M. Basketball: Improved attack heads to Miami

Though North Carolina's defensive effectiveness in Wednesday's 101-87 win against Duke changed drastically from one half to the next the offense went through a slightly different transition.

Rather than bad to good UNC's scoring efficiency went from quite good to nearly unstoppable.

The numbers say plenty. All five starters scored in double figures and Ty Lawson" Wayne Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough all rebounded from subpar first halves to help the Tar Heels put up 57 points during the last 20 minutes.

UNC ended up shooting 54.8 percent for the game (including 59.4 percent in the second half) by continually getting the ball into the heart of the Blue Devil defense.

""We were attacking the basket" coach Roy Williams said. We shoot 15 3's and they shoot 24" so we were attacking the basket more.""

But even more encouraging for the Tar Heels was the play from the bench" whose depth took a hit when Will Graves was recently suspended for the remainder of the season.

Senior guard Bobby Frasor has struggled with his shot all season long but he gave UNC some much-needed help on the scoreboard against Duke with three first-half treys.

With eight more points from freshman Ed Davis" the starters finally received a little help with the scoring burden they've been carrying all season long.

Danny Green thought it was the team's best offensive performance this year.

""Definitely. I think it was balanced scoring"" he said. Balanced scoring across the board. I don't see how we could play any better as a group of guys sharing the ball and looking for each other.""

The Tar Heels will be bringing that offensive confidence to Miami on Sunday" where they will take on a Hurricanes team they beat 82-65 on Jan. 17.

Miami is coming off a big win against Wake Forest and a tight overtime loss to Duke and could prove another test for UNC.

Miami's Jack McClinton provides Miami's biggest threat and finished with 21 points in the Jan. 17 game but 3-for-10 3-point shooting (combined with Ellington's seven 3's and 23 points) wasn't enough to stage a coup against the Tar Heels.



Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.