Tag Archives: UNC Tar Heel Basketball

Longtime UNC assistant Guthridge is still there for Dean Smith – North Carolina – NewsObserver.com

Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge - from SI Vault

Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge -- from SI Vault

This is a wonderful article by Andrew Carter.  Yes, it’s related to basketball, but it’s about so much more.  It’s about decades of friendship, teamwork, and devotion between two of the men that I respect most in this world.  And it’s about disease, aging, and death.

Longtime UNC assistant Guthridge is still there for Dean Smith – North Carolina – NewsObserver.com.

North Carolina NCAA National Championship Game Film

NCAA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FILM:

Tar Heels, if watching the Wildcats vs Jayhawks in the 2012 NCAA National Championship game tonight isn’t your idea of fun, here are several alternative viewing options for you. CAUTION: The 1977 game likely won’t be much fun either.

2009 – North Carolina vs Michigan State
2005 – North Carolina vs Illinois
1993 – North Carolina vs Michigan
1982 – North Carolina vs Georgetown
1977 – North Carolina vs Marquette

2012 NCAA National Championship Replay – Kentucky vs Kansas – April 2

kentucky vs kansas – 2012 ncaa national championship game replay – april 2

Click on this graphic to watch UK vs KU replay online:

North Carolina NCAA National Semifinals Game Film

Marcelo Perez - Basketball in a SpoonThis is an exciting weekend for the fans of  the Louisville Cardinals, Kentucky Wildcats, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Kansas Jayhawks.  All four teams will play in the NCAA National Semifinals this evening in New Orleans.  The North Carolina Tar Heels lost to Kansas in the Elite Eight of this year’s NCAA tournament and didn’t make the trip to New Orleans.

At least four members of the current Tar Heel squad have decided to enter the upcoming NBA draft; only one has exhausted his college eligibility.   And the exodus to the NBA may not end there.  James Michael McAdoo is still deciding whether to make the leap with his teammates — Harrison Barnes, John Henson, Kendall Marshall, and Tyler Zeller — or to return to UNC for his sophomore season.

Not only will UNC fans miss the opportunity to watch the 2011-2012 Tar Heel hard court edition reach their dream of winning a National Championship for themselves, their coaches, and all of Tar Heel Nation, but also, we have this entire weekend to ponder what might have been if this talented team could have avoided the unusually high number of serious injuries they suffered this season.  And then there’s this little issue concerning our frontcourt for the 2012-2013 season.

Instead of worrying about McAdoo’s decision and moping around while the Cardinals take on the Wildcats and the Buckeyes take on the Jayhawks, maybe you Tar Heels would enjoy watching a few of Carolina’s previous NCAA National Semifinals.

ncaa national semifinals game film:

2009 – North Carolina vs Villanova
2008 – North Carolina vs Kansas
2005 – North Carolina vs Michigan State
2000 – North Carolina vs Florida
1998 – North Carolina vs Utah
1997 – North Carolina vs Arizona
1995 – North Carolina vs Arkansas
1993 – North Carolina vs Kansas
1991 – North Carolina vs Kansas
1982 – North Carolina vs Houston

Watch the 2012 Final Four Online

Your 2012 Final Four TEAMS:

  • Kentucky Wildcats
  • Ohio State Buckeyes
  • Kansas Jayhawks
  • Louisville Cardinals

kentucky vs kansas – 2012 national championship game – april 2, 9:23 p.m.

Click on this graphic to watch UK vs KU streaming live online:

Louisville vs Kentucky – semifinal game 1

Click on this graphic to watch UL vs UK streaming replay online:

Ohio State vs Kansas – semifinal game 2

Click on this graphic to watch tOSU vs KU streaming replay online:

Click Here to Watch Any of the 2012 NCAA Tournament Game Replays

Click Here to View Live 2012 Tournament Bracket

UNC Season Ended as the Tar Heels Fell to Kansas

Already playing with an injured wrist, Henson goes down with a turned ankle.

Click anywhere on the photo to be taken to the complete UNC vs KU photo gallery at Inside Carolina.

 

The 2012 UNC season ended as the Tar Heels fell to the KU Jayhawks in the Elite Eight.  Even though the Tar Heels posted an enviable 32-5 season record, this season failed to meet the lofty expectations of many University of North Carolina Tar Heel fans and players.

The Heels had a talented, deep roster filled with good kids. And no matter how hard the fans fought against it, it was difficult to refrain from expecting this group to be at least one of the two teams left standing as the National Championship game commenced.

Most of all, the season didn’t go as expected for first, Leslie McDonald; then, Dexter Strickland; next, John Henson; and finally, Kendall Marshall. Three of those guys ended the season in suits watching their teammates try valiantly to edge through to the Final Four as they battled a good Kansas Jayhawks team. The fourth, John Henson, was a shell of himself on the court yesterday, but he was out there bandaged and trying nonetheless.

It was a season of highs and lows — a season that yielded more serious injuries to key UNC Tar Heel players than I can remember to any previous Carolina basketball team. This team persevered and gradually improved — though by fits and spurts. They weathered injury after injury and continued to compete at a high level. They were even peaking at exactly the right time.

Kendall Marshall going down with a broken wrist meant every other starter and key reserve had to bring his best game in order for the team to make it past KU in the Elite Eight. And that simply didn’t happen. The players fought hard overall, but in the end, it wasn’t enough.

Tyler Zeller had a superb senior season. Reggie Bullock lived up to the promise he displayed as a star player in high school. Kendall Marshall was in the process of completing a spectacular season of passing, leadership, and eventual overall outstanding play. John Henson progressed in his development and arguably became a star. James Michael McAdoo’s basketball game started catching up with his phenomenal athleticism.  And a relatively unknown point guard from Wilmington — a young man who logged only a few minutes here and there throughout the season — played excellently when he was suddenly thrust into a huge roll at the most critical and most competitive juncture of the season.

I’m proud of this team, and I’m disappointed for them that they were unable to achieve their dream for this season. Unfortunately, the seniors have no opportunity for a do-over.

And now we wait. Tyler Zeller and Justin Watts are graduating and moving on. Zeller will make a fine NBA professional for years to come in my opinion, and Justin is likely to have an opportunity to play overseas if he so desires. The ‘experts’ currently predict high draft picks for underclassmen Harrison Barnes, John Henson, Kendall Marshall, and even reserve James Michael McAdoo. Furthermore, after an outstanding Sweet 16 performance by Reggie Bullock, his name is being floated around as an early-entrant possibility too. Add to the unknown that no one yet can determine at what level Leslie McDonald and Dexter Strickland will be playing when they are able to return from their injuries. Will they be as quick, explosive, and effective as they were prior to their knee surgeries or not?

This year was supposed to be the Tar Heels’ year. If the expected mass exodus to the NBA occurs, next year will be a rebuilding year for sure. Realistically, the year after will likely be as well.

Good luck, young men. Take a well-deserved break. Make the best decisions for you and your families. And then let’s get down to business and start preparing for next year’s Tar Heel hard court edition.