2010–11 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

Season

UNC took part in the 2010 Puerto Rico Tip-Off

Puerto Rico Tip-Off

The 5 Hour Energy Puerto Rico Tip-Off is an ESPN Regional Television owned and operated preseason college basketball tournament that takes place in late November of each year, usually the week before Thanksgiving. It takes place in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico...

and the ACC – Big Ten Challenge. The following schools will compete in 2010 Puerto Rico Tip-Off: Davidson

Davidson Wildcats men's basketball

The Davidson Wildcats basketball team is the basketball team that represents Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, in the NCAA Division I. The school's team currently competes in the Southern Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2008. The...

, Hofstra

Hofstra University

Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...

, Minnesota

Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball

The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represents the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have played in the Big Ten since the conference began sponsoring basketball in 1905...

, Nebraska

Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball

The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college basketball. The program saw its first game in 1896 playing 7-on-7 basketball. The first collegiate game was against Nebraska Wesleyan University...

, North Carolina

North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball

The North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is considered one of the most successful programs in NCAA history...

, Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball

The Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball team represents Vanderbilt University in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference . The Commodores have won three SEC regular season titles . They have competed in ten NCAA Tournaments, making it to the Elite Eight once and the Sweet 16 six times...

, West Virginia

West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball

The West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represents West Virginia University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. It is a member of the Big East Conference. West Virginia most recently reached the Final Four of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, led by...

and Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball

The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers Basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents WKU in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Hilltoppers currently compete in the Sun Belt Conference. The team's most recent appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament was in 2009...

UNC had already scheduled non-conference games against Kentucky, Texas (in Greensboro), Charleston, Long Beach State, at Illinois, at UNC-Asheville, at Evansville, and at Rutgers (Madison Square Garden).

Non-conference season

UNC beat Lipscomb 84–66 in their first game of the season. In their second game, which was their first game in the Puerto Rico tip-off, they beat Hofstra 108–63. In their third game, they lost to the University of Minnesota 72–67. In their fourth game, they lost to Vanderbilt 72–65. The two losses caused UNC to fall in the rankings to #25. The 2–2 start was their worst since the 2001–02 season. After closer-than-expected wins against UNC Asheville and College of Charleston

College of Charleston

The College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...

, UNC dropped out of the rankings.

In their ACC-Big Ten Challenge game, the Tar Heels were throttled on the road against Illinois. However, they followed up that loss with an epic win over then 11th-ranked Kentucky

2010–11 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

The 2010–11 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team represented the University of Kentucky in the college basketball season of 2010–2011. The team's head coach is John Calipari, who entered his second season after posting a 35–3 record in his inaugural season....

. They had a chance to jump back into the rankings with a win over Texas in what was essentially a home game at the Greensboro Coliseum

Greensboro Coliseum

The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is an entertainment complex located in College Hill neighborhood of Greensboro, North Carolina. Opening in 1959, the arena was one of the largest venues in the South, with a seating capacity of over 7,000...

, but lost on a last-second shot by the Longhorns' Cory Joseph.

Conference season

The Tar Heels opened ACC play with close wins over the league's two Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

teams. However, they came out decidedly flat against Georgia Tech, losing by 20 points. They wouldn't lose again for almost a month, with the only really close game in that stretch being against Miami. That game was only decided on a last-second three-pointer by Harrison Barnes

Harrison Barnes

Harrison Bryce-Jordan Barnes is an American college basketball player. He is a sophomore at North Carolina and was one of the top rated basketball players in the class of 2010. Barnes is sometimes known by the nickname "Black Falcon."...

. The month-long winning streak catapulted them back into the rankings for the first time since December.

On February 4, the Tar Heels were broadsided when point guard Larry Drew II

Larry Drew II

Larry Drew II is an American collegiate basketball player for the University of California, Los Angeles . He is the son of Larry Drew, who was a first-round draft pick in the 1980 National Basketball Association Draft and is the current head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. At William Howard Taft...

abruptly left the team. It didn't seem to have any effect at first, as the Tar Heels blew out Florida State in their first game without Drew. However, after dominating Duke all of the first half, a second-half swoon doomed them to a 79–73 loss. They wouldn't lose again for over a month, despite nail-biters against Clemson and Florida State.

This set up a regular-season finale against Duke with the winner clinching the ACC regular-season title and the top seed in the 2011 ACC Tournament

2011 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament

The 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, a part of the 2010-11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, took place from March 10–March 13, 2011, at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina...

