Hoya Heaven, Carolina Blues

After having to come from behind to defeat Boston College, then needing a fantastic shot by Jeff Greene to take down Vanderbilt, Georgetown once again provided the drama on Sunday night in shocking North Carolina. With 6:02 left in the second half, the Hoyas trailed 75-65 before mounting a furious comeback. Georgetown outscored the Tar Heels 16-6 to tie the game at 81 at the end of regulation. During the Georgetown comeback, CBS analyst Billy Packer threw out a prophetic warning – Carolina was 0 for their last 6 in overtime games. The Tar Heels didn’t have a prayer.

The Georgetown defense, missing for the first 30 minutes of the game, overwhelmed UNC down the stretch. In overtime, the Tar Heels were completely lost on offense, playing at a frantic pace without running anything that resembled a half-court set. They were in complete panic mode like a boxer who had just been stunned by a right cross and then realized he’d been cut. The Tar Heels didn’t know how to react once Georgetown opened the wound.

All season long, the “experts” raved about Carolina’s 10 man rotation and how their depth gave them an enormous advantage at the end of the game. Not this time. During crunch time it was the Tar Heels who wilted under the late game pressure. It doesn’t make a difference how many guys you play if you don’t play defense or make shots. The Tar Heels rely on outscoring opponents by getting out on the break for high percentage shots. Carolina’s perimeter shooting is mediocre at best and their defense has been a concern all season. While Carolina racked up the points in the first half and had a huge advantage at the free throw line they allowed Georgetown to shoot 58% from the field keeping the Hoyas in the game.

Down the stretch, when the game became a half court battle North Carolina’s flaws were exposed. Defensively, Carolina couldn’t stop Georgetown and on offense they couldn’t throw the ball in the ocean. That Tar Heels fans, is how a 10 point lead turned into a 12 point defeat in a matter of 11 minutes. Make that 0 for their last 7 in overtime.