The Washington Times-Herald

The "Z" Watch

November 28, 2012

No. 1 Indiana has no trouble with Tar Heels

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Maybe Roy Williams should have watched Tuesday night's game on two screens.

On one, he could have dissected what went wrong with No. 14 North Carolina.

On the other, he might have actually enjoyed seeing No. 1 Indiana play basketball its way.

Cody Zeller finished with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Victor Oladipo and Will Sheehey both added 19 points in a stunning 83-59 rout in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

"If you like Indiana basketball, you had to enjoy tonight, and I like Indiana basketball but not nearly as much as I like North Carolina basketball," Williams said somberly. "We've got to get things going a little bit better together."

The good news is that the Tar Heels might not get another dose of Indiana basketball any time soon.

A week ago, North Carolina (5-2) trailed by 29 points before falling to two-time national runner-up Butler in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational.

In North Carolina's first game back on the mainland, it happened again, this time against the Hoosier State's best team. Indiana (7-0) led by as many as 32 points during a dreadful second half in which North Carolina shot 27.8 percent from the field and was 0 for 5 from 3-point range.

"I like my team, I don't like the way we played tonight," Williams said. "For us, it was a tough night to say the least."

Zeller and his teammates were ready to send the college basketball world a message Tuesday: America's No. 1 team really is America's best team.

Did they ever.

They gave up only three points in the first 8 ½ minutes of the second half, and offensively, the Hoosiers were their usual balanced selves.

Zeller was 8 of 13 from the field with four blocks, one steal and an assist. Oladipo and Sheehey were both 8 of 12 from the field. Senior guard Jordan Hulls was 5 of 8, including three 3-pointers, and finished with 13 points, eight assists and two steals.

The dominant performance might even silence some of the murmurs No. 2 Duke was closing the gap with Indiana (7-0), murmurs the Hoosiers were aware of when they took the court Tuesday night.

"It was a huge statement," Sheehey said. "We prepared for this game for a couple of weeks now. You saw the score, we played hard, we played well, we played together and when we do that, we play well."

Dexter Strickland led the Tar Heels with 14 points, Marcus Paige had 11 and James Michael McAdoo had 10 points and nine rebounds for North Carolina, who was missing sophomore guard P.J. Hairston, who stayed home with a sprained left knee.

There was a bigger problem, though. North Carolina couldn't figure out how to defend Zeller, one of this season's favorites to be the national player of the year.

"Boy, I would love to watch them play if it wasn't against my team," Williams said. "You look down the lineup and Cody Zeller, he's family to begin with, he's really a load to handle, and two other guys that I didn't even hear of when they were in high school, they just kicked our rear ends."

The game had been billed as one of this season's showcase events. For 16 minutes, it lived up to the hype.

Zeller changed everything with two flurries.

By setting high picks and drawing post players outside, it opened up the lanes for his cutting and slashing teammates who wasted no time exploiting the holes in the Carolina defense.

Sheehey broke the tie with a layup. Oladipo drew a foul and made two free throws. Zeller beat the Tar Heels down the court on a fast break, and then Zeller closed the 15-6 run by grabbing Yogi Ferrell's errant layup and nimbly tossing it into the basket with less than 1 second on the clock. That gave Indiana a 46-37 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Hoosiers were out to prove something else - that they could defend.

Over the first 8 ½ minutes, North Carolina managed only three points, the tip-in and a free throw.

Zeller and Oladipo, meanwhile, combined for seven points in the opening 13-0 blitz that put Indiana ahead 59-37, and North Carolina never challenged again as the Hoosiers won their 34th consecutive home game in November against a team that was supposed to give it all kinds of trouble.

"It's cool," Oladipo said when asked about the margin of victory over a program like North Carolina. "I mean, we've been working really hard and you guys know as well as I know that this program over the last couple of years was really struggling and we wanted to get it back on top. So to get a win like that, it's a humbling experience."

 

Text Only
The "Z" Watch
  • IU still working towards sixth banner

    Monday night in Atlanta, Louisville won the school’s first National Championship since the year I was born - 1986. This accomplishment is significant to Indiana basketball fans, because the last two times the Cardinals cut down the nets (1980, 1986), the Hoosiers did it the following year. The stat, of course means nothing, other than both schools had strong programs in the 1980s.

    April 11, 2013

  • Zeller declares for NBA

    Indiana’s Cody Zeller turned down one chance to play in the NBA. He couldn’t say no twice.
    The 7-foot sophomore center who returned to school last fall for one more shot at a national championship announced Wednesday he is leaving college early to enter the NBA draft. The reason was simple.

    April 11, 2013

  • zellerwithfanusethisone.jpg Washington shows support for Zeller

    Washington residents don’t get to see Tyler Zeller much these days, but for one night, he was back in Indiana.
    Zeller, along with his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates played the Indiana Pacers Tuesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, much to the enjoyment of more than a hundred Washington residents that made the two-hour trip to Indianapolis.

    April 10, 2013 1 Photo

  • zeller05.jpg Zeller scores 18, but Pacers beat Cavs 99-94

    For the first 43 minutes Tuesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, it looked like a great homecoming for former Washington Hatchet - now Cleveland Cavalier - Tyler Zeller. The final five belonged to the Indiana Pacers.

    April 10, 2013 1 Photo

  • Oladipo, Zeller named All-Americans

    Statistics through March 17
    First Team
    Trey Burke, Michigan, 6-0, 190, sophomore, Columbus, Ohio, 19.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 6.7 apg, 40.1 3-pt fg pct, 1.6 steals, 35.2 minutes (62 first-team votes, 319 total points)
    Otto Porter Jr., Georgetown, 6-8, 205, sophomore, Morley, Mo., 16.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 42.7 3 pt-fg pct, 1.9 steals, 35.3 minutes (62, 319)
    Victor Oladipo, Indiana, 6-5, 214, junior, Upper Marlboro, Md., 13.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 59.9 fg pct, 44.3 3-pt fg pct, 2.2 steals (58, 306)
    Doug McDermott, Creighton, 6-8, 225, junior, Ames, Iowa, 23.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 56.1 fg pct, 49.7 3-pt fg pct, 86.0 ft pct (44, 279)
    Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga, 7-0, 238, junior, Kamloops, British Columbia, 17.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 65.2 fg pct (47, 278)

    April 1, 2013

  • Hoosiers look ahead after disappointing finish

    Indiana left Washington in a dour mood.
    Tom Crean knows his team can't afford to let it linger if it intends to continue chasing another national championship banner.

    March 30, 2013

  • Turnovers spell disaster for No. 1 Indiana

    Nineteen turnovers. Sixteen baskets. A season-low 50 points.
    Top-seed Indiana had no answer for the 2-3 zone of Syracuse, and now the Hoosiers are heading home after a 61-50 loss Thursday night bounced them from the NCAA tournament.

    March 29, 2013

  • Indiana can't solve Syracuse zone in Sweet 16

    It took winning a national title for Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim to get over a late-shot loss to Indiana the last time the schools faced off in the NCAA tournament.

    March 29, 2013

  • Top four seeds left in East Region

    Yelps of support and echoing applause greeted the voice booming over the loudspeakers Wednesday at the scheduled start of practice for the East Regional's fourth seed: "Coached by Jim Boeheim, please welcome the Syracuse Orange!"

    March 28, 2013

  • Basketball is a king's sport in Indiana

    Indiana athletic director Fred Glass must be ready for the game each time he goes out.

    March 26, 2013

Featured Ads
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
AP Video
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse American Held in Grisly Czech Murders Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day' Jersey Shore Open for Business Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
Facebook
Clicker Ticker
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide