Bleacher Report - Articles by Rachel Scall

North Carolina: Don't Be Hasty With The Expectations

Rachel Scall — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:41:11 -0400

It is difficult to predict anything meaningful about UNC football and where the team will end up in the standings.

Sure, the Tar Heels are picked to finish third in the Coastal Division in the ACC Preseason Media Football Poll. But if last year's football season taught us anything, it is that ACC football is unpredictable—especially when it comes to the Heels.

Predicting Carolina to finish third implies that UNC's lineup will be healthy. That means quarterbacks can't be fracturing ankles and receivers can’t be tearing ligaments.

Last season, the Tar Heels were plagued by injuries to key players. Quarterback Cameron Sexton did the best he could after stepping in for TJ Yates. Receiver Hakeem Nicks helped pick up the slack for an injured Brandon Tate. Even with the substitutions, Carolina did not finish second in the Coastal Division as had been predicted.

Injuries were not the only thing that stood in the way of UNC fulfilling the prophecy of the polls.

The ACC is no Big Ten South, but it certainly is competitive.

Last season, the teams that were predicted to lead the ACC pack quickly fell out of the national rankings. Deeper into the season, ACC teams, including North Carolina, were rotating in and out of the polls on a weekly basis.

UNC may have triumphed over big names like Miami, but they fell to lesser teams—including a horrifying blowout against NC State. Unless the Heels have learned to control a game, this season could be eerily similar to '08.

If the Tar Heels want to accomplish a third-place finish—or if they hope to do better—this season will really come down to focus and a desire to win. The Heels cannot come out overconfident and get blown out, like they did against Maryland in '08. They cannot relax on a final play and figure they will win in overtime, like they seemed to react last year against Virginia.

The Tar Heels have an excellent recruiting class coming in, a great coaching staff, and a healthy team—as of now. But until they take the field, it is impossible to make any predictions on their season. Even if Carolina had all the talent in the world, their record of unpredictability proves that their fate lies with whether they can avoid injury, and how badly they want to win.

Michael Phelps's Loss and Swimming's Suit Problems

Rachel Scall — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:05:32 -0400

On the cover of every newspaper I’ve seen today is a picture of Michael Phelps looking shocked and dejected after having just finished second to Germany’s Paul Biedermann in the 200-meter freestyle.

Biedermann didn’t just out-touch Phelps at the wall—he smashed Phelps’s world record by 0.96 seconds.

Some may have seen Phelps's reaction to the loss (if you can call coming in second at a World Championship event a loss) as him being a sore loser. Phelps’s attempt to get away from the medal stand as quickly as possible, only to be ushered back into place by photographers, does not exactly scream sportsmanship.

But behind Phelps's actions, and his feeling about the race, lies a problem that goes beyond the winningest Olympian of all time. New technologies being applied to swimsuits have the competitors, coaches, officials, and fans of an entire sport up in arms.

As technology progresses, more and more swimmers are diving off the starting blocks in suits that practically do some of the swimming for them.

Biedermann, who was wearing an Arena X-Glide bodysuit when he beat Phelps in the 200-meter freestyle in Rome, admitted the suit shaved up to two seconds off his time—an eternity in the pool. In the past year, over 100 world records have been broken by swimmers wearing technologically-enhanced racing suits.

Some may not think this is a problem. After all, isn't every sport somehow affected by technological advances? Football has become a sport reliant on sideline technology, and hockey sticks are definitely not the flat pieces of wood they once were.

But it is not as if basketball players are wearing shoes with springs in them, or baseball players are suddenly allowed to use corked bats.

Technological advances in swimsuits are a serious problem for the sport.

When Phelps took on the X-Glide, he lost. Swimming should not be a competition between human beings and technology.

FINA has approved a ban, starting in 2010, on the technology being used to create these super-suits—and for good reason. When technology can skew a sport to the point that a certain make of bathing suit wins against talent and drive, what is left of the sport?

Of course, it is said that every cloud has its silver lining. New suit technologies are causing a huge problem in the world of swimming—and the world of Michael Phelps—but people are actually talking about swimming, and the Olympics are still a few years away.

UNC: It's Always Too Early To Move on from a Championship Win

Rachel Scall — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:40:46 -0400

At first glance, everything seems normal on Franklin Street. Students are on their way to class, high schoolers are in town for a field trip, and people are running a few errands during their lunch break.

But at a closer glance, something just isn't right. Maybe it's that the signs for Franklin Street and South Columbia have been torn down. Maybe it's the abnormally large crowds pouring in and out of Chapel Hill Sportswear.

