Easy Ed didn't exactly
take it easy last night, but he said State
wouldn't let him pass so he had to shoot. The reviews of the game are
in. Caulton Tudor said State's shooting
and shot selection did them in, which is largely true. Lenox
Rawling says it was Cota. Whatever it was, UNC stepped it up and State
didn't and there's your game. Of
course 71% shooting doesn't hurt, and if you think about it, how many teams
give up 71% (neither Cota nor Haywood missed) from the floor and still stay
within 8? Three late shots, but still.
The N&R argues that
UNC is on the verge of being a one man team, which is interesting, and which
would also lead one to think that if you, in the words of Al McGuire, cut off
the head the body dies, but the team shot 71%, and there's no getting around
that. On the other hand,
the foul trouble didn't help State either.
Farther West, Wake is still trying to figure out what's wrong. Odom says it's
decision making and
defense, things Wake has usually done pretty well.
Meanwhile, as the conference south of the NC border continues to tank, FSU
has lost to USF, but they're actually a pretty good team. It's a deceptive
loss. And Georgia Tech went to Charlottesville and just died in the second
half. Here's
a piece from the Sabre. Hey fellas, you have a problem with your story -
look at the first paragraph. Here's
another piece, and the Journal-Constitution has
one up as well.
Tim Stevens has an article up
about a book called "Sole Influence," about how shoe companies are
affecting the game.