American Hooligans

In today’s game of the day, I’ll be liveblogging the ACC semifinal game between UNC and Virginia Tech. Since the ESPN coverage is blacked out here, I get local sportscasting.

This should be good.

20:00 Heeere we go! Tip goes to UNC, then Hansbrough gives it up on offensive charging.
19:00 Both teams trade baskets. They both have a really fast play style, which is fun to watch but painful as hell to write funny shit about.
18:30 Hansbrough intercepts an errant pass like a 10-foot cornerback. It turns into a 3-pointer by Ellington, 5-2 UNC.
18:00 Another VT turnover, courtesy of Hansbrough. Then they tripped Hansbrough on the breakaway.
17:20 VT is trying to find a hole in the UNC defense.
17:15 They find it. Delaney makes it 5-5.
17:05 Two quick VT fouls in the transition and resulting takeout. They’re trying to get physical but doesn’t seem to be affecting UNC’s strategy at the moment.
17:00 Traded baskets. 7-7.
16:30 Thomson sends a Jeff Allen shot 30 feet into the stands. Still a tie game.
16:00 Stevenson puts up an awkward shot in double coverage and can’t get it to fall.
15:45 Allen picks up a foul driving the lane. Still 7-7.
15:44 Timeout on the court. So far, despite the score, UNC seems to be in more control. They’re moving the ball well and keeping VT out of the paint. Lawson is running the offense well, and once Hansbrough tires out Allen, he should start doing what he does.

Now they’re showing an old lady in UNC gear and making fun of her. Bad move. Time spares no man, especially bad announcers named Steve Martin

15:44 Allen makes both free throws. 9-7.
15:18 Lawson loses the ball but recovers and gets the ball out. Horrendous shot that went off the top of the glass and gave VT an easy two points in transition. 11-7.
14:50 Lawson bricks again, but VT trades another brick and Witcher commits a loose ball foul.
14:25 Ginyard drives through a hole you could dribble a truck through and drops in a layup. 11-9.
14:01 Hansbrough throws up an 18-foot prayer and picks up a shooting foul.
14:01 Hansbrough makes both free throws. Tie game.
13:45 VT is keeping past with UNC. They’re moving the ball incredibly well right now.
13:37 Ginyard commits an offensive foul on Washington. Washington is really excited about this.
13:16 VT throws up a fadeaway 3-pointer. Then UNC commits another offensive foul.
12:40 Hansbrogh steals, makes it down court, then bricks.
12:30 Vasallo drains a three in transition. 16-11.
12:05 Hansbrough drops a transition 15-footer. 16-13.
11:47 Block by Green, who heads down court and picks up a foul on his jumper. 16-14 and one.
11:40something Timeout. VT really picked it up for a while there. They’re clearly the underdogs, but they’ve done a great job of capitalizing on UNC’s mistakes. I don’t think UNC anticipated they’d come up against someone else playing the speed game.

You know, those Carlos Mencia Bud Light commercials, despite being vaguely racist, are pretty funny. I wonder whose jokes he stole.

