ACC Country

15-3-2. That’s what we did from February 12 thru March 28. We were 7 points up with 7 games to play. And what happens? Drop 3 of 4 to close out the season, with the coup de grace AT HOME to a team that hadn’t won in Raleigh since 2002 in a game THAT WAS A MUST WIN!!

You follow a frickin team for six months, watch them start hot, then lose their confidence, lose their division lead, and lose their leaders… then suddenly, EVERYTHING turns around. Your franchise player finally stops playing his games by way of AT&T and actually bringing it every shift, every night on the ice. You bring up player after player after player from the AHL, and they bring results. Scott Walker was put on a line with KEITH AUCOIN AND RYAN BAYDA… and they end up being the best line for the club over the final two months of the season, a club that was WINNING hockey games. Your one hit wonder goalie channels the 2006 playoffs and steps up to be a legit, no questions asked, number one netminder. A re-entry waiver pickup in January – Sergei Samsonov – leads the team in the points for the last three months of the season. You trade a veteran scorer and physical defenseman to pick up an oft-injured winger and a disillusioned offensive defenseman… and the trade, widely criticized by the alleged experts, immediately pays dividends. EVERYTHING HAD FALLEN INTO PLACE!

And then the Capitals went crazy. They went like 19-1-1 or whatever it was, and 15-3-2 just ain’t good enough to stay out front.

So what did we do? Host the Caps last week… LOSE. Go to D.C. this week… LOSE. WHERE’S THE SENSE OF URGENCY? Do you think they were just gonna roll over?? You can’t go to TAMPA BAY and win a damn game, and then, in a win and in situation, EVERYTHING THAT WAS WRONG IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR MAGICALLY REAPPEARS AT THE WORST POSSIBLE TIME!

* Weak goaltending
* A clueless defense
* A non-existent power play
* Dumb positioning and lack of effort leading to a SHORTHANDED GOAL with a minute left in the second period
* The inability to put the puck into the net more than 3 times on 46 shots

THANK YOU FOR WASTING THE LAST SIX MONTHS AND $169 ON CENTER ICE!

As for what just happened in San Antonio…

I just stepped out of a time machine. Where have I been? 1998.

Switch “Kansas” with “Utah” and you get pretty much the same thing. I’m SO GLAD that my Tar Heels showed up to play the first 15 minutes of the game. Then, JUST like ‘98, Carolina chops into the insurmountable lead and cuts it all the way to four. And then, JUST like ‘98, the shots stop falling. Kansas came to play for 40 minutes and deserves to win the game – they were the better team tonight. That’s the thing about the NCAA Tournament, it’s one and done. UNC is better than they were tonight and everyone knows it. That’s the disappointing thing about it all.

I know it’s not cool to criticize “student-athletes,” but Ty Lawson…. way to show up tonight. Your NBA stock just plummeted about seven rounds – yes, I know, the draft is only two rounds – cause there ain’t one pro team that wants to play your butt if you play like you did tonight. (Except maybe the Knicks.) You did nothing. I expect you to take this abysmal performance (that’s an understatement,) watch it every day for the next 6 months, and use it for inspiration to improve your game in the offseason.

Wayne and Danny, way to put the team on your backs and slice into the 28 point lead. The shots just stopped falling, whether it was fatigue or just bad luck or whatever. I still think that if Green’s three that rolls around the rim twice falls in rather than out, the game’s totally different. Hansbrough is amazing, but Kansas just sent too many bodies at him. Clemson had the same big man depth and gave him fits earlier this year too. This one won’t set well with him, and I expect him back next season, too.

Q, thanks for the memories. I’ll always remember the runner vs. Clemson. Was pretty cool to see you develop from a walking turnover to a solid contributor – and team-saver while Lawson was out.

Rock, Chalk, Jayhawk on Monday. Finish it off, Kansas. As for Carolina, we’ll see ya next season. Go Tar Heels.