I Bleed Blue and White

As mentioned in the previous post, Dante Cunningham participated in a pre-draft workout today with the Portland Trailblazers.  Joining Cunningham was Derrick Brown (Xavier), Darren Collison (UCLA), Justin Dentmon (Washington), Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina), and Jeff Pendergraph (Arizona State).  After the session, Chad Buchanan (director of college scouting for the Trailblazers) and Kevin Pritchard (Trailblazers General Manager) gave their thoughts on each player.  Buchanan on Cunningham:

Just a solid role guy.  He’s physical and can shoot a little bit.  Tough kid.  Comes from a great coach, great program.  Very solid player.

I think most people would echo the same thing about Cunningham, but it’s good to see NBA people recognizing what Dante is all about. 

So before our trek to Detroit, Liz and her friends Jackie and Heather decided that they absolutely hated Tyler Hansbrough. I’ve never heard 3 girls talk so much smack before. But naturally, with North Carolina in our sights I enjoyed every minute of it. They decided that they needed to put their feelings about him onto cardboard, and the result was fantastic.

Hansbrough may have got the last laugh, but this sign has to rank up there with the all-time greats. Below is a picture of Liz (on the left) and her friend Jen with the sign. This sign was prominent in the preGame tent at Bookie’s. And it even made its way into the hands of Blue Man! once we got inside Ford Field. So if you saw that sign at any point on Saturday, you probably met my girlfriend, and possibly even me.

Special thanks to FedEx Kinko’s and White Tavern Vodka, who were instrumental in the construction of this bad boy.

This is going to be my 2nd to last post (the last will be the typical preGame post) before I head to Detroit. I’m leaving around 3-4 a.m. and I’m hoping to be in Detroit in the early afternoon. Long drive, ugh. But at the end of that is the proverbial pot of gold. So it’s all worth it.

Since I finished up school for the week I’ve been listening to the radio and TV trying to get a sense of what the media thinks about this game. After listening to the talking heads, I’ve come to the conclusion that while everyone would love to see the upset, nobody is really giving us a chance at all.

After all, we’re up against big bad North Carolina and their roster of future pros. Heck, if I hadn’t been watching our team all year, I might even think we have no chance. Half the country still doesn’t know our team. They know Scottie Reynolds, sure. And probably Dante Cunningham as well since even though he’s relatively new on the scene. But the rest? Just a ragtag group of guys who don’t belong.

Even our suit-connoisseur of a coach (who we think Roy Williams has a crush on) is new to the party.

And I really wouldn’t have it any other way. Cunningham and Tyler Hansbrough (as much as we’ve ragged on him) should have a great matchup. Ty Lawson is clearly (in my opinion) the best player in this tournament, but is he ready for the bevy of players that will bump him and bother him?

Who is stopping Corey Fisher from getting into the lane? Lawson is quick, but nobody on UNC cares about defense.

Which brings me to my main point. Boomer Esiason pointed out on WFAN that defense wins this time of year. Did anyone see Michigan State stomping Louisville like that? Of course not, but it is because they played D. North Carolina will score against ‘Nova. They are that good. But they aren’t going to score 90, or even 80. And when they play in the 60s and 70s, they aren’t as good. Because they can’t rely on themselves to get a stop when they need it.

Villanova on the other hand has had everyone raving about the way they defend. Raving about the way they punch people in the mouth. Raving about how they refuse to back down. Now all of a sudden, they aren’t going to do those things? Give me a break.

Here’s what I think. Nobody gives us a chance, and that helps us. We’re locked in. We’re focused. Meanwhile Ty Lawson is at the casinos. Nevermind the fact that we are familiar with the awful Ford Field setup from last year, or the fact that we got screwed at the hands of the officials 4 years go to this very same program. We can do this without all of that motivation.

So are you ready to give up on our boys? I’m certainly not. They may not be the most flashy and they are not talked about as future lottery picks, but they are winners.

See you in Detroit.

Before, we showed you the ‘heart and soul’ of North Carolina. Down in ACC country, they refer to that man as ‘Pyscho T’ for some reason, even though Tyler was crying because Gerald Henderson was mean to him.

Well, this is our heart and soul. He doesn’t have any nicknames that try and puff up his reputation. He doesn’t cry. And most importantly, he doesn’t take shit from anyone. And really, you could say that about anyone on Villanova. Because our players don’t feel entitled to anyone. They don’t whine to the refs. They get in your face, put a scowl on, and put a whooping on you.

But this man especially, is why we have the attitude on our team that we do. He doesn’t accept losing, and he doesn’t let anyone push him around. And that rubs off on every other player around him.

Let’s just say I’m really happy that we have #22.

If you are like me, you’ve had North Carolina on your mind most of the week. They are a great team, and their biggest strength in my opinion is their depth. They have their star players, but foul trouble is typically not an issue with them.

I’m most worried about Ty Lawson for obvious reasons, but I’ve heard several people say that Tyler Hansbrough should worry us. Well, judging from the above picture, I’m not so sure.

Pyscho T looks more like the kid crying by the swingset. Notice the strong lip quiver and the person (ref? coach? teammate?) going in for the hug.