There’s no sugar-coating tonight’s challenge. Vegas has the Pack as a 20+ point underdog, and Roy no doubt has his team’s mind on revenge. But we’ve met the challenge of facing the talented Holes already this season. Hell, we’ve done it this month. There is no long rival game losing streak hanging around our collective neck. Tonight, we’re playing with house money. Relax, enjoy the ride, and hope (against all reason) that we shock the basketball world once more.
Halftime Update: Wow, that was a very well-played first half. I was especially impressed with how well we took care of the basketball, and handled UNC’s ball pressure. I think both teams are playing very well. We aren’t shooting that well, have foul trouble, and are only down 1 at the break. I’ll take that. The tight whistle – note that I didn’t say unfair, I said tight is going to make things difficult for us in the second half. I also think it’s time for everyone to realize that Engin Atsur isn’t just “gritty” or “smart” – he’s good. I think he deserves 3rd team all-ACC honors.
10:24 Update:Wow, I thought Sid didn’t look good at the end of the half. Turns out, they’ve taken him to the hospital (flu-related dehydration). Very fortunate that UNC Hospital is extremely close to the Smith Center. He’s in good hands. The game is getting out of hand.
Final Thoughts: When Sid left for the hospital, you had to think our chance was over. We have too narrow a margin of error as it is – we can’t lose our coach at halftime. Dennis Horner makes a nice shot (take that one more, kid!) at the end to cancel Wes Miller’s dick move and keep the final margin under 20. In essence, it was like the GT game against a much better opponent – the Pack just couldn’t withstand 40 minutes of ball pressure with such a shallow bench. Down the stretch, we couldn’t shot, pass crisply, defend, or rebound. No legs. It was borderline criminal for Towe to leave Atsur in the game for that many minutes with the outcome decided. We need him at full strength on Saturday. Your final score – UNC 83, NC State 64.