--only the fifth winner-take-all game in the series' 92-season history. The Tar Heels won with relative ease, 81–67, to win their 28th ACC regular-season title and fifth outright title in seven years. It also completed the Tar Heels' fourth undefeated season in the Smith Center.

The Tar Heels did not have an easy time of it in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, despite being the top seed. In their first-round game against Miami, they trailed for the entire game before going on a 27–6 run in the final 10 minutes, capped by a Tyler Zeller

Tyler Zeller

Tyler Paul Zeller is an American college basketball player who is currently a Senior at the University of North Carolina...

tip-in with 0.2 seconds left to win the game 61–59. It was the biggest postseason comeback in school history. Against Clemson, they trailed by as much as much as 11 before rallying to force overtime, then dominated the extra session to win 92–87.

This set up their third matchup of the season against Duke. However, the Tar Heels' luck finally ran out, as they were easily swept aside by the Blue Devils 75–58.

NCAA Tournament

Despite the loss, the Tar Heels returned to the NCAA Tournament

2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....

after a one-year absence as the #2 seed in the East Regional. They played their first two games at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE

- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...

. They played there alongside bitter rival Duke, who is the top seed in the West Regional.

The Heels didn't have an easy time of it in the early rounds, despite playing in a city that is only two hours from campus and is home to a very large alumni and fan base. In the first game, the Tar Heels got all they could handle from Long Island before pulling away late for a 102–87 win. They then squeaked by Washington on the strength of a combined 45 points from Zeller and Barnes. They advanced to the Sweet 16 at the Prudential Center in Newark

Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

.

The Tar Heels first faced the 11-seeded Marquette Golden Eagles

Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball

The Marquette Golden Eagles Basketball team is the basketball team that represents Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school's 1977 team, coached by Al McGuire, won the NCAA championship. Currently the team competes in the Big East Conference. It last played in the NCAA Division I...

in the Sweet 16 in Newark

Newark, New Jersey

. Marquette had an off night and the Heels dominated their opponent with a score of 81–63. UNC's next test was against a very hot Kentucky Wildcats

2010–11 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team

team, fresh off a win against the overall number one seed – the Ohio State Buckeyes. UNC was down early and remained down by 8 at halftime. Despite the barrage of 3-points from the Wildcats, UNC launched a furious comeback to tie the game late. Just as UNC was on the verge on overtaking Kentucky, freshman Brandon Knight

Brandon Knight (basketball)

Brandon Knight is an American professional basketball point guard with the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. Knight won the 2009 and 2010 Gatorade National Boys Basketball Player of the Year Awards...

hit a clutch 3-pointer to put Kentucky on top for good. Kentucky beat UNC 76–69 to advance to the Final Four in Houston.

