Tournament inexperience fills roster

Of all the possible reactions the players of a team that was just announced as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament could have, North Carolina’s players may have had the strangest.

Instead of the more typical joy, cheering and applause, the announcement was greeted with — of all things — awkward silence.

Gathered around the television at UNC coach Roy Williams’ house with ice cream and cupcakes, the players did not know how to respond to getting the No. 2 seed.

“There were three or four (who clapped),” Williams said.

“They didn’t know how to act. They didn’t know if they were supposed to clap, if I was going to throw my ice cream at them or what I was going to do.”

The reaction underscores just how few players have NCAA tournament experience, which UNC starts Friday at 7:15 in Charlotte against Long Island University.

“I might have clapped,” sophomore forward John Henson said. “I definitely smiled.”

Of the players sitting in Williams’ living room, only two — Justin Watts and Tyler Zeller — had previously been a part of an NCAA tournament team.

In North Carolina’s 2009 national championship run, the duo combined for 50 minutes of playing time in six games.

“I played in the first round game, and Justin played a lot in that game, so we have limited experience, but we’re also basketball players,” Zeller said. “We know that the games are going to be more intense, we’ve got to be more focused.”

Both Zeller and Watts had their high minute totals for that tournament run in the first round, when the Tar Heels wore out Radford.

Coming into a tournament that often seems weighted toward experienced teams and older players, the Tar Heels’ startling lack of experience could work against them in a tight game.

“The fact of the matter is, we’re very inexperienced when it comes to NCAA tournament play,” Williams said. “My guys are going to be shocked when we go to practice in front of the public in Charlotte and there are that many people there. It is a new experience for everyone out there except Z and Justin.”

For the team to advance to the second week of the tournament, it will try to avoid the slow starts that haunted it during the ACC tournament.

In all three games, the Tar Heels fell behind by 10 or more in the first half. In two, they recovered to pull out wins against Miami and Clemson. In the third, they suffered an ugly loss to rival Duke 75-58.

“We’ve got to come ready to play,” Henson said. “If we come prepared, we’ll gain experience each game and we can only get better as a team.”

The first tournament test for the Tar Heels is LIU, the 15-seed of the East region. Williams might think the Blackbirds are underseeded.

Long Island has the longest active winning streak in Division I, having won its last 13 games.

“Their RPI is 75,” Williams said. “There are (five) teams in the ACC with a worse RPI than theirs is. They’ve really had a great run and they play very fast.”

Long Island made the NCAA tournament by winning the Northeast Conference Tournament championship in overtime, led by 31 points and 11 rebounds from Jamal Olasewere.

“They try to play our style of game, which is always fun,” Henson said. “They’re a pretty good team, so we can’t take them for granted. Respect everyone, but fear no one. That’s how we’re going into it.”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.