March 25, 2007

By Lauren Brownlow

The Basics

No. 1 seed North Carolina (31-6) will face No. 2 seed Georgetown (29-6) in the East Region Final and the winner will advance to the Final Four. It will be Carolina's 38th game of the season, which ties a school record. Carolina is 4-4 against Georgetown overall and 4-2 since the 1980's. Carolina is 2-0 against Georgetown in the NCAA Tournament and 2-1 against the Hoyas in the postseason as Georgetown knocked Carolina out of the NIT in the third round in 2003.

Carolina is 6-1 in NCAA Tournament games in East Rutherford and 12-3 overall. Carolina has not lost in the Elite 8 since 1988. Roy Williams is 5-1 in Elite 8 games as a head coach. This is Roy Williams's first game as a head coach against Georgetown.

Game Time: North Carolina vs. Georgetown, 5:05 p.m.

Last Time: On March 26, 2003, Georgetown beat Carolina in the NIT quarterfinals, 79-74 in Chapel Hill. Georgetown's Drew Hall hit a three-pointer with 58 seconds left that gave Georgetown a 73-70 lead, and the Hoyas made all their free throws down the stretch. The Tar Heels went up 48-40 with 15:42 left in the game, and Georgetown responded with a 22-4 run to give the Hoyas a 62-52 lead with 8:23 left. Carolina scored 16 points to tie the game with 2:03 left. Rashad McCants scored 14 of Carolina's 16 points during that stretch, including the game-tying shot.

McCants had 26 points to lead Carolina, and Jawad Williams added 19 points. Raymond Felton had 11 points and 11 assists. Mike Sweetney had 22 points and Gerald Riley also had 22 points to lead the Hoyas. Brandon Bowman added 12 points and he and Sweetney each had three steals.

Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 4 p.m.

Injury Report: Tyler Hansbrough will practice with a mask, but will likely play without it. Reyshawn Terry played last Saturday night despite suffering from migraines. He was diagnosed with strep throat on Monday and has not participated in practice all week. He played just five minutes against USC and should play against Georgetown but it is not yet known how limited his time will be.

Storylines

Offensive patience: Carolina had 20 points in the paint in the first half against Southern Cal but took 12 out of 40 shots from the three-point line, making only two. The Tar Heels ended the game with 50 of 74 points scored in the paint and 14 of 77 shots from behind the arc, just two three-pointers taken in the second half out of 37 shots. USC's defense attempted to force outside shots, and the Tar Heels disobeyed Roy Williams's cardinal rule: don't take what the defense gives you; take what you want.

"We're so focused on trying to get the basket inside by dribble or pass and not just be content to shoot the outside shot. Southern Cal does a great job of trying to get people to shoot the ball that they want to shoot the ball as opposed to the one that you want to. We were 2-of-12 from the three-point line and for me, I think that was too many for us," Coach Williams said.

Carolina generates 60% of its offense from two-point range, which leads the rest of the remaining NCAA field by a large margin. The next-closest team is UCLA, which scores 54.6% of its points from two-point range. Georgetown's opponents have been forced to generate only 48.1% of their points from two-point range. No teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament have held opponents to that low of a percentage of two-point field goals. Georgetown has forced opponents to score 31.9% of their points from the three-point line and 20% from the free-throw line.

Before Friday's games, Georgetown ranked fourth in the country in scoring defense and fifth in field-goal percentage defense. Georgetown is holding its opponents to 38.3% shooting and just 57.0 points per game. The Hoyas were also 24th in blocks per game (5.0) and 32nd in fouls per game with just 16.5. In Georgetown's six losses, its opponents have shot 43.6% as opposed to 37.2% in Georgetown wins. The Hoyas have also held opponents to 29.4% shooting beyond the arc as opposed to 37% in losses. Its opponents are also averaging just 55.2 points a game in Georgetown's wins and 65.8 points a game in Georgetown losses.

Georgetown does not force many turnovers to begin with (12.1 a game), but it plays solid, halfcourt defense perhaps most similar to that of Michigan State except that Georgetown has the athleticism to pressure a lot more on the perimeter. Carolina has attempted 14 or fewer three-pointers in 16 games this season and is 15-1 in such games, the lone loss coming at Georgia Tech when the 14 three-pointers still accounted for nearly 30% of Carolina's shot attempts. Ten of those 16 games have come in Carolina's last 14 games. Carolina will have to be very disciplined and patient to take what it wants against the stingy Georgetown defense, but as one of the best offensive teams in the country, the Tar Heels have a good shot at it.

