I was at the game. I didn't agree with the T on Roy. I thought he had a right to be pissed on the reversal of the block/charge call. Frankly, I wasn't paying attention to him prior to that, I was watching the game.

Regretfully, last night's game was a lot like the High Point game. W&M was weak with the ball going to the rim and out on the perimeter. In both games the officials allowed bumping by the defenders on the perimeter and the Tribe let it affect them. How about the foolish dribble hand offs to a teammate who was even closer to the half court line and out of bounds than the somewhat trapped teammate who had the ball? Can't we pass? We looked scared to have the ball.

When Marcus got his pocket picked and then gave a weak foul as the Carolina player scored a layup, I was really disgusted. I was actually shocked when the Tribe sort of climbed back in the game. After a while, the math got a little crazy figuring out the point differential and then I realized, Oh they aren't down 23 anymore, it is 13.

I had a great seat, right on mid-court, row P in the lower bowl on the side opposite the benches.

I was surprised Tony didn't call time out a few times in the first half. I guess he didn't want the crowd to get more fired up, or he feared we wouldn't be able to get the ball in bounds after the TO.

Sheldon did look better last night than I had expected. UNC is really big and athletic and there were times he was in among 3 Carolina players and managed to get the board or keep the ball alive. Isn't there anyone else with any size who can play at all?

In the two games I have attended this season, Omar doesn't look like the same player as last year, who stole his MOJO?

Dixon and Thornton looked like they belonged on the court with the Carolina players, it would be nice to have a few more guys who can compete at that level.

I wonder if Carolina would get away with as much perimeter contact if the game wasn't in Chapel Hill? Some of the plays were funny when the refs finally called the foul, you weren't sure if they were going to call the bump by the Carolina player, the push off by the Tribe player with the ball or the second and third bumps and slaps by the Carolina player. It will be interesting watching the recording of the game to see some of these plays from a different angle.

It was a big crowd, more people than I had expected for a holiday week and the students gone. I didn't see many Tribe fans, but they might have been in the upper deck in my side.

I sure hope this team gives me a reason to get pumped for Baltimore, I'm just not feeling it right now.

Go Tribe!

Stock went up last night in my view for Dixon, Malinowski and Schlotman. Good competitors who took it and gave it right back.

Congrats to Dixon, high scorer with 20 points. This had to be his best game yet.

FWIW, the TV announcers were very complimentary of the Tribe, obviously impressed with our 2nd half fight and resurgence. The team showed some guts and talent. They certainly like our chances in the CAA.

We looked pretty outclassed in the 1st half though Carolina just didn't miss. 68%?

Good effort in second half to cut it to 9, but I think we were gassed at the 6 minute mark. Shame we let the game basically get out of reach in the first half.

My thoughts after last night and the OOC slate are:

Dixon is the real deal and currently the second most valuable player on the team IMO. Best on ball defender and great all-around (driving and shooting) offensive game. Tough matchup on the perimeter with his height. Little bit of chppiness on the court, which I like to see from a Tribe player.

Sean Sheldon has improved from last year. He still doesn't have a post-up game, but he runs the floor, has good touch around the rim, passes well for a big, and does a decent job on the boards and defending opposing big men. Would love to see him knock down a few more free throws.

Whitman is at a minimum a serviceable sub for Sheldon. He's also shown flashes that hint at his upside, including a few nice moves in the post and some dunks where he got up off the floor quickly. Needs more body mass/strength and to be stronger with the ball. Any improvement from Whitman over the season would be some nice gravy.

Malinowski is the clearly the best of the true freshmen at this point. Last night was his best game to date. He still make some freshman type turnovers, but he's athletic, plays solid defense, rebounds, has a nice three-point stroke, and has a nice, well-rounded game for a freshmen. Provides quality minutes off the bench that will help us win games.

Tarpey is amazing how he rebounds for his size. Great hussle and effort guy. Shot is improved from last year, but fewer of his three-point attempts have fallen in recent games compared to early season. He's also had a few uncharacteristically bad turnovers in recent games (UNC and UR). I don't see that continuing into CAA play. Terry is a guy we need on the floor. He can contribute offense on put backs, fast break opportunities, and backdoor cuts for lay-ups. Making a three-pointer here and there is gravy.

Thornton is off to a great start. Hard to find much to critique here. My one compliant, and its largely a function of the offense, is that Marcus gives up the ball at critical moments (shot clock running down, scoring draught, or late in the game). Would love for him to be more forceful in these situations to provide scoring at key moments.

Omar set a high bar for himself with last year's performance. Unfortunately, he has not found his offensive groove yet. He's barely missing on most his three's, so hopefully he starts to heat up. We need his offense. He forces some drives. I like the assertiveness, but he could pick his spots a better and stay under control.

Schlotman also had his best game of the year last night. Has the ability to drive. Solid ball handler. Needs to cut down on turnovers, but he's young and improving. Solid at the charity stripe when he gets fouled.

Keys to winning CAA:

Omar gets back to offense production of last year.
Make free-throws at higher percentage as a team.
Cut down on live ball TOs that lead directly to points for opposition.
Be strong with the ball and make decisive passes (see above).
Punish teams that overextend to take away passing lanes beyond the three-point arch.
Finish games well, by not letting teams back into the game, run the clock down AND still get off a good shot (preferably from MT).

This team is not at CAA Champ level yet, but I think the potential is still there with improvement in a few key areas.

20,000+...largest crowd of year for any UNC game with exception of their game at Rupp...
Spurred by Williams losing his coat when he couldn't get the timeout to argue the charge reversal, UNC boards stated the usual wine/cheese fans, from then on, were as loud as it's ever gotten in the Dean Dome, and crowd involvement usually only seen for Duke and NC State. They wished it was like that all of the time. Crowd noise, also, some testament to the team for battling back in the second half....encouraging....just not sure why they were star struck in the first half, other than the week layoff and spoils of home-cooking. Think UNC has a chance to get back to Top 10 by end of the season.

Omar is a talent...Confident the talent, and hard work, will eventually get him through this bad sophomore funk...team needs him playing on the level he's capable of.

Think, in the future, we'll be able to look back at this game performance/experience as one that lifted Daniel Dixon to another level, confidence-wise.

Had no confidence about the team's chances going into the game, and was very concerned about their psyche as a young team after the road games this past month, but believe they showed they are going to be ok. Feel very good about Saturday's game against CofC as a precursor for the CAA season, and hope it's borne out...we'll see.

Winning in Baltimore is a crapshoot for any team, and finally getting to the Party may or may not happen this year, but the program is on solid ground when you look at the player personnel coming back and becoming eligible for the next few years.

Hearing Gminski state that he believed by the end of the season UNC would be able to look back and consider this a good RPI win was not a trivial comment.