Well, Sean decided he’d take a trip to Costa Rica for the week, and leave his website in the hands of the degenerates he calls friends. I was assigned the Sixers/Blazers game–but hey!–that’s not the only game on today, so BONUS COVERAGE for all five of you. Future Sixer himself, Julius Randle (I assume Hinkie will figure out a way to have picks 1-5 in the draft), was in action today as the 11th-ranked Kentucky Orange Julius fell in an ugly one in Chapel Hill to the 18th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels by a score of 82-77.
The heavily hyped Wildcats and their seven high-school All-Americans (6 freshman and the returning Alex Poythress) have struggled to find a consistent scoring option other than Randle so far this season, entered the contest ranked 253rd in the nation free throw shooting, and have lacked backcourt leadership as Andrew Harrison has adjusted to running a college-level offense. The Wildcats have shown flashes of their limitless potential, but have struggled against more disciplined teams.
The Tar Heels entered the season with a mid-level ranking, mixed expectations, and two suspended players in P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald. Tent pole wins over top-three opponents Louisville and Michigan State have contrasted with puzzling losses to Belmont and University of Alabama-Birmingham. Somehow UNC is shooting even worse than Kentucky at the line (332nd). Both teams could view this game as an opportunity to showcase (repair?) their identity on a national stage.
Well, so much for that. The first half was a disjointed mess of fouls, wild drives, missed free throws, and a “U MAD BRO” rant from John Calipari. On a court populated by future 1st-round draft picks, non-heralded J.P. Tokoto was the difference in the first half by making threes and hustle plays, while James Michael McAdoo did his damage from the free throw line, shooting 8-11 from the stripe in the first half as UNC went into the locker room with a 33-30 lead.
North Carolina committed the first seven fouls of the second half, which, given Kentucky’s free throw percentage, might have been intentional. But North Carolina never looked threatened in the final ten minutes. I wish I could credit something North Carolina did (like James Michael McAdoo’s twenty points, or Marcus Paige taking over the 2nd half) that enabled them to win this game, but really, it was the carelessness of Kentucky that created the opportunities that UNC took advantage of to build and hold their lead. Eighteen turnovers and a game plan that ignored their best player proved impossible to overcome. Randle scored only eleven points with five rebounds on 3-9 shooting, a far cry from the healthy double-double he has averaged so far this season. Thanks for the garbage time dunk, though.
Notable Observations
- “That’s a ball that you have to grab.” — Jay Bilas
- North Carolina continues its dominance over ranked opponents, while Kentucky still lacks a signature win for the season.
- How is J.P. Tokoto that bad at free throw shooting? 45%? Really? You’re only 6’5”! Overall, these free-throw allergic teams did not disappoint, shooting an amazing combined 55-88 (62.5%) from the line.
- Kentucky’s next big game will be on December 28th when they welcome Louisville to Rupp Arena. North Carolina will face their latest top opponent January 11th when they take on Syracuse.
- “I don’t know why they do that.” — Jay Bilas
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