Focused defense for 40 minutes: In the NCAA Tournament so far, Carolina has struggled defensively in the first half, allowing teams to shoot 46.7% from the field, 40% from the three-point line and score 36.7 points. However, in the second half, Carolina's increased defensive focus combined with the Tar Heel bench wearing down opponents has resulted in opponents shooting 37.9% from the field, 23.3% from the three-point line and averaging 28.7 points in the second half of NCAA Tournament games. In the second half, Carolina held USC to 22 points, the lowest by an opponent in a half since Carolina held Dayton to 18 points in the first half of the game on December 31. It was just the fifth half of 22 or fewer points all season by a Carolina opponent.

"We picked up on defense and we also were lucky that they missed a couple open shots. But for us to get better on the defensive end of the floor, that way it also got our break going, we got a couple of baskets on the break," Coach Williams said. "What we did in the second half is what we intended to do in the first half. If you guard your own man, where your teammates don't have to help you, then your defense is so much stronger. But we weren't doing a very good job in the first half. The kids really decided and they did a much better job in the second half."

Down by 10 with 11 minutes to go, Carolina went on an 18-0 run to take a 67-59 lead with 4:40 to go. Carolina forced five USC turnovers during that stretch and held USC to 0-of-8 shooting from the field.

"When our team can make spurts like that and play well enough on defense, we're really going to be hard to stop. Our guys did a great job at hitting the glass and hitting the boards on the defensive end by finishing the possession. That was great for us," Brandan Wright said.

Before Friday's games, Georgetown ranked fourth in the country in field-goal percentage at 50.5%. The Hoyas only average 68.5 points a game, but they are very deliberate on offense and only attempt 48.8 shots a game, compared to Carolina's 62.4. The Tar Heels will need to be very patient on defense and be able to both force turnovers to start the fastbreak and play defense for a full 35 seconds, if necessary.

"We've played against a lot of teams this year that wanted to control clock. Half the teams in our league wanted to slow down the tempo of the game because they didn't want to put it at our pace. So we've played against a lot of teams that tried to do that - maybe with not as unique a blend of Georgetown with all their cerebral approach and backdoor cuts and at the same time the power game with Green and Hibbert up front. If teams had the mix Georgetown has, they'd still be playing in the tournament, too. So it's a challenge for us but I tell our kids all the time we can win in the 50s and 60s, we just enjoy it more if it's in the 80s and 90s," Coach Williams said.

Rebounding: In Carolina's three NCAA Tournament games so far, it has outrebounded its opponents by an average of +13.3 rebounds a game, including an average edge of +6 on the defensive boards and +7.3 on the offensive glass. Carolina's 20 offensive rebounds against Southern Cal was the most since it had 21 against Virginia on January 10. Those 20 offensive rebounds against Southern Cal led to a whopping 30 second-chance points, including 18 in the second half on 13 offensive rebounds.

"We really pride ourselves by hitting the glass. We can't just stand behind guys, we've got to get around them, we've got to do what we need to do, push, scratch, claw to get the offensive rebound," Brandan Wright said.

Georgetown, however, will be a very tough team to rebound against. The Tar Heels will need to control the glass in this game and it will be one of their most difficult tasks to date. Before Friday's games, Georgetown was ranked 22nd in the country in rebounding margin. Georgetown has a +6.1 rebounding margin. Over the three NCAA Tournament games, the Hoyas have averaged a +9.3 rebounding edge over their opponents. The Hoyas have been outrebounded just eight times all season and are 4-4 in those games. Carolina has been outrebounded four times and is 1-3 in those games.

At The Game

Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The in-stadium frequency in the Meadowlands will likely be on or around 92.7 FM.

Watching At Home

Turn down the sound: If you're watching at home while listening to the radio or over the computer via Carolina All-Access, there will inevitably be some delay. For the reason - and a possible solution - click here.

A full list of THSN affiliates can be found here.

CBS coverage: The game will be available on CBS.

Names To Know

Ty Lawson: Lawson's four points against USC were his fewest since a two-point performance against Clemson and his 20% (2-of-10) shooting performance was his worst of the season. It was also Lawson's first game without a three-pointer in the NCAA Tournament. However, Lawson added seven rebounds, four assists, three steals, a block and just one turnover in 32 minutes (including 20 in the second half).

At the 13:29 mark, USC had taken a 53-41 lead and Lawson proceeded to dish out an assist to Reyshawn Terry to cut the lead to 53-43 with 13:23 left and then he stole the ball away from USC's Nick Young and in one second (literally, according to the box score) he converted it into a lay-up to bring Carolina to within eight at 53-45. He followed that up with a block with 10:31 left and a steal with 9:22 left and Carolina down just 59-54. He assisted a Brandan Wright basket with 6:03 left to put Carolina up 64-59 and rebounded the next two USC misses on the defensive end.

