By Caulton Tudor
Raleigh News and Observer columnist
CHAPEL HILL ó North Carolina led Duke by four points when Tar Heels playmaker Ty Lawson got his only rest during Sunday’s ACC showdown in the Smith Center.
By time the 5-foot-11 junior returned to the lineup about four minutes later, Duke had erased its deficit and led by a point.
That’s just one of many reasons my ACC player-of-the-year vote went to Lawson, the yearlong catalyst of a 27-3 team and yet another Carolina regular-season title.
Bothered by an injured big toe on his right foot, Lawson went the rest of the way without a breather, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and nine assists en route to a 79-71 win that should guarantee the Heels an opening-round NCAA tournament assignment in nearby Greensboro on March 19.
UNC coach Roy Williams stopped short of endorsing Lawson for the top-player honor but did say it should be a two-way race between Lawson and teammate Tyler Hansbrough, last season’s winner.
“If you go past those two, I don’t understand it,” Williams said. “But Ty has been sensational, and he’s grown as a leader every day of the season.”
And make no mistake, by no means was this Lawson’s finest hour.
Tired and hurting, he committed four turnovers, a high total by his standards this season. At times, he struggled to get the edge on slower Blue Devils defenders and missed five of his seven field-goal attempts.
Statistically, Lawson was overshadowed by Duke point guard Jon Scheyer, who scored 24 points, didn’t miss a shot of any kind and had five assists, no turnovers and four steals.
But on a day many thought the player-of-the-year choice boiled down to Lawson vs. Duke wingman Gerald Henderson, there was little comparison.
Henderson, hounded to no end by a swarm of defenders led by Danny Green, escaped with 14 points, but he had five turnovers while missing seven field-goal attempts and five free throws.
“(Henderson) can play better, but Green is a good defender ó tall and strong,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He had a lot to do with it (Henderson’s problems), but we’re getting better.”
Lawson said that although he would cherish winning the top-player award, “it’s not such a big deal that I spend time thinking about it.”
“I do want someone from our team to win it, though,” Lawson said. “Whether it’s me or Tyler or anyone else on this team doesn’t matter. I just don’t want to see someone from Duke win it, though. That’s the main thing.”
The history of the toe injury turned out to be intriguing when Lawson said that X-rays revealed a past break on the same toe.
“When I broke it, I have no idea,” he said. “It could have been last year, or even before that, for all I know. I’ve hit wrong on that foot so many times I can’t remember them all. But when I jammed it Friday, it did really hurt. It hurt today, too, but once I got into the game it was easy to forget it. When you’re playing Duke, things like that don’t bother you as much.”
Sunday was senior day for Hansbrough, Green, Bobby Frasor, Mike Copeland and a handful of walk-ons. It also was Lawson’s final game in the Smith Center if he elects, as is widely expected, to enter the NBA Draft.
“I’m not going to think about that all until after we win the national championship,” he said. “Then, there’ll be plenty of time to size everything up and figure things out.”