CHAPEL HILL - Chris Carrawell looked around the locker room, staring down the faces of so many young players. He looked at them, and like an old grandfather, gathered them around and told them a story.
The story dated back to Carrawell's sophomore season, when North Carolina led Duke at Cameron by 17 in the second half. Looking at the scoreboard last night, Carrawell saw the same lead, but the roles were reversed.
"I reminded the guys at halftime that this was just like my sophomore year," Carrawell said. "They were up by 17 at our house and we kept chipping away and we finally won it. So I was like, 'Look guys, I've been in this situation before, you guys gotta stay with it.'"
His halftime speech was an example of his off the floor leadership, a big reason why the Blue Devils now hold a three-game lead in the conference standings.
On the court, it was more of the same.
With 18.1 seconds left, Jason Williams missed his second free throw that would have given the Blue Devils a two-possession lead. After Joe Forte sent the game into overtime, Carrawell went over to Williams and said a few more words.
"I was looking at Jason, going into overtime, I just told him, 'We're still going to win this game. Just get me the ball, give
Leadership does not appear on box scores and is often hard to pinpoint. But Williams knows what it is. He knows what it's like to rely so heavily on two individuals and to strongly believe they won't let you down.
"When you look into Shane's eyes and Chris' eyes, we see they have an eagerness to win," the freshman point guard said. "We know that they'll do whatever it takes, and their leadership really carried us through tonight."
It is the leadership of Carrawell and fellow captains Battier and Nate James that has carried the Blue Devils all season long. They are the reason that this year's team, left for dead after the NBA Draft, is ranked third in the nation and pulled off its fourth overtime win of the year last night in the Smith Center.
"You can attribute that to the captains and coach," Battier said. "Chris and Nate are as tough as nails. If I was in a fight and I could have any two people in the country, it'd be Chris and Nate."
Duke almost suffered a monumental breakdown, but when things were at their bleakest, the Blue Devils' tri-captains made the plays necessary to win the game.
In the final four minutes of regulation, the three captains combined for seven of Duke's final eight points. Up by one early into the overtime period, Battier found Carlos Boozer open down low for an easy deuce and on the ensuing possession, he nailed a three-pointer from the corner.
Then it was Carrawell's turn, and the senior dished out an assist to Boozer and then gave Duke a seven-point lead when he drove past Joe Forte down the baseline and picked up an old-fashioned three-point play.
"I start to pick up energy late in the game," said Carrawell, who scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half and overtime. "I want the ball to come to me."
The Blue Devils are not as talented as they have been the past two seasons, but Mike Krzyzewski has the most battled tested group he's had in a long time. With five weeks still left in the season, Duke has already played in five overtime games, the most in 40 years.
The result? A Duke team that is mentally tougher than any Blue Devil squad of recent memory, including last year's dominating national runner-ups.
"We've got a lot of heart, and that's why we win games in overtime," Carrawell said. "Last year's team, we were great, but... we weren't in too many tough games, and when we did get in tough games, we lost. This year's team, we're building character."
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