D.C. debacle

Yes, so Jimmy and I, after years of wisely insulationg ourselves from emotional damage, naively pushed aside our reservations and pessimism and emotionally (and FINANCIALLY) invested in our Tar Heels. We travled to D.C. to catch the ACC Tourney.

As you all know, things could not have been any worse. Well, I take that back. At about 1:30 on Friday, things were looking unbelievably bleak. However, fter a miraculous comeback saved us from the tenacious throes of the indefatigable Clemson Tigers in the first round, I declared that I would ask nothing more of the weekend. And that's what I got. We proceeded to lose to GT, and of course, had the utmost joy and pleasure of watching dook cruise to yet another ACC championship. So yes, the weekend pretty much blew. (caveat: staying with Wendy at College Park and all other non-basketball related things like eating good food and seeing the new WWII memorial and learning the Metro was a lot of fun).

Still, it was not as crushing to the ego as past defeats, which is somewhat surprising to me particularly considering the stage, manner of play, and level of attachment involved in the defeat. While I very well might simply be searching for another mechanism for ego-protection, I give you my justification for not being completely despondent about our loss:

1. I kind of saw it coming. We haven't played well for a LONG time, going back at least to the State home game. We haven't been sharp, on point, finely tuned since then.

2. We had a No. 1 seed wrapped up.

3. I knew GaTech was really good. If I wasn't such a UNC homer, I would've picked the "upset." While I'm not sure if they have another NCAA run in them, GaTech is legitimately one of the top 10-12 teams in the country, IMO. They play great defense, and if anyone is on (Bynum, Elder, or Jack), they have a very, very good chance of winning.

4. Our chemistry is all out of whack. With Rashad out, May became the clear focus, and when Rashad came back, we seemed kind of lost. Felton had to dominate Clemson, further complicating things. And May plain sucked this weekend. So I think a loss might help us iron this stuff out, knowing that we can't just win "any way" but have to follow the formula that has proven itself successful all year.

5. Melvin sucks, and at some point it was gonna cost us. Bynum for 35 would be that time.

6. Honestly, I was a little worried about running the table from our loss in Cameron till St. Louis. I never like losing, but ACC reg season (especially the way we did it, without Rashad and the heroics against dook), ACC tourney, and NCAA tourney is a lot to ask. This team had/has the capability to do it, but it was a tough proposition.

So yeah, a loss CAN be good. We need to use it though. We need to totally refocus. Start playing the tough ass D that marked the first part of our season, the kind that littered the court with turnovers by our opponents early. Jump out to demoralizing leads early like we used to. Actually get fast breaks again. Play like we did in Maui, against MD and GT at home, get back to our peak level. Find the appropriate balance with Sean, Ray and Rashad, and get Marvin and Jawad to chip in smoothly. I don't know if we would have done this without losing, and I don't know if we'll do it now. But it needs to happen if IT's gonna happen.