Tar Heel Blue – University of North Carolina junior forward John Henson, sophomore forward Harrison Barnes and sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall will enter the 2012 NBA Draft.
“It’s a great day for three youngsters who are taking another step toward their ultimate goal of playing professional basketball,” says head coach Roy Williams. “On a very small stage, it’s a sad day for me because I won’t get to coach them again. All Tar Heel fans will miss them greatly, as well.
Harrison Barnes hadn’t cracked double figures for two straight games while North Carolina’s performances ranged from flat to disinterested against overmatched opponents.
On Wednesday night, against a team that had beaten them the past two years, the Tar Heels (No. 6 ESPN/USA Today, No. 5 AP) displayed the talented, fast-paced and — most importantly — focused form that everyone expected this season.
Barnes scored a season-high 26 points to help North Carolina beat Texas 82-63 for its fifth straight win. The Tar Heels (11-2) avenged last season’s last-second loss to the Longhorns in their last major nonconference game before opening Atlantic Coast Conference play against Boston College on Jan. 7.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Pushed and pressured all day, Anthony Davis finally went somewhere else no one could on the floor. Up.
The freshman soared to block John Henson’s shot in the final seconds and No. 1 Kentucky held on to beat No. 5 North Carolina 73-72 on Saturday to extend the Wildcats’ home winning streak to 39 games.
“I just jumped as high as I could with my arm up,” said Davis, who had seven points and nine rebounds. “I thought I probably would (block it). I have long hands.”
Freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Kentucky (8-0) and Doron Lamb added 12 of his 14 points after halftime in the heavily hyped matchup.
“I didn’t realize, because I hadn’t been watching much TV, that this game was being played up like the end alls of end alls,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said.
Davis sure ended it, all right.
Reggie Bullock hit a 3-pointer for North Carolina (6-2) to cut the Wildcats’ lead to 73-72 with 48 seconds left. After freshman Marquis Teague missed the front end of a one-and-one, Davis blocked Henson’s shot, grabbed the rebound and the Wildcats ran out the clock.
“If he doesn’t block the shot, we lose,” Calipari said. “Both teams gutted it out, just gutted it out. This is supposed to be March, not now. I’m exhausted.”
Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes scored 14 points apiece for the Tar Heels, who led by as many as nine in the first half and held a six-point lead in the second before Kentucky rallied.
The Wildcats haven’t lost at Rupp Arena since Calipari took over, a span of 38 games that includes winning their final one at home under Billy Gillispie.
Lamb converted a three-point play as part of a 7-0 run that gave Kentucky a 63-60 lead. After Zeller hit a jumper to cut it to one, Lamb hit a pair of 3s, the second in the corner that gave the Wildcats a 69-64 lead with 3:47 left.
“He had a couple of layups, a couple of threes and they were big shots, they were big shots. That one in the corner was a huge shot and he knocked it down,” Calipari said. “I’ve got good players. We’re young, we’re inexperienced, but I have really good players.”
After a 3-pointer by Barnes, North Carolina’s 11th of the game, made it 69-67. Darius Miller’s basket made it 71-67. Henson hit two free throws and Kidd-Gilchrist answered with two more before Bullock’s 3 set up the final sequence.
After Teague missed the front end of the one-and-one following a foul by Kendall Marshall with 21 seconds left, the Tar Heels had one more chance.
Marshall found Zeller and as Terrence Jones came to double team, he found Henson. Henson went up for a winner, but Davis used his 6-foot-10 frame and massive wingspan to block the ball. He grabbed the rebound as North Carolina never tried to foul as time expired.
“He came from the other side of the lane, it was a great play by him,” Henson said.
Jones finished with 14 points and Miller had 12 for the Wildcats. North Carolina’s P.J. Hairston scored 11 and Henson finished with 10.
Kentucky last reached No. 1 under Calipari in 2009-10, but promptly lost its first game after receiving the ranking. The Wildcats beat St. John’s 81-59 on Thursday night before this matchup – the first between top five teams in Lexington in 13 years.
Last year, these two teams played a pair of memorable games with North Carolina winning 75-73 in Chapel Hill before Kentucky topped the Tar Heels 76-69 in the NCAA regional finals in March.
This one was equally as entertaining even though North Carolina slipped from the No. 1 spot last week when they lost to UNLV in Las Vegas to keep this from being the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the 35-year history of Rupp Arena.
The Tar Heels committed five early turnovers, but Hairston, who had been questionable to play because of a sprained left wrist, hit a pair of 3-pointers upon entering to give North Carolina a 24-18 lead.
A jumper by Barnes extended it to 34-25, the biggest deficit the Wildcats faced this season and Kentucky trailed at the half for the first time this season, 43-38.
