Actually, it's April at the Arch

Okay. Sunday afternoon, and I'm back on campus. 40 minutes left to go, with UNC up next. The March to the Arch ends on Monday night.

For some reason, I'm not all that afraid of this game. Watching UNC and Michigan St., I just don't think that UNC will be able to stand up to our halfcourt defense. Thre's so much of a difference when you have a team that makes you work. Here's the thing. UNC shot 35 for 71, which is good. But they only got 18 assists on those 35 shots. We're going to make them work harder for buckets than anyone else has this season.

The other lesson to be learned from last night. I don't think that any team in the country can play us in man. Rick Pitino knew that. Until the last few minutes of the game, the were in 2-3 zone for all but 3 possessions. Of those 3, 2 of them were from baseline inbounds. I think that we got 7 points in those 3 possessions. It wasn't until the game got to 8 or 9 points when they mixed in more man. And that was when the game got ugly.

I think that we shoot too well for a 2-3 to work on us all day. And we destroy man-to-man. UNC wants to play man on us all day and keep the game moving faster. I think that works into our hands. We'll score on them easier than they'll score on us. Thing to watch: will they get a good look on offense before the shot clock hits 12? If we make them work on offense like we have against teams all year, they won't be able to hold up.

We'll wear them down, and pull away. I think that we take it by about 10. Maybe 80-70? We'll see. Regardless, this team has given us a great run. They've handled themselves with class, and they've always played hard. You can't ask for anything else, win or lose. But you'd always rather win

-Chairman