina held its first eight opponents this season to fewer second-chance points than offensive rebounds, allowing an average of 11.5 offensive boards and 8.4 second-chance points. In the last five games, Carolina has allowed 13.6 offensive boards and 14.2 second-chance points.
After Providence out-rebounded Boston College 47-37, the Eagles have been dominant on the backboards, out-rebounding its last three opponents by an average of 13 rebounds per game, including a +5.0 edge on the offensive glass. The Eagles have averaged 90.7 points in their last three games compared to 74.5 in their first 11 and have increased their offensive rebounding output to 17.3 in the last three games compared to 14.1 in the first 11. Last season, Carolina out-rebounded the Eagles 38.0-28.5, or +9.5 per game. In the closer meeting in Chestnut Hills, that margin was just 32-29 and Carolina held a slim 12-10 edge on the offensive glass. The Eagles are pesky in that department and have some bangers that can push the Tar Heels around in the paint if they aren't disciplined enough to `finish the defense.'
At The Game
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The in-stadium frequency in the Smith Center will be FM 92.7. That station will have a non-delayed feed of WCHL 1360, the local affiliate.
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.
Fox Sports Net coverage: The game will be available on Fox Sports Net.
Names To Know
Ty Lawson: The duels between Tyrese Rice and Ty Lawson in the last two seasons - one a scorer, the other more of a creator - are taking on a new element now that Lawson's defense has improved and both have added dimensions to their game. Rice has become an even more adept distributor, right on Lawson's heels in assists per game in the league, and Lawson has become a better scorer, averaging 15.6 points and shooting 56.1% from the floor.
Lawson started out the season shooting 13-of-24 (54.2%) from beyond the arc in the first nine games this season and has shot 4-of-12 (33.3%) in the last four, but has shot 14-of-20 (70%) from two-point range in that span. After starting the year with 17 assists to six turnovers in Carolina's first three games, he went through a ridiculous five-game stretch of 38 assists to three steals (12.7 assists for every turnover). In the last five games, that has "slipped" to 31 assists and eight turnovers, still a 3.9 ratio. His season number is 5.1.
He was one of many Tar Heels to have one of his worst games of the season against Valpo, scoring ten points (second-fewest all season for him) and adding five assists and three turnovers (a season high). In the last two games though, he has 13 assists to two turnovers. His steals have also slipped from 3.0 per game in the first eight games to 1.8 in the last five games. But he won the Defensive Player of the Game Award against Evansville with two steals and a blocked shot.
Lawson has been worse at home than on the road in his career, but that is beginning to change this season. In the first two games in the Smith Center this season, Lawson shot 5-of-22 (22.7%) from the floor and 2-of-7 (28.7%) from beyond the arc, averaging 11.5 points. He did have 14 assists, five steals and four turnovers in that span. But in the last four games at home, he has shot 24-of-38 (63.2%) from the floor and 5-of-11 (45.5%) from beyond the arc, averaging 18.8 points, dishing out 27 assists to just four turnovers and adding ten steals.
Carolina's attempt to defend Tyrese Rice was significantly different without a healthy Ty Lawson last season in the second meeting. But in the first game at full health - his last full game before the ankle injury - Lawson had 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting, adding ten assists, no turnovers and three steals. Lawson has shown that his pre-injury run of 20 assists to one turnover in his final two games in full health was no fluke. This game will be his biggest defensive challenge since Michigan State's Kalin Lucas and his most significant of the season.
Ed Davis: The lanky, long-armed freshman has provided a very important addition to the Tar Heel frontcourt, particularly with his rebounding, leading the team with 8.2 per game off the bench. He is still learning on the offensive and defensive ends in many ways, but without his presence, Carolina likely would be struggling quite a bit more on the backboards. Davis is averaging one rebound every 2.5 minutes, better than the career numbers for Sam Perkins (every 3.8 minutes), George Lunch (3.4 minutes) and Antawn Jamison (3.4 minutes). Those are three of the top four of Carolina's all-time rebounders.
