ACC Season Starts Tomorrow for UNC

UNC begins its 2011 ACC season tomorrow at Virginia, and it couldn't come at a better time.  The Heels are coming off their two best games of the year, while the Cavaliers are struggling without their leading scorer Mike Scott. 

UNC crushed a Rutgers team that was supposed to give them some trouble, cruising 78-55 in Madison Square Garden.  The Heels finally locked down defensively, holding the Scarlet Knights to just 34% shooting from the field, including 23% from the 3-point line.  UNC also dominated the glass, out-rebounding Rutgers 43-30.  Leslie McDonald scored 14 points in just 16 minutes, shooting 5-9 from the field and 4-7 from 3-point range.  Kendall Marshall had another great game running the team, as he had 6 assists to just 1 turnover in his 18 minutes of game time.  Justin Watts was also extremely efficient in limited time, scoring 10 points on 3-4 shooting and bringing tons of energy off the bench.

The Tar Heels faced an over-matched 2-10 St. Francis team in their final tuneup before the start of the ACC season.  After a slow start, UNC pulled away just before the end of the first half and went on to win by 49 points, 103-54.  Pretty much everyone for UNC had a great game, as St. Francis was just too small and too slow to keep up. 

Leslie McDonald

Kendall Marshall

Kendall Marshall got more time than Drew at the point for the first time all season, racking up 8 assists in his 22 minutes.  If this kid can get 30 minutes on the court per game, he might lead the nation in assists.  He just has a natural ability to break down a defense by constantly applying pressure, rather it be a long pass ahead that catches the defense off guard, or deep penetration into the lane to collapse the defense and create a wide open look for a teammate.  No one has benefited from Marshall's talents more than Leslie McDonald.  McDonald has found himself on the receiving end of many wide open looks from Marshall, and he's taken full advantage of them.  He was 4-6 from 3-point range against St. Francis, and has proven over the past few games that he is a deadly shooter from the perimeter.  Roy Williams has to find more minutes for McDonald, as his ability to stretch a defense is the piece UNC has been missing for the past year.  I believe Reggie Bullock has the skills to do this as well, and he chipped in 12 points and 5 rebounds in his 17 minutes against St. Francis.  Not only can Bullock shoot the 3, but he also has a smooth all-around offensive game, complete with a mid-range jumper, a floater, and the ability to finish around the rim.  He's also very long, allowing him to help out on the boards and to bother the opposing teams shooters on the perimeter.  The success of the Tar Heels this season will be directly correlated with how much time McDonald and Bullock get on the court, as these two are maybe the best scorers on the team right now.

There's no doubt this Tar Heel team has the talent to be much better than a 10-4 team, and if the changes in playing time are any indication, Roy Williams seems to finally be figuring out who to play and when.  I hope he continues in this direction, because if he does, UNC has the potential to once again become a top 10 team in the country.

Look for my ACC season projections in the next post, complete with projected team finish and All-ACC selections.