The Losing Formula

A friend made an interesting point the other day regarding North Carolina's three losses this season. Three names that leap from the box scores of the Tar Heels' losses to Boston College, Wake Forest and Maryland are Tyrese Rice, Jeff Teague and Greivis Vasquez, respectively. Rice had 25 in a 7-point win. Teague scored 34, and the Demon Deacons won by three. And, most recently, Vasquez put up a triple-double, scoring 35 in Maryland's 88-85 win in overtime last Saturday.

The one thing all three have in common?

Marcus Ginyard wasn't guarding any of them.

While many were hopeful that the Tar Heels would run the table en route to their second national championship in five years, it is understood that the team likely was to lose a game or two during the course of a 40+ game season. That said, the circumstances of UNC's three losses this season highlight how important a lock-down defender like Ginyard is to a championship contender. If you look back to the Tar Heels' title run in '05, you notice that Jackie Manuel started 36 of the team's 37 games and averaged more than 20 minutes a game. The guy couldn't throw a golf ball into the ocean from the deck of a boat anchored two miles offshore, but he had unprecidented value. I remember going to games and hearing even "Jackie Manuel's Posse" hold its breath when the ball found its way to an oft-wide-open Manuel around the perimeter in a tight game. Sporadic shouts of "No!," or "Don't shoooooot!" could be heard throughout the arena. But his defensive presence in the face of a go-to scorer for the opposition was paramount for North Carolina.

I think fans and critics alike have all but forgotten the fact that the Tar Heels have been contenders all season - and done so without a starter ... a very important starter. There are other good defenders on the team, but none can compare to Ginyard, who's strength and aggressiveness often have led to frustrated opponents. Defensive prowess can be measured in steals and blocked shots, but still is very difficult to quantify. Altered shots and a scorer's inability to get a clean look at the basket, or at a teammate cutting in that direction, need only happen two or three times in the course of a one-, two- or three-possession game to change the outcome. Now, I'm not saying that Carolina is 27-0 with Ginyard in the lineup, but I am saying that teams would have to find other ways to win.

I need a new computer...

Mine broke like eight years ago, so that's why I never post anymore. This one came to mind in an effort to keep my site from being deleted forever. I know none of you want to see that happen. At the moment I'm sitting here watching Davidson get annihilated at Purdue. Stephen Curry will probably be the Player of the Year at season's end, but he is stinkin' up the joint today. He was 3-of-17 at the half.

North Carolina didn't look so hot against Valpo today, either, but the margin of victory was still a hefty 22 points. While the Tar Heels have been dominant on the court, I've noticed that they aren't covering spreads at the same rate they did a year ago. Of course, that doesn't amount to a hill of beans to Roy Williams, but it has effectively kept me from betting on games. Maybe that's a good thing.

On the subject of UNC's dominance, I think it's safe to say that if Carolina loses a game at any point in the season, it will certainly be considered a rather epic upset. That's not to say that they won't lose, they coughed one up to St. Mary's in 2005 and we all know how that ended up. But with the depth they posses, there is really no comparison between the Heels and the rest of the NCAA. In fact, I'm thoroughly convinced that North Carolina is the best basketball team in the state ... including the Charlotte Bobcats.

Speaking of the NBA, the fact that the Big 3 aren't there is a pretty good reason why the team is 11-0. This may turn out to be the best decision of Ellington, Green, Hansbrough and Lawson's respective careers. This year's draft won't nearly possess the same prospects as that of a year ago. There is a potential repeat of the 2005 draft in which UNC sent four lottery picks to the NBA.

The person who's stock has risen the most has to be Lawson. His decision to return has dissolved notions that he is selfish and he has shined on the court. I think at this point Steph Curry has to be POY, as I said before, but Lawson is certainly at the top of the list. He was considered by most a second-rounder a year ago whereas at season's end he'll likely be projected in the top 10.

Anyway, my birthday is eight days away, so maybe my parents will read this and buy me a computer. I'll get this ball rollin' again soon.

Redskins ... sweet

I'm not sure who sucked more this past week - the Tar Heels or the Redskins. I'm gonna go with the 'Skins, though, because at least North Carolina won. Got to see most of the game. Missed a lot of the first quarter because I was at work. One thing is certain about the Giants - Plaxico Burress is going to be a beast this year, which is good for a couple of my fantasy teams. And he's from Virginia, so he's cool with me. I didn't think the Eli was all that impressive. Moreover, I think the Washington secondary was stank. Carlos Rodgers blows and not having Shawn Springs hurts. Fred Smoot is OK, but inconsistent. And man, do I miss Sean Taylor. LaRon Landry seemed to have regressed since his rookie season a year ago. Of course, that might have a little to do with the fact that he got truck-sticked by Brandon Jacobs early on. The defense did make stands when it needed to. And they were on the field a lot in the first half, thanks to a clueless offense.