11:40something Green drops the free throw. Tie game.
11:32 Delaney picks up a foul on the double team.
11:15 Diakite puts up a 12-foot layup. Amazing finger roll on that! 18-16
10:40 After much passing outside the arc, UNC gets the ball into Hansbrough who drops in a two over Diakite. Tie game. Again
10:05 Delaney drops a two. 20-18
10:00 Allen grabs another defensive rebound and draws another loose ball foul. UNC’s gotta watch out, here.
9:55 Allen misses the free throw, which Lawson takes back to the top of the key.
9:20 Lawson can’t find a route to the basket, so he tosses up a three with five left on the shot clock. 21-20.
8:45 VT answers back. 22-21.
8:24 VT picks up a rebound, then Delaney draws a Lawson foul.
8:24 Delaney makes both free throws. 24-21.
8:00 Delaney drops another two in transition. 26-21.
7:45 The refs don’t call charging on Lawson (it wasn’t), who dishes inside. Another brick, which VT turns into three points. 29-21.
7:04 VT commits an over-the-back foul. That’s their eighth.
7:04 Interesting stat. VT is outscoring the Heels 9-2 on the fast break. That’s a bad stat for UNC.
7:04 Copeland misses his freethrow for UNC.
6:40 Washington can’t get a jumper to fall.
6:20 UNC drains a wide-open three. 29-24.
6:04 Allen puts up an aiirrrrballllll. From like 8 feet.
5:47 Copeland makes up for screwing up at the line. 29-26.
5:45 Copeland is dead to me. Another non-shooting foul for UNC.
5:45 Delaney makes the first free throw. 30-26
5:45 Misses the second shot. UNC rebound.
5:30 Hansbrough takes a great pass from outside and turns it into two off the glass. 30-28.
5:15 Allen boxes out Hansbrough for a tip-in. 32-28.
5:06 Foul on Hansbrough.
5:06 Hansbrough makes both free throws. 32-30.
4:45 Vasallo takes a bad shot.
4:42 Thomas on UNC commits an offensive foul in transition. Again. I must be watching too much NBA lately, because Jesus Christ let them play.
4:21 Defensive foul on Green. Thompson goes to the line.
4:21 Thompson makes both free throws. 34-30.
3:50 Ellington bricks, gets his own rebound and passes to Hansbrough. 34-32.
3:15 The teams trade blocks. UNC now has the ball in the paint and Hansbrough draws a foul.
3:15 “You better get loose, shorty.” - Steve Martin, white announcer.
3:15 Hansbrough has 16 points before the free throws. When did that happen? This guy’s so deceptively good. It just doesn’t make any sense. Like Eminem being the best rapper.
3:15 Hansbrough drops both free throws. Tie game. That’s 18 for Hansbrough.
2:57 Quick two by VT. 36-34.
2:40 Ellington DRIVES about 18 feet for a layup. Tied up again.
2:06 Thompson puts up a brick with 8 on the shot clock. Ellington returns the favor. VT Ball.
1:38 Vasallo regains VT’s lead. 38-36.
1:20 Hansbrough can’t get through double coverage and bricks a jumper.
47.5 Timeout VT.
20 Horns can’t drain the three.
9.7 Lawson draws a foul and goes to the line. Two shots coming for Lawson.
9.7 Lawson brings it within 1 on his first shot.
9.7 Tie game. UNC’s using a one-man press.
0.0 Vasallo can’t put up a buzzer-beater. Tie game going into the half.

Jesus Christ my hands hurt. I’ll be back after the break with 800 mg of ibuprofen in me.

20:00 Annnd we’re back.
19:00 Still nothing interesting. Not saying that because I’m in pain. It’s like both team needed another five minutes in their break.
18:40 Vasallo breaks the cease fire. 40-38.
18:15 Ginyard grabs his rebound and wills a basket in to tie the game.
17:45 Thompson (UNC) can’t land an open 2. VT ball.
17:25 After much tipping, VT goes ahead by 2.
16:40 VT intercepts a pass and puts in a transition slam dunk. Up by four.
16:30 Ginyard answers back to make it 44-42.
16:04 Allen draws a shooting foul off Hansbrough. He’ll get two at the line because the layup didn’t fall.
16:04 Allen drops his first and UNC pulls Hansbrough, Lawson and Thompson off the floor.
16:04 Allen misses the second shot. 45-42.
15:30 Hudson drops a threeball. 48-42. UNC is beginning to look tired. This year’s team definitely doesn’t have the depth from a couple years back, so they tend to have down quarters, usually in the third. Then, they all get a fire under their ass for the last 10 minutes and score like crazy. If Fraser’s knee hadn’t exploded and they were able to use a second string point guard to spell Lawson, I don’t think they’d have lost a game all year.
14:52 UNC is forced to put up a bad shot to beat the clock. VT loses the ball out of bounds after the rebound.
13:50 Both teams are trading transition bricks. No one looks good right now.
13:30 Grandpa Roy looks annnngry.
13:14 Graves takes a blocking foul.
13:14 Thompson makes both shots. 50-42.
12:59 Hansbrough muscles his way through the entire team for the dunk. 50-44. That was like Wayne Rooney strong.
12:30 VT can’t get anything to fall. Lucky for them, neither can UNC.
12:00 UNC forces a turnover, then pick up a foul when Washington reaches in in the back court.