Lawson has shown an ability to break down the defense before and score over much taller defenders, but he will see one of the tallest he has seen all season in the 7-2 Roy Hibbert. Georgetown likes to play a slow, deliberate style and the point guard will need all his savvy to know when and how to best exploit the patient Georgetown defense.

Tyler Hansbrough: Hansbrough's five points against Southern Cal were a career-low. However, the sophomore All-American stepped up in other areas, drawing two charging fouls on Southern Cal. USC's defense was focused on shutting down Hansbrough and rather than trying to force the issue, Hansbrough instead concentrated on doing the little things to help the team. Hansbrough's four offensive rebounds were his lowest of the NCAA Tournament so far, but Hansbrough has had at least one offensive rebound in every postseason game (including the ACC Tournament) so far except for the NC State game.

Hansbrough has had five games scoring in single-digits this season, and all but one were followed by double figure efforts. His nine-point performance against Gonzaga was followed by a 27-point performance against Tennessee, and his 7-point performance against Kentucky was followed by a 24-point performance against High Point. He followed up a six-point, four-rebound performance in the opening round of the ACC Tournament (his first game post-nose break) with a 9-point, 13-rebound performance against Boston College and followed up that game with 15 points against NC State.

Hansbrough will have the tough assignment of both having to guard and having to go up against the 7-2 Roy Hibbert of Georgetown. Hansbrough is the ultimate competitor and will not give up, and Carolina will need not only his offense but his defense against the skilled Georgetown front line.

Reyshawn Terry: It's still not yet known just how much Terry will be able to play against Georgetown. Terry has not practiced all week and has lost quite a bit of weight from not being able to eat solid food most of the week. Despite the illness, Terry came in for five minutes and had nine points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field (1-of-2 from the three-point line). In just a shade under two minutes, Terry came in and dished out an assist, made a jumper and failed to convert a three-point play in the first half. He came in again at the 4:30 mark in the first half and made a lay-up and went 1-for-2 on three-pointers. He came in for another brief second-half stint and made another lay-up and missed a jumper in less than a minute.

Terry is shooting a red-hot 64% from the field and 41.7% from the three-point line in the NCAA Tournament so far, averaging 13.7 points a game and 2.3 rebounds. Terry would be the ideal defensive match-up for Georgetown's Jeff Green, as the two are both around the same height and have somewhat similar skill sets. Terry is also one of Carolina's best defensive players. Without Terry's three-point shooting against USC, the Tar Heels were just 1-of-10 from beyond the arc. Carolina will need Terry on both ends of the floor against the Hoyas.

"I think it's huge for us because Reyshawn is one of our better players, more experienced. I think it will help us a great deal. If you have Reyshawn, that does give you another offensive threat because he can shoot the ball from the three-point line, he can take the ball to the basket and at times this year he's been one of our better defensive players," Coach Williams said. "So it helps us, but I don't think it will be a drastic change because, again, when we played Saturday and Reyshawn didn't go through any practices until shoot-around yesterday because he's been so sick. So there just wasn't a lot of gas in his tank. How much better he's going to be by tomorrow, I personally don't think it's going to be a real appreciable difference."

Marcus Ginyard: Ginyard got his first start of the season against USC, replacing the ill Reyshawn Terry and came through for Carolina. Ginyard had 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting from the field and added a career-high nine rebounds.

"I've talked all year about this team and the way that everybody has got to be ready for that opportunity because everybody has always talked about playing time and things like that. I've always talked about how that never bothered this team. This team has always had the mindset that when your number's called you're going to be ready to go in, give your team a positive lift. So in regards to last night's start, it really didn't change my mindset at all," Ginyard said.

Like the player he was replacing in the starting line-up has been doing lately, Ginyard made up for struggling early on by coming up huge in the clutch. Ginyard ended the first half 0-of-3 from the field and two defensive rebounds with two fouls and a turnover. He missed his first two shots of the second half but would not miss another until a minute remained in the game. At the 11:03 mark in the second half with Carolina down 59-49, Ginyard got his first offensive rebound and tipped in his first points since a free throw less than a minute into the game. A minute and a half later, Ginyard tipped it in again on an offensive rebound and converted the three-point play to bring the score to 59-54. With 7:41 to go, Ginyard grabbed two offensive rebounds on one possession and tipped in the second one to bring Carolina within one at 59-58.

