Much more than a game at Comcast

UNC vs MD

In a couple of hours North Carolina (13-9 & 2-4 in the ACC) is going to take on Maryland (15-6 & 5-2 in the ACC) at the Comcast Center and see if it can improve on its performance from the previous game. Definitely not an easy task for this young team, which keeps having problems that no one seems to know how to fix, after going through a heck of time in the days leading up to this game with the weather, in a place that hasn’t been good to the Heels in the past. Carolina is going to play against the second best team in the conference, just a half game out of first place in an arena where they have lost three straight in. After knowing all of this I am thinking that the Heels staying close is as good as it can get. Looking at the Vegas odds makers, that have UNC as a 6.5 points underdog, is almost shocking, as I would have imagined this as a double digit deficit for head coach Roy Williams’ team.

If Carolina wants to have a chance it must win the battle of turnovers, it must pound the ball inside and it must keep Greivis Vasquez from having a 30+ points night. That was simple to say, but for a team that right now seems to be sinking a bit more than its swimming, the task at hand is everything but simple. The combo of Deon Thompson and Ed Davis is have to bring in 30 points for the squad, whiling coming up with close to 20 rebounds. While Larry Drew and Dexter Strickland have to have a decent day scoring, getting assists and not turning it over. Again, sounds simple, but it’s not, not at all. Will Graves is going to be the key in my opinion, as he needs to hit from the outside so that the slashing of Strickland isn’t going to be bottled up and the big men won’t be doubled/tripled team each time they get the ball in the paint.

So, what I am saying is that in order to win this game the Heels have to have a good game (or better) from all of its members. Again, as I said before, simple to say not so simple to do. But, on the other hand, it is something that can be done. How? By putting aside what has happened until now and moving forward as a team and not as individuals or as different classes or different cliques. Each season a team leaves a mark on the tradition of this program, today this could be the mark that this group of young man could leave. Play as a team, giving it its all and, who knows, win this one or should fall apart and let another fury of rumors come out about what is going on.