University of North Carolina Athletics
Virginia Tech Game Guide
March 13, 2009 | Men's Basketball
March 13, 2009
By Lauren Brownlow
The Basics
No. 1/1 North Carolina (27-3, 13-3) will take its No. 1 seed into an opening round matchup with No. 8-seed Virginia Tech (18-13, 7-9). Carolina is coming off of a 79-71 win over Duke at home to win the ACC regular-season title outright. It was Carolina's fourth ACC regular-season title in the last five years. Virginia Tech and Miami tied for seventh place in the ACC with 7-9 records. Virginia Tech defeated Miami, 65-57 in the Thursday noon game. The Tar Heels have won their last two ACC Tournaments. The only time Carolina has won three straight ACC Tournaments was 1967, 1968 and 1969; the Tar Heels went to the Final Four each of those seasons as well. Carolina has played in the championship game a record 29 times and has won it 17 times. Carolina is 12-0 as the No. 1 seed against the No. 8 seed and 15-0 overall.
Carolina has an 83-37 record in the ACC Tournament all-time. The Tar Heels are 42-11 as the No. 1 overall seed in its 22nd appearance as the No. 1 seed. As the No. 1 team in the AP poll, Carolina is 12-2 in the ACC Tournament. The Tar Heels are 8-3 in Atlanta, winning the 1989 ACC Tournament in the Omni. Most recently, Carolina fell to Duke in the championship of the 2001 ACC Tournament played in the Georgia Dome. Roy Williams is 8-3 in the ACC Tournament. Carolina is 37-12 in the quarterfinal round; the Tar Heels have won their last four quarterfinal games since 2004. Carolina leads the series against Virginia Tech, 58-12. The Tar Heels have won three straight against Virginia Tech, including winning its only matchup against Virginia Tech in last year's ACC Tournament on a Tyler Hansbrough game-winner in the semis.
Game Time: No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 8 Virginia Tech, 12:00 PM.
Last Time: North Carolina went to Blacksburg on March 4, 2009 and came away with a hard-fought victory, 86-78. Carolina could not pull away from the Hokies but the game was tied twice and Carolina did not surrender the lead at any point. Carolina shot 40.9% for the game but turned it over only eight times (to 16 assists) and made 26-of-34 free throws. Virginia Tech shot 40.6% but just 38.9% in the second half. The Hokies out-rebounded Carolina, 42-41, and made 17-of-17 free throws.
Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson had 22 points apiece to lead Carolina. Hansbrough added 15 rebounds and Lawson added five assists. Wayne Ellington had 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting and Danny Green added ten points, most down the stretch when Carolina needed them, on just 2-of-10 shooting. Ed Davis had a game-high six blocked shots and added eight points. A.D. Vassallo led the Hokies with 25 points on 11-of-21 shooting. Malcolm Delaney had 19 points, most late in the game when it was already decided; seven of his foul shots and two of his four baskets came in the final 2:40; seven of his 19 points came in the final minute. Jeff Allen had 18 points on 7-of-19 shooting and added a team-high 12 rebounds.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 11:00 AM.
Injury Report: Ty Lawson injured his toe in practice on the Friday before the Duke game. His status is questionable. Marcus Ginyard and the Tar Heel medical staff have decided it is best for him to take a medical redshirt this season. He had surgery on October 8th, 2008 to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. He attempted to come back and still had pain. He has gone through nearly a month's worth of intensive rehab to try to get back into game shape, but he still has pain in the foot. Will Graves has been suspended for the remainder of this season.
Storylines
Facing a desperate Virginia Tech team, potentially without Ty Lawson: Carolina knew on Monday that either team it would face - Miami or Virginia Tech - would be playing as hard as possible to secure a place in the NCAA Tournament. The Hokies also needed a win in the last meeting in Blacksburg, and certainly played that way, but a hard-fought game against Carolina in the ACC Tournament last season was not enough. Virginia Tech played very well against Miami and is starting to feel a bit of confidence. The Hokies also remember that last year's two-point loss at the buzzer was not enough for the selection committee.
"I think you've got to play well on that day," Williams said of the situation. "In the same scenario, you could say that Virginia Tech, for example, had the same feeling on Wednesday night that they would have if we played on Saturday. They felt like they needed to get one more win in the regular season, so I think it just depends on how you play. We've got to make sure that nobody - I always use the old expression, `Our want-to has got to be just as big as their want-to.' We've got to have the same enthusiasm, the same intensity and then play."