"I have a tremendous amount of confidence that he's going to make a positive play. I really believe that. You probably remember, most of the time when I think about him, it's an offensive rebound, it's a defensive stop, or it's a defensive steal like it was against Neitzel and Michigan State," Coach Williams said.

But it wasn't Ginyard's first time making a big play for the Tar Heels in this NCAA Tournament. Against Michigan State, Carolina was ahead just 64-61 with 5:11 to go when Ginyard reached in and snatched the ball away from Michigan State's Drew Neitzel. Ty Lawson dropped in a three-pointer on the other end to bring the score to 67-61 with 4:52 to go. Ginyard's steal ignited what would become a 17-6 run to end the game for Carolina.

"He brings a lot of energy to us, a guy that can really do a lot of things on defense. He's our best talker by far. He keeps us organized and situated on defense. He goes hard. He crashes the boards hard. It's just a plus when he comes in the game," Brandan Wright said.

In the NCAA Tournament so far, Ginyard has shot 41.7% from the field and averaged 4.7 points per game, 5.0 rebounds (2.3 offensive), 1.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 29.0 minutes a game. Ginyard will need to continue to set the tone for the Tar Heels with his constant energy and hustle against Georgetown, a team that will not let up.

Jeff Green: The 6-9 junior forward had 15 points in Georgetown's East Regional semifinal win over Vanderbilt, but none were more important than his game-winning shot with about two seconds left. Green shot 7-of-11 from the field and had four rebounds, three assists, one steal and one turnover in 40 minutes.

The Big East Player of the Year has averaged 14.2 points a game for the Hoyas (leading the team), 6.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks and has shot 50.6% from the field. Of the four Hoyas who have made 30 or more three-pointers, Green's 37.6% ranks second on the team and he averages 1.0 made three-pointers per game. In the six postseason games so far, however, Green has made just 1-of-12 three-pointers.

In Georgetown's wins, Green is shooting 52.4% from the field and is shooting 37.2% in losses. Green also shoots 39.5% from the three-point line and averages 15.6 points a game in Georgetown's wins compared to 21.4% from the three-point line and 7.7 points per game in the losses. In the postseason so far (including the Big East Tournament), Green is averaging 17.3 points a game (including a 30-point performance in the semifinals against Notre Dame) and 7.5 rebounds (2.5 offensive). In the NCAA Tournament so far, Green is averaging 13.7 points a game, 6.3 rebounds (2.3 offensive), 1.7 assists and 1.7 blocks. He has also shot 53.1% from the field and 87.5% from the foul line.

Green is one of the most versatile forwards in college basketball. He can score effectively, hand the ball well, shoot it well and plays very good defense. Green is only the second Hoya ever to score 1,000 points and get 600 rebounds and 300 assists.

Roy Hibbert: The 7-2 junior is among the top five in the country in field-goal percentage, shooting 67.3% from the field. He is averaging 12.7 points a game, 6.8 rebounds (2.7 offensive), and 2.4 blocks in 26.3 minutes per game.

"I think it's not just his size; he's gifted. He's talented. He's gotten better and better, he's worked extremely hard. It's a factor, there's no question about that. I thought yesterday in the Vanderbilt game, I was able to watch part of the second half and then I watched it on tape last night after I got back in. I thought early in the second half he was the most dominant factor in the game at that point. But there are not many of those guys running around 7-0, 7-2, and very few of them with the skill that he has," Coach Williams said.

Hibbert's field-goal percentage has remained fairly constant in Georgetown's wins (67.4%) and losses (66.7%), but he is averaging 13.6 points a game in wins compared to 8.5 in losses, and also pulling down just 7.3 rebounds (2.9 offensive) in wins and 4.0 rebounds (1.7 offensive) in losses. Hibbert has been neutralized before, as sometimes he is not assertive enough. In Georgetown's wins, Hibbert is averaging 7.6 field-goal attempts compared to just 5.5 in losses. Whoever is guarding the big man will have to work diligently to keep Hibbert away from the basket.

In postseason play so far, Hibbert has shot 61.5% from the field and averaged 12.8 points per game, 8.7 rebounds (3.8 offensive), 1.3 assists, 2.2 blocks and just 1 turnover in 27.2 minutes. In the three NCAA Tournament games, Hibbert is averaging 11.7 points a game and shooting 51.7% from the field, adding 11.7 rebounds (6.3 offensive), 1.7 assists, 1.7 blocks, 3.3 fouls and 1.0 turnovers in 27.7 minutes.

Hibbert has been a very effective safeguard for the Hoya guards so far this season if they are beaten off the dribble. Against Vanderbilt, Hibbert had 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and added ten rebounds, (five offensive) and failed to record a block for just the third time this season. He also fouled out for just the second time this season. Carolina will need to take it at Hibbert early - and often - in order to duplicate that.

