Uh-oh. North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson — and his jammed right big toe, kicking up near the bottom — grace one of the six regional covers of Sports Illustrated this week. He's expected to play Friday against Gonzaga in the NCAA regional semifinals ... as long as that SI jinx doesn't come into play.
In case you missed it — sense the sarcasm, there? — Lawson jammed the toe March 6 in practice, played 36 minutes against Duke, then missed the next three games before returning Saturday and scoring 23 points against LSU. The Toe, which must be the most-written-about body part of this tournament, still isn't 100 percent.
Robbi Pickeral has covered ACC sports for The News & Observer since 2003. She can be reached at
Comments
"Know the Toe!"
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 11:57 — gvillegatrlol.
Just wondering, Gatr
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 12:38 — JPDOhioHave you started your pre-game imbibement a day early? You seem a little, shall we say, carefree.
imbibement
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 14:05 — gvillegatrI had no idea what this word meant and neither did dictionary.com! this word does not exsist!
i assume you were making light of my quoted phrase!! lol.
It's the toe that counts
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 09:02 — dwcattySix regional covers, but only one toe is on any cover - Lawson's!
si cover jinx
Thu, 03/26/2009 - 00:16 — george32as carikuba fans remember, jordan was on the cover before dakich of indiana shut him down. this year steph curry was on a cover and davidson did not make the big dance and was knocked out in the 2nd round of the nit. the cover jinx is a cute story but the issue will be if carolina can play solid defense against such a varied attack and elliington continues hotenough to allow hansborough and the bigs some room inside. i just hope lawson is well enough to keep the slowest point guard in the country (except maybe paulus) on the bench preparing for what should be an outstanding coaching career.
Regional Covers
Wed, 03/25/2009 - 23:24 — scoccaI think, almost by definition, a regional cover does not count for the "SI Cover Jinx". Got to be a national cover, especially on a season preview or something.
do you believe in ghosts?
Wed, 03/25/2009 - 22:12 — turkeydanceor voodoo? or jinxes?
Coach Roy is supremely
superstitious with his
spitting into the river thing.
since UNC's in Memphis, it's
spitting into the Mighty Mississippi.
Madden
Wed, 03/25/2009 - 21:21 — gvillegatryou have this mistaken with Madden. get with the program!!
SI Cover
Wed, 03/25/2009 - 17:48 — heelsno1The Heels have won the title in past years with team members on the SI cover prior to the championship game. So much for a jinx.
SI
Wed, 03/25/2009 - 17:06 — nickijhDoes that mean last week's cover with a member of every team on the cover mean the entire tournament is jinxed? That could be a problem.
The Toe
Wed, 03/25/2009 - 16:27 — JPDOhioUntil now, that term always meant Lou Groza to me.
Guess nobody from that region is going to the Final 4.
Wed, 03/25/2009 - 16:23 — HaaaayForCoachKSince the key players for UNC, Cuse, Gonzaga, and Oklahoma are all on covers this week, they must all be cursed and none of the teams will make it into the Final Four. By default, Radford will be allowed to play.
What Jinx?
Wed, 03/25/2009 - 16:10 — jeromfitzI don't think about a cover issue of S.I. got another task on the court to do. I know this makes you get chills down your spine a little but you got play the same way and keep the same intensity without getting caught with press. I hope the game is played fairly. I've seen too many no-calls in the NCAAs men and women games. What's up the officials? Some down play the good teams or got assigned write teams out of the way.