Somewhere along the way, someone convinced North Carolina coach Roy Williams that he should always open with a joke.
And so, after leaving Oklahoma flatter than the FedEx floor Sunday, he did.
"I congratulate the NCAA for having cookies back there today, more than yesterday," Williams said to kick off his press conference after his Tar Heels won the South Region final. "And they're good. We're making progress in every area."
Now Williams won't be accused of being a particularly funny man any more than your accountant or Dane Cook, so for the coach with the vocabulary the Beav might find a tad gooey, this is about as good as it gets.
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Risking criticism that he acts more like a wannabe sports-talk caller than a fix-the-nation savior, President Obama -- Barry from Bethesda? -- filled out a March Madness bracket this week. Like the rest of us, he made a mad mess of the thing, reassessing and scratching out names. One of his original decisions, for instance, involved North Carolina losing to Pitt in the Final Four and Louisville winning the national championship.
But then, somehow, Obama went with a repeat hunch. Even though Carolina blew it for him last year, losing to Kansas in the semifinals, he's picking the Tar Heels again. "Now, for the Tar Heels who are watching, I picked you all last year -- you let me down," Obama said as he finished his selections for ESPN.com. "This year, don't embarrass me in front of the nation, all right? I'm counting on you. I still got those sneakers you guys gave me."
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Risking criticism that he acts more like a wannabe sports-talk caller than a fix-the-nation savior, President Obama -- Barry from Bethesda? -- filled out a March Madness bracket this week. Like the rest of us, he made a mad mess of the thing, reassessing and scratching out names. One of his original decisions, for instance, involved North Carolina losing to Pitt in the Final Four and Louisville winning the national championship.
But then, somehow, Obama went with a repeat hunch. Even though Carolina blew it for him last year, losing to Kansas in the semifinals, he's picking the Tar Heels again. "Now, for the Tar Heels who are watching, I picked you all last year -- you let me down," Obama said as he finished his selections for ESPN.com. "This year, don't embarrass me in front of the nation, all right? I'm counting on you. I still got those sneakers you guys gave me."
When No. 3 North Carolina visits No. 4 Wake Forest tonight both teams will be bringing in two impressive winning streaks.
Wake Forest are one of three unbeaten teams left in the nation (Pittsburgh and Clemson are the others). They have won their 13 games this season by an average of 21.1 points per game. However, the Demon Deacons' most impressive win was their last one that came eight days ago; a seven-point win against BYU that broke the Cougars' 53-game home winning streak.
North Carolina brings in a 15-game road winning streak. The Tar Heels haven't lost a true road game since losing at Georgia Tech on March 1, 2007. In that span, their only losses away from Chapel Hill was to Georgetown in the 2007 NCAA Tournament Regional Finals and to Kansas in last year's Final Four. The senior class of Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Bobby Frasor and Marcus Ginyard are 29-6 on the road during their careers -- including 2-0 at Wake Forest.
This week, FanHouse is taking an early look at the top teams heading into 2008 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. To help with the team capsules, we've brought in some of the top fan bloggers around the internets to give us insights on their teams.
Today, we have enlisted, well, me, The Sportz Assassin, of FanHouse and SportzAssassin.com to break down the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Really, what can be said about these Tar Heels that hasn't already been said? They return nearly everyone from a 36-3 team that reached the Final Four this past April. Player Of The Year Tyler Hansbrough heads the list of returnees. Hansbrough is the first player of the year winner to return to school since Shaquille O'Neal in 1991. "Psycho T" will also attempt to become the first player to be an All-American for four seasons.
North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough is a rare cat. You know that if you ever watched him play. His relentless style and physical play have given him the nickname "Psycho T".
"Like me and Bobby [Frasor, who also took the plunge] have been saying all along: We're in college, and we know a lot of people watch us, but that was fun to me,'' Hansbrough said Monday. " That's what we do, we like to have fun. We're not going to make the best decisions all the time, but who does?"
"We flicked the TV on and it was on PTI and stuff like that,'' Hansbrough said. "We were like, 'Whatever.' We recorded it and showed it to everybody."
All around Tar Heel Nation, there are smiles. Ever since April, it has been rare to see such an occassion (with the obvious exception of Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough's decision to not go into the NBA Draft). There was the blowout to Kansas in the Final Four, Roy Williams wearing a KU sticker during the title game and the defection of four players from a team that would've been favored next season.
Today, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green all decided to come back to North Carolina next season. While Ellington and Green aren't total surprises, there was a point that it felt both would actually leave. Lawson returning is a huge surprise since (a) he didn't seem like he really wanted to come back, (b) the arrest in Chapel Hill would mean consequences from Williams and (c) his stock actually seemed to rise into easy first round status.
This is a huge get for Williams and Tar Heel fans. The only two non-returning players (that mattered) from a 36-3 Final Four team are Quentin Thomas (graduation) and Alex Stepheson (transfer) -- both reserves.
