Game Blog: Heels win on Senior Day, 79-71 over Duke
Mar 8, 2009
Update 6:11pm - Heels win 79-71
Hansbrough led the Heels with 17 points and nine rebounds before foulig out and Wayne Ellington chipped in as five Tar Heels finished in double figures.
Duke was led by Jon Scheyer with 24 points, while Singler finished with 23.
Update 6:05pm - Frasor seals it with forced held ball:
Bobby Frasor tied up Gerald Henderson to all but seal the game.
It will be a happy Senior Day in Chapel Hill.
Update 6:03pm - Lawson makes presence felt:
Without Williams on him, Lawson took Scheyer to school. The ultra quick guard got to his right hand in the lane and hit an And-1 to put the Heels up seven with 63 seconds to play.
How many times in the recent history of this rivalry has Lawson hit a dagger layup while drawing the foul.
It seems like every game ends with a closeup of Lawson in the face of a camera celebrating a drawn foul and made layup on the baseline.
If he's hurting, he's very tough, because the kid looks fine when it comes to his ball handling.
Update 5:59pm - Thompson picks up his fourth as Singler heads to the line:
Foul trouble isn't much of an issue with less than two minutes left in a game, but for what it's worth, Thompson has four.
More importantly, Singler will have two free throws to make this a one possession game again.
Either Elliot Williams is doing an excellent job on Lawson, Lawson is hurt, or a little bit of both, but Lawson hasn't been in the lane nearly as much in this game as he was in the game in Cameron.
Even still, incredibly, Lawson is two points, one rebound and two assists away from a triple-double.
Singler makes one of two and the Heels lead 73-69.
Update 5:56pm - back to back threes make it 73-68 Heels:
Jon Scheyer hit an off-balanced three after two rushed shots from Carolina, but Danny Green, the man that has the most clutch shots to his name for the Heels this year, answers just when Carolina needed him.
The score is 73-68 Heels, and Duke is down to its final timeout.
Update 5:52pm - A missed dunk on one end becomes a dunk on the other:
Danny Green missed a stuff and Gerald Henderson dunked it on the other end to pull Duke within two, but Deon Thompson just converted a clutch And-1 to push the lead back to five.
An Ellington transition layup just made it a seven-point lead for Carolina, and now some ugliness between Henderson and Thompson after Green fouled the Duke athlete.
Update 5:49pm - Hansbrough draws offensive foul on Singler:
You knew it was coming as soon as the pay started - Singler pushed off on Hansbrough and the wily senior fell to draw the foul. With Singler on the bench, Duke's offense will run primarily through Henderson and Scheyer.
And yet another foul drawn by Scheyer on a three-point attempt - it's uncanny, and Lawson looks like he just saw a ghost.
Jon cans all three to bring Duke within 65-61.
Update 5:46pm - Thompson picks up his third, Hansbrough smartly attacks Singler:
With Singler not able to pick up his fourth foul with almost eight minutes left, Hansbrough went right at him and canned a baseline jumper. On the other end, Thompson becomes the second Tar Heel big to pick up his third foul.
Heels up 63-58
Update 5:43pm - Duke fighting for its life, down 61-55:
We're at the under 8 timeout and you get the sense that Duke is just hanging in this one. Danny Green just took one of those early in the shot clock jumpers that Roy Williams would have eaten him alive for if he missed it, but it went in so all is forgiven.
Green hasn't put up huge numbers, but his impact has been felt. The outgoing senior has been locked up with Henderson all day, and he's held him in check for the most part - Duke's most athletic player only has ten points on nine shots.
Sure he would say some dumb things from time to time in the press, but Green will be sorely missed by the Heels next year - he is their most complete player in my mind, and was an underrated defender when Ginyard was playing.
Update 5:39pm - Heels bailed out by Singler:
Kyle Singler picked up his third foul in very dumb fashion, pushing a Tar Heel on a baseline out of bounds play with two seconds on the shot clock. The possession ended in a Deon Thompson player control foul, but the third on Singler could be a disaster for Duke - he's been the Devils best player the whole game, scoring 20 points and bagging a pair of rebounds.
Update 5:36pm - Carolina already in the one and one:
There are ten minutes left in this game, and Carolina is already in the bonus. back to back turnovers by Lawson and Ellington opened the door for Duke, but the Devils were only able to score two points.
A Hansbrough jumper pushed the Heels lead back to six, but Singler answered with a jump shot off a ridiculous ball fake to make it 59-55 Heels.
Duke is scoring well, but I don't think the Devils can get enough stops to win this game.
Update 5:32pm - Carolina asserting itself on the boards
Coack K is about three seconds from getting T'd up after he disagreed with the foul call on Singler. As it turned out, the call was big, as the Devils went from a possible two point deficit to being down two possessions.
Both teams have three players in double figures when it comes to scoring, but Carolina is shooting nearly 60% to Duke's 46%.
Carolina also had a 23-13 rebounding advantage, something that will take its toll as the game wears on.
