Medlin: Heels Not Slowed By Cougars

Carolina’s first- and second-round NCAA Tournament wins were eye-catching, to say the least. But the Tar Heels’ Sweet Sixteen victory over Washington State may be the most impressive of them all.

Why? Because Carolina didn’t score one hundred points…

Everyone knows Roy Williams’ team can run -- and when they’re allowed to run, they will run your team off the court. But you couldn’t turn on a TV, dial in a radio, log on to the Internet or thumb through a newspaper this week without seeing/hearing/or reading this question: Will Carolina struggle if Washington State controls the tempo?

To steal a line from comedian Dennis Miller: Consider those tea leaves read, my friends…

In any kind of competition – be it checkers, chess, debating, basketball (or even warfare, but I’ll leave that to Sun Tzu) – the party that dictates terms normally wins.

Let’s face it, if you’re controlling the style – essentially choosing the way the game is played – you’re going to choose the style that most benefits you or your team.

Which brings us back to Carolina and Washington State... The Tar Heels played this game on Washington State’s terms – at least in terms of tempo – and they beat the Cougars at their own game.

The bottom line here is that Carolina won when their opponent dictated the way in which the game was played. Yes, the Tar Heels would prefer to run and run and run and run... But simply walking the ball up the court is not a recipe for success against this team.

Just ask Washington State…