Rather than take away from the hoopla surrounding the matchup, Duke's
loss to Miami on Super Bowl Sunday has added something extra to the
upcoming North Carolina-Duke clash: a sense of desperation on Duke's
part.
The Tar Heels have the opportunity to put a little space
between themselves and their neighboring rivals if they can pin a third
ACC loss on the Blue Devils at this stage of the conference race.
The
Tar Heels (20-3 overall) are tied with Florida State at the top of the
standings, each 7-1 in league play. Duke is alone in third at 6-2.
Battered,
beaten and reeling after their trip to Tallahassee in the middle of
January, when they lost by 33 points to the Seminoles, the Tar Heels now
have won five in a row with their 83-74 win at Maryland.
It
wasn't easy. The Tar Heels trailed the Terrapins by three at halftime
and didn't take the lead for good until midway through the second half.
Until
the final minute, the difference was never more than five points. The
Tar Heels managed to push it out to nine points with just 19 seconds
left in the game.
"I think it will help us a lot," senior forward
Tyler Zeller said of the impact of playing -- and winning -- a close
game. "Last year we had a lot of games like this, but it shows that we
can be tough enough in the end to make the plays and get the stops we
need.
"There are a few things we want to fix down the stretch,
but it's nice to fix that now instead of in the NCAA tournament when
it's life or death."
NOTES, QUOTES
--Senior
F Tyler Zeller has been dominant for North Carolina ever since ACC play
began. Even in the loss at Florida State, he had a double-double, with
14 points and 14 rebounds.
Against Maryland, he scored 22 points and snatched seven rebounds.
"Zeller
was big inside for us scoring," coach Roy Williams said. "In the first
half, our guys didn't get very low. Zeller was our only guy scoring."
In
eight ACC games, Zeller has averaged 17.8 points (tied for third in the
league with teammate Harrison Barnes) and 11.0 rebounds (No. 1 in the
league).
--Sophomore G Kendall Marshall matched his season high
with 16 assists against Maryland despite laboring with four personal
fouls down the stretch.
"I took a chance with Kendall with eight
minutes to play," Williams said. "I told him he had to be smart because
we needed him in the game. When I put him in after the TV timeout with
eight minutes left, I didn't want the crowd to get back into it. I knew
that Kendall could play intelligently enough to stay away from his fifth
foul."
Marshall ended up playing 38 minutes and scored nine
points to go along with his assists. He had two steals but also
committed six turnovers.
--With the win over Maryland, North
Carolina has reached the 20-win level for the eighth consecutive season.
The Tar Heels have gotten to the mark in the regular season in all but
one of those years. In 2010, they came out of the ACC tournament with
only a 16-16 record but went 4-1 in the NIT to get to 20.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"It's
a part of the game. There are always some calls that can go either way.
That's all a part of the game; you have to be able to play through any
circumstance. I have to pick and choose when to be aggressive." --
Sophomore G Kendall Marshall, on playing with four fouls at Maryland.
THIS WEEK'S GAMES
--vs. Duke, Feb. 8
Everywhere
you look you can find matchups of all-star candidates in this, the
first of two meetings between the two conference contenders. Duke will
pressure the Tar Heels up front with Miles and Mason Plumlee and Ruan
Kelly and in the backcourt with Austin Rivers, Seth Curry and Andre
Dawkins.
--vs. Virginia, Feb. 11
The Cavaliers have a
strong Player of the Year candidate in F Mike Scott. Sammy Zeglinski,
Jontel Evans and Joe Harris give the Cavaliers a strong trio in the
backcourt. Depth, however, is an issue with Virginia, especially
following the loss of C Assane Sene.
FUTURES MARKET
Sophomore
G/F Reggie Bullock scored 11 points at Maryland, his third time in
double figures in four starts since replacing injured Dexter Strickland
in the lineup. Where Strickland's absence is most felt is in the
backups. Freshman Stillman White and senior Justin Watts combined for
only five minutes at Maryland. Starters Kendall Marshall and Bullock
played 38 and 34.
PLAYER NOTES
--Sophomore F Harrison Barnes tweaked an ankle at Maryland but still played 35 minutes and scored 18 points.
--Junior
F John Henson scored 17 points against the Terps, his third consecutive
double-digit outing. He also had 12 rebounds for his 10th double-double
of the season.