Roster

Name	#	Position	Height	Weight	Year	Home Town	High School
Harrison Barnes Harrison Barnes Harrison Bryce-Jordan Barnes is an American college basketball player. He is a sophomore at North Carolina and was one of the top rated basketball players in the class of 2010. Barnes is sometimes known by the nickname "Black Falcon."...	40	Forward	6–8	210	Freshman	Ames, IA Ames, Iowa Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...	Ames Ames High School Ames High School is the sole high school in Ames, Story County, Iowa.-Academics:January 2008 —Ames High School has been named one of the top high schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report. In its recently released rankings, the magazine awarded Ames High School a silver medal, one of...
Daniel Bolick	3	Guard	5–10	175	Senior	Carrboro, NC Carrboro, North Carolina Carrboro is a town in Orange County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 19,582 at the 2010 census. The town, which is part of the Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan statistical area, was named after North Carolina industrialist Julian Shakespeare Carr.Located near Chapel Hill and...	Chapel Hill
Reggie Bullock Reggie Bullock Reggie Bullock is an American college basketball player for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels from Kinston, NC. He attended Kinston High School...	35	Guard	6–7	190	Freshman	Kinston, NC Kinston, North Carolina Kinston is a city in Lenoir County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 23,688 at the 2000 census. The population was estimated at 22,360 in 2008. It has been the county seat of Lenoir County since its formation in 1791 . Kinston is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks...	Kinston
Steward Cooper	15	Forward	6–5	205	Junior	Winston-Salem, NC Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina, with a 2010 population of 229,617. Winston-Salem is the county seat and largest city of Forsyth County and the fourth-largest city in the state. Winston-Salem is the second largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region and is home to...	Forsyth County Day
Patrick Crouch	30	Guard	5–11	175	Junior	Asheville, NC Asheville, North Carolina Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...	T.C. Roberson
Larry Drew II Larry Drew II Larry Drew II is an American collegiate basketball player for the University of California, Los Angeles . He is the son of Larry Drew, who was a first-round draft pick in the 1980 National Basketball Association Draft and is the current head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. At William Howard Taft... *	11	Guard	6–2	180	Junior	Encino, CA Encino, Los Angeles, California Encino is a hilly district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Specifically, it is located in the central portion of the southern San Fernando Valley and on the north slope of the Santa Monica Mountains...	Woodland Hills Taft
David Dupont	22	Forward	6–5	195	Junior	Greensboro, NC Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...	Grimsley Grimsley High School Grimsley Senior High School is a public high school in Greensboro, North Carolina. Formerly known as "Greensboro Senior High School," It is part of the Guilford County Schools system. The school has an enrollment of around 2,000 students in grades 9-12...
Van Hatchell	13	Forward	6–4	185	Senior	Chapel Hill, NC Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...	Cresset Christian
John Henson John Henson (basketball) John Henson is a college basketball player who currently plays for the North Carolina Tar Heels. He played high school basketball at Sickles High School in Tampa, Florida. -Early life:...	31	Forward	6–10	210	Sophomore	Tampa, FL Tampa, Florida Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....	Sickles Sickles High School Walter L. Sickles High School is a high school in Tampa, Florida. Constructed in 1997, it was named for the former superintendent of Hillsborough County Public Schools.-Academics:...
D.J. Johnston	32	Forward	6–4	195	Junior	Lower Gwynedd, PA	Germantown Germantown Academy Germantown Academy is America's oldest nonsectarian day school, founded on December 6, 1759 . Germantown Academy is now a K-12 school in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, having moved from its original Germantown campus in 1965...
Justin Knox Justin Knox Justin H. Knox is an American college basketball player, currently playing for the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina. Knox, a 6'9", 240 lb graduate student player, played three seasons at the University of Alabama before transferring to UNC. Knox currently plays the...	25	Forward	6–9	240	Graduate	Tuscaloosa, AL Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...	Central Central High School (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) Central High School is a high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, enrolling grades 9-12. The school enrolls approximately 700 students, and is one of three traditional high schools in the Tuscaloosa City School District along with Paul W. Bryant High School and Northridge High School...
Kendall Marshall Kendall Marshall Kendall Dewan Marshall is an American college basketball player for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. He grew up in Dumfries, Virginia, and attended Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia.-High school career:...	5	Guard	6–3	186	Freshman	Dumfries, VA Dumfries, Virginia Dumfries is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,937 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dumfries is located at ....	Bishop O'Connell Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School Bishop Denis J. O'Connell High School was founded in 1957 in Arlington County, Virginia. It was operated by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond, but has been under the direction of the Diocese of Arlington since 1974. The school is named for Bishop Denis J...
Leslie McDonald Leslie McDonald Leslie Vernard McDonald is an American college basketball player for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. He grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and attended Briarcrest Christian School.-Early life:...	15	Guard	6–4	215	Sophomore	Memphis, TN Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....	Briarcrest Christian Briarcrest Christian School Briarcrest Christian School is an independent coeducational college preparatory school with two campuses in Shelby County, Tennessee, in Memphis and Eads ....
Dexter Strickland Dexter Strickland Dexter Terrez Strickland is an American college basketball player for the University of North Carolina men's basketball team. Strickland is a 6ft., 3in., 185 lb. combo guard. His parents are Dexter, Sr. and Sheronne.- Early life :...	1	Guard	6–3	180	Sophomore	Rahway, NJ Rahway, New Jersey Rahway is a city in southern Union County, New Jersey, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, being 15 miles southwest of Manhattan and five miles west of Staten Island...	St. Patrick St. Patrick High School (New Jersey) St. Patrick High School Academy is a co-educational four-year Catholic high school in Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States. The school operates under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark...
Justin Watts	24	Guard	6–4	210	Junior	Durham, NC Durham, North Carolina Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake County. It is the fifth-largest city in the state, and the 85th-largest in the United States by population, with 228,330 residents as of the 2010 United States census...	Jordan Charles E. Jordan High School Charles E. Jordan High School is located in Durham, North Carolina. It is one of seven high schools in Durham Public Schools. It is located on Garrett Road near Hope Valley Road in southwest Durham...
Tyler Zeller Tyler Zeller Tyler Paul Zeller is an American college basketball player who is currently a Senior at the University of North Carolina...	44	Forward	7–0	250	Junior	Washington, IN Washington, Indiana Washington is a city in Daviess County, Indiana, United States. The population was 11,509 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Daviess County.-History:...	Washington Washington High School (Washington, Indiana) for schools of the same nameWashington High School is a high school in Washington, Indiana. Its athletic mascot is "The Hatchets". The School's primary colors are old gold and black. WHS plays in the Big Eight Conference...

