Straight from Tallahassee…

Joining us now from a sold-out Tallahassee International Airport. I have no idea what that means.

From inside Carolina, Adam Smith who was at the Tar Heels win over the Seminoles last night. Quick airport quiz for you. What is the three-letter code of Tallahassee International Airport? Is it T-H-L? T-L-H. Good. You got it right. I'll give you credit for that.

I mix it up. And you know, you said this sold-out airport. In all seriousness, I have walked over to the A terminal. There's literally no one in the entire A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7.

No one is in the A part of the building here. Well, those are all the flights to Paris. So, those flights don't leave until later. Adam Smith with us. Alright, so if I told you that Armando Bacot would have one point. Right. You would have said, what happened in North Carolina? Well, first off, I appreciate your question because I asked Pete Nance last night. Pete, if I had told you just a few weeks ago, two weeks ago, that Armando was going to score one point, but you were going to make 14 threes, you know, like how plausible. I think I used the word plausible. If it had been, he's like, yeah, you're right. It wouldn't have seemed possible. But yeah, I mean, it's not exactly the preferred recipe to have Armando not make a shot from the field if you're UNC, is it? No. That was, I was thinking early in the game, you know, how often do you see him look, quote, unquote, small with the guy he's guarding, you know, but FSU has such size down there.

You're right. Leonard just Leonard. Leonard Hamilton just collects like big bodies, doesn't he? I mean, it's, you know, they have the seven, four and the heme cloud. I mean, he is, I mean, he appears to be a legit seven, four, six, 11. Bob and Miller. I mean, they have just tons of size and the size bothered Armando and then he got in the early foul trouble and he just never could get into the game. But the vaulted Tar Heel three point shooting, the Tar Heels last in the ACC and three point field goal percentage, they were hitting them.

They were splashing in and it was pretty much essential for them to win last night. So you think that's sustainable? I mean, whenever. Okay. Yeah. No, I'm sorry to interrupt you. You didn't. I didn't need to say anything else. You answered the question.

It's a hard thing to suddenly become good at if you haven't been good at it for 20 some odd games. Well, let me put it to you like this. We're getting an announcement now.

I don't know if that's going to be good radio for you or not. All depends on the announcement. There's, you know, I've been, I've seen every game and you know, uh, it was five or six days ago, they're at Notre Dame and they, they UNC has, you know, it's worst shooting half in 43 years of basketball.

18%. Yeah. Yeah. It was, I mean, I was just abysmal, but since then, um, they have been good, especially good for them. They're not exactly the golden state warriors. And I asked Hubert last night, I said, is there, was there something about just being able to fight through that flog of a first half at Notre Dame that somehow freed you up? And he said, you know, maybe it did because you can sort of feel it. Um, you know, they, the last two games, they beat UVA, they beat FSU last night. I know FSU is not going anywhere in the post season, but there was, there's more confidence to the way UNC is playing right now. Um, and then the last couple of weeks and you can sort of feel it and you can sort of see it, you know, Pete Nance is sort of getting it back and RJ Davis is, is starting to cook again and Caleb Love never lacked for confidence. Um, but you know, there, there is a difference to them the last couple of games that if you're a Carolina fan, I think you have to feel encouraged about. So I want to get to the second name you mentioned, because I always look at this team, I think RJ Davis is the litmus test.

When he plays well, I think they have a chance. And for about two weeks or so, his play was, I get spotty at best, but he made the big plays when Florida State pushed, it was RJ that really made the plays down the stretch, no? And he had a, he had a big shot at Notre Dame too, really late and sort of a drive and a spin and a little turnaround jumper in the lane because he's not the biggest guy.

Um, but I mean, I think you're right. And the thing about RJ and you could go through UNC's roster from Baycott to Pete Nance to Puff Johnson and talk about their health. And, you know, RJ, it was UNC ended the month of January six and one, and that's the, the sixth win was at Syracuse. And that night, RJ got completely just beaten up and he put his body on the line to draw the charging foul on Judah mints and it ended up just completely messing him up.

I mean, as I got hit so hard with the elbow for mints, his eye was swollen shut. He re dislocated, if that's the right word, he dislocated his right index finger again. And he hasn't been right since then. I mean, he's been wearing a tape job on the finger and it has clearly sort of affected him. If he could have just had one shot go down when Pitt came to Chapel Hill or one shot at Duke, they might've won those games. I mean, those were all one possession games that went down to the, to the very death. But the unfortunate thing for RJ is that before that Syracuse game, he was playing the best basketball of his career, like a 10 game stretch where he'd been more efficient, scored more points. But he went the other way, you know, with getting beaten up, but he's starting to play. The last two games, he hasn't won the tape on the finger and his spirits have always been high. So it's going to get pretty interesting to hear AG with the Duke game, the end of the week, and then the ACC tournament.

