UNC-NC State Mop-Up: Boys Will Be Boys

Glenn PettyFeb 3, 2009

With 1.9 seconds remaining in last Saturday’s 93-76 win over N.C. State, North Carolina reserve forward Mike Copeland drove to the basket after a long pass from Bobby Frasor, when Wolfpack center Ben McCauley knocked Copeland hard to the floor.

The referees called double technical fouls on the play, and Tarheels head coach Roy Williams sent Copeland to the locker room early.

Copeland got back up and shoved McCauley before referee Les Jones separated the two.

There was no flagrant foul and no ejection, so neither player should face disciplinary action in their next game.

Here's what the players had to say about it:

Michael Copeland

"He hit me in my head. It was a hard foul. Bobby gave me a pass and I wanted to score. Just like anybody, I hadn't played and I wanted to score. It was a bad mistake on my part, and I should have just let it go and shoot my free throws."

Ben McCauley

“I was a little disappointed that he was even going up for [the basket]. I thought that was a little disrespectful at that point. The game was over.

I wish it didn't happen the way it did, but I didn't want him to get an easy dunk. I told Coach Williams afterward, 'I'm sorry.'"

Bobby Frasor

“I probably should have taken the high road and just dribbled the ball out. But I came in with him, I wanted him to score, [and] I wanted him to get some memories.

But if I had known that was going to happen, I probably would have thought twice about it."

I am going to pin this one on Frasor for poor judgment. Yeah, everybody wants to score and everybody is supposed to play hard to the buzzer, but this play got started with just over six seconds left in a blowout.

Fans are paranoid about injuries to players in meaningless moments—see Tarheel freshman forward Tyler Zeller who was lost for the season late in a big win over Kentucky—so packing it in for the final 10 seconds seems reasonable.

If anyone points fingers, point at Frasor.

It's OK. He's a big boy and can take it. I doubt he's going to do it again.

(AP Photo by Jim R. Bounds)