North Carolina Basketball: Thoughts on ACC Opener Victory

With Duke dropping the ball against Temple on Wednesday, there was simultaneously feeling of happiness that the two programs were back on the same footing and that UNC was next on the chopping block for an upset. It may not actually be the case, but it sure does seem that when there's an upset at one program, there's an upset following shortly after at the school down the road. 

Fortunately for Tar Heel fans, despite Boston College's threatening come back in the second half, the game was never really close, and North Carolina did everything it needed to do to win games in the ACC and beyond. 

It wasn't a perfect game, and not even the best game they have played this season, but it was a resounding victory with several keys that are going to remain crucial to success through March Madness.

There are many things that are important to victory, and it's tough to narrow it down to one dominant factor. The best case scenario is that everything is clicking at once, and the dominant factor is simply that the team is unstoppable in all categories.

That's rarely the case, as there are often too many turnovers for comfort, too many offensive rebounds given up, too many fouls committed, poor perimeter shooting or any number of other things that cause Roy Williams and fans alike to throw their blazers on the floor in a fit of frustration. 

Saturday's victory over Boston College was a complete victory, and despite briefly flirting with disaster in the second half as shots stopped going down and the Eagles started playing together, it was a thorough win in all categories, but with room for improvement.

John Henson and Harrison Barnes put up a sterling defensive effort, recording three blocks, four steals and 12 defensive rebounds between them, contributing greatly to the 19 turnovers that Boston College was forced into. Dexter Strickland and Tyler Zeller both got into the defensive act as well, performing well with steals, blocks and rebounds. All in all, it was a good game on the defensive end, only giving up four offensive rebounds and sending the Eagles to the free-throw line nine times.

While the defensive success was nice, it usually falls to offense for UNC to win games. While they only shot 47 percent from the field, their effort was enough to overcome any thoughts of a comeback that Boston College entertained. Barnes and Zeller continued to show that when they're playing at their peak, they're nearly unstoppable for long stretches of time, as they combined for 45 points on 66 percent shooting.

The devastating inside-out game that the Heels have the ability to play can overcome any defense in the country as long as Kendall Marshall is able to control the game, which he did wonderfully while collecting another double-digit assist tally. 

Marshall's ability to pass the ball is second to none and will continue to be the lynch-pin of North Carolina's future, but his direct offensive ability remains a liability, however small, to the rest of the team. He hasn't scored in double digits in a single game this season and is shooting roughly 41 percent from the field and 59 percent from the charity stripe.

It's difficult to look back at specific moments in the losses to UNLV and Kentucky and say that Marshall's inability to score played a role in them, but it can also be said that having a point guard who can shoot when necessary may have opened up an extra option or two throughout those games. 

Towards the end of the 2010-2011 season, Marshall hit several key three-pointers that turned enough attention to him that he was able to free up more space for his teammates. Marshall garners plenty of attention now, but it's usually to try to cut off his passing lanes rather than to keep him from getting to the basket because he's neutralized himself as a scoring threat.

At his current pace, he will go down in history as one of the greatest college point guards ever, but with Strickland also in the starting lineup and not being a clutch scorer, it would be beneficial to the team if they had more than two scoring threats on the floor at the same time, or three if Henson is within his limited range of the basket.

It's always necessary at some point in the season for one or two players to carry the offensive load of the team and score more than half the points, and UNC has done very well to make sure that they don't have to rely too heavily on Barnes or Zeller by spreading out scoring to P.J. Hairston and Reggie Bullock off the bench, among the other usual suspects.

The current trend suggests that UNC won't have to require an Atlas-like effort from Barnes and/or Zeller, which is good, but the key to keeping that from happening is for Marshall to improve his offensive game, if only enough to average one more basket per game to keep the defense slightly more honest.

The 47 percent from the field stat is slightly deceiving, as it was the misfiring of Bullock off the bench that tipped the number. Without his 1-for-7 performance, the average for the team would have been over 50 percent, with the starters shooting a stellar 27-of-48, for 56 percent.

Bullock has been one of the most valuable players on the team this season, averaging almost 10 points and five rebounds per game, shooting 50 percent from the field. His off night didn't hurt UNC except on the stat line, but the Heels remain vulnerable if they don't have a perimeter threat off the bench that can hit his shots.

Hairston and Bullock together will usually be enough, but if they have an off game like this one, their combined 18 points per game will be missed. Fortunately, that's a worst-case scenario, but still one to keep in the back of the mind.

The defensive victories combined with the overwhelming offensive performances of Barnes and Zeller proved to be more than enough to put away the Eagles, and it makes a great platform to build on for the rest of ACC play. Committing few fouls and turnovers shows that the Heels were able to maintain their mental discipline, which is going to be very crucial down the stretch.

If Marshall gets just slightly better with his shooting, and as long as there doesn't come a time when Bullock and Hairston both go stale, North Carolina looks poised to continue their winning streak into February at least. 

Of course, one more perimeter threat could be added to the roster soon, as a decision is reportedly expected to be coming soon on whether or not Leslie McDonald will play the rest of the season or redshirt. He has been back to practice recently and is reportedly well ahead of schedule for his recovery. If McDonald does make it back for the final part of the season and tournament run, the stars could be aligning for something great.

Until then, the status quo has been good enough and should continue to be good enough.