Or maybe it's the fact that the majority of people on Franklin Street are wearing brand new National Championship T-shirts.

It was two days ago that the Tar Heels won the NCAA Men's Basketball National Title, but basketball is never old news in Chapel Hill.

Silences between fans are filled with the phrase, "I can't believe this really happened."

Tar Heels of all ages stand on Franklin Street's sidewalk just looking at the road. Monday night, they couldn't see the pavement—they could only see the throng of fans cheering, hugging, and jumping over bonfires.

And while basketball season is officially over and a new banner will hang from the ceiling of the Smith Center, it is too soon for everything to return to normal.

Students talk to each other about rushing Franklin Street. Professors talk to their classes about Carolina's victory.

A line of community members pours out the front door of The Daily Tar Heel's office, with everyone waiting to purchase a copy (or three) of UNC's student paper. And the checkout woman at Harris Teeter wants to know how much I got my championship T-shirt for.

There is a new sense of community in Chapel Hill, and it is built on basketball.

Growing up, my dad taught me to hate Duke, but I never bothered to follow college basketball.

That all changed last August when I began my freshman year at Carolina.

Basketball took over my life.

I participated in Carolina Fever, a program that allowed me to attend other UNC sporting events in order to earn basketball tickets. I made new friendships based on basketball. I learned to recognize every member of the team when I saw them on campus.

I was hooked: I wanted to win. I wanted to win it all.

Since losing to Kansas in the Final Four last season, all of my focus has been on the 2009 National Championship. Me and thousands of other Carolina fans.

And on Monday night, it actually happened. UNC won. UNC won a National Title.

The Smith Center erupted. Fans stormed the court before turning around and running over a mile to storm Franklin Street.

It was chaos and it was bliss. Fires were burning and people were pushing. People were hugging and jumping for joy.

It was emotional, to say the least.

About 50,000 people rushed Franklin Street Monday night. And while I'm happy I got to be one of them, I am most grateful that I was one of about 15,000 undergraduates who found themselves at Carolina for this championship.

Years from now, future generations of Tar Heels will stare at the 2009 championship banner hanging from the Smith Center rafters, thinking about how badly they want to win a championship.

Others will see that banner and remember what it was like to be in Chapel Hill when UNC won.

I've joked with my friends that Monday night was and will be the best night of my life—that the climax of my life came two days after my 20th birthday and it can only go down from here.

I know that's not true.

But as far as my life as a Tar Heel fan goes, it will be hard to top the feeling of winning this championship, the feeling of rushing Franklin Street, the feeling of the heat coming off a bonfire while surrounded by cheering fans.

Life doesn't stop with a National Championship victory, but Tar Heel fans will do their best to make time stand still for as long as possible. It's too early to move on.

For Carolina fans, it's hard to imagine what could seem as exciting as this victory.

Personally, I have to wonder what could top my first national championship.

Tar Heels Have Problems to Address In The Midst Of Conference Play

Rachel Scall — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 20:51:43 -0500

No. 5 North Carolina is four weeks into conference play and it is clear that the Tar Heels have some issues to address before the end of the regular season.

Defense

The eternal question asked about UNC is whether they are strong enough on D. Playing against No. 10 Clemson, the Heels proved that they can play better defense than the sorry excuse for defence seen against Boston College and No. 1 Wake Forest, but is North Carolina's defense strong enough to take on a team like No. 2 Duke?

In recent games, UNC has put in more effort when the other team has control of the ball. Ed Davis has become a force under the basket, joining Deon Thompson and Bobby Frasier to form a defensive core for the Heels.

But if the Tar Heels want to stop a team that focuses their offense on three pointers, such as Duke, they will need to strengthen their defensive play on the perimeter. Furthermore, offensive players, including Tyler Hansbrough, will need to remember that defense is just as important as putting points on the board.

Ego

After losing to Wake Forest, Danny Green and Wayne Ellington both admitted that the Tar Heel hype encompassing the media definitely got to the Heels' heads.

North Carolina is going to receive praise from the media, but UNC players need to block it out and play like they have something to prove.

If players are focusing on rankings and not on the game, UNC's season will be a continuation of their first two ACC games.

Injuries

Marcus Ginyard was expected to return from foot surgery in time for UNC's conference play. He is still on the bench.

Ginyard is a key part of the Heels' defense. Can the Tar Heels make it through an entire season without him? It is definitely possible, but the other members of the team will need to step up their defensive efforts come tournament time if they want to fill the void left by Ginyard.

