University of North Carolina Athletics
Brownlow: Carolina Basketball Notebook
March 22, 2011 | Men's Basketball
March 22, 2011
By Lauren Brownlow
When Roy Williams said earlier this month that he never quite knows what he will get from game to game with his team, he wasn't kidding. This group went from being "taught a lesson" by Duke in the ACC Tournament Final (Kendall Marshall's words) to playing very well in wins over Long Island and Washington. "Personally, I wasn't discouraged at all," Marshall said of the blowout loss. "I think things happen during the season and teams have to go through things, almost like a wake-up call. I think Greensboro was good for us because it showed us that there are still a lot of things we can get better at. We can't just be happy with regular-season champs."
This team has won a school record eight games by three points or less and 11 by five or fewer. A group of freshmen and sophomores seemingly shouldn't be so poised late in games, and yet somehow they are. "People asked me, ' Were you nervous? It was such a tight game.' We feel like it's just another game, given the amount of close games we've been in," Marshall said of the close Washington finish. "We have our moments where we don't make all the smartest plays, we make bad passes from time to time, have mental lapses. But down the stretch, we're confident when we look to our left and to our right that that the players wearing Carolina jerseys are going to make the right decisions."
Dexter, The `X' Factor: Marshall had nothing but praise for Dexter Strickland, perhaps the least heralded of Carolina's starters. "A lot of things that Dex does (don't) show up on the stat sheet. He's usually guarding the best player on every team," Marshall said. "He keeps getting these tough matchups but he goes out there and competes for 40 minutes. He's the hardest worker I've ever been around. ... I think he's definitely our x-factor. He comes in when I'm tired and he takes care of the ball. He doesn't make some of the turnovers that he made last year." ... Strickland has averaged 11 points on nearly 58% shooting this postseason. In his postseason career (including the NIT) he is shooting almost 50% and averaging 7.3 points.
On Marquette: The 11th-seeded Golden Eagles might be 22-14, but they have played a tough schedule and played it tough. Eleven of their 14 losses were by fewer than ten points. "They're talented - that's the first thing that scares you. Buzz (Williams) has an ability to get the kids to play really, really hard. ... (Georgia Tech) kicked us by 20. I looked down their schedule and I didn't see anybody that kicked them by 20. They've been there in every game," Williams said. It also appears that Buzz Williams is yet another opposing head coach that Williams has a joking relationship with. "The best thing, his bride is a lot better person than he is," Williams said. "We do have a good relationship and because of that, I've watched his team play the last two years more than I did before that. ... There are several text messages that go back and forth that we have some fun with each other."
Marquette's team, from the coach on down, is built with guys who came up through the junior college ranks. Williams said that he had two such starters on his 1993 Final Four team at Kansas (a fertile area for junior college talent) and he said that they bring a different dimension to a team. Marquette's Darius Johnson-Odom, a Raleigh, NC native who hit the game-winning shot against Syracuse Sunday night, is a former junior college player. "He's one of those guys that everyone would really love to get. You'd love to get one of those late bloomers that has a little bit of a chip on his shoulder because so many other people were better supposedly than he was. When I watch him now I just see a kid who's worked extremely hard and gotten better and better. .... He's played with a chip on his shoulder - now that chip is a big old block of confidence."
Briefly: Tyler Zeller has had his first full regular season at 100% health, and he had to make some adjustments. "I had to learn how to take days off. It was something very difficult for me because I've always been taught that you need to continue to work," Zeller said. "You've got to find a way to stay fresh and if you're always working out, you're continually beating up your body." ... Zeller also said that his hook shot was developed after a suggestion from a high school coach, and he thinks the range on it is increasing. "I'm trying to convince Coach that it's like 10 feet, but he's not going for it for some reason," Zeller joked. "In practice with no contact, I can shoot it ten or 12 feet. In a game, realistically you want it to be 4-6 feet." ... Officiating was a topic brought up often over the weekend by analysts, and it was no different in the press conference "I told the official (against Washington), `I wish my team would start playing better so I could start yelling at you.'" While he was careful to point out that officials make mistakes and are human, he also mentioned some calls that have gone against the Tar Heels. "(Strickland) had two magnificent plays in the ACC championship; that goes back to those same plays that were unfortunate calls," Williams said. "Everybody looks at them later and says, 'Hmm, that kid didn't get the benefit of the doubt.'" ... Dexter Strickland is playing with a nagging knee injury, but it's been feeling much better. "It's treating me well. ... Right now, I don't have soreness at all. It's not swollen at all."
Lauren Brownlow is the executive editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
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