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UNC to play FSU as it awaits Duke

The NFL celebrates its climax today, but for North Carolina that game (at least the first part of it) will be celebrated on Wednesday when the Tar Heels host the Duke Blue Devils in what is the all time best rivalry in college basketball (if not the best in all sports). But today UNC (20-1, 5-1 ACC) has another team to think about as they go to Florida State University (13-9, 2-5 ACC) today at 2 pm EST. Being one game back from Duke in the ACC standings, UNC can ill afford to underestimate any opponent from now until the end of the season.

On paper this game is a no contest, as most analysts believed Florida State would have a down year, and losses to teams such as Cleveland State and South Florida only proved that point more and more. The Seminoles did have a good run for a while, beating both Florida and Minnesota, but once they have entered conference play they are back to what most expected they would be. However, when a team can beat the likes of the Gators or Golden Gophers you have to be careful that the magic does not come back once again. The one thing that the `Noles do have going for them is that if they’re ahead at the end of the game they won’t lose the game from the free throw line, as they rank first in the ACC with close to an 80% average.

FSU will also test Carolina on their so-so perimeter defense, as they have a core of three players that will shoot from behind the arch anytime they have a shot. The trio of Jason Rich (Senior Guard, 6′3″, 211 lbs), Isaiah Swann (Senior Guard, 6′2″, 198 lbs) and Toney Douglas (Junior Guard, 6′1″, 200 lbs) account for over 50% of the Seminoles scoring, with most of it coming from three point range. This is definitely going to make Lawson, Ellington and Ginyard work hard, along with Danny Green and Quentin Thomas.

What I’m trying to say in a nice way is that this game smells a lot like the old “trap games” head coaches and the so-called analysts talk about. FSU could come in and make this into a game that the Heels don’t need right now, a game where Carolina has to play tough for 40 minutes and wear themselves out only a few days before the matchup with their arch rivals from Durham. UNC needs to take control of this game early and have it in the bag by the time both clubs head for the locker room at half time. North Carolina has to have a game where they want the starting five on the floor in the second half, not one where they need them out there.

I think that after seeing the Heels play against Boston College and their response to head coach Williams’ “chat” (as the announcer called it), this game should be one where the team responds to the challenge once again, knowing that this game must be won quick and decisively in the first half. In the end I see UNC taking this match pretty easily against a `Noles team that will shoot from long distance but won’t have the power to stop either Hansbrough down low or Lawson’s speed. Carolina wins 92 to 74 and awaits the Blue Devils on Wednesday for a winner-takes-control-of-the-ACC battle, with an added bonus of Dick Vitale coming back and calling the game, his first since having throat surgery on December 18th.

This entry was posted on Sunday, February 3rd, 2008 at 3:10 pm and is filed under Marcus Ginyard, Deon Thompson, Danny Green, Alex Stepheson, Quentin Thomas, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Team News (Basketball), UNC Basketball, Florida State, Pre Game (Basketball), Tyler Hansbrough, Roy Williams. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.