As we approach college semester final exams, it is only fair to give this UNC team a nice comb-through. The Heels entered the season with several unanswered questions, yet were still considered one of the best teams in the nation. After 8 tough games we certainly know more about the Heels, yet the conclusions are probably the same as they were in the pre-season.

UNC has lost two games to two tough teams. I noted here that this schedule is one of the toughest in NCAA history, and it has certainly taken its toll on the Heels. Not only have the Heels played two of the top 5 teams, they also just finished a stretch of five games in eight days. Not even the almighty Duke Blue Devils could weather that unscathed.

While the Heels have had a pleasant surprise in Joseph Forte, the injuries to Brian Bersticker and Kris Lang have really taken their toll. Bersticker broke a foot bone and is out for the season, and Lang has been double-whammied with a mysterious flu-like virus and shin splints. Nowhere is the loss that more evident than it is with Jason Capel playing the 4 position. Last season Capel, a versatile player, logged way too many minutes at “2″. This season it is the same story but with a different position. Capel is officially 6-8, but he is light as a feather and doesn’t possess a remarkable vertical jump. Capel also is a terrible defensive match for any traditional bulky power forwards. Kris Lang, who weighs 20 pounds more than Capel, has seen his minutes increase, but it will be January before we see Lang approaching 100%.

The Heels have given up FAR too many transition baskets this season, and that blame rests squarely on Ed Cota and Joseph Forte. Forte is new at this, and certainly has an excuse. However does anyone remember the last time Ed Cota drew a charge? Anytime Cota is facing a defensive rush alone, go ahead and mark those points down for the attackers..

Brendan Haywood has been the focus of much media attention. With rebounding totals of 2 and 1 against top opponents, the seven-footer deserves every criticism aired. Haywood’s biggest problem is that he is slow and doesn’t want to do anything about it. It is one thing to try to get position on the left side, and not get it. However when the ball is reversed to the right side, it is time for Haywood to flash across the lane and put the defense behind his lead. Haywood moves like molasses and actually invites defenses to cover him well. On defense Haywood does an adequate job, but could be so much better if he would keep his feet planted instead of jumping into shooters. Haywood has been labeled a top-5 pick for the NBA lottery next summer, which just goes to show how pathetic the NBA has become.

UNC’s t-shaped 1-3-1 zone defense has been especially effective this season. Teams are not able to use the baseline like they ought to, so the Heels ought to use it a little more. The lack of a good trapping defense, though, is a killer to this group of Heels. If the trap is used effectively, it will cause more backcourt turnovers that lead to fast break opportunities. UNC has certainly been lacking those opportunities.

Hats off to Max Owens who has had a great couple of weeks. Owens entered the season shooting dreadfully from 3-point land, but has found his mark (8-14, 57%, in his last 5 games). Shooting is a streaky thing, and currently the Heels are doing well from behind the arc, although they are probably using that option too much. Of the top 4 bombers, Owens is still shooting the worst at 28%, but his bad start is pulling that number down. Currently Forte, Cota, and Capel are all shooting better than 33% from behind the arc. If all 4 can continue to shoot this well, UNC will have plenty of W’s.

The ACC has been interesting, if not disheartening, to watch this season. Everyone but NCSU has looked awful for long stretches, yet NCSU will lose plenty of games. Their strength is their defense. Anthony Grundy is a possible All-ACC First-teamer. Ron Kelley is playing more consistent ball underneath, too. Even with a long loss of Kenny Inge, the Pack should absolutely see NCAA tournament action this season.

What is wrong with Georgia Tech? With two good 7-footers, all they have to do is get good play from the backcourt right? Well first of all, Alvin Jones is more of a jerk than he was when he was just immature. Collier needs to improve his defense, and the team goes through long lapses of stupid play. Throw UVA, FSU, and Maryland in with that one.

Duke is improving, and that is good for them. They have several awkward players and an over-zealous, out of control point guard. Their lack inside presence, a huge problem, is exacerbated by Shane Battier’s ridiculous three point shooting. They will be tough for the Heels in Durham, for sure, but I certainly expect to at least split the series with them.

Overall I give UNC a “B” grade. They have run into a couple of buzzsaws, but they never lost their composure and nearly won both of those games. The improvement in Lang’s health will be a key to winning the ACC Championship. After all is said and done, though, the Heels will be 12-4 in the ACC and still look like a Final 8 team, which is something we should all be proud of.