If Ginyard returns to the court in the coming weeks, how will he fit in with a team that has played over two months without him? It will be unlikely for Ginyard to return to his starting position anytime soon, so he would be forced to adjust to coming back from an injury and to a new role on the team.

Other injuries should be of concern to the Tar Heels as well. Tyler Zeller finally has his cast off after fracturing his wrist and was warming up with the team before the game against Clemson on Wednesday.

Could Zeller make a return to the floor this season? If he does, he will face a steep learning curve. It is too late in the season for him to be making freshman mistakes.

Consistency

When shots do not fall, a team cannot win. This is yet another lesson that UNC learned in its losses against BC and Wake.

Right now, Wayne Ellington has his confidence back, hitting fairly consistently from the three point line in the Heels' past two games. But if Ellington has a bad game in the coming weeks, will he fall back into a slump? Hopefully not—Carolina will depend on him scoring a notable amount of points per game if they want to have a chance making it through their ACC season on top.

Ty Lawson also needs to worry about consistency. He cannot let other teams' defenses ruin his quick style of play.

Duke

UNC's rival down the road is good. (As much as it pains me to admit it, they are very good.)

Duke is Carolina's biggest challenge since they do not face BC or Wake again this season.

Right now, the Blue Devils are 5-0 in conference, as opposed to UNC's 3-2 record.

If Carolina wants to stop Duke—a team currently on a 10-game win streak—they will need to play their best. This means taking high percentage shots and making them and playing better D than they have played this season.

When Carolina takes on Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 11, the Tar Heels will truly be put to the test. Until then, the Heels cannot let up against lesser ACC opponents. As their 0-2 in-conference start shows, UNC should play every game like they have something to prove.

The NCAA Needs to Reform the BCS, Not Lawmakers

Rachel Scall — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 20:50:48 -0500

When President-Elect Barack Obama went on ESPN and said that he would like to see playoffs in college football, he probably could not have foreseen the barrage of other lawmakers who would want to get in on the anti-BCS battle.

Lawmakers started their campaign against the BCS in December when Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) introduced a Congressional bill that, if passed, would eliminate the BCS in favor of a playoff format.

The bill does not specify what type of playoff would be put in place, but it "will prohibit the marketing, promotion, and advertising of a postseason game as a 'national championship' football game, unless it is the result of a playoff system. Violations of the prohibition will be treated as violations of the Federal Trade Commission Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice."

The anti-BCS bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas).

Now Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is investigating the BCS for possible violations of federal antitrust laws. Shurtleff says that the BCS system puts a competitive and financial disadvantage on schools, such as Utah, that are in conferences that do not receive automatic bowl bids.

This is the second year in which Utah completed an undefeated season and did not have the chance to play for a national championship. Both Florida and Oklahoma have one loss apiece on the season.

The BCS coordinator has stated that the BCS postseason system is in compliance with federal laws.

My question is, why do lawmakers have time to worry about the BCS? The economy is crashing down around us, our nation is at war, and the Middle East is a mess.

Lawmakers should be concentrating on government, not college sports. There are much more important laws that lawmakers can work towards passing, no matter how badly the BCS needs to be repealed—or at least reformed.

Instead, NCAA personnel, college athletics directors, and conference and BCS leaders should be the people making headlines in the fight against the BCS. It is pathetic that after years of talk about the flaws of the BCS changes have not been made to the college football championship series.

If college football wants a playoff, the change should come from those whose job it is to reform college football—not from the government.

Harvard-Boston College: The Upsetter Has Been Upset

Rachel Scall — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:33:56 -0500

Amidst the madness that is NCAA basketball, it's easy to go from being a hero to being the latest upset. Enter Boston College.

Only three days after upsetting then No. 1 UNC, No. 24 Boston College lost to Harvard 82-70. This was Harvard's first win over a ranked team in over 100 years of playing basketball.

Boston College's stats against Harvard weren't as bad as those of UNC when they were upset by the Eagles. That being said, it looks like BC was lagging against the Crimson.

The Eagles shot only 62.5 percent from the free throw line in contrast to the Crimson who shot 87 percent from the line—a real feat for a team which averages only 72.2 percent on the season.

Free throws were not BC's only weakness. The team made only 2 for 13 from behind the three point line.

The Eagles' 16 turnovers were not helpful either. Harvard, meanwhile, had only 10 turnovers, well under their average of 14.8 turnovers per game.

This loss will likely affect BC's ranking next week, but how does this affect Harvard?

Harvard proved they are a basketball team capable of beating a stronger team, but with only an 8-6 record and a mediocre schedule, Harvard is not climbing to the top of the rankings anytime soon.

