Carolina Beat Duke!© Chris Lin
Feb 2, 2001
Take a deep breath. Things are getting interesting really fast. The same Carolina team that seemed out of sync at the beginning of the season has become really scary. A win over Duke in Cameron Crazies land? This is bordering on the ridiculous. Nobody wins on the Blue Devils’ turf. Not with Brendan Haywood at the line down the stretch. But sure enough, the big man sinks two, and Carolina wins by two. An incredible finish to another chapter of an incredible rivalry. With Stanford losing in a big upset to UCLA, the Tar Heels will make their claim at the No. 1 spot in the country. Matt Doherty is suddenly the hottest coach in the country, and you can bet that Chapel Hill is making a hero out of him very fast. So what’s the different between the hapless Heels that lost to Kentucky at home and the one that knocked off Shane Battier, Jason Williams, and the “invincible” Blue Devils?
Well, in the couple of months since the season started, guys have begun to fill in their roles. Joseph Forte knows he has to be the offensive leader of this team, and he has perhaps become the most lethal, complete weapon in the country. Brendan Haywood lacked consistency, but now is getting into the groove, and should be able to contribute 15-18 points and 10 boards a night if he can stay out of foul trouble. He is huge, and has so much potential. Right now, his defensive game is superb, but if he can complement that with a consistent post game and better free throw shooting (he’s made a good start on that one), he and Forte will make an unstoppable combo. Add Jason Capel, the all-around player who can light it up from outside, penetrate, or post up with his size, and you’ve got another outstanding talent. Kris Lang, at 6’11”, poses matchup problems with smaller teams, and when he is on target, he is nearly unstoppable. The bench is much improved, with Ronald Curry, Julius Peppers, and Max Owens contributing greatly to help out the starters. The biggest problem for the Heels has been lack of consistency at the point. They seem to be past that problem now. Sure, Brian Morrison, Curry, and Adam Boone are no Eddie Cota, but their shot selection has gotten better and they have dampened their shoot-first mentality. They still have a ways to go, but by March, this team could be a points machine.
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