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Pride at stake for Heels

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Posted: Monday January 31, 2000 06:23 PM

By Albert Lin, CNNSI.com

	• Our New Favorite Player • High Five/Riding the Pine • Storylines • Don't Miss It • Brendan Haywood Watch

The college basketball world's collective eyes will be fixed on one place Thursday night: Chapel Hill, N.C. Shortly after 9 p.m., the NCAA's top rivalry tips off, with Duke visiting North Carolina.

This is one matchup for which you can truly throw out the records. And in 2000, that would mainly mean Carolina's. The Tar Heels recently ended a four-game skid with back-to-back wins over Maryland and Georgia Tech, but the talented and disciplined Blue Devils are another matter. Duke has matured remarkably quickly, and the Blue Devils have more skill and better leadership.

That does not mean, though, that UNC has no chance. Any team with a dynamic point guard ( Ed Cota ), a legitimate 7-footer in the middle ( Brendan Haywood ), athletic perimeter players ( Joseph Forte and Jason Capel ), and a potent low-post scorer (Kris Lang ) is a threat. North Carolina's woes have stemmed from injury (Lang), uninspired play (Haywood), unexpected personnel losses ( Vasco Evtimov, Ron Curry, Jason Parker ) and, perhaps, too-high expectations. If we are sure about one thing, however, it's that the Heels have players.

This is a chance for North Carolina to make a huge statement -- to prove that its losing streak was a hiccup, not a virus; that this is not a lost season; and that it still has the acumen to finish in the top three of the ACC, which it has done for a remarkable 35 straight years. When one team comes in as a prohibitive favorite, the other team's fans have extra reason to get fired up. The Dean Dome's notoriously passive audience -- famously termed "a wine-and-cheese crowd" by then-Florida State guard Sam Cassell -- should accept the challenge to duplicate the homecourt advantage Duke carries into every game at Cameron.

The Blue Devils have been cruising along since opening the season with two losses, and they show no signs of slowing down. But this is just the kind of game that could prove to be a speed bump.

Etan Thomas, sr., C, Syracuse

This guy is starting to resemble Alonzo Mourning -- another undersized, shot-blocking center with a hulking frame who was considered raw offensively coming out of college. Does Thomas have the tenaciousness that has helped make Mourning a Dream Teamer? Not yet, but he could certainly develop that bulldog attitude. Thomas' rebounding and defense are what will make him an NBA first-rounder, but to become more than a role player he'll have to expand his offensive repertoire, which right now mainly consists of putbacks and transition buckets.

HIGH FIVE Damon Stringer: Former third-team All-Big Ten pick at Ohio State is on scoring tear, tossing in 47 and 30 last week in two Cleveland State wins.

HIGH FIVE Fresno State: Scores arguably biggest win of Jerry Tarkanian's second tenure by knocking off No. 13 Tulsa.

HIGH FIVE LSU: Could this be the turning point? Young squad demolishes Arizona behind 29 from Stromile Swift.

HIGH FIVE Larry Eustachy: Has Iowa State sitting atop Big 12 after KO of Kansas, and is showing the recruiting touch predecessor Tim Floyd possessed.

HIGH FIVE Oregon: Completes sweep of conference's Los Angeles schools to take share of Pac-10 lead.

RIDING THE PINE Auburn: We could've given Tennessee a High Five, but watching the Tigers flounder is too much fun.

RIDING THE PINE NCAA: New rule allows officials to use replay at end of game -- but Big 12 ref Charles Range remains suspended for doing so before the change.

RIDING THE PINE Brad Millard: Showed so much promise against Tim Duncan in NCAAs three years ago, but hasn't been able to shake foot problems since.

RIDING THE PINE Northwestern: A return appearance for scoring 29 points -- total -- in back half of home-and-home with Michigan State.

RIDING THE PINE Clemson: Two days after upsetting N.C. State, Tigers are outscored 58-16 in first half at Duke.

RIDING THE PINE Lester Earl: Why is he still at Kansas? We would've booted him after his DUI/speeding/driving with a suspended license arrest.

Losing his luster

Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe was in good favor with his young team's surprising 12-3 start. But in the last two weeks he's raised a few eyebrows by: 1) severely limiting access to players after rumors surfaced about freshman Jamal Crawford's possible desire to transfer (at one press conference, when LaVell Blanchard was asked how his ankle was doing, he first turned to the SID to ask, "Is it all right to talk?"); 2) apparently arranging for a student not to press charges if items allegedly stolen by junior Brandon Smith were returned. The student subsequently denied the details, which were in the police report about the incident. With the team's on-court fortunes probably turning after playing Michigan State and Ohio State this week, attention may continue to focus off the court.

Strange brew

A host of improbables -- Dayton, Indiana State, Iowa State, Oregon, Tulane -- currently occupy first place in their conferences. Will any of these clubs actually be able to hold off traditional powers and win their league titles?

Wizened

Temple has won eight of nine games following the return of point guard Pepe Sanchez, and seems to be back on track. Tests loom against Maryland (Feb. 13) and Cincinnati (Feb. 20), after which we should know if the Owls are the serious tournament threat -- and potential Final Four team -- many of us thought they'd be.

New Mexico at Utah, Monday, 11:58 p.m. ET

The Lobos have underachieved, seemingly struggling to get used to new coach Fran Fraschilla. But they are not without talent, and a national TV appearance should fire them up. But will it be enough?

Tennessee at Kentucky, Tuesday, 9 p.m.

Two SEC clubs that seem to have hit their strides square off for the East Division lead. We'll go out on a limb and pick the pseudo-upset, with the upstart Vols breaking through in Lexington.

Oregon at Arizona, Thursday, 8:30 p.m.

Surprise Pac-10 co-leader Oregon ventures to Tucson to face Arizona, which is coming off a stunning loss at LSU. Poor Ducks.

Connecticut at Michigan State, Saturday, 1 p.m.

One of the best matchups of the year, with two Final Four clubs squaring off. UConn has run hot and cold all season, so we'll go with the Spartans, who have Mateen Cleaves back in a groove.

In the tradition of last season's William Avery Watch, we return to Tobacco Road to follow the trials and tribulations of another underachieving player whose improvement is crucial to his team's success. This 7-footer grabbed one rebound in the final two games of last season (losses to Duke in the ACC Tournament and Weber State in the NCAA Tournament), covering 57 minutes of playing time.

1999-00 stats: 13.3 pts., 6.5 rebs., 2.5 blks. in 27.8 minutes per game

Haywood was, dare we say, instrumental in the Tar Heels' two games last week -- matching his career high with 24 points as UNC broke its four-game losing streak with a veritable rout of Maryland, and then putting up 12 points and eight rebounds in a win over Georgia Tech's two behemoths. He shot 12-for-15 in the two games. But will he take another step backwards when the Blue Devils come calling?

Come back every Monday afternoon for a new College Basketball Week at a Glance.

 

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