Bradley, or no Bradley, may be the key to beating Florid State.
Just when Carolina’s basketball team was getting healthy with a full complement of players, the Tar Heels may be without a key reserve when they face the hottest team in the ACC Saturday, first-place Florida State. If you saw the Seminoles dismantle Duke for their 12th straight win Tuesday night, you know what I mean.
Over the years, FSU has featured a series of gazelles and gunners and an occasional great big man. They have all three components this season in rolling to a 4-0 record in the ACC and will keep rolling into Chapel Hill with confidence brimming. There is no doubt they were the better team in Tallahassee Tuesday night, albeit Duke is in tatters with injuries and the Grayson Allen controversy and without recovering Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Normally, the ‘Noles could put a lineup on the court with 6-10 Jonathan Isaac and 7-1 Michael Ojo that can look Carolina in the eye. But, unless Bradley recovers from his concussion-like symptoms after slamming his head to the floor at Wake Forest last night, UNC’s shortened front line of Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks and Luke Maye will have met their match against fleet and full-size FSU.
Of course, Leonard Hamilton’s team still has two of the best guards in the ACC in junior Xavier Rathan-Mayes and sophomore Dwayne Bacon, explosive scorers who cover the court in seconds and also hit the long ball, plus 6-6 sophomore swing man Terance Mann, averaging 9.5 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists a game to complete perhaps the most underrated starting lineup in the league.
Florida State can match the Tar Heels in depth and size with 6-9 Jarquez Smith and four other reserves bounding off the bench. The ninth-ranked Seminoles represent the best team UNC has faced this season, including Kentucky. They area legit contenders for the ACC championship and a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Carolina may be playing at home, but without Bradley they may not be big enough, deep enough and good enough to win their fourth straight ACC game and tie FSU for first place.
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