Tarheels: No Lawson, no way

It is once again that time of year when we have marched into the madness of the NCAA Tournament. Kansas, Memphis, North Carolina and UCLA were the No. 1 seeds last year, and they all landed in the Final Four. Kansas went on to take the title.

It was the first, and only time all the top-seeds made the Final Four. It won't happen this year.

I do like the Big East representatives Connecticut, Louisville, and Pittsburgh to each come out of their brackets, but because the fate of UNC rests on the right big toe of point guard Ty Lawson, I don't like the Tarheels' chances.

There's no way they can win the title without him being completely healthy. At all.

I'm no doctor, but having your big toe jammed is nothing like catching a cold. You can't just drink fluids, take some medicine, rest up and just expect to bounce back from that. There's always the chance of aggravating it.

Sure, Lawson is not the only force to be reckoned with on the Tarheels. You can't count out Wayne Ellington, Danny Green, or Tyler Hansbrough. They can affect the outcome of a game, but Lawson dictates it.

Take this month's ACC tournament for example. Those games were played by UNC with no contributions on the court from Lawson. UNC was exempt from the first round of action but struggled tremendously to defeat Virginia Tech 79-76 in the second round (but let's be honest, that jump ball call at the end of the game could have just as easily been called a foul on Hansbrough and UNC could have lost). The semifinals were not as kind to the Heels as they lost to Florida State 73-70.

Remember, Lawson was the sole reason the February matchup in Tallahassee against the Seminoles did not go into overtime, as his last second three-pointer sealed the UNC victory 80-77. Lawson would have made a significant difference in both of those tournament games.

The Tarheels can't continue to rely on Bobby Frasor to carry them through this tournament, if they want to win it all. Frasor is not as fast as Lawson, and because he is such a proficient shooter, he actually makes a better shooting guard than point guard. Lawson pushes the tempo the way UNC head coach Roy Williams prefers.

Williams likes his team to control the game's pace, and Lawson sets up UNC for easier baskets out in transition. His speed also helps maintains the game defensively, an area of the game the Tarheels have been regressing in as of late. UNC needs Lawson, in order to get back on track with defensive stops.

Lawson makes the rest of the team better and keeps the offense running on high octane. He is a menace for opposing defenders because of his quickness and he has far less turnovers than assists, making him virtually impossible to defend. Without Lawson, the Tarheels can expect to enjoy a home advantage in Greensboro during the first two rounds. When they go to Memphis to take on Gonzaga, that might be it. If they get past the Zags, then the next matchup either against Syracuse or Oklahoma will seal their fate.

If Lawson is not 100 percent, not only will UNC's national championship run come to a screeching halt, but the opportunity to get back to the Final Four, will also be in "toe" back to Chapel Hill.