-As the circus rolls into D.C. as my good pal Chris Wassel noted of the upcoming showdown in front of Congress between Roger Clemens and former trainer Brian McNamee later today, I just wanted to comment on another very good college hoops game I caught the last few minutes of.

-Unlike the sad controversial endings which took place in Volunteer Country and ironically the nation’s capital, the game between the fifth ranked Tar Heels and one-win in the ACC underachieving Cavaliers was a barn burner. It’s amazing to think that a team which features pro prospect Sean Singletary could be off to its worst start in the league since 1976-77 when they also began 1-9.

A few nights removed from being blown out by 31 at home by Clemson who recently lost to UNC in double overtime, Virginia played up to the level of competition looking to break a six-game losing streak. Unfortunately, they couldn’t come up with the big plays late negating a terrific performance from Singletary, who finished with a game-high 27 along with seven assists, six rebounds and three steals.

He didn’t get much help as only long-range bomber Calvin Baker reached double figures with his last bucket coming on a trey from the right wing setup by Singletary to pull his team within a bucket with under a minute to play.

The Heels went to their All-American Tyler Hansbrough, who converted a difficult eight foot fadeaway which put them up two possessions with 21 ticks to go. He paced the ACC’s second best team with 23 points on an efficient 10-of-15 from the floor with seven boards and two blocked shots. Though Hansbrough only got six in the second half, he made them count late to improve UNC to 8-2 in the ACC and 23-2 overall.

Singletary connected on a long trey from the left wing to slice it to one with eight seconds left. Problem was his team didn’t do a good enough job picking up man-to-man and fouling right away allowing the Heels to run down the clock to 2.8 when Wayne Ellington was fouled. Even though he missed the front end of a one-on-one, the ball was tipped a couple of different times allowing the clock to expire giving his team the hard earned ‘W.’

So, what was the key sequence in this one for the Cavaliers? It had to be when they trailed 71-68 with two and change to play where a wild sequence unfolded giving them three good chances to either tie it with a trifecta or pull within a point.

The Cavs got to offensive rebounds at least twice and then setup long three’s which wouldn’t go down. Then, when it appeared the Heels would score in transition, a hustling Singletary got back to pick the pocket of a UNC player giving his teammates another opportunity. With the fans excited looking for that big shot, it never came as they again forced a three which didn’t connect.

I like the three but sometimes, teams can get a little trigger happy. With still two-plus remaining, why not take the ball hard to the basket and maybe get an easier basket or possibly a three-point play?!?!?!?!?! That sequence demonstrated why the Cavs are now one game under .500 instead of playing up to capability.

HB Analysis: You have to know when is the right time to dial up from long distance. This is something I see a lot of in games I score as well. Not to be critical because I like and respect the players I get to see but it’s all about smart decision making. When they get into the lane and draw defenders, that’s when good things usually happen. You could say that for any basketball game that you’re either at or catching on the tube.

The best teams are unselfish and know how to utilize all their talent and get the most out of it on the court.

I think I’ve said enough about one game. Don’t you?

Till later I guess.