The effects of this loss could echo into March though. Will an Ivy League team be the big hero this year? It is hard to picture Harvard pulling a Davidson or a George Mason, but hey, they call it March Madness for a reason.

North Carolina-Boston Collge: Tar Heels Fall Flat In Conference Play Opener

Rachel Scall — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:03:38 -0500

North Carolina's dreams of an undefeated season ended early with an 85-78 loss to Boston College Sunday.

It is hard to believe that the team that showed up at the Smith Center to take on the Eagles was actually the Tar Heels.

North Carolina shot only 38.4 percent from the field, and the range of missed shots included everything from threes to layups to dunks. The Heels shot only 55.6 percent from the line in contrast to their 73.3 percent season average.

But what was really missing from the game was Carolina's defense. After last season's tournament run, it was clear that UNC needed to beef up on D.

So far, it doesn’t look like the Heels have learned too much.

UNC's defense did not show up for the first half of the game. BC took open threes, drove past the Heels to the post, and beat Carolina down the court.

Coach Roy Williams must have whipped his team into shape during half-time, because for the first few minutes of the second half, Carolina's D was ready to play. Unfortunately, that was short lived.

The Tar Heels did pick things up again during the last two minutes of the game, but it was too little, too late.

Of course, UNC's 15 turnovers didn't help. If the Tar Heels want to gain back their No. 1 spot, they will have to work a lot harder than they did against Boston College.

This may seem like a lot of criticism after one loss, but when a team is the consensus preseason No. 1, their first loss is going to bring about a lot of criticism. Now it's time for the Heels to take the criticism, work with it, and come back from this loss better than ever.

Tar Heels Get Ready To Back Up Hype In Conference Play

Rachel Scall — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 09:45:19 -0500

By now, everyone and their grandmother has heard about how good UNC-Chapel Hill basketball is supposed to be this season. But with conference play coming up, the Tar Heels will be put to the test and forced to defend their no. 1 ranking.

The Tar Heels host their first ACC match-up Sunday against Boston College. Although Tyrese Rice put up 46 points against the Heels at the teams' last meeting, his high numbers couldn't stop Carolina then and shouldn't stop them now. If BC wants to keep up with the Tar Heels, they are going to need more depth than they have available.

One week after playing BC, UNC will face its first in-conference threat: no. 6 Wake Forest. Both teams shoot approximately 51 percent from the field, but Wake currently averages more rebounds per game than Carolina. The Tar Heels will need to keep it together on D if they want to beat the Demon Deacons. This game will be far from easy, although once again, North Carolina's depth is a weapon that Wake will have trouble matching.

Virginia and Miami will be the next two teams on North Carolina's victims list. While Virginia's team is putting up more points thanks to freshmen Sylven Landesberg and Sammy Zeglinski, their poor FG percentage and tendency to send opposing players to the line will sway the game to the advantage of the Heels. Miami's shooters will also have trouble keeping up with the Tar Heels and the Hurricanes will struggle to keep up with UNC point guard Ty Lawson's speed.

Another test for North Carolina could be no. 16 Clemson. As evidenced by last season's match-ups between the Tar Heels and the Tigers, Clemson is perfectly capable of keeping up with the Heels. If the Tigers hang on long enough to create a close game, the outcome will once again come down to whether or not Clemson can keep up with UNC's extraordinary depth.

Florida State, North Carolina State, and Maryland shouldn't be too tough on the Heels, although Maryland's defeat of a ranked Michigan State showed that the Terps should be taken seriously. As last year's Maryland-Carolina game proved, anything can happen.

UNC should be able to blow past Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. While Virginia Tech has improved--they missed beating a ranked Xavier team by one point in OT--they are yet to reach powerhouse status. Georgia Tech currently sits at the bottom of the ACC pack with an early loss to Virginia.

The ultimate challenge for the Tar Heels will be the boys right down the road: no. 5 Duke. Duke's style of play, with its concentration on shooting from the outside, will challenge the Carolina defense—as usual. But with Kyle Singler toughened up from last season, the Blue Devils may be able to challenge the Heels from the post as well.

If the Heels want to defeat their arch rival, they will have to bring their A-game: Lawson's speed, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green's threes, Deon Thompson's much improved game, Marcus Ginyard, Bobby Frasor, and Ed Davis's defense and, of course, a healthy Tyler Hansbrough.

Many think the question this season is, "can anyone stop the Tar Heels?" In a league as strong as the ACC, the real question is, "who will be the team to upset Carolina?"