* Left team February 4, 2011

Schedule

2011 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament

|-
!colspan=8| NCAA Tournament

2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

Blue Steel

In the 2010–2011 season, the term "Blue Steel" was coined to describe the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball

walk-ons. Blue Steel is composed of six players who, despite being non-scholarship athletes, have a position on the team and play a key role in its development. They are led by Basketball Hall of Fame

Basketball Hall of Fame

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...

coach Roy Williams

Roy Williams (coach)

Roy Williams is head coach of the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina. After averaging nearly an 80% win percentage in 15 seasons at the University of Kansas, he became the eighteenth head coach at North Carolina when he replaced Matt Doherty in 2003...

, who is third all time in the NCAA for winning percentage.

Roster and statistics

Patrick Crouch—a Junior guard

Daniel Bolick—a Senior guard

D.J. Johnston—a Junior forward

Van Hatchell—a Senior forward

David Dupont—a Junior forward

Stewart Cooper—a Junior forward

##	Player	GP-GS	Min	Avg	FG-FGA	Pct	3FG-FGA	Pct	FT-FTA	Pct	Off	Def	Tot	Avg	PF	A	TO	Blk	Pts	Avg
30	Patrick Crouch	12–0	20	1.7	4–8	.500	1–3	.333	0–0	.000	0	1	1	0.1	5	0	3	0	9	0.8
03	Daniel Bolick	14–1	19	1.4	1–4	.250	0–1	.000	4–4	1.000	0	5	5	0.4	1	2	1	0	6	0.4
32	D.J. Johnston	13–1	21	1.6	2–8	.250	0–1	.000	0–0	.000	2	6	8	0.6	0	1	1	1	4	0.3
13	Van Hatchell	11–1	16	1.5	0–5	.000	0–4	.000	1–2	.500	1	3	4	0.4	2	1	2	0	1	0.1
22	David Dupont	12–0	18	1.5	0–4	.000	0–3	.000	0–0	.000	2	3	5	0.4	1	1	1	0	0	0.0
15	Stewart Cooper	12–0	17	1.4	0–2	.000	0–0	.000	0–0	.000	1	3	4	0.3	2	1	1	0	0	0.0

Coinage of name

The term "Blue Steel" was created by walk-on member Stewart Cooper, a 2010–2011 Junior from Forsyth Country Day School

Forsyth Country Day School

Forsyth Country Day School is an independent, coeducational, nonsectarian, college-preparatory day school, established in 1970, and located in Lewisville, North Carolina...

, and has quickly gained prominence. Although the players to which it refers were once known by nicknames such as "the JV guys," and "the blue team", the new term of "Blue Steel" is one that is now widely known and used by members of the student body, faculty, and Tar Heel fans. Beyond the local fanbase, sports reporters around the country have begun to use it as well.

The Blue Steel movement first caught on in the 2010–2011 season. At the end of North Carolina’s 84–64 win over N.C. State

NC State Wolfpack men's basketball

The NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Wolfpack currently competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference, of which it was a founding member....

at the Dean Smith Center

Dean Smith Center

The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, usually called simply the Smith Center and popularly referred to as the Dean Dome is a multi-purpose arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The arena is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels men's basketball team, and temporary...

on January 29, fans chanted their new group name. The chant was at its optimum in Saturday’s pre-game introductions and when the walk-ons went to cut down the nets after three of them started against Duke

Duke Blue Devils men's basketball

The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team is the college basketball program representing Duke University in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I...

on Senior Night.

Players on the name "Blue Steel"

BOLICK: Williams called us a combination of "J.V." or "Parentheses." On the actual practice plans, all the walk-ons' names were on the practice sheets in parentheses next to the player they'd substitute in for. So he'd say, "Parentheses, get in there." We said, "We can't go with being called the parentheses."

COOPER: We didn't want to tell Williams to start calling us [Blue Steel]. We told one of the assistant coaches.

BOLICK: The assistant coaches started calling us Blue Steel at the beginning of the week. By the end of the week, Coach Williams had caught on as well.

COOPER: It was pretty funny the first time he said it. He said he liked it. He's never really gone back.

JOHNSTON: It definitely started off in practice, not as sort of a schtick-type thing, which is what it turned into. When he first said it in a game, we looked at each other like, "Nice."