It’s the first time the two schools have met this highly ranked since Dec. 26, 1981 in East Rutherford, N.J., when Michael Jordan, James Worthy and Sam Perkins combined for 66 points in North Carolina’s 82-69 victory.
Kentucky standout Sam Bowie didn’t play in that game because of a stress fracture in his left leg, but that game still featured 18 draft picks – including five that went in the first two rounds. The NBA draft was 10 rounds through 1984.
This matchup had even more media anticipation and included more than two dozen NBA scouts and front office personnel. Kentucky’s young squad that starts three freshmen and two sophomores responded.
“We felt like this was a good test to see where we’re at against one of the best teams in the country,” Miller said. “We came out with a W. I think we’re all pretty happy about it.”
© 2011 The Associated Press
Kendall Marshall scored four points, but had 14 assists and six steals with, with one turnover to help top-ranked North Carolina beat South Carolina 87-62 in the third round of the Las Vegas Invitational Friday night.
“Kendall, I thought was sensational,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. “Those are the kinds of stats that really important to our team.”
Harrison Barnes had 21 points and five rebounds, and P.J. Hairston had 19 to lead North Carolina (5-0), who will face will face UNLV (6-0) in the championship game Saturday night.
Story from ESPN.com
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Harrison Barnes is considered the best player on the top-ranked team in the nation. This time he’s ready for all the expectations that come with those accolades.
The confident North Carolina sophomore talks like a wily veteran — far more at ease than when big expectations dogged him before he had even played a game for the Tar Heels.
Barnes can even joke a bit about the bumpy start to his college career.
“Obviously it wasn’t to the level I wanted to play,” Barnes said in an interview with the The Associated Press. “But you just had to keep working. It was finally nice that everyone could stop asking ‘What was the problem?’ … (But ) we’re doing the same thing again this year. I keep hearing ‘What happened last year?’”
What happened last year was Barnes became the first freshman named preseason AP All-American and then stumbled out the gate. But he rebounded, eventually adjusting to the college game to lead the Tar Heels to within one game of another Final Four appearance.
Now — a preseason All-American once again — he’s stronger after adding about 15 pounds and knows he’s likely already endured the toughest times of his college career. He passed on the NBA draft despite being a likely top-10 pick, returning to a team with all five starters back and a No. 1 ranking heading into Friday’s opener against Michigan State in the Carrier Classic.
Many unchecked boxes are still lingering from last year on a to-do list for the goal-driven Barnes.
“Not a lot of goals were met, I’ll say that much,” Barnes said with a chuckle. “But it was good though, because obviously it gives me a lot of motivation for this year.”
Barnes struggled with his shot and turnovers early as he adjusted to college before taking a huge leap in mid-January. He averaged 11.8 points and shot 37 percent through the first 19 games, then averaged 19.7 points and shot 46 percent in the last 18.
That, along with Kendall Marshall’s promotion to starting point guard, changed everything for a team that looked lost after a 20-point defeat at Georgia Tech. North Carolina won 12 of 13 to chase down Duke for the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title.
Along the way, Barnes proved clutch with last-second 3-pointers to win at Miami and Florida State. He also had a freshman-record 40 points in the ACC tournament against Clemson.
“He had a transition period like every other freshman,” Blue Devils forward Ryan Kelly said. “Once he figured it out, he became a really good player. He’s somebody you have to gameplan around defensively.”
With Barnes’ stronger frame, Marshall said Barnes is doing a better job of catching the ball closer to the basket, reducing the amount of energy he expends while getting to his spots.
“It’s going to be fun to watch,” junior teammate John Henson said. “I’m going to be just like y’all waiting to see what he’s going to do next.”
Despite those gains, Barnes is also just as focused on what got away last year, from the Tar Heels’ one-sided loss to the Blue Devils in the ACC tournament championship to a close loss to Kentucky in an NCAA regional final. It’s why his team goal of chasing “every ring we can compete for” still offers plenty of motivation, not to mention he has a second list that’s far more personal and sounds like planned payback.
Barnes won’t go into specifics, saying only that it includes everything from games he didn’t play well and teams that beat UNC last year to critical comments said about him. He described the list as things “to go back and rectify because everything that’s done and everything that’s said, there’s always an action and reaction for that.”
That’s probably the closest Barnes will come to public trash talking. Articulate and thoughtful, he’s careful not to say too much or ramble off topic. Yet for someone who described himself last year as a still-developing player working diligently to improve, his matter-of-fact tone is a sign of how Barnes is all business about helping the Tar Heels win the NCAA title.
As his mother, Shirley said, “It’s just something about him. He likes to reach his goals, and he makes it happen.”
“It just makes things so much easier,” Barnes said of writing down his goals. “You can be focused on one thing and you can work toward it, but if there’s no goal in mind, then you’re working for nothing.”