My friend sent me this during the timeout: http://www.jimmyr.com/blog/Famous_People_When_Young_226_2007.php

11:43 Hansbrough can’t finish the alley oop. The crowd can’t figure that one out, either. I think they may officially be out of it.
11:00 Ellington finally puts something in. 50-46.
10:40 UNC’s defense has really stepped up. Another turnover.
10:30 And just like I said, the awkward quarter is over. Graves drives for two and picks up a foul. 50-48.
10:30 Graves misses the free throw, but UNC got down court quickly to stall VT.
10:01 Washington pump fakes, then puts one in off the glass, then picks up a foul. 52-48.
10:01 Washington drops the free throw. 53-48, but UNC looks much more awake than they have all game.
9:40 Hansbrough picks up a weird rebound and puts up an even weirder shot. It’s like he was gonna dunk then thought better of it.
9:20 Delaney answers with a baseline 2. 55-50
8:49 Jump ball. The arrow’s to VT.
8:38 Lawson makes a hell of a play to get the ball down court on a fast break, then bricks. VT bricks right back, then Hansbrough gets a pass inside, puts it in for 2, then draws a foul.
8:23 Hansbrough makes the free throw to bring it within 3. 55-52.
8:00 Hansbrough takes a charge from Vasallo. That’s three for him. The game is really speeding up again. My hands still hurt.
7:40something Lawson gets called on a bullshit charging foul. He was changing directions and the guy just flopped.I’m seriously waiting for a “LET THEM PLAY! LET THEM PLAY!” chant from the crowd.
7:13 Allen pump fakes so much it looked like he was seizing. Two points. 57-52.
6:59 Allen blocks Hansbrough on the other side. Vassallo can’t make it fall.
6:18 Timeout VT. UNC changed their defense and VT can’t get inside anymore.

I need to date this woman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hh4qEjS_Zw
I also need to make sure she’s 18. Talk about 12 or 20.

6:18 Alley oop on the inbound. 59-52.
5:55 Ellington drops a long-distance 2. 59-54.
5:32 Allen pushes the ball out of Hansbroughs hands out of bounds. Then Green dicks up a play in the paint to give it back to VT.
5:02 Green fouled on the fastbreak. And a good thing, too, because the layup was ugly.
5:02 Green sinks No. 1. 59-55.
5:02 And there’s 2. 59-56.
4:45 VT’s trying to slow the game down again. Allen can’t keep hold of it after Green strips it out of bounds. VT ball.
4:30 Vassallo tripped Hansbrough off the ball. No fucking call. Apparently if you sneeze on someone driving, they blow the whistle, but if you tackle a guy near halfcourt, the refs don’t see it.
4:14 Foul on Washington. Misses the first free throw.
4:14 And he misses the second one!
4:01 Ginyard makes a no-look pass to Allen. Turnover.
3:45 Timeout VT.
3:30 Green blocks Allen and Washington can’t come up with the ball. UNC’s ball. The game’s been close all game, but there’s only been a few-minute period when both teams were actually playing well. They seem to be trading off taking advantage of each other’s cooldown periods.
3:11 Ellington drains a three with a hand in his face. Tie game. VT’s gonna have to speed up the game again now.
2:49 Hansbrough forces a standing jump call on Allen. Arrow goes to UNC.
2:45 Washington pushes Ellington out of bounds. Then they called a technical on Ellington for taunting Vassallo, apparently.
2:45 Vassallo hits both free throws. Back to the other side for Ellington’s shots.
2:45 Ellinton misses the shot, which Hansbrough tips in. 61-61.
2:15 Delaney nails a three from pro-distance. 64-61.
2:00 Ellington answers right back on the transition. Tied again!
1:45 Lawson steals and passes from his back.
1:28 Ellington fouled by Washington beyond the arc. That’s it for Washington.
1:28 Ellington misses the first, makes the second.
1:20 Makes the third. 66-64 UNC.
1:10 Hansbrough picks up a blocking foul. That’s his third, which is above his average on the year.
1:10 Vassallo makes his first. 66-65.
1:10 There’s the second. Tie game again. What a game!
48.1 Turnover on Green. Hansbrough chases down the fast break and knocks the ball out of bounds. That may have saved the game.

This is insane. I don’t think anyone was expecting a game like this, especially given the February game these two played. UNC killed VT, even with Lawson injured.
25 Thompson bricks an open 2. Hansbrough comes up with the rebound.
21 Timeout UNC. If they can score on this possession, that may do it.
21 No shot clock. Still a tie game. Here comes the inbound.
21 Oops. Grandpa Roy doesn’t like the defense. Here’s another 30-second timeout.
21 Ball’s in. UNC is taking time off the clock. Lawson dribbles idly.
3 Lawson bricks.
0.8 Hansbrough drops a buzzer beater from 12 feet. 68-66!
0.8 VT timeout.

They keep showing a replay of the shot, but the story here is Hansbrough’s awkward celebratory run. He looked like a special olymics sprinter.

0.0 Full-court press from UNC. There’s the buzzer. Game over. What a game! A great example of what tournament basketball can be.

That’s it from here, folks. Thanks for reading!