Virginia Tech's 50 percent shooting performance was its highest since shooting 50.8% 11 games ago in a loss to Clemson and the highest in a win since beating Wake Forest on 50 percent shooting 13 games before. But the desperation could also be a scenario in which the Hokies are too hyped up, causing them to make mistakes. In the last four games, the Hokies have averaged 16 turnovers and opponents have scored 15.5 points off of those turnovers. In the previous 13 ACC games, they averaged just 12.5 turnovers and allowed only 13.6 points off turnovers. Carolina managed 18 points off of 11 Virginia Tech turnovers but in its other three games out of the last four, the Hokies have averaged 17.7 turnovers.
The difference against Miami was that the Hurricanes managed just 11 points off of 17 Hokies' miscues. As the Hokies mounted a 22-8 lead early, Miami mounted a 29-11 run that stretched into the second half and brought the Hurricanes as close as six points down with 10:57 to go. Virginia Tech turned it over eight times in around 16 minutes of game action, leading to nine of Miami's 11 points off turnovers. But Virginia Tech mounted a 14-0 run over around three minutes to take a 57-37 lead with 7:16 left.
Carolina could potentially face Virginia Tech without Ty Lawson, the ACC Player of the Year, or at least without a 100-percent Lawson. Last year, Carolina played with a hobbled Lawson in the ACC Tournament, still working his way back from the high ankle sprain. Lawson has averaged just 27.2 minutes in six ACC Tournament games, scoring 10.3 points and adding 32 assists to 14 turnovers, numbers affected clearly by last year's injury. But in fact, Carolina had to play without Lawson for a significant portion of its ACC slate, going 5-1 in that span (6-1 including the overtime Florida State win in the game in which he went down). Many players stepped up their play to make up for his absence, and it will certainly be necessary against a very talented and tough Virginia Tech team.
Rebounding: Carolina has actually rebounded much better than its opponents - mostly out of necessity - in its three losses, averaging a +11.7 margin in those games. In Carolina's first three ACC wins, it was out-rebounded twice and had an average margin of -0.7. Since then, the only team to out-rebounded Carolina has been Virginia Tech, 42-41, in Blacksburg. In the last six games, Carolina has out-rebounded its opponents by an average of 7.3 per game. It's not quite the dominance Carolina would want but it's definitely an area that has become much more consistent.
Virginia Tech has also improved steadily throughout the season and particularly with its season on the line the last four games. The Hokies were out-rebounded 35.0-35.8 in its first 13 ACC games but in the last four, Virginia Tech has averaged 37.3 rebounds to 31.8 by opponents, +5.5 per game. In fact, Virginia Tech out-rebounded Miami 35-22, its biggest margin in ACC play. Virginia Tech has scored 23 points off of 21 offensive rebounds in its past two ACC games. In the last four games, that number is 51 points off of 47 offensive boards. A lot of rebounding is not only skill but also effort and determination, something Virginia Tech has plenty of right now. The Hokies scored 10 points on six offensive rebounds against Miami.
The Tar Heels have really improved on defensive rebounding; after allowing five of its first eight opponents to rebound 39 percent or more of their missed shots, it held three of its final eight to below 30 and five of eight to below 35 percent. Carolina has slipped a bit on the offensive glass, going from averaging 16.4 offensive rebounds (and 16.4 second-chance points) in its first 14 games to 13.0 offensive rebounds and 11.5 second-chance points in the last two. Virginia Tech pulled down 13 offensive rebounds and scored 12 second-chance points aginst Carolina earlier this year.
At The Game
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The in-stadium frequency at the Georgia Dome will be 87.9 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.
Raycom/ESPN2 coverage: The game will be available regionally on Raycom and nationally on ESPN2.
