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The next two games will show if the Tar Heels are for real or imposters.
By the end of January, Carolina will have played half of its 20 conference games. The Heels are 8-0 in the ACC with four wins at home and four on the road. Their next two games are away, at Florida State Saturday and at Georgia Tech Tuesday night.
We ring in February with the first Duke game, this one in Chapel Hill. Where will the currently third-ranked team in the country be by the time the Blue Devils arrive for their 6:30 tip-off next Saturday: 18-3 and 10-0, 17-4 and 9-1 or 16-5 and 8-2? What is your best guess?
Carolina will be favored to claim its fifth and sixth road wins in Tallahassee and Atlanta. That the NCAA NET has the unranked Seminoles at No. 84 and Yellow Jackets at 130 should mean the Tar Heels (6) will beat both. But that’s why they play the games!
In December, Florida State led by six at halftime in the Smith Center before UNC unleashed a full-court press that turned the game into a 78-70 victory, its only ACC win not by double digits. The Heels repelled their athletic and long opponent by winning the board battle and shooting 48 percent in the second half, despite finishing the game at only 23 percent from outside. Since then, the Seminoles won 6 of their next 7 ACC games to become a Quad 2 team.
FSU does not show well in the ACC statistics with only Darin Green as the No. 6 3-pointer shooter in the league at 25 percent for 48 attempts. R.J. Davis is second at 31 percent for 58 tries from the arc. The Noles are 6-2 in the ACC largely by committee as coach Leonard Hamilton uses a lot of players.
Georgia Tech has one victory in its last eight games, a double-overtime thriller at Clemson. The Jackets did beat Duke at home in their ACC opener back in December but have since gone 1-6 in the league. They have not been blown out, which means rookie head coach Damon Stoudamire’s team will fill their small coliseum when the Tar Heels play there on Tuesday at 7 o’clock. Tech does have the ACC’s fifth best rebounder in Baye Ndongo and the second highest assist man in Naithan George at just under 5 per game.
On paper, Carolina should win both and come home 10-0 in the ACC and have six of their next 10 in Chapel Hill. But bluebloods always get their opponents’ best shots, especially on the road. Florida State definitely has a chance to move into ACC contention, while Georgia Tech serves in the role of a spoiler.
Both will test UNC’s improved defense if the Heels keep wearing their throwback uniforms from when in-your-face D was as big a part of the game as it is becoming this season.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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