Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Illinois 68, North Carolina 64

• What a game!
• As UNC mounted their charge in the second half, I was worried.  It was great to see them hold on at the end.
• I forgot how much I hate listening to Dick Vitale.
• We watched the game at a local church.  They just constructed a big auditorium with enormous video screens, so they decided to open it up last night for an event they called "Paint the Vineyard Orange".
• And Ron Zook was there.  I took the opportunity to say a positive word to him.  (Did that guy have a discouraging year or what?  Still, he's the right man for the job and I totally believe he is going to get Illinois football back on track.)
• The ESPN guys recognized King James their Player of the Game.  Given what happened to him during the final game in April, that seems fitting.  And he played very well last night:  13 points, 13 rebounds.
• But I probably would have given "Player of the Game" to Brian Randle.  He was huge.  Unbelievably, he hit two more three-pointers.  That block in the first half was the coolest thing I've seen yet this year.  When UNC had a 12-0 run in the second half, that was while Randle was on the bench in foul trouble.  He made a couple of critical rebounds, including one near the end of the game.
• Dee didn't have a very good night.  I'm sticking with my stance on Dee:  Don't worry about him.  He's good and he will continue to get better over the course of the season.  If we can beat UNC on the Road while Dee is not playing well, that shows some great potential for the team as a whole.
• Yes, Dee was our leading scorer.  I'm still saying he didn't play very well last night as our point guard:  3 assists, 5 turnovers and 0-for-6 from the arc.  But give him credit for finishing the game strong like a senior.
• No complaints here about McBride:  12 points, 5 assists, 2 turnovers.
• Pruitt didn't deliver as well as the other starters, but I really liked that nifty move he made to score a basket in the first half, I think.
• Chester played okay, all things considered.  No points, but no turnovers.  His shot clock violation in the first half was such a freshman mistake.  He'll learn.
• Jamar has ice in his veins.  He hit some clutch shots as a freshman in a very daunting place to play.
• Arnold!  He had a stretch there of 2-3 big plays in a row.  He has the distinction last night of being the only Illinois player to score points but make no turnovers.
• Warren Carter, on the other hand, was our only player to have turnovers but no points.  Hmmm.
• Looking at the stat lines I just noticed that Calvin Brock got 2 minutes.  I must have missed that.
• Our defense in the first half was awful.  UNC is an extremely good young team.  Every one of their starters is fast, athletic or talented, and some of them have two out of the three.  I don't think our guys are accustomed to playing against a group like that.  Bruce probably had a few choice things to say at halftime.
• Overall 18 turnovers and 14 assists.  Only 71% from the free throw line.  Only 47% shooting percentage.  Not pretty, but it's a win.
• And a win against an elite program.
• And a road win.
• On ESPN.
• Sweet.