UNC 74, BC 81
Tyler Hansbrough had another monster performance, but couldn’t help the Heels get passed Boston College in the Dean Dome. Fortunately, we didn't start off slow like in the last several games. It was tied at 13 all after the first 10 minutes. Then Danny Green came in and nailed 2 three pointers and Hansbrough got fouled while dunking the ball and made the free throw for us to go up 22-15. Hansbrough could not be stopped most of the game. It is scary how good this freshman is. I just hope and pray we don't start to hear NBA draft rumors in the next couple of months.
Byron Sanders also had another stand up game. He looks like a different player on the court this year. He has gone from a liability to a asset. He is definitely the most improved player on the team.
After the great run we had to go up 7, BC came back and we went cold. BC took the lead with 6 minutes to go (26-27). UNC went cold and BC closed out the half on a 26-6 streak to take a 12 point lead (30-42).
It seemed like BC couldn't miss for most of the game. They shot 58% from the field in the first half and 54% for the game. Another issue was how they manhandled us inside. They scored 22 points in the paint in the first half to our 10. They were also really good with the ball only committing 4 turnovers to our 9 in the first.
Going into the second half I was predicting we'd make a run because we have done it so many times this year. We play our best ball the first 10 minutes out of the second half. On the back of Hansbrough and Green, we got it down to a 5 point deficit with 9 minutes to go. We just didn't have enough firepower from the outside to bring it back all the way. BC played very good D on Wes Miller and he rarely had an open look. I guess the secret about him is out.
Reyshawn Terry had a decent game, but not great. He continued to rack up the charge calls against him. He had a whopping 3 in this game (at least one was questionable).
We got it down to a 2 point deficit (63-65) with 5:35 to go, but we couldn't consistently stop BC to close out the game. They had tons of open backdoor passes for easy buckets. Craig Smith was a load inside. Every time we missed on our end, they'd make it on their end. We played well, but couldn't match up against their size inside.
Hansbrough had a career high 26 points on 9-13 shooting and even had a 3 pointer! I've said it before, but if we didn't have him this year, we'd be in deep trouble. David Noel still had problems turning the ball over. He led the team with 5 turnovers and only had 5 points.
I can't complain with our effort tonight. We played hard, we just didn't match up well against BC and couldn't stop then when needed. I'm still concerned our team doesn't have a killer instinct, but that comes with experience and confidence, both of which are lacking in a young team.
Other key stats:
- Assist/Turnover: .9 (UNC), 2.55 (BC)
- Turnovers: 19 (UNC), 9 (BC)
+ Rebounds: 31 (UNC), 27 (BC)
+ Free throws: 17-22 (UNC), 11-20 (BC)
