Carmichael Comments: Duke/Clemson Roundup

CARMICHAEL COMMENTS — Inside Carolina Women's Basketball: Edition 17
By: Matt Krause (@MattKrausePxP)

CLEMSON WIN RADIO HIGHLIGHTS

"A gut-check win for that team."

This phrase, one of the countless sports clichés used by media types (including myself), typically refers to a narrow victory that requires some sort of extra effort. It's a figurative statement.

For the Carolina Women's Basketball team on Sunday, though, it was a literal statement.

The Tar Heels saw their four-game win streak come to a screeching halt on Thursday against archrival Duke, falling 85-69. One piece was noticeably absent — Paris Kea, the ACC's leading scorer in conference action. Kea wasn't injured, she was sick with the stomach flu and not with the team. A few other Tar Heels also battled through the bug to play in the setback to the Blue Devils.

Flash forward three days. Kea and her teammates, still in recovery mode, went on the road to face a tough Clemson team in a critical matchup for ACC seeding. A visibly exhausted Kea had just enough in the tank to push Carolina to a 70-64 triumph over the Tigers and bolster the Tar Heels' conference and national resumes.

"I'm so proud of Paris because she was so fatigued out there," Carolina Assistant Coach Sylvia Crawley remarked postgame. "A couple times, she could barely get off the floor when we got her (a substitute)."

Kea, who had only returned to eating solid foods in the hours leading up to the game, scored eight of her 15 points in the fourth quarter, a frame in which the Tar Heels turned a one-point deficit into the six-point margin of victory.

"She's been eating soup and crackers the last few days," Crawley said with a chuckle, perhaps the only reaction to a tough situation for her team.

The senior from Greensboro didn't just score on Sunday — she pulled in four rebounds, handed out four assists, and recorded five steals. While the Tar Heels won't complain about Kea's productivity, her intangibles helped steady her teammates throughout the matchup with the Tigers.

"Her presence and her leadership makes a huge difference on the court," Crawley said. "It's like night and day. We needed that."

After the win, you couldn't help but think of another Tar Heel's performance under similar circumstances: Michael Jordan's "Flu Game" in the 1997 NBA Finals. Sure, the significance of a regular season game and a championship are different, but there's no denying this year's Tar Heels and the '97 Bulls needed their leaders to perform and push through illness.

Carolina fans are also wondering what could have been if Kea had played Thursday. Could the win streak be sitting at six right now? Internally, the circumstances and the outcome against Duke were separated.

"The number one thing you do is to not let your players take that as an excuse," Carolina Special Assistant Coach Billy Lee said.

"We don't want them feeling sorry for themselves, and Coach Hatchell is the best at getting players to understand the difference."

So the Tar Heels sit at 6-5 in the ACC, and certainly hope for a clean bill of health before a Thursday trip to Pittsburgh. Here's some other nuggets from the week that was…

BENNETT'S HOMECOMING
It's only a half-hour drive from Clemson's campus to Piedmont, S.C., the hometown of Carolina junior guard Shayla Bennett. As a transfer, Sunday marked the only guaranteed game Bennett will play in on the Tigers' home floor during her Carolina career. Needless to say, she had a big cheering section — and gave them something to cheer about.

Bennett scored 15 points for the Tar Heels, her highest output since the Jan. 6 Florida State game, and added four rebounds and three assists. Like Kea, Bennett had been battling illness throughout the Duke game and leading up to the Clemson trip.

"I thought Shayla performed very well," Crawley said. "We're in her home state, so she had a big crowd here today."

CHURCH SHOWS HER BATTLE SCARS
Leah Church, who also has been sick, took two more charges in Sunday's win against Clemson, continuing a trend for the Purlear, N.C., sophomore. The increase in aggression on both ends of the floor has paid dividends for the Tar Heels, and is a key reason why Church played over half of Sunday's game (22 minutes). However, being aggressive left Church with a mark after the Duke game — literally. After taking a hard fall in the first half of the eventual loss, Church took the floor Sunday sporting a large black eye. It didn't seem to impact her shooting, as Church drained two first-half threes. As unslightly as the black eye may seem, Crawley says it's a big moment.

"I said, 'Leah, you've got your first medal! That's a medal right there. Wear that with honor and pride,'" Crawley laughed.

SHARING WITH MY FRIENDS
The Tar Heels posted assists on 17 of their 26 made shots on Sunday, marking the fifth time in the last six games that Carolina has posted 16 or more helpers in a game.

"That shows you right there that we shared the ball," Crawley said.

Crawley points to the ability of Kea and Bennett to drive and create shots for their teammates as a big reason why the Tar Heels posted such a high assist number.

"They attacked the closeouts, got in the middle, drew the defense, and kicked out for open shots," she said. "Our point guards did a good job. Paris and Shayla are interchangeable, either one could play point guard. When they're making plays, we're at our best."

UP NEXT
The upcoming week for the Tar Heels provides two critical contests — albeit for differing reasons than, say, the Clemson, NC State, or Notre Dame games. Sitting at 6-5 in the ACC, with a strength of schedule that ranks third nationally, and an RPI in the top 30, the Tar Heels are in the conversation for an NCAA Tournament berth. Additionally, Carolina is sitting pretty for a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament (seeds 1-4 receive a double bye, seeds 5-9 a single bye). That being said, Carolina cannot afford a "bad" loss. The opponents for the Tar Heels this week are 0-11 ACC Pitt and 4-7 ACC Virginia. The challenge this week for Carolina is to just go out and "take care of business." Every win is a good win, but the negatives of losing likely outweigh the positives of winning in these two matchups.

The trip to Pittsburgh, where Carolina has not won since Pitt joined the ACC in 2013, will feature a 7 p.m. tipoff on Thursday. Join me on the Tar Heel Sports Network via 97.9 FM/1360 AM WCHL in the Triangle, or worldwide on GoHeels.com, the GoHeels app, or TuneIn (search "Tar Heel Sports Network").

Sunday's visit by Virginia is a 3 p.m. tipoff in Carmichael Arena. There, Carolina will honor the 25th anniversary of the 1994 National Championship team. Be sure to catch the game on all of the same THSN outlets.

In the meantime, we'll have another edition of Sylvia Hatchell Live on Tuesday from the Carolina Club. Come join us at 6 p.m. to hear from Coach Hatchell about the Clemson win and the week to come. If you can't make it, listen live on GoHeels.com, the GoHeels app, or TuneIn. The show will air at 8 p.m. on WCHL and Chapelboro.com.

That's all for now! Go Heels!

-Matt