Against Nevada, Davis won his first Defensive Player of the Game Award. He also leads Carolina in double-doubles this season with three, though he did not have one in the month of December. He had eight points and eight rebounds in 18 minutes against Nevada, pulling down three offensive rebounds (his most since Oral Roberts). He also has seven assists to just three turnovers in the last six games after beginning the year with three assists to 16 turnovers. Still, the physical Boston College Eagles will provide a stiff welcome to the ACC for Davis. The Tar Heels will need Davis' length and an additional dose of physicality on Sunday.
Tyrese Rice: It always seems like players come out of nowhere to have a career day against the Tar Heels. Tyrese Rice did not come out of nowhere; he was a very good player before his monster outing against the Tar Heels and continues to be a good player. But 46 points were the most Carolina had allowed by a single player since 1976 and 34 of those came in the first half. He is certainly capable of a performance that hopefully is not quite on par with his first-half effort last year against the Tar Heels, but at least one that's close.
"I don't think anybody forgot that. The guy had a performance. It was pretty amazing," Tyler Hansbrough said. "The guy hit every shot he talked almost, it seemed like. Everybody tried to guard him that game. He's a tough player and we're going to have to realize that and everybody's going to have to guard him, not just one player. The way he gets to the basket and the way he shoots, it's going to be a team effort."
In the last game against Sacred Heart, Rice had what for him would be considered a bad game with 18 points on 4-of-11 shooting (0-of-3 from beyond the arc). He did shoot 10-of-12 from the foul line, marking the third time this season that he has attempted double-digit foul shots in a game. Even with his shooting struggles against Sacred Heart, he has still shot 21-of-42 from the floor (50%) in the last three games and 7-of-17 (41.2%) from beyond the arc, averaging 20 points. He has also averaged 8.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 2.3 turnovers in that span; he had averaged 5.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 3.4 turnovers in his previous ten games.
The Boston College offense runs through Rice and as he goes, so they go, in general. The Tar Heels have had some success against Rice when his childhood friend Marcus Ginyard has been healthy enough to guard him. But as Hansbrough said, it will take a team effort to make him uncomfortable enough offensively for Carolina to hold off the Eagles.
Corey Raji: The 6-6 sophomore forward had a very good freshman year and has been even better this season, increasing his scoring average from 8.1 to 12.8 points and his rebounding from 4.3 to 6.9. He hit double figures eight times all of last season and has already done that eight times in 14 games this year. He is also averaging 3.7 offensive rebounds, second-most in the ACC. He is shooting 56.1% from the floor and has 31 assists to just 13 turnovers. Raji had a streak of six straight double-figure scoring games broken against Sacred Heart as he had just five points on 2-of-9 shooting. He did add nine rebounds and has averaged 9.2 boards (4.4 offensive) in the last five contests.
Raji had over one-fifth of Boston College's total rebounds against Carolina last season (12 of 57) and nearly one-fourth in the second meeting (7 of 29). He pulled down three of the Eagles' 16 offensive rebounds combined in both matchups, including two of the six in the first meeting. He also averaged 7 points, two assists and a steal per game against the Tar Heels. The Tar Heels may have a height advantage over Raji in the post but if they put in the rebounding effort they did against the Wolf Pack, they could have a hard time containing the tenacious Raji.
Quotables
"If you don't get better each year, it's either you don't want to, you're not paying enough attention or the coach is a dummy. So I don't think the third one. I'm not the smartest guy, but I'm sure as the dickens not the dumbest guy, either." -Roy Williams
"Coach Smith used to say, `Turnovers are either selfish or careless.' Both of those is you're not concentrating because you shouldn't be selfish and if you're concentrating, you shouldn't be careless." -Roy Williams
"I'm surely not going to turn around and hand the ball to the other team ten times in a row to get it close." -Roy Williams, on a lack of close games this season
"He (Danny Green) took a shot the other night at Reno that was just ridiculous. One pass, you shoot a shot. I don't know if he was saying he was fouled or it was deflected or what, but that's a good answer. If they're so dadgum close they can block the shot or foul you, you shouldn't have shot the sucker in the first place." -Roy Williams
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