Jonathan Wallace: Against Vanderbilt, Wallace had 8 points, including two three-pointers, and added three rebounds, four assists and no turnovers. The 6-1 junior is one of only three Hoyas to average more than 30 minutes a game (31.9) and ranks third on the team in scoring with 10.9 points per game. Wallace shoots 49.8% from the field and 86.8% from the free-throw line, and leads the team in three-pointers made and, of those who have made more than 30 three-pointers, he leads the team in three-point shooting percentage at 47.8%. His 3.0 assists per game rank third on the team.

In Georgetown's wins, he is shooting 52% from the floor and 50.9% from the three-point line and is shooting 41.5% from the field and 33.3% from the three-point line in the Hoyas' losses. Wallace is also averaging 3.2 assists and 2.0 turnovers in Georgetown wins as opposed to 2.2 assists and 4.0 turnovers in the losses. In the postseason so far, Wallace is shooting 50% from the field and 51.9% from the three-point line, averaging 2.3 made three-pointers a game. He also has 20 assists to just four turnovers. In the NCAA Tournament so far, Wallace is shooting 47.6% from the field and 50% from the three-point line, averaging 2.0 made three-pointers a game, adding 9.7 points a game, and eight assists to just one turnover.

DaJuan Summers: The 6-8 freshman is one of only two starters to average fewer than 30 minutes a game (26.0), in large part due to the fact that he did not play much in the beginning of the year. In Georgetown's first 12 games, Summers averaged 19.5 minutes a game. In the last 23 games, he has averaged 29.4 minutes and has not played fewer than 20 minutes since the first 12-game stretch.

Summers has shot 43.6% from the field, 36.4% from the three-point line and averaged 9.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in Georgetown's wins. In the Hoyas' losses, Summers has shot 30% from the field, 19% from the three-point line and averaged 6.8 points and 2.7 rebounds.

In the postseason so far, Summers has shot 36.2% from the field and 35.7% from the three-point line, averaging 1.7 made three-pointers a game. He has also added 10.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 29.7 minutes a game. In the NCAA Tournament so far, Summers has played 28.3 minutes per game and shot 30% from the field and 30.8% from the three-point line, averaging 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks. Despite the shooting struggles, Summers had 15 points against Vanderbilt on 5-of-13 shooting (3-of-4 from beyond the arc) and added seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks.

Quotables

"But these kids, most of my guys think Michael (Jordan) invented the game. They don't know anything about (James) Naismith. They think he's related to Coach (Dean) Smith." -Roy Williams

"I was a little superstitious. I kept a candy bar in my pocket before every game down the stretch and I would always buy it at the arena. Believe it or not, the Super Dome in New Orleans in 1982 didn't sell candy, and so I went to one of the gates and I walked out and went across the street in New Orleans to buy a candy bar. I came back to the door and the person, the guard that was there had changed and they weren't going to let me come back in. My biggest memory is how dadgum scared I was. Here I am helping coach a team in the national championship game and I'm not even going to get into the freaking arena." -Roy Williams

"I ate at one restaurant Thursday night, I'm going back there tonight and it's not because I'm superstitious, I just like the food. I've been married to the same woman for 34 years, and I've got the same putter I started using 37 years ago. The way we prepare and the way we get into the tournament, I sort of like what we're doing. We'll add a few things because times have changed. When I first started, we didn't jump around like a mosh pit in the locker room like we started probably in about 2002 in Kansas. I still believe in doing some things to get them focused on one game at a time. That saying if you look down the road of who you may play next, that's where I think you're going, down the road back home. I really haven't changed very much, but I do think you need to change the times a little bit." -Roy Williams

"Last night we jumped around in the locker room. I got mad at Dewey Burke because he got me with a left hook right in the jaw. I told him he had a punch like a little wimp because it didn't hurt." -Roy Williams

"I remember the `81 game when we lost to Indiana. I saw Booker Turner, who was one of the officials in the game, probably about four years ago at Michael Jordan's fantasy camp. I said, `Don't talk to me, I'm still ticked at you.' He's the one that made two ridiculous calls against James. So I remember a lot of those games with a great deal of clarity. He said `You still remember that?' I said, `Yeah, and I hold a grudge, too, so don't forget that part of it.'" -Roy Williams

"You may remember that Sam (Perkins) said `I don't even know what conference Georgia is in,' and they ended up beating us. I said, `Ask me; don't make that kind of statement.'" -Roy Williams

Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.