On the other side of the ball, I don't think Jason Campbell was that bad. He made very few mistakes from what I saw, other than moving around in the pocket every now and then, rather than hanging in long enough to check down to an open option. I'm not calling for Colt Brennan just yet, but I think he should be the backup. I thought Clinton Portis looked pretty good, all things considered and even though Santana Moss caught the 'Skins' only touchdown, he still showed why he'll never be the playmaker we need on offense. He's just too small. Anyway, enough is enough. Campbell is one of my two fantasy QBs, so it looks like I could be in trouble until he gets in the groove. Great.

North Carolina vs. McNeese State

Well, this time tomorrow on thing is certain. I'll be wasted. What should be certain also is that the Tar Heels should be sporting a 1-0 record. Of course, us Tar Heel fans know better than to count our chickens when it comes to football. I'm having a hard time buying into the hype that we're going to be better this year. Do I believe we are? Yes. However, I thought we were going to be better two years ago, too. Last year, we weren't bad at all, losing a bunch of games by fewer than a touchdown. But this time around, we're supposed to actually win games. Sorry, but I'm just not used to that. Carolina has sucked at football ever since I came here ... and that was a long time ago, believe me.

I'm most eager to see Hakeem Nicks this season. In my opinion he's is one of the best receivers in the nation. Most certainly an NFL prospect. He's not even pre-season all-ACC. That just baffles me. The biggest question is what's going to happen at running back. There seems to be plenty of promise at the position, but from what I understand Greg Little hasn't watched any film this week, making some players on the team a bit uncertain. He's a cool dude and everyone gets along well with him, but from what I was told it's an "OK, but he better do it," situation when it comes to his self-confidence. A lot of guys on the team are said to be rooting for Shaun Draugh, who it seems has a ton of talent coming out of the backfield.

It will be interesting to see what happens, but for now here's how I see it going down tomorrow:

North Carolina 37, McNeese State 10

Getcha Popcorn Ready

Yes. That is the name of the 2008 version of my fantasy football team. Here's how it turned out (drafting from the No. 2 slot; round selected in parentheses):

QB-David Garrard (4)
QB-Jason Campbell (6)
WR-Braylon Edwards (2)
WR-Marques Colston (3)
WR-Reggie Williams (9)
RB-LaDainian Tomlinson (1)
RB-Willie Parker (5)
TE-Dallas Clark (8)
W/R-Rashard Mendenhall (11)
BN-Felix Jones (7)
BN-JaMarcus Russell (10)
BN-Donte' Stallworth (13)
BN-James Hardy (15)
BN-Rudi Johnson (20)
BN-Ahman Green (21)

K-Shaun Suisham (18)

DEF-New York (NYG) (12)

D-Adam Jones (14)
DB-Marcus Trufant (16 - FA for Ellis Hobbs)
DL-Michael Boley (19)
BN-Mario Williams (17)

I don't know about you, but I like what I see. ...

Cool Runnings

This is exactly what would've happened if the dude from Cool Runnings hadn't fallen down in his attempt to qualify for the Olympic Games and had to resort to starting up a bobsled team. Usain "Lightning" Bolt is a total bad-ass. This guy is running the 100-meter final at the Olympic Games, starts high-steppin' 15 meters before the finish line, and shatters his own world record. I mean, 9.69 seconds? That's like a first down per second. That's like faster than my mom drives. That's like ... unreal. The scary part is that this guy could have been looking in the 9.5-range if he'd kept running, and that should just be impossible. At what point do these people stop getting faster? A hundred years from now are people gonna be running 100 meters in eight seconds, or what? I don't know, but what this guy did blows Michael Phelps outta the water (pun intended). If I were Nike, I'll tell this guy to wipe his ass with those Puma's ...

My respect of Michael Phelps just went through the roof

No. It's not because he's the baddest swimmer on the planet. Honestly, I appreciate what the guy is doing and all, I really do, but give me Jordan any day. I'd take Lebron, Tiger, Ronaldinho, Manny and Moss over him when it comes to excitement. I don't disrespect the guy - he's great for America, and really the only "homeboy" coming in first at much of anything over there. And God knows, that eight gold medals is just absurd. But for whatever reason, I just really wasn't into Phelps. Honestly, he looks big and goofy and I think that, though unfair on my part, that plays a big role in it.

Then I found out on a Yahoo! blog what's on Phelps' iPod when he's gettin' in the zone for all these medals he's about to win. And when I read that "I'm Me" by Lil' Wayne tops his playlist, I was sold. I gotta admit, I took this guy for Maroon 5 or, like, Metallica or some shit like that. But I wish I would've figured out sooner that before this guy commences to beating swimmers' brains in, he's daydreaming about rollin' around in a half-million dollar car with guns and drugs and women, just like the rest of us. And the inverse is true? Damn, I might have to break out the snorkel get a couple laps in tomorrow.