Tar Heels answer with emphatic 'Yes!'
Bobby Frasor takes the ball to the hoop during the UNC vs. Radford round one game of the NCAA tournament in Greensboro, Thursday, March 19, 2009. Photo by Todd Melet
Mar 19, 2009
Early on, when there was the slightest doubt regarding the outcome of its opening-round game against North Carolina, fans of 16-seed Radford University chanted the school’s initials at the urging of their cheerleaders. “RU! RU!” they shouted.
Meant as a declaration, the cheer sounded more like a question.
But what question? If, for instance, the interrogatory was, Are you capable of playing on a par with the top-seeded Tar Heels, the answer was an emphatic NO! NO!
The bigger, faster, deeper Tar Heels held a 19-point lead at halftime, then leveled the Highlanders in the second period en route to a 101-58 win. That was the largest margin of victory for a No. 1-seeded North Carolina squad against a No. 16 in 10 tries, exceeding last year’s 39-point dismemberment of Mount St. Mary’s.
Along the way, senior Tyler Hansbrough topped Duke’s J.J. Redick as the ACC’s career scoring leader on a pair of free throws at the 15:43 mark of the first half.
“I’m just glad he broke the record on a free throw,” said classmate, housemate, and off-court running mate Bobby Frasor. “That’s pretty fitting.”
If the are-you question was directed at the Tar Heels -- asking whether they were capable of winning handily without point guard Ty Lawson -- the answer was an emphatic YES! YES!
UNC, 29-4, cranked up the tempo to the suffocating pace more often displayed with Lawson at the helm, scoring 25 in transition and holding a 54-22 scoring edge in the paint. This time, they did it with a rejuvenated Frasor sharing time at playmaker with freshman Larry Drew II. The pair combined for eight assists and two turnovers.
Frasor, struggling with his shot all year, made 3 of 4, including a 3-pointer. “We didn’t beat you with our ‘C’ game,” UNC coach Roy Williams told Brad Greenberg, the Radford coach, as they shook hands following the rout. “We played really, really well.”
The Heels broke the 100-point barrier for the ninth time this season, but surpassed 80 for only the second time in the past five games, two of which were played without Lawson, still suffered the effects of an injured toe. Williams opened his post-game remarks to the media by saying he had “no idea” whether his fleet playmaker would take the court Saturday against LSU. Lawson was more optimistic. “I’m pretty sure I’ll play,” he said in the locker room.
Lawson may not be needed just yet. The eighth-seeded Tigers, champions of the SEC, outlasted No. 9 Butler 75-71 but were hardly impressive. Despite enjoying advantages in height and athleticism at virtually every position against the Bulldogs, LSU often rushed off-balance shots and was edged in hustle plays -- points off turnovers and second chances -- by the scrappy Horizon League champs.
The 27-7 SEC school also lacks notable bulk inside, a problem against the likes of Hansbrough, Deon Thompson, and fast-developing Ed Davis. “I think we have an advantage because our basketball coach is light years brighter than Roy Williams,” said LSU’s Trent Johnson, the SEC Coach of the Year, playing for a laugh. A win on Saturday would give UNC 98 NCAA wins and a tie for the all-time lead with Kentucky, long the master of the SEC.
There was also a bit of clowning in the stands during the Radford-North Carolina matchup. Brad Greenberg’s older brother Seth, the Virginia Tech coach, sat in the stands directly across the court from the bench occupied by the Big South champions. He wore a burgundy sweater, a Hokies’ team color, which he told one fan was the closest his wardrobe came to providing a red garment.
The ACC’s Greenberg, whose team won a double-overtime verdict on its homecourt the previous night in the opening round of the NIT, spent time good-naturedly razzing calls for the benefit of John Clougherty, the ACC Coordinator of Basketball Officials seated nearby on press row. That was about the only complaint uttered by the Greenberg clan, however. “We didn’t do that many things even close to well to stay in the game,” said Brad Greenberg.
That sort of thing will happen when facing a fully functional North Carolina squad like the one that showed up at Greensboro to start its latest run at a national title.
