Good But Not Great Weekend

The Duke win was good and we needed something to boost our morale after Friday night. I'm sure a lot of Tar Heel fans were as excited with anticipation as I was before the Santa Clara game, but the excitement quickly turned into disappointment as the game unfolded. It's not that I didn't have respect for Santa Clara, but I did expect to beat a team that had lost by 34 points the previous weekend. I can't remember if it was New Mexico or New Mexico State and that should tell you something. Not only did they beat Santa Clara, it was by 34 points and I can't even remember the name of the school.

I haven't thrown in the towel, but it will take a while to forget what I regard as a lackluster performance to say the least. McCants didn't seem to be in the game early and by the time he cranked up, it was too late. I hate to say it, but I don't think the team played with much energy. Maybe that was to be expected with the travel and disruption of the regular routine, but if it is, what can we expect in the upcoming games? I must admit I have some negative feelings towards Felton right now. We needed him against Santa Clara and he wasn't available for a reason I don't fully understand. I have tried to ferret out the facts involved in the situation, but I have been unsuccessful to date.

N.C. State had two players who played in the Chavis League, yet they weren't suspended because they somehow coordinated their playing through their athletics department. If I understand correctly, Felton did not coordinate through the UNC athletics department and that bothers me. How could a player on scholarship or, for that matter, even on the team be playing organized ball away from the campus and the athletics department know nothing about it? Heaven forbid if he had gotten injured while playing in Raleigh. I couldn't help but remember the off campus pick up game in '77, I believe it was, when Phil Ford injured his hand and was restricted in what he could do in the Final Four. I should check the records to be sure on this one. The games and seasons run together more and more with the passage of time.

The Duke game was a pleasure to watch. With a few exceptions, I was really pleased with the Tar Heel's performance. I don't know what happened on the two blocked kicks, but I imagine that will be addressed before the next game. I wonder if the team can practice before they receive an invitation to participate in a bowl. I don't think there is any question but what an invitation will be forthcoming, but, to my knowledge, one hasn't been received yet, and is not likely to be received until next weekend.

One comment on the Duke game in particular and other games in general this season. Is it going to take a serious injury before the officials do something about "spearing" in football. Had not Hedgecock been the physical specimen that he is, he could have been seriously injured against Duke when he was hit in the back with the helmet of the tackler. He didn't get up at first and I feared the worst, but he finally got to his feet and apparently is all right. Spearing has become commonplace and I have seen Carolina players do it also. It will only increase unless the officials start calling penalties and possibly ejecting guilty players when it occurs.

I originally planned to write briefly about the women's soccer team's loss to Santa Clara, but I've dwelt on the negative enough for this session.

It must be the interest generated by basketball season, but ramfanatic.com had the best week last week, as far as traffic is concerned, of any week in its history. We broke the previous one day record on every day in the week. If it wasn't basketball, I have no idea what caused the increase. Let's hope the interest and the web site visits continue.
 

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"This article was written before the UNC women upset Connecticut. Maybe it was a great weekend after all."