** 23 in a row was far too many.
** 33, including the driving, winning 2, from #2 made sure it wasn't 24.
** I started with numbers, but will follow with emotions. There have been many, many bigger, and much, much more impressive wins by the Panthers at the Pete. But not too many felt quite as good as this one.
** And I can’t quite remember the last time I was this exhausted walking down Cardiac Hill to my car.
** This game deserves such a thorough breakdown, and I know it will be hard to do it justice. But the reality is that our Panthers really should have won this one comfortably. If it wasn’t for a ridiculous performance at the foul line, they almost certainly would have.
** But for this night, it’s equally ridiculous to dwell on anything the Panthers didn’t do well, regardless if we won by 3 or 30.
** Of all the things that were impressive about this game, perhaps what was most pleasing was the significant improvement in the key teamwork aspects that cursed them against the Tar Heels just four days ago.
** A case could be made that the Panthers won this game with a tremendous first half defensive performance, holding the Cards to 31% shooting and forcing 10 turnovers.
** In this half, defensive pressure and rotations off the ball made all of the difference.
** It was inevitable that we couldn’t defend the Cards the same way in the second half. Foul attrition and depth were as much a culprit as anything.
** There are times when an opponent just can’t be stopped, and it’s during those times, the only way to deal with it is to keep scoring. That’s what the Panthers were able to do in the second half.
** Another huge difference from the UNC game was the Panthers ability create offense with the dribble drive, instead of an often futile fling at the hoop.
** As evidence, when the Cards cut the Panther lead to 3 points with 8 minutes to go, there were six assists on the Panther final eight field goals, with the only exceptions being Xavier’s two 3’s. That’s moving the ball when it matters.
** And speaking about playing when it matters, Terrell Brown scored all 11 of his points in the second half, including 9 in a brilliant four minute stretch. This is exactly the extra gear we’ve been hoping to see from the Big Fella, and a huge congrats to him for an absolute winning effort in the second half.
** An under-the-radar amazing performance was rung up by Xavier in the second half and overtime, when he was able to stay on the floor for all 25 minutes without a single foul, after picking up 3 in the first half. Of course, in that same time frame, he scored 17 with 7 assists. Simply brilliant!
** In this game, everyone deserves mention because everyone’s contributions mattered. This included a big three by Kham, some tough catch and finishes by Kene, a game ending rebound while playing the five by Malik, fiestly defense from Au’Diese, and timely shooting to fuel the fire by Jared.
** All of this leads back to the historic night by Trey. Of all of the contributions Trey made, perhaps the most important was the confidence he provided that was able to charge up each of his teammates.
** While we were marveling at shot after shot Trey put through the hoop, just as critical was the work he did on the other end. A point of note I found especially pleasing was his tremendous quickness guarding the 2-3 zone, when he was able to slide to help at the foul but them shoot out to guard the deep three shooter.
** Also noteworthy was the simple math of how he followed up an unconscious first half of scoring with a very efficient offensive second half.
** But of all things Trey did this day, it was something that didn’t happen in the game that I may have liked most of all. When the Panthers came out for second have warm ups, instead of taking the typical lay ins in the layup line, Trey would dribble to the foul line a take a foul shot. He took several more foul shots before retiring to the huddle. So in other words, after scoring 20, he was concerned most with the one thing he didn’t do well.
** What must also be said about Trey, and all of our Panthers really, is that each every ounce of energy was left of the court.
** Let’s close the night with a deeply enthusiastic congratulations to Coach Capel for his first ACC win with the Panthers. He pushed so many of the right buttons in this single game, of course. But the bigger picture is that we got a much better look at what Jeff Capel Ball looks like tonight. And to me, Jeff Capel Ball looks pretty darned good!
** On other days, we can talk about what this game means for our Panther’s prospects for the reminder of the season. On this night, I’m simply and extraordinary thrilled that the Panthers are 1-0 in League play over the last 24 hours.
** Great Job Men, and THANK YOU for providing your fans with this great night!