I mean, a lot of stuff on the table here. So Duke has this little basketball game tonight at Cameron Indoor Stadium against a team that I think matches up really well against the Blue Devils and how NC State is so perimeter oriented. And it's going to be difficult to handle DJ Burns because of just his size. Burns versus Lively is like watching the number 10 play against each other. It's amazing. But the, I apologize, I hope that didn't affect anybody, but it's what it jumps out to me as. I'm picturing it.

Exactly. Do you, first of all, before we get to the Duke game, do you think Carolina is an NCAA tournament team based on what, based on the eye test? Oh, I love the eye test. Based on the eye test, are they an NCAA tournament team? I think the team that played against UVA and led by 17 and the team that played last night and led FSU by 18 before almost giving it away. Oh, by the way, I think they are, I think they are a team that's worthy of being in there. Maybe just skating in.

Okay. I mean, I think, I think if they beat Duke, you know, and they do a little work in Greensboro, they can sneak their way in. But, you know, that would be, that would be my eye test for them. I think, I think they'll be in, whether they beat Duke or not, I think they'll figure out a way to sneak in the field, whether it's through Dayton or maybe even getting one of the last buys. I just, the team to me looks like an NCAA tournament team. Now, how do we, how do we look at this game? We got, for the second time this year, neither team will be ranked. What is the, is this just, I've always said the two games were different anyway. The second game was a game that usually decides something. This will decide nothing. They're both going to be playing on Wednesday.

So what is this, what are the stakes here? It is wild that both, neither team will be ranked for both games. And I was just, I still got that picture of number 10 in my head. Have you ever seen, was it Steve Forbes, the way coach that said, I mean, Burns will back you down from the three point line. It's like the 1990s NBA, isn't it? It is.

It's amazing. Um, but to get back to your question, um, you know, I was thinking about, um, I was thinking about the last couple second Carolina Duke games. And, uh, two years ago, you've got UNC and still the pandemic season beating Duke, a guy by the name of Roy Williams bends down and kisses the court, you know, that has his name on it on his way off the court.

And little did we know at that point, uh, that was going to be his last home game at Carolina. And then of course, last season, the absolute circus, I think I've used the word spectacle many times. And the things I wrote with, with coach K's final game in Durham. I mean, you know, this one would not compare in any way to those last two, but I mean, I think it's huge for both teams. So I think Duke, I think they've won four in a row going into night, maybe seven or the last nine or something like that. You know, I think it's, I think it's big for both. I think Duke is playing well.

I think Duke's a team that could do some real damage in the NCAA tournament. Um, now that I say that they won't, but, uh, you know, uh, you know, I, I, I, I think it's, I think it's a big table setter for what's going to happen in Greensboro. And, you know, here's the question, you know, will it be Armando big cats, final, final home game at, at in Chapel Hill? I mean, it very well could be, we know it'll be leaky, leaky blacks.

It'll be his second senior day. He was joking about that last night. Um, you know, some people think that, you know, you don't know how this, where this team is, who is going to be back next year. Could Caleb love not come back?

Uh, you would think RJ Davis would be back, but, you know, so it's kind of like, if you're a Carolina fan, is this something you should try to really savor against, you know, your biggest, most hated rival, obviously. Uh, I'm, I'm still trying to process Armando Baycott playing another year. I mean, he could, he could.

I can't, I, wow. Cause you did, you got a free year because of, because of COVID. And he's getting paid, A.G.

I mean, he's, he's making, he's making a nice amount of NIL money. Now I'm not, I have, I have no inside knowledge of it. That's a question I want to ask Armando. Quite frankly, if he'd have played well last night here at FSU, I think I would have said, cause there's only so many of us down here. We had such great access talking to the guys.

Um, I think I would have tried to sneak in there when nobody was listening. Hey Armando, you know, is this, is this it? You know, to see what he would have said, cause there's one thing about Armando, he will tell you the truth or give you an answer to work with. One of my favorites, one of my favorites to either talk with, and I have spoken with him, or just to listen to. I love the honesty.

Adam Smith from Inside Carolina. Alright man, get on a plane. I appreciate your time. We'll see you in Greensboro in a week from today. That sounds great. Always good to be with you man. Thanks for having me.