Heels pulling away from Virginia
Feb 19, 2009
3:52 to play, UNC 71, UVA 48- The Heels are cruising now. Virginia just has no answer fo rthe speed and size of Carolina. UNC has dominated on the backboards today, having corraled 40 rebounds to Virginia's 26. Tyler Hansbrough leads the way with 14 boards to go along with his 15 points.
9:54 to play in the 2nd half- UNC 55, UVA 37- it looks as though North Carolina is ready to put Virginia away in this one. The Tar Heel guards have found the touch from 3-point land as Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson both connected on two long-range bombs apiece. Virginia just doesnt have to horses to compete with North carolina for a full forty minutes.
14:24 to play in the 2nd half- UNC 44, UVA 29- North Carolina opens the 2nd half on an 11-4 run, keyed by two Ty Lawson drives and a Wayne Ellington 3-pointer. Dave Leitao called a timeout to rally his troops. This is a very important stretch in the next few minutes for the Cavs. They can't let UNC pull away any further and have any hope of coming back in this one.
Halftime- UNC 33, UVa 25- it has certainly not been a thing of beauty to this point. Both teams shot 11-0f-33 from the field for the half. The difference has been free throws. North Carolina was 8-of-10 from the line, while Virginia missed its only attempt. Mike Copeland did a nice job defensivley for the Heels in the last 3 minutes.
3:48 left in the first half, UNC 24, UVa 23- Virginia has started to find the range from the peremiter to pull within one. Jeff Jones and Jamil Tucker both connected from the outside, and the tar heels continue to struggle to score. If Virginia can keep this thing close in the last few minutes before halftime, it could make for a very interesting second half!
7:16 left in the first half, UNC 22, UVA 16- The 3-point barrage Carolina hit Maryland with Tuesday night certainly has not carried over to today's game. The heels are 1 for 5 from deep to this point, however they are getting plenty of second chances due to their superior size. Both teams have struggled putting the ball in the basket. North Carolina is shooting at a 38% clip, while Virginia is even worse at 32%.
11:42 left in the first half, UNC 15, UVA 12- To this point, the game is being played at UNC's pace. However, Virginia is hustling and do not appear intimidated at all. Landesberg certainly is not shy about shooting, as he is 2 for 7 shooting in the first 8 minutes. For the most part, The Tar Heels are getting the shots they want, they just aren't falling at the rate they would like.
North Carolina looks to continue their recent winning ways today at home as they take on Virginia. The tar heels come in tied atop the ACC with Duke. Virginia will need a huge effort from freshamn guard Sylven Landesberg to have a chance of springing the upset. it will e interesting to see if the Tar Heels can get any signifigant offensive contributions from their bench. Given their injury situation, along with the suspension of Will Graves, there should be plenty of opportunities for someone to step up.