And once he sets his mind to something, Barnes usually gets it done.
As a fifth- and sixth-grader, he had his own yardwork service in Ames, Iowa, to mow lawns during the summer or shovel snow during the winter. He even made his own business cards complete with his school photo to hand out around the neighborhood once he passed his mother’s test of doing a good job on his own lawn with the push mower.
His got its first client came when he decided to shovel snow from the driveway of a nearby house, then knocked on the door and asked to be paid. When he told his mother that the woman had paid him $20, she made him walk back and return the money — “I mean, I don’t know where her business savvy was,” he joked — because he hadn’t asked to do the work first.
“The uniqueness there is pretty refreshing in a lot of ways, too,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “But he has his own plan and he’s had that for several, several years.”
If that plans works, Barnes and his teammates have the chance to accomplish the top priority on his to-do list: Win a national title.
“You just know what to expect now,” Barnes said. “You know how to prepare. We’re just anxious to get the season under way, do what we need to do, keep our hats low and hopefully see all you guys in March.”
Copyright Associated Press
Jordan Taylor is in a class by himself on The Associated Press’ preseason All-America team.
The guard from Wisconsin was the only senior on the team Monday. He was joined by four sophomores, including Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger, a unanimous pick of the 65-member national media panel.
Harrison Barnes of North Carolina, Terrence Jones of Kentucky and Jeremy Lamb of Connecticut were the other sophomores.
The 6-foot-1 Taylor averaged 18.1 points and 4.7 assists last season in leading the Badgers to a 25-9 record, third place in the Big Ten and their 13th straight NCAA tournament appearance. He received 51 votes.
“I just hope he doesn’t think he has to score 40 a game this year,” coach Bo Ryan said. “I think we’re going to be in trouble if he does. He doesn’t. He wants to be even more consistent. He wants to be more inclusive with his teammates, maybe in transition. There are different things we’re looking at in trying to get done with a different-sized team maybe on the floor.”
The 6-9 Sullinger was one of the players who decided to pass on the NBA draft. His coach said an impending lockout had nothing to do with him returning.
“He knew what he was going to do from the time he got to Ohio State in the summer,” Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said. “When he told me he was coming back, I said, ‘Are you sure? Let’s talk about this.’ I want what’s best for our players. He said, ‘No, there’s no need to do it, I’m coming back.’”
His return has Ohio State at No. 3 in the AP preseason Top 25, behind two schools also featuring the return of a star.
North Carolina was a runaway choice for No. 1, and Barnes was second to Sullinger in the voting with 63. The Tar Heels’ entire front line is back after thinking about entering the draft.
The 6-8 Barnes was the first freshman selected to the preseason team, which started before the 1986-87 season. Many felt there was too much pressure on Barnes as the season started, and he did start to play more consistently once conference play began.
“Coming into last year, there was a lot of expectations, but we didn’t know what to expect and we didn’t know how things went,” said Barnes, who averaged 15.7 points and 5.8 rebounds for an inexperienced North Carolina team. “There wasn’t really anybody we could talk to on the team who had been through that. … I think this year we kind of know what to expect. We’re not looking at it as championship or bust. We’re looking at it as go out and play the best basketball we can.”
Jones, who received 33 votes, also thought about leaving for the NBA but he will be back for the Wildcats, who were No. 2 in the preseason Top 25. The 6-9 forward averaged 15.7 points and 8.8 rebounds last season as Kentucky reached the Final Four.
Lamb asserted himself as the season went on and became a key player in the Huskies’ 11-game run to their third national championship. The 6-5 guard, who received 25 votes, averaged 11.1 points and 4.5 rebounds last season.
The last unanimous pick to the preseason All-America team was North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough before the 2008-09 season.
Besides Barnes, the other members of last season’s preseason team were Jimmer Fredette of BYU, who went on to become national player of the year; JaJuan Johnson of Purdue, a first-team selection; Jacob Pullen of Kansas State, a third-team pick; and Kyle Singler of Duke, an honorable mention.
The other members of the postseason first team were Nolan Smith of Duke and Kemba Walker of Connecticut.
© 2011 The Associated Press
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Once again, North Carolina enters a season staring down expectations for nothing short of greatness.
The Tar Heels have five starters back from a team that won the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season championship and fell a game short of the Final Four. That includes three players who passed on the chance to enter the NBA draft early, including sophomore star Harrison Barnes.
It was only three years ago that the Tar Heels started a season in similar position, and that team went on to win Roy Williams’ second NCAA championship in five years. The Hall of Fame coach said he has “no problem” with saying this year’s group should be among the nation’s best. His players don’t mind saying it, either.
