Game Blog: Tar Heels lose at Wake Forest, fall to 0-2 in ACC
Jan 12, 2009
10:29 p.m. - Deacs fans rush the court after a well-deserved victory over Carolina - At no point tonight did UNC look like the better team. The Heels' 2nd half shooting was horrific, hitting just eleven shots. Wake Forest looked faster, more athletic and more prepared for tonight's game. Wake Forest is now 14-0 on the season. Look for big things out of Winston-Salem this season. Carolina apparently doesn't like to play on Sunday nights. Two weeks in a row they've fallen on the final day of the week.
Final score - WFU 92, UNC 89
10:10 p.m. - James Johnson made the play of the night, then fouled out 10 seconds later - A huge alley oop was thrown down by Johnson to build Wake's lead to 6 points a few moments ago. Johnson got up high enough to touch the top of the backboard if he wanted too. He then fouled Danny Green on the other end and Green made one of two shots. Johnson's fifth foul sat him down. Aminu is in the game with 4 fouls. As are Hansbrough and Deon Thompson. Danny Green, Ty Lawson and Ed Davis all have 3 fouls for UNC.
3:39 to play - WFU 81, UNC 73
9:58 p.m. - Carolina's having trouble scoring again - Despite their 22 points in the second half, UNC is just 5-25 from the field in the 2nd half. If it weren't for all of the free throws Carolina would be down by a huge margin. The struggles continue from behind the arc too; 2-13 from three point range.
7:16 remaining in the 2nd half - WFU 72, UNC 66
9:42 p.m. - Both teams have multiple guys in foul trouble - For the Heels, Deon Thompson has 4, Ed Davis has 3. For the Deacs, Al-Forouq Aminu and James Johnson both have 4 fouls, while L.D. Williams has 3. Both teams are in the bonus already. UNC with 7 team fouls, and WFU with 9.
10:28 remaining in the 2nd half - WFU 66, UNC 61
9:32 p.m. - Game still tied, Deon Thompson finally breaks 0'fer - Carolina and Wake are knotted up at 54. Thompson has finally made a couple of shots after starting 0-8, including a missed dunk. For the Deacs, Jeff Teague continues to shine as he's now at 22 points
15:19 remaining in the 2nd half - WFU 54, UNC 54
9:15 p.m. - UNC vs. WFU is certainly living up to the hype after twenty minutes - A tied game at halftime, 44-44. This one has the feel of a tournament game as both teams are making big shots and showing serious intensity. Call it a cliche, but this really is a heavyweight fight. It feels like you're watching a hockey game the action is so fast. As a spectator, you can't blink or you may miss something.
The key for Carolina thus far has been rebounding. The Heels unofficially lead that category 21-16 and I think that's keeping them in the game. UNC was shooting terribly early on, while WFU seemed to hit everything. The field goal percentages have evened out, both teams are at about 42% at the break.
Jeff Teague leads the way with 14 points at the half. Both Danny Green and Tyler Hansbrough have 13 for the Tar Heels.
Look for Ed Davis to play a big part for UNC in the 2nd half. Deon Thompson has 3 fouls already, and wasn't effective before he got into foul trouble. Thompson was 0-5 from the field in 10 minutes of play. I think Davis is a better option for UNC defensively anyway, so that could be good news for the Heels.
Some interesting 1st half stats:
Turnovers continue to be an issue for Carolina, with 12 at the break to just 3 assists. Lawson has 4 turnovers to only one helper. Wake Forest also has more TO's than assists, 8 and 5 respectively.
Carolina is just 1-8 from behind the arc
UNC has yet to miss a free throw, 13-13 in the 1st half
Wake Forest has been to the line 17 times, hitting 12. The Deacs lead the ACC in free throw attempts this year
Let's see if this game gets into triple digits - Halftime score: WFU 44, UNC 44
8:49 p.m. - Carolina is struggling to get into any rhythm offensively - The last stat sheet I saw listed UNC with 9 turnovers to only 3 assists. This is surely something Roy Williams will get in the Heels' ears about at halftime. Meanwhile, Carolina seems unable to establish anything consistently on offense. It seems they're not trying to play from the inside out like they thrive on. Wake Forest is taking advantage of Carolina's turnovers, shooting just under 50% for the game. This Deacs team is not intimidated by the highly touted Heels
3:59 remaining in the first half - WFU39, UNC 34
8:40 p.m. - The last five minutes have been a fast and furious sprint on both sides - Carolina is now back within four points of Wake Forest after trailing by as many as nine a few minutes ago. Tyler Hansbrough is having his way down low, while Danny Green has hit a couple of big shots for the Heels. A Green three pointer a moment ago was the only one of the night so far for the Heels. Wayne Ellington is starting to assert himself a bit too, as he's hit a couple of long two's. Let's see if he can heat up to give Carolina another outside threat.
For the Deacs, it's all about Teague, James Johnson and Chas McFarland. Johnson is showing he can bang with the bigs in the paint and be effective from the perimeter too.
6:01 remaining in the first half - WFU 36, UNC 32
8:29 p.m. - Teague is hot early, Deacs lead 18-12 - Jeff Teague has yet to miss a shot. Wake is shooting 50% as a team so far. Meanwhile Carolina has hit only 4 of 15 attempts. Teague nailed another three pointer to bring the crowd at LJVM to its feet
11:50 remaining in the first half - WFU 18, UNC 12
8:18 p.m. - Rowdy crowd at LJVM sees Deacs take early 11-8 lead - Wake Forest has two big three pointers early from Jeff Teague and James Johnson. Johnson's shot must have bounced four times on the rim before falling through. It has been a fast paced game early, just as anticipated. Teague leads the Deacs with 7 points, Carolina's buckets have all come from Danny Green and Tyler Hansbrough, each with 4 points.
If you've never been to an ACC game at LJVM you need to make a date. This is a raucous atmosphere. I think LJVM rivals Cameron Indoor as the loudest arena for ACC hoops. Wake's players are introduced in a dark arena with the Deacon mascot riding a custom made motorcycle. It's an injustice to call it loud. Deafening may not be enough either. But I have to admit it's pretty cool for the fans.
15:35 remaining in the first half - WFU 11, UNC 8
7:18 p.m. - Ginyard not dressed out for UNC - It's about an hour before tip off at Lawrence Joel Veteran's Memorial (henceforth referred to as LJVM) Colisuem in Winston-Salem. My seat is directly opposite the Wake Forest student section; which is already filled with rowdy fans donning tie-dyed shirts and black brimmed hats. Here's hoping for a better game than the other prime time sporting event in the Old North State this weekend.
Carolinas' players are on the court getting losse. Marcus Ginyard is not dressed out. It will be interesting to see when/if he plays again this season. Earlier this week the UNC media department told me if he plays one more game he'll become ineligible to redshirt this season. Roy Williams has said Ginyard is not playing up to his standards, and that he's been frustrated by the slow recovery from his foot injury. Ginyard and Tyler Zeller appear to be having fun fetching rebounds for their teammates.
