This one had a different feel.
By this one, of course, I mean the Comeback Run That Wasn’t: a five-minute stretch in the middle of the 2nd half where Duke went on a 16-7 run to cut the deficit to just 75-64. Cameron was loud, the spirit fingers that spawned unlimited memes rollicking (see picture), and Duke was hitting threes again.
But it felt different. This time, I never felt more than healthy nervousness. Even when Seth Curry drew a miraculous flopping foul on a 3-point shot (thank you for that little legacy, J.J. Reddick), even when Curry rose for a 3-pointer that would have cut the lead to single digits, blown the roof off of Cameron Hansbrough Indoor Stadium, I still barely twitched. Why?
A minute or two earlier, I had seen John Henson, resting on the bench, stand up and whip his towel to the ground. And yell. Unlike the bench against Duke the first time, where dispirited faces stared glumly at the scoreboard, the sideline was fired up. The message was clear: this was not happening again.
Understand, John Henson is not the fiery type. He’s the kind of player opponents hate because he’s obnoxiously friendly on the court. This is Henson’s M.O.: after dunking on someone (and he’s done that quite a bit this year), he’ll turn to his posterized opponent, smile, and say, “Did you see that? Wow! That was a crazy dunk!”*
*On a play like this one.
Then he’ll lope away, leaving behind one extremely pissed-off power forward.
So to see Unhappy John was unusual, to say the least. This Henson was straight up mad, and that’s what most Heel fans have been looking for out of their team this season – anger, some fire, some kind of edge. As I wrote on Friday, it often seems like this team doesn’t have the “it” factor – and I stand by that statement. But in this game, with a little extra motivation we saw a focused team destroy an inferior opponent. And yes, Duke is an inferior team, as was pointed out to me last week.
Carolina absorbed that 16-7 run – which numbers-wise seems less dramatic than it was – and Kendall Marshall hit a long jumper to quiet the crowd. Duke was officially toast. UNC had taken an opponent’s best punch – twice, if you count the run to open the 2nd half – and responded in kind. That’s killer instinct, and that’s what has been missing this entire season.
Can UNC bottle this lightning and use it in the tournament? It certainly seems that this team responds well after a loss and with some bulletin-board material – Marshall mentioned they used footage of The Shot as motivation. But whether this team has “flipped the switch” remains to be seen.
I stand by what I said on Friday, that this team has a missing ingredient. Yesterday I watched Anthony Davis and Kentucky wipe the floor with a good Florida team to go undefeated in the SEC, and I still can’t see anyone beating them. But maybe, just maybe, they found the last part of the recipe on Saturday night.
Later in the week, I’ll tell you why I wouldn’t terribly mind losing in the semifinals of the upcoming ACC Tournament. Stay tuned.
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
Good post. From the Duke side of things I agree that this game had a different feel. The only point in the entire game where I really thought Duke might make it interesting (not win the game, but at least make it close) was Curry’s missed 3 that would have cut the lead to 8. The very fact that I would think an 8 point 2nd half deficit at Cameron would have been good showed you how the game went for me. I hope you are right about UNC losing in the semi-finals to UVA. I would love for Duke to finish this year 1-1 against UNC instead of 1-2, which is the most likely outcome if they meet on Sunday. Also, if Duke wins the ACC tournament then they definitely should be given the same or a higher seed than UNC.
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
No way that UNC loses to UVA. They’ve lost four players and you need more than that to beat Carolina…on the other hand, I’ll make sure and cross Nate off my list. Reading this article and the last smacks of the shit that you’d read on IC.
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
You mad?
(There’s something off TDD for you, jackass.)
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
Great read Nate.
You’re dead on about seeing a Green/Hansbrough level of toughness for the first time all year.
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
Jordan, I’m not a fan of either site, and i have written for this site. All credit to the Heels for the win. They have developed some toughness for sure. Just have to roll with the potshots. Not in the best mood after trailing by 26…
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
I would be shocked if the Devils get a higher seed if they win the ACC Tourney. It didn’t happen last year with Devils winning 2 out of 3 from the Heels, and that Duke team was a more competent, experienced group than this one. I’ll take a #2 seed in the South. No return trips put West, please.