“We have no players that are talking about getting to the NBA,” point guard Kendall Marshall said. “They all turned that down for a reason, for a team concept of winning the national championship. All of our goals are team-oriented. We want to become dominant. We want to win games. We want to be the No. 1 team in the country.”
Williams can see the parallels between this group and his 2008-09 squad. That group was coming off a Final Four run and had Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green return to school after flirting with entering the draft. The Tar Heels won 34 games and romped their way through the NCAA tournament to a title that everyone expected before the year.
This year’s group has a similar dynamic after Barnes, 7-footer Tyler Zeller, and long-armed rebounder and shot blocker John Henson passed on the NBA. It also has a similar March disappointment, with UNC (29-8) rallying from 11 down against Kentucky and tying the game with 3½ minutes left before falling 76-69 in the regional final.
“In reality, whether I like it or not, there are going to be comparisons (to 2009),” Williams said. “You guys are going to ask me the questions all the time and I have to answer it. This team hasn’t done anything yet. They just look good on paper.”
No argument there. And much of that starts with Barnes, a 6-foot-8 forward who passed on a chance to be a lottery pick to return to Chapel Hill.
He started last year as the first freshman named preseason All-America by The Associated Press but got off to a slow start as the Tar Heels looked lost in January. But Barnes got rolling with a series of clutch late-game shooting performances as the Tar Heels won 17 of 19 to end the regular season. He averaged 15.7 points and finished a point behind Zeller for the team scoring lead.
“Coming into last year, there was a lot of expectations, but we didn’t know what to expect and we didn’t know how things went,” Barnes said. “There wasn’t really anybody we could talk to on the team who had been through that . … I think this year we kind of know what to expect. We’re not looking at it as championship or bust. We’re looking at it as go out and play the best basketball we can.”
Joining Barnes on a formidable front line is Zeller, a senior and reliable post scorer who averaged nearly 26 points and nine rebounds in the NCAA tournament. Then comes Henson, a 6-11 junior who averaged a double-double and was the ACC defensive player of the year. They’ll have plenty of help in the frontcourt from freshmen James Michael McAdoo — one of two McDonald’s All-Americans along with outside shooter P.J. Hairston — and Desmond Hubert.
In the backcourt, so much depends on Marshall, whose rise to the starting lineup after Larry Drew II quit the team without warning at midseason played a big role in both Barnes’ and the Tar Heels’ second-half surge. His primary backup is fellow backcourt starter Dexter Strickland — the team’s best perimeter defender — and Williams said his biggest concern is developing depth at the point.
While the Tar Heels ranked near the bottom of the ACC in 3-point shooting, the arrival of Hairston and the return of sophomore Reggie Bullock from knee surgery that sidelined him the last nine games should help, though losing top shooter Leslie McDonald to an offseason knee injury could hinder that improvement.
Regardless, the Tar Heels know they’ve got the right pieces for a big season. They also know it won’t matter if they don’t play like they did through the second half of last season.
“We know we’re supposed to be good, but supposing to be good doesn’t get you anywhere,” Zeller said. “You’ve got to be able to prove it.”
The Boston Celtics have employed the Big Three for a few years now.
But everyone who follows the NBA knows that the Big Three isn’t complete without an equal if not more critical fourth in point guard Rajon Rondo.
Let’s not compare North Carolina’s 2011-12 team to the Celtics. But there does seem to be a perception that the big three who decided to turn down the NBA for a year and return to Chapel Hill can somehow exist by themselves.
They can’t. The big three at North Carolina — rising sophomore Harrison Barnes, rising junior John Henson and rising senior Tyler Zeller — will get most of the headlines for the Tar Heels now and throughout the season.
But they won’t win the national championship, outlast Duke for the ACC title or fulfill expectations as the consensus preseason No. 1 without rising sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall.
Marshall is to the Tar Heels what Rondo was to the Celtics before he became an All-Star in advance of the 2008 NBA championship.
I agree the whole Tar Heel program took a turn for the better when Kendall Marshall was inserted into the starting lineup. It’s pretty apparent that in Roy Williams’ offense you need a very good point guard to run the show and distribute.
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North Carolina (24-6, 14-2), beat No. 4 Duke on Saturday night 81-67 to claim the regular season ACC championship.
The Tar heels were led by Freshman Harrison Barnes’ 18 points, Kendall Marshall added 15 points and 11 assists. The win makes North Carolina 12-1 with Marshall in the starting lineup.
From the opening tip the Tar Heels looked like a very confident bunch. Marshall has become a very big leader of this team. His pushing and passing on the fast break has really opened up offense and scoring for his teammates and they have responded.
Nolan Smith led Duke with 30 points. Kyle Singler was 3-14 from the floor and 0-5 from 3 point range.