Names To Know
Tyler Hansbrough: Carolina's senior four-time All-American has experienced life with and without Ty Lawson; he has repeatedly expressed gratitude at how much easier the presence of his healthy teammate has made life for him and this team this season. This year, it was his turn to be slowed by injuries early on while his teammates carried the Tar Heels. But last season, Hansbrough earned National Player of the Year honors in large part because of his work in the six games Carolina played without this year's ACC Player of the Year. With Lawson in Carolina's first six ACC games last season, he averaged 20.3 points and 11 rebounds on 47.4% shooting, adding 1.2 steals and playing 34.8 minutes, averaging 1.6 points per shot. He was also attempting 10 foul shots during that span. In the next six games in which Lawson did not play at all, he averaged a staggering 29 points (1.8 points per shot) and 10.7 rebounds on 60.8% shooting, adding 12 foul shots and making 9.3. He also averaged 2.2 steals and played 37.2 minutes per game. He averaged 0.8 more points (29.0) than touches (28.2).
Hansbrough had a tough stretch of road games this season during which Carolina beat Duke, squeaked by Miami and lost to Maryland; in those three games, he averaged 12 points on 44.8% shooting and seven rebounds, getting just 13.7 touches per game, far fewer than the 20 Williams wants; he averaged -1.7 points per touch. Part of that was due to the fact that he averaged just 4.0 free-throw attempts in that span. In the last three games since Maryland, Hansbrough has shot 55% and averaged 22.3 points and 11 rebounds. He has averaged 22 touches, or +0.3 points per touch. His points per shot have also gone from 1.24 to 1.68.
In the ACC Tournament, Hansbrough has averaged 17 points on 48.4% shooting, a number affected by his broken nose as a sophomore. He has also averaged 8.1 rebounds, one assist, 1.8 steals and 32.6 minutes in his eight ACC Tournament games. In his last two games against Virginia Tech, he has averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds (five offensive), adding one steal and shooting 47.4% from the floor and 100% from the foul line, making and attempting 15 foul shots (7.5 per game). In four wins against the Hokies in his career, he has shot 50.9% and averaged 22.8 points and 10.5 rebounds compared to 20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds on 39.1% shooting in two losses. He has also averaged five more foul shots in the two losses (14) than the four wins (9.0).
Wayne Ellington: Surprisingly enough, there is a scoring category on this team that Tyler Hansbrough has to share top honors with - career points per game in the ACC Tournament. That is thanks to Wayne Ellington equaling Hansbrough with 17 points in six ACC games, amassing a 6-0 record in the event. It's not as if he has jacked the ball up repeatedly to do so, either - Ellington has shot 53.7% from the floor in the event (50% from beyond the arc) and averaged 11.2 shot attempts per game, 4.7 three's and 6.5 two-pointers (making 2.3 three's and 3.7 two-pointers). He has also averaged 4.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 29.5 minutes.
It's no coincidence that when Ellington is shooting well, the Tar Heels are winning. This season, Ellington has been a bit streakier than he was last season. After starting out shooting 38.5% (25 percent from beyond the arc) in Carolina's first three games, he shot 55.7% (51.1 from beyond the arc) in Carolina's next six contests. He went from averaging 1.3 made three's to 3.8 made three's and increased his scoring average from 15.3 to 21.3 in that span. But then starting with the Duke game at Duke and ending with the Georgia Tech game, he went incredibly cold again, shooting 39.3% and 24% from beyond the arc, averaging 1.2 made three-pointers and 14 points per game. He did shoot 50% from two-point range during that stretch.
In the last two games, he has quietly regained his touch in a less streaky way. After all, he broke out of a shooting slump in Carolina's first three games to make 7-of-11 three's against Miami in the fourth game, many in a short span in the second half. He has averaged 15.5 points in the last two games but has shot 59.1% from the floor and 50% from beyond the arc, also hitting 64.3% of his two-point attempts. His 16 points against Duke in Carolina's last game tied his most ever against the Blue Devils; the 70% shooting was by far the highest, second being a 42.9% performance last season. He added two rebounds, two assists and two turnovers in 32 minutes but made 6-of-8 two-point attempts and drove aggressively to the basket.
Last time against Virginia Tech, Ellington not only chased Malcolm Delaney around the whole game but also added 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting (3-of-6 from beyond the arc), adding five rebounds, three assists and playing 35 minutes. Carolina will likely need all of that and more in this meeting, particularly if Lawson does not play. In five wins without Lawson last season, Ellington also stepped up, averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a steal, shooting 51.4% from the floor, 54.8% from beyond the arc (3.4 made three's per game) and 48.7% from two-point range. In the previous 14 games, he had shot 44.8% from the floor, 36.4% from beyond the arc and 50% from two-point range, averaging 15.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals.