It's 57-51 Carolina at the under 12 timeout.
Update 5:29pm - Carolina in danger of pulling away:
Lawson just went end to end in about three seconds to draw a foul, as Carolina appears to be on the verge of blowing this one open. An Ellington three followed by a bad possession by Duke has the Devils down 55-48.
A Singler three just quieted the crowd and brough Duke fans back off the cliff. Of course, Singler running into a charge on a four-on-one will make them a little more uneasy.
Update 5:26pm - Lawson with a rare turnover:
Scheyer picked off a Lawson pass and went coast-to-coast - Danny Green made a great hustle play to try for the block but was called for an obvious goaltend.
On the other end, Thompson made a nice turnaround jumper over Brian Zoubek before sending Gerald Henderson to the floor to prevent a monstrous dunk. Good foul for Thompson as those dunks by Gerald can be huge momentum builders for Duke. As it is, Henderson missed one of the free throws, so Thompson saved Carolina a point.
50-48 Heels
Update 5:23pm - Hansbrough picks up two quick fouls:
Looks like I spoke to soon as Hansbrough has picked up two fouls on consecutive possessions, forcing him to the bench for Deon Thompson.
Carolina still leads 48-45
Update 5:17pm - Scheyer keeping Duke in it:
The crafty shooting guard turned point man has 14 points on the afternoon - having a shorter defender on him in Lawson, and not Ellington, has helped. He can get his shot off whenever he wants against the shorter Lawson, even though Ty can bother him when he puts the ball on the floor.
Both teams have done a nice job avoiding foul trouble after it seemed like there were going to be some issues in the beginning - the second foul everyone thought went to Hansbrough, actually went to Copeland, so Roy wasn't being as audacious as I thought when he left the big man in there.
Each team is in good shape, as nobody in the game even has three fouls.
Update 5:11pm - Green ignites crowd, gives Carolina lead with 3:
It's now 45-41 Heels after Green hit a three and Lawson nailed a jumper. Duke takes a quick timeout before this one gets out of control.
Lawson has four points on the afternoon - I'd put him at about 80-85%. Of course an 80% Lawson is still pretty darn good.
The Devils have played this game at their pace for the most part, but Carolina is always just one thirty second stretch away from blowing a game open - we might be seeing the start of that stretch right now. Smart TO by Coach K.
Update 4:53pm - Duke's switching can be a disadvantage:
Everyone in the stadium knows Duke switches every screen, including the Tar Heels, so when Elliot Williams is matched up with Lawson, a matchup Duke likes, all he has to do is wait for a pick and allow Williams to go to the screener.
What happened as soon as Lance Thomas picked up Lawson after a switch, the lightning fast point guard got in the lane and drew the foul against Duke's forward.
In end of half or end of game situations, Duke is going to have to strongly consider playing through screens to make sure its best perimeter defenders are staying on the other team's primary ball handlers.
Update 4:50pm - Scheyer hits a prayer
Jon Scheyer hit a spinning jump shot around Ty Lawson as the shot clock was winding down to save Duke's last possession. Gerald Henderson has been bringing the ball up for the Devils the last few times down the court - don't know if that's comething they'll continue to do, of if Coach K just wants to give the Heels something to think about at halftime.
Update 4:43pm - Lawson's first jump shot an airball:
Danny Green was there to clean up the mess for Carolina. Scheyer canned a jumper on the other end to keep Duke up three at 35-32. Lawson looks like he's moving fine, but he may not have the lift he normally does.
Both teams are shooting over 55% from the field and from behind the three-point line - excellent defensive display so far.
Update 4:40pm - Lawson back in for Carolina:
Good sign for Heels fans that Lawson is back. Zeller just checked in and picked up a cheap foul on Henderson on a bad hedge. The quickest way to put your team in a bad spot as a big man is to take bad fouls out on the perimeter.
33-30 Duke
Update 4:38pm - Scheyer pulls patented shot fake:
When will players stop jumping at Jon Scheyer's three-point attempt shot fake? Roy Williams almost had a fit on the sideline. I don't know what it is, but he always gets players to foul him for three shots. Scheyer made two and Elliot Williams hit a three to put Duke ahead 29-28.
Update 4:33pm - Frasor hits big 3:
With the shot clock winding down and Larry Drew II in trouble, Frasor worked his way open in the corner and hit a three - Gerald Henderson answered with a jumper on the other end and Carolina is up two, 26-24.
Frasor had nine huge points in the first half of this year's first game at Cameron and seems to be picking up where he left off a month ago.
This will be the stretch where we can really tell about Lawson. Was he just running on adrenaline to start the game, or is he actually ok. If Drew plays a lot of minutes here, we'll know the answer. The Carolina backup point guard doesn't normally play more than four or five minutes a game, so if we see him on the court for long stretches, Carolina fans will have something to worry about.
Update 4:28pm - Hansbrough hits another 3, Singler answers with Jordan in the house:
Hansbrough and Singler just hit threes on back to back possessions to make it 23-20 Heels. Without Singler, this might have been trouble for Duke.
