Hey Baby Let's Go To Vegas, Kiss The #1 ranking goodbye...
In a game in which I felt like I was traveling the circuits of time with Doc Brown , I was transplanted to 1990. I seen a team in UNLV uniforms runnin' and gunnin', having absolutely no problem with a full court trap, and doing everything right in a second half that would have made Larry Johnson proud. Oh, and Stacey Augmon was there. Yep, so was Tark.
Tonight in Vegas, there was most definitely a shark in the water, and like I said, it felt like old times. Unfortunately for the over-rated North Carolina Tarheels, it was present day reality. UNLV put together one of the most impressive halves of basketball, to come back after the half trailing by 4, to take down the #1 UNC Tarheels, 90-80 in the Las Vegas Invitational.
The rebounding was phenomenal on behalf of UNLV, especially the 25 pulled in by Mike Mosser. Oh, dude by the name of Chace Stanback had the 'Heels chasin' ghosts and standin' back while he poured in 28 and collected 10 boards on his own. UNLV showed how to dismantle Roy's boys. Or, maybe exploit Williams' lack of coaching?
A case could be made that a team that drives like UNLV and kicks it out should not beat a team that is of the level of talent of this UNC squad. I don't think this is necessarily correct. UNC has a weakness, and that is they can't defend ball movement. They can't defend against guys who are in motion, moving away from the lanes and getting open. UNC has a very weak link.
However, you can scrutinize Roy for his defensive adjustments, or lack there of. UNLV was chucking up threes all night long, they hit a lot, but still missed quite a few. 13-32. Either Roy didn't make the right defensive adjustments to guard against the kick out and missed shots, or his team couldn't execute. However, UNLV just flat out wanted it more. They out-rebounded the 'Heels on both ends, and didn't let UNLV get too many second opportunity shots. And, like I said, that full court pressure was a non-issue. The Rebs out ran it.
UNC showed tonight that they can't handle pressure. If they get behind, they don't execute, they don't run the offense and start chuckin' up anything. They also are not strong, physically. They got length, but they don't have the strength to match it.
So what does UNC have to look forward too? They will bounce back, but they are not going to be able to get by on what ESPN hyped them to be. They have been exposed. I look for them to lose more, but still somehow manage a #1 seed come tournament time....sigh...
The Cats will now occupy the top spot....
In a game in which I felt like I was traveling the circuits of time with Doc Brown , I was transplanted to 1990. I seen a team in UNLV uniforms runnin' and gunnin', having absolutely no problem with a full court trap, and doing everything right in a second half that would have made Larry Johnson proud. Oh, and Stacey Augmon was there. Yep, so was Tark.
Tonight in Vegas, there was most definitely a shark in the water, and like I said, it felt like old times. Unfortunately for the over-rated North Carolina Tarheels, it was present day reality. UNLV put together one of the most impressive halves of basketball, to come back after the half trailing by 4, to take down the #1 UNC Tarheels, 90-80 in the Las Vegas Invitational.The rebounding was phenomenal on behalf of UNLV, especially the 25 pulled in by Mike Mosser. Oh, dude by the name of Chace Stanback had the 'Heels chasin' ghosts and standin' back while he poured in 28 and collected 10 boards on his own. UNLV showed how to dismantle Roy's boys. Or, maybe exploit Williams' lack of coaching?
A case could be made that a team that drives like UNLV and kicks it out should not beat a team that is of the level of talent of this UNC squad. I don't think this is necessarily correct. UNC has a weakness, and that is they can't defend ball movement. They can't defend against guys who are in motion, moving away from the lanes and getting open. UNC has a very weak link.
However, you can scrutinize Roy for his defensive adjustments, or lack there of. UNLV was chucking up threes all night long, they hit a lot, but still missed quite a few. 13-32. Either Roy didn't make the right defensive adjustments to guard against the kick out and missed shots, or his team couldn't execute. However, UNLV just flat out wanted it more. They out-rebounded the 'Heels on both ends, and didn't let UNLV get too many second opportunity shots. And, like I said, that full court pressure was a non-issue. The Rebs out ran it.
UNC showed tonight that they can't handle pressure. If they get behind, they don't execute, they don't run the offense and start chuckin' up anything. They also are not strong, physically. They got length, but they don't have the strength to match it.
So what does UNC have to look forward too? They will bounce back, but they are not going to be able to get by on what ESPN hyped them to be. They have been exposed. I look for them to lose more, but still somehow manage a #1 seed come tournament time....sigh...
The Cats will now occupy the top spot....
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