The starting lineup will probably stay the exact same: Lawson, Ellington, Hansbrough, Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson. The bench will consist of Green (one of the best sixth men in the nation), Bobby Frasor (injured last year, a smart, steady player with a defensive presence), freshman Ed Davis (who will fill the defensive/rebounder role that Stepheson left), William Graves (long range shooter), freshman Tyler Zeller (a 7-foot guy who loves to run) and freshman Larry Drew (solid PG that won't be relied on too much).
"They are all going back to school," one source said. "None of them were 100 percent sure they would be taken in the first round."
It isn't totally surprising that Ellington or Green would be returning (Ellington, at best, was a 2nd round pick; Green may not have been drafted at all) ... but it is quite surprising that Lawson will. Lawson, many thought, had a guarantee from the Denver Nuggets that he'd be taken with their #20 pick if still available (both the team and Lawson denied this). Also, Lawson had the look of a guy that just didn't want to come back to the school and had his mind made up to go.
Lawson also had that little arrest in Chapel Hill that many thought would sour the already perceived strained relationship he had with the school. He most likely will deal with some sort of punishment from coach Roy Williams and will definitely hear it at opposing ACC arenas.
If this is true, UNC will be the overwhelming favorite to win the NCAA Tournament next year. They would return everyone except reserve guard Quentin Thomas and reserve center Alex Stepheson (transferring closer to his L.A. home for family issues). The Heels also return reigning player of the year Tyler Hansbrough, get back the injured Bobby Frasor and welcome in McDonald's All Americans Ed Davis, Tyler Zeller and Larry Drew.
UPDATE:ESPN.com is reporting that Ellington and Green have officially taken their names out of the draft ... but are awaiting word on Lawson's intentions.
Right now, they are getting a lot of heat (and some love) over the stunt on message boards and blogs.
Yes, these kinds of things go on at colleges. Anyone who's been in college has seen or participated in some stupid stuff ... especially once the spring semester ends and everyone is looking forward to a summer off. These guys are student-athletes and they have the same academic pressures as the rest of the student body.
However, these two are in college because of their physical gifts. Seeing Frasor up there was puzzling. He missed most of the past season after tearing up his knee. If Ty Lawson stays in the NBA Draft, Frasor inherits this team and will be counted on heavily. Seems like jumping off a balcony and into a pool isn't the best way to rehab that injury.
As for Hansbrough, I'm sure it just adds to his "Psycho T" legend. However, it is dumb for the defending Player of the Year to spend the offseason leaping off stuff like that. Whether he will be successful in the NBA or not, some team will draft him and, in turn, pay him lots and lots of money. It's really scary that he would risk all of that for his "I am a golden god" moment.
North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson will miss a third straight game with a high ankle sprain. He will sit for Tuesday night's game against Virginia and it is unknown when he will play again.
Senior Quentin Thomas has been starting in his place with mixed results. At times, he's looked pretty good. At other times, he is very erratic and turnover prone. Junior Bobby Frasor is out for the season with a torn ACL suffered in December.
Thomas had been backed up by Marcus Ginyard ... the Tar Heels' starting small forward. Now comes word that he won't play against Virginia either. Ginyard, who has been nursing a sprained left big toe, twisted his ankle in the first half against Clemson on Sunday. There is a possibility that he may suit up, but it is doubtful that he'll play.
That means that North Carolina has no other real options at point guard. Sophomore transfer Marc Campbell could be a possibility. Campbell has played in just twelve games this season (all of 20 minutes), mostly in garbage time. He has scored five points and dished out two assists all season long.
Normally, being a bit short against the last place team in the ACC isn't a big deal, but Virginia's point guard is some guy named Sean Singletary ... who is one of the top scorers in the ACC.
Somewhere along the way, someone convinced North Carolina coach Roy Williams that he should always open with a joke.
GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Risking criticism that he acts more like a wannabe sports-talk caller than a fix-the-nation savior, President Obama -- Barry from Bethesda? -- filled out a March Madness bracket this week. Like the rest of us, he made a mad mess of the thing, reassessing and scratching out names. One of his original decisions, for instance, involved North Carolina losing to Pitt in the Final Four and Louisville winning the national championship.
When No. 3 North Carolina visits No. 4 Wake Forest tonight both teams will be bringing in two impressive winning streaks.
This week, FanHouse is taking an early look at the top teams heading into 2008 with a BlogPoll decided on by our college hoops bloggers. To help with the team capsules, we've brought in some of the top fan bloggers around the internets to give us insights on their teams..jpg)
All around Tar Heel Nation, there are smiles. Ever since April, it has been rare to see such an occassion (with the obvious exception of Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough's decision to not go into the NBA Draft). There was the blowout to Kansas in the Final Four, 
North Carolina point guard 
