While North Carolina was thumping its first two opponents in the NCAA tournament with 100-point games, most stunning was how flawlessly they executed the poundings.
Against Mt. St. Mary’s on Friday and Arkansas on Sunday, guards Ty Lawson and Quentin Thomas combined for 21 assists and no turnovers.
The top-seeded Tar Heels turned the ball over only 16 times combined in their first two East regional games.
“I think it’s the kind of thing that’s catching,” coach Roy Williams said. “Every day I talk about moving yourself and moving the ball intelligently.”
Lawson seems to have few lingering problems from the sprained left ankle that sidelined him for six games in February. In a 108-77 victory against Arkansas, Lawson scored 19 points on 6-for-9 shooting with seven assists.
“He’s just a huge asset for this team,” forward Marcus Ginyard said. “Obviously, with him at 100 percent, this team runs a lot better.”
Layups
Roy Hibbert found himself in foul trouble in Georgetown’s last two losses. The 7-foot-2-inch center fouled out of the Hoyas’ upset loss to Davidson, playing only 16 minutes and scoring six points. Hibbert, a senior, was also limited in the Big East championship game loss to Pittsburgh, when he picked up four fouls. … Stephen Curry was at it again. One game after dropping 40 — 30 in the second half — on Gonzaga, the Davidson guard scored 25 of his 30 in the second half to overcome a 17-point deficit against Georgetown. He scored 18 of Davidson’s final 22. … Davidson extended the nation’s longest winning streak to 24 games. … In the crowd for the Davidson-Georgetown game were three former NBA players watching their sons. Dell Curry, Patrick Ewing Sr., whose son Patrick Jr. plays for Georgetown, and Doc Rivers, whose son Jeremiah plays for Georgetown. Former Davidson coach Lefty Driesell and Heat coach Pat Riley also attended.
