Gang, I'm still really bummed about Chuma. Hopefully it's just an mcl or maybe a bad sprain. Bruce said he thinks it's really bad though. Maybe he's wrong for once
+++++Boogs vs UNC Official Sweet 16 Game Thread++++++
- Thread starter MomentInTheSun
- Start date
Great stuff...(TLDR) : )
Chuma will be fine, he won't be dancing any more this tourney, but he'll come back and be just as good if not hella better—most likely playing for a NBA squad next season.
The HYGs have to keep stepping up, they've leaned on Chuma and Jared most of the season now the rest of the team needs to play to their potential.
My biggest concern is the vast number of minutes Chuma played and his defense. Danjel is playing with more confidence and doesn't look lost on floor but he's still prone to silly fouls. Malik was really good out there last night but he's still prone to taking the occasional play off here and there.
My TDLR
Bruce has gotta a deep squad but now they're playing with 9. The HYGs can play with anyone in this tournament, but their margin of error just got a lot slimmer.
Welp, BRUCE has officially made AU a BASKETBALL school, and I couldn't be happier about it.
@mute the crap music warning, $1 to @Boytano
@mute the crap music warning, $1 to @Boytano
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where is the warning about the mickey mouse club music?
Sorry, I just assumed everyone knew 90% of internet videos had crap music behind them.
that’s a M.I.T. caliber move
Some great quotes in here. UNC was shellshocked
That block was insane. Worst hands I have ever seen, but dang, great block
Love this team. Love this board of die hard hoops fans who know the game. Love Chuma.
Best basketball team in AU history. Won both version of SEC titles in the last 13 months. Made 2nd Elite Eight in school history and beat blue bloods to get there. Prior to a freak injury, this team was as good as anyone in the nation, including that squad with the freak that EPSN dedicates 23 hours of coverage to each day.
Best basketball team in AU history. Won both version of SEC titles in the last 13 months. Made 2nd Elite Eight in school history and beat blue bloods to get there. Prior to a freak injury, this team was as good as anyone in the nation, including that squad with the freak that EPSN dedicates 23 hours of coverage to each day.
Sure didn’t see all this coming when I was punching the roof of my car after our second loss to Ole Miss
He sucks per normal brah
considering he predicted to all his friends and family that the HYG’s would squeak past NMSU then donkeypunch Kansas, he obviously on some level knew the Heels were gonna get mortally throatfvcked
so I’m sure he’s fine - was fully prepared for it
...and this time our guys didn't have their legs.
Sorry this took a while but this was a game that for me was just hard to watch, but I digress...
- Mostly I would just refer you to the scouting report I posted earlier. Auburn's biggest advantage over UNC is depth, and as you saw, high-quality depth. That was a very real advantage even in normal circumstances, but when I heard Friday morning that Nas wasn't the only one under the weather, well, all that was exacerbated. Not to use the illness as an excuse, but it was what it was. Make no mistake, Auburn was gonna be a big-time problem even with everyone at 100%, but at less than that?... Carolina's chances honestly weren't good from the tip. Playing at Carolina's pace, with an already frankly underultilized bench, and now wounded by illness, against a 10-deep team that thrives on that pace? Welp, do the math.
- I told some coach buds (and hinted here) that from the Heels' perspective there were just multiple match-ups that were gonna be tough deals. I warned y'all about Okeke (what a talent), and I also warned about his backup Purifoy (his 3-ball outbursts buried this game). And yeah, their PGs were going to be a nightmare --- even though Roy tried some interesting switch adjustments during the game --- this edition of UNC just ain't equipped to deal with that.
- As I mentioned in that scouting thread, by request I did one for Auburn fans on UNC as well, and I told them what it would take to win. Some may not like these but I told them that if Auburn stayed close in rebounding numbers, attacked UNC's loose handles, shot well from 3, and most of all exploited the depth advantage they would likely come out on top, and damned if they didn't do every one of those things --- thus the result. And going back to that depth thing? Auburn's bench accounted for 44 pts and 12 rebounds. And although big Wiley only played 6 minutes he accounted for 5 of those boards. Meanwhile UNC is shooting 7/28 from 3 --- makes it hard to keep up.
- Look, I'm gonna leave the game analysis at that. Another reason I delayed posting was scanning the board, emotions were understandably raw and I saw some sentiments that bothered me a bit --- just as an example, how can anyone disparage BRob being on the floor at any given time? Hell, he was often our most effective player Friday and helped keep UNC in the game. Sorry, I had to get that out. My larger point thlough is that it's not a blame-game. What happened Friday was honestly not surprising, and it was more than likely gonna happen eventually. I've tried to get across all season that, from an overall numerical makeup across the positions, this is just not a vintage UNC team. I love these guys, and they are players who could go to war for me anytime, but the Carolina system is built on certain foundations. Some systems might be able to thrive "positionless' --- and Roy valiantly even tried to make some adjustments during the season in that direction --- but ours just doen't do as well without all the traditional numbers covered.
- Finally, as an alum I want to offer an apology for any Auburn "fan" who came over here to flame. Fortunately, looking at the posts I didn't recognize any of the flamers so I hope they were just random UNC-hater trolls as opposed to Auburn folks. The actual Auburn people I did recognize (like @Denim Vest ) were very gracious. And BTW, please know that on the Auburn premium board there was a very nice thread about how classy Roy Williams and the UNC players were during and after the game and when Chuma went down. Trust me, playing the likes of uk and UT twice a year, they ain't used to seeing class in opponents. (BTW: In Auburn lore, they say "War Eagle!", and for added emphasis, "War Damn Eagle!". More than one fan on their board posted "War Damn Roy Williams!" --- a high compliment.) And speaking of Chuma, his MRI yesterday indeed showed a torn ACL, so surgery Tuesday. Breaks my heart--- just a tremendous kid and a tremendous talent from down my way. As I mentioned earlier, I really wanted Roy to recruit him --- fits the profile of a "Carolina kid".
Anyway, I hope y'all know I got precious little pleasure from a monumental Auburn win for their program --- but trust me, their fans appreciate the gravity of that accomplishment. The basketball folks over there understand what UNC means as an icon of college hoops. Still, it feels like I was kicked in the nads. I hope y'all will at least join me in pulling for Auburn today as they go up against the evil from Lexington....
This was 2019 at its best. What a year to be alive!
re-read the entire thing... was on page 10 before I remembered what was coming and it was a tough read after that
but a great walk down memory lane nonetheless
but a great walk down memory lane nonetheless
Spoiler alert: he gets drafted 16th overall
