Although Duke is expected to win by double digits tonight, don't count out Carolina. They're playing well and they're at home in a match-up for first place in the ACC. If the Heels can finish strong, they could play their way into a 2 seed despite not having been in the top 25 for most of the season. Yes, I know that is a stretch, but let's say they beat Duke once in the regular season, reel off another 4 ACC wins, and make it to the finals of the ACC tournament. They would have a nice resume, especially since they will have improved their play later in the season.
If UNC is going to beat Duke, they have their best shot in Chapel Hill later in the season. However, I expect that they will be able to keep this game close tonight. After Larry Drew II decided to transfer, Carolina scored 89 points in beating Florida State by 20. Florida State is considered to be one of the best defensive teams in the country...they only give up 61.8 points a game. Kendall Marshall, who was sharing time with Drew and is now in charge of the Heels' offense, had 16 assists. That is unbelievable for a college game. Basically, the Heels handed Marshall more minutes and he gave them a silly number of assists. He turned the ball over 3 times - an assist to turnover ratio of better than 5:1. Not a bad trade. A lot of talking heads were bellowing about how devastating Drew II's departure from Carolina was for the team. Nonsense. Marshall reminds me of Mark Jackson; not fleet of foot, but very much in control and possessing great court vision.
We'll see what Marshall can do in Cameron tonight. That shoebox separates the men from the boys.
No comments:
Post a Comment