Wasn’t it just a couple of years ago that every one in America wanted an arena as big as the Dean Dome and looked like they could support one? Well, looking at attendance figures for indoor sports this Fall, it looks like some bills may not be paid. Here in the Triangle the NHL Carolina Hurricanes attendance is a regular topic of conversation. The Canes, after playing two years in a constricted version of the Greensboro Coliseum, recently opened the new Raleigh arena (19,000) with NCSU and have drawn somewhat well. The first four weeks of home games were seen by crowds in the 12,000 to 16,000 neighborhood, with the exception of the sell-out opening night. All the talk escalated recently, though, when the lowly Calgary Flames drew and official tally of 7900. That was the first night of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Two nights later the Toronto Maple Leafs played the Canes in front of about 9000 people in Raleigh.

Naysayers had a field day that week, but they have seemingly failed to realize that low attendance is a problem throughout the NHL, the NBA, and NCAA basketball. If you look at attendance, you’ll see that the lowly 2-win Chicago Bulls are the only team in the NBA that regularly draws more than 16,000 people to games. Attendance for other teams like the Atlanta Hawks and L.A. Clippers (which boast new arenas) and the Seattle Supersonics is staggeringly low.

The excuse of “disdain for money-grubbing babies” goes out the window when you look at the woeful attendance for NCAA basketball. UNC, a perennial big draw, participated in high profile double-header events this week that only drew 12,705, 12,289, and 13,463. These were events that occurred at 9:00 pm, in nice arenas, in large metro areas. While the events were on TV, these events drew at least 4,000 more people in recent years.

A new low must have been set today when a double-header in Atlanta featuring Georgia Tech vs. #3 Stanford and Georgia vs. Wake Forest drew a pitiful crowd in the brand new Philips Arena (seen above). Official attendance figures to this point have conveniently not appeared in the box scores.

Are team owners and colleges suffering from this lack of interest? Well, we haven’t heard the owners much and we certainly haven’t heard from the colleges. That means one thing: TV revenues are keeping promoters fat and happy, no matter how boring the crowd is. We all have 1000 events to watch on TV every night, so why not stay at home where the drinks are cheap (and contain what we want), the food is good, and the parking is free? It’s the American thing to do.

Tonight I ate my last meal at Chapel Hill’s famed Rathskellar. I’m not going anywhere, but the “Rat”, under new ownership, will on Sunday. The official word is that the landmark will close for extensive renovations, however there aren’t any signs indicating that it will ever be the same. Just ask fans of the Intimate Bookshop.

The Rat is one of those places that you only find in a great college town. The food is cheap, but fairly unimpressive, the décor is too dark for your grandmother, and the place is far grimier than you’d ever let your house get. Yet, there is something infectious about it. The Rat will always own a special place in any veteran of the Hill’s heart.

One last walk through woke many ghosts of my past. Echoes of that State Basketball Championship night in 11th grade (Broughton lost by 2 in double OT) still linger like the smell of that famous “Rat” pizza. I saw forgotten details of my first meal of freshman orientation; a period when my suitemates just seemed like every day guys, not the ministers and doctors they are today. I saw all 55 fraternity brothers sitting in the Circus Room contemplating a new cook for the house; one that would show up to work. I saw the memories of twelve newly contracted Camp Sea Gull counselors eager to change young people. I also saw the ghosts of several close fraternity brothers as we recently unknowingly ate our last meal together there.

My stroll didn’t just awaken old memories, it also alerted me to the unapologetic, funky décor. Remember the Circus Room, the ram horn chandelier, and the curious passage through the kitchen? How about the drum stick collection below the cashier, encased like a Smithsonian exhibit? What about the sports paraphernalia that donned the bar such as Dante Calabria’s autographed #24 jersey, LT’s official football photo, and several autographed basketballs. Who could forget the other treasures such as a Wurlitzer jukebox system that seemed to always play either “Carolina on my Mind” or “Shout”. What about the furiously hot gas furnace in the entryway that over the years soothed hundreds of cold, hungry patrons just in from the cold ally. The best of all, though, has to be the cave, the world’s greatest subterranean dining room.

Then there is the unhealthy, filling food. I will always remember classics like volcanic hot lasagna, the famed double gambler, and that sizzling spaghetti. Was anything else on the menu? Well I heard there was pizza, barbecued chicken, and sandwiches, but what post-war late teen would ever order those?

While we loved the Rat, it always will remain an ironic icon of our extraordinary college years; everyone went there, but nobody ever went there. We thrilled to eat at places like Spring Garden and El Rodeo on Friday nights, yet they were hardly institutions. Like the Old Well, we all raved about the Rat after our time in Chapel Hill, yet could only recall a handful of college experiences there.

This Sunday marks the end of a remarkable 50-year run for the Rat as we all knew it. While the Rat was something different to each generation of Tar Heels since 1949, it served as common ground for all ages, races, and walks of life.

The old adage, “the only constant is change,” could not be truer anywhere than it is in Chapel Hill. For sure there will be more great places on Franklin Street, however what really hurts about Sunday’s closing is that I’ll never get to share this one with my kids as my parents and friends did with me. RIP Rat.