Malcolm Delaney: The sophomore combo guard has not shot the ball as well as he would have liked to down the stretch this season, making just 22% of his shots and 17.4% of his three-pointers in the last four games, averaging 14 points in that span. In the first 13 games, he averaged 21.5 points on 44.6% shooting (41.9% from beyond the arc). He has increased his assists substantially from 3.2 per game in the first 13 to 5.3 in the last four. He has also been getting to the line, averaging 8.0 attempts in the last four (10 against Carolina) after averaging 7.7 before that. He has also made 30-of-32 foul shots (93.8%) in the last four games after making 84-of-100 (84%) in the first 13. He has scored 53.6% of his points from the charity stripe in the last four games after getting just 30.1% there in the first 13.
Delaney has made getting to the foul line into an art form; in the Hokies' nine losses against ACC opponents, 25.9% of his points have come from the line compared to 41.2% in eight wins. He has averaged 11 attempts in Virginia Tech's eight wins and 5.1 in the nine losses. To put it in perspective, on the season, Tyler Hansbrough has scored a little over a third (33.9%) of his points from the foul line. In ACC play, that number drops slightly to 33.6 percent. In the last 13 games, Hansbrough has scored just 30% of his points from the foul line after getting 53% of his points there in Carolina's first three games; he has had just one double-digit attempt game since then. Delaney has eight double-digit attempt games in 17 ACC contests. His 15 attempts against Miami (and 14 makes) both tied ACC highs this season.
Last time against Carolina, Delaney had 19 points, most late in the game when it was already decided; seven of his foul shots and two of his four baskets came in the final 2:40; seven of his 19 points came in the final minute. Eleven of his points came in the final 2:41. Wayne Ellington did a masterful job of chasing Delaney around and bothering him defensively for much of the game. He will need to repeat that performance and stay out of foul trouble against the crafty and quick guard for Carolina to be competitive.
A.D. Vassallo: The Virginia Tech senior has had an up-and-down season but even when the shots aren't going down for him, he has managed to help his team in other ways. He has become much more aggressive in recent games, particularly driving to the basket and hitting one of those floaters that are so lethal. Danny Green struggled quite a bit guarding him in the first meeting in Blacksburg. But after a recent torrid stretch of both shooting and scoring, he has cooled off a bit. In the last two games, Vassallo has shot 9-of-27 from the floor (4-of-15 from beyond the arc) and has averaged 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and five turnovers. Against Miami in the opening-round win, he had 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting (3-of-4 from two-point range and 2-of-8 from beyond the arc), adding eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and five turnovers in 38 minutes.
Last time he faced off against Carolina, Vassallo had 25 points on 11-of-21 shooting (3-of-8 from beyond the arc) and added three rebounds, two assists, a steal and two blocks. That game capped off a stretch for Vassallo in which he averaged 20.7 points on 51.9% shooting (44% from beyond the arc), averaging 3.7 made three-pointers per game in three games against Clemson, Duke and North Carolina. Virginia Tech went 1-2 in those games but hung tough in both of the losses. In the 12 games before that, Vassallo shot 47.1% from the floor and 33.8% from beyond the arc, averaging 19.6 points and 1.9 made three's.
Quotables
"He's not very good off the ball. He's just not. He's over there looking around, checking the popcorn and everything like that." -Roy Williams on Ty Lawson's defense
"I'm going to play golf as long as I can play. I'm going to remember that I shot five 69's in my life. I'm not going to remember that I made a dadgum 22 on my last hole in the fall of 2008. So it's the same thing - it's a body of work I think you're going to remember. Yet if I ever shoot 63, I'll probably hang it up and say that's about all I can handle." -Roy Williams
"He (Bobby Frasor) does so many things for us defensively and his leadership, I can live with him missing shots. It does help the old coach to make one every now and then, make one a month or something like that." -Roy Williams
"This team will always be one thing with me - a team with ability, yes - but great character and with great characters. I have a hard time being around this team without laughing. I have a hard time being around this team without realizing how lucky I am." -Roy Williams on this senior class
"I think people are still going to hate me, though." -Tyler Hansbrough in response to being asked about escaping the hatred of opposing arenas
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
