North Carolina hosts Marshall

The Dean Dome (back side)

Done with the toughest part of the non conference season tenth ranked North Carolina (8-3) is going to have some games where it should be heavily favored in, just like tonight’s opponents, Marshall (9-1). From what I found on the internet the Heels are favored in this match up (at the Dean Dome – tip off at 7:00 p.m. EST – televised by Fox Sports South) from 13.5 to 14.5 points, which isn’t that much. Then again, right now you have to believe that the sports betting capital of the world is trying to figure out who UNC is. With the holidays looming large, the loss to Texas still on their minds, this is one of those games that head coach Roy Williams has to worry about more than people might believe.

Marshall is 9 and 1, and while the degree of opponents they have faced this season isn’t anything close to what Carolina has played, when a team has won nine out of ten games they can believe to be a lot more than what they truly are. The remedy to this? Put them away early, do not give them hope, squash their dreams. The longer you keep a big time underdog in a game, which they know they have nothing to lose, the more you are the one with everything to lose and all the pressure on your side. If we want to see true leadership for this squad tonight would be the perfect time for Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson to step up and take care of business (and Marshall) from the starting whistle on.

The other reason to wanting to put Marshall out of the game as soon as possible is because in a game like this the last thing you want to happen is to get a starter/key player hurt because the game stayed too close. Yes, as you can see, these types of games worry me for more than just one reason. They are trap games, where Carolina can only come out of it in a good light by having a near perfect game or else, win or lose, there will always going to be a “but this…” or “we need more of that…” and so on and so forth.

Now, am I saying that I see the Heels in any danger of losing this game? Not at all, I think that the crowd might just get to watch themselves the second game this season where Larry Drew, Ed Davis and the rest of the team get to triple digits. This would be a nice way to finish up the game before the Christmas break and then enjoy a couple of days of peace and relaxation for both the team and the staff. I for one am looking for a good game by the whole team so that the “rad” fan base can stop talking about “the sky is falling” because the Heels have lost against three of the Top 5 teams in the nation (who are all three undefeated).

I am not asking for a beat down, since I don’t like that against anyone, but I am asking for any and all UNC players that get on the court to play a fundamentally sound game, where the “Carolina Way” of basketball is shown on both side of the court. Tough defense, from not letting the ball get into the post easily to not allowing second chance points (as Marshall has a seven footer on their roster as well as  good shooting guard), good offense, involving everyone and not just one pass and shot. I know that this team has it in them to be as good as hyped, and even more I know that the coaching staff can elevate this squad to heights that might surprise many. Maybe being so young the tough part of the schedule overwhelmed them, maybe they just weren’t ready for it, or maybe those teams were just that much better than Carolina. We will never truly know.

But now, with the final games before the ACC begins, this is the time that the freshmen need to grow into “almost sophomores”, that the leaders need to take a step forward, that the errors must shrink and the team must fully gel. I see all of this happening and I believe that come March a lot of people will agree that Carolina is a lot stronger than it was when it had to play Syracuse, Kentucky and Texas. For all of this to come true the transformation must begin tonight, and I think it will, and it will show as UNC beats Marshall by a final of 102 to 71.

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