Hansbrough leads Carolina at the under 12 with eight points, Singler has a baker's dozen for Duke.
Some guy named Michael Jordan was just put up on the big board, and the people cheered. I guess he has some Carolina ties...I'll check into it.
I think half of the Charlotte Bobcats squad is here too.
Update 4:24pm - Singler impressive early for Duke:
The 6-foot-9 forward has ten points early for the Devils, as the game is tied at 14. Singler has hit a pair of early threes - he is a matchup that favors Duke, one of the few on the floor at any given time, because Deon Thompson simply can't guard him.
Hansbrough is back in for Thompson and makes his presence felt with a quick layin over David McClure.
18-17 Heels
Update 4:23pm - Carolina bigs in foul trouble:
Davis just picked up his first fool on his firt defensive possession in the game. Front court depth is not a strength of the Heels, so Duke may need to exploit their early fouls to have a chance to win later in the game.
Update 4:20pm - Hansbrough stays in, briefly:
Roy is daring the refs to call the third foul on Tyler this early on Senior Day - I doubt it will happen. Duke has brough in Brian Zoubek - Heels fans aren't exactly trembling.
Hansbrough has now taken a seat - Ed Davis is in and quickly leaves his mark. After a foul call on Zoubek, Davis landed on him after trying to make a layup - Zoubek wasn't pleased and the refs had to step in and separate the teams.
Update 4:26pm Hansbrough hits a three, picks up second foul:
Tyler didn't feel like waiting until the last three minutes of the game this time, apparently. However, Psycho-T has just picked up his second foul just before the under 16 timeout - huge development for Carolina. They will likely need to fill most of the rest of the first half with a combination of Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller.
9-5 Carolina.
Update 4:13pm - Wayne Ellington, Deon Thompson check in with just over 18 minutes left.
The two of them replace Frasor and Copeland - you knew the substitution was coming fast.
Update 4:10pm - Tanner, Wooten, Moody join team on floor
The ref escorted them off before the tip, but it was a classy move by Roy to have all eight seniors out there to start.
Update: 4:02pm - Starting lineup for Carolina:
A lot was made of who Roy Williams would start on Senior Day because he has so many people to choose from - he ended up sending out the following players for the opening tip:
Hansbrough, Green, Copeland, Lawson and Frasor
Lawson seems to be pulling a modern day Willis Reed - Elliot Williams will have his hands full if he's at full strength.
Update 3:58pm - Hansbrough cheer deafening:
As you might expect the loudest cheer was forPsycho-T - a man that will have his name in the rafters here at the Smith Center one day, he has left a mark on one of the most storied programs in the history of basketball. Love him or hate him, you can't argue with the numbers that number 50 put up in his time at Carolina.
Update: 3:55pm - Senior Day time:
The parents of the players and the players themselves are making their way to the court - parents along the scorer's table, players lined up across the foul line. I think Carolina has more seniors than the rest of the ACC's teams combined - no joke.
The players are receiving flowers after shaking coach Williams' hand and then handing them off to mom or someone else before heading to center court.
Update 3:51pm - Lawson emerges:
Ty Lawson joined Carolina for the last 30 seconds of its warmup before heading back to the locker room with the team. He walked out to a chorus of applause from the crowd, did the Carolina pregame dive on the floor tradition and then jogged back out of sight.
Does that mean he is going to play? Don't know - but it can't hurt Carolina fans' feelings that he's in his warmups and not a formal suit at this point.
Update 3:36pm - Lawson not out for final pregame warmup
Ty Lawson is not on the court with the Heels as they take another warmup with less than 30 minutes to go before tip - it doesn't mean that Lawson isn't going to play, but it's worth noting. Still no official word from North Carolina either way on his availability.
Update 3:17pm - Lawson still a question mark:
I just spoke with Steve Kirschner, a spokesman with North Carolina, and he said that Lawson still hasn't made up his mind about whether he will play in this afternoon's game.
I was standing right next to Lawson when he walked off the court, and he immediately went up to Kirschner- when I asked Kirschner what Lawson said, he shrugged his shoulders and said "he still doesn't know, he just told me 'I don't know'."
So much for my diagnosis of him feeling fine according to how he looked on the court. I guess that's why I'm writing blogs and not treating patients.
Update 3:00pm - An hour until tip:
As the Duke players were walking into the arena, one of the guys in charge of helping out with the media meal started cheering for Duke - I thought there was going to be a fight. The guy kept saying that they're "serving Devil's food cake today in the Smith Center."
Somehow I doubt his love for Duke made it on his resume when he was applying for a job with the North Carolina catering folks.
It's about an hour before tip here in Chapel Hill - injuries have been the story leading up to the game. It looks like Lance Thomas will start and Ty Lawson will play. The speedy point guard was out before the game during shootaround and didn't look like he was favoring any kind of injury - we'll see what happens at 4pm.