Twitter

Blue Steel has approximately 10,000 Twitter

Twitter

Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...

fans. They are known for "tweeting from the bench" during basketball games. Their first tweet was on December 15, 2010 and was "What's up world? 2010–11 UNC basketball walk-ons fresh on the twitter scene. stay tuned FRIENDS." Some other examples of Blue Steel tweets

Twitter

are:

• "You're welcome Tar Heel fans. If we didn't get dunked on every day in practice, you wouldn't be able to see it in the game. #feelthesteel"

• "bucket, drawn charge, airball and one of the biggest blocks ever in the nc state game...the world saw all aspects of Steel's game. #respect"

• "We're gonna have a far better view than the "crazies" and we didn't waste all of January sleeping in a tent. #feelthesteel"

Videos

Blue Steel players filmed in action along with comments from members and team players. Submitted with permission from creator.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loVebteDfCE

Playtime in big games

In the rival matchup between North Carolina and Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...

in 2011, Roy Williams started the senior members of Blue Steel.

Harrison Barnes

' audio response to question about Blue Steel players: "From the walk-ons starting, to the students rushing the court, is this your finest memory as a Tar Heel thus far?" "Just to see Blue Steel get some recognition out there and be able to start—they work so hard and are the unsung heroes of this team. Then to have them rush the court, we haven't had that happen this year, and it's a great experience to have that, to know that a ring is on the way. That's the best feeling.

In North Carolina's game during Clemson in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...

, North Carolina, Roy Williams took out all of his scholarship players and put Blue Steel in the game.

Point guard Kendall Marshall

Kendall Marshall

Kendall Dewan Marshall is an American college basketball player for the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. He grew up in Dumfries, Virginia, and attended Bishop O'Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia.-High school career:...

said in response to this occurrence, “Just to sit on the bench and hear coach telling us all of the things we’re doing wrong – in so many words that I can’t say here – to see Blue Steel out there giving it their all, it inspires you.”

Blue Steel had the opportunity to play in the 2011 NCAA Tournament
2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The following sites were selected to host each round of the 2011 tournament:First Four*March 15 and 16**University of Dayton Arena, Dayton, OhioSecond and third rounds*March 17 and 19**Verizon Center, Washington, D.C....

in the opening game against Long Island University
Long Island University
Long Island University is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution of higher education in the U.S. state of New York.-History:...

and in the Sweet 16 game versus Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...

.

During a NCAA press conference, Kendall Marshall said, "But, still, you've just gotta feel the Steel sometimes. They bring a whole other dimension to this team. They're part of that goofiness that we have. They started a name for themselves, and all the little things that bring us close – it's been great."

Hand signal

Blue Steel have their own hand gesture, called the "dip snap". This gesture is used as a sign of respect when Blue Steel players are entering the game. The steps for completing it are reportedly as follows:

Press your thumb and middle finger together
Let your forefinger fall limp
Raise your hand up and turn your wrist so that your hand faces you
Sling your hand down towards the floor, allowing your forefinger to snap against your other fingers
Repeat until ample signs of respect have been shown

Reporters

Ben Doster--"Blue Steel: New Look to an Old Tradition"

Dave Wilson--"North Carolina's 'Blue Steel' adds to sports pranks"

Dave Wilson--"Blue Steel, North Carolina's Walk-ons, Earn Cult Hero Status"

Conor Orr--"North Carolina vs. Kentucky: Meet 'Blue Steel,' the Tar Heels' humorous, charitable bench"

Adam Lucas--"Lucas: Prank You Very Much"

Jerome Richard--"'Blue Steel' steals the show at start for Tar Heels"

Lennon Dodson--""Blue Steel" emerges as more than just bench warmers"

Jason Jennings--"UNC's Blue Steel builds a brand"

T-shirts

Blue Steel recently released their own T-shirts with the slogan "Feel the Steel". Proceeds from the shirts go to a Camp Kesem North Carolina, a week-long summer camp for youth whose parent or guardian have cancer.

Charity date auction

On February 14, 2011, UNC Chapel Hill held an auction for the charity Dance Marathon. Dates with members of the school's basketball team were auctioned off in order to support the organization, which aims to raise money for sick children. Specifically, members of Blue Steel were auctioned off for $375.

Season

Non-conference season

Conference season

NCAA Tournament

Roster

Schedule

Blue Steel

Roster and statistics

Coinage of name

Players on the name "Blue Steel"

Twitter

Videos

Playtime in big games

Hand signal

Reporters

T-shirts

Charity date auction

See also