North Carolina Tar Heels: Why Super-Sophomore Harrison Barnes Is About to Erupt

For a player who has been named to two first team All-American teams through his first two years, Harrison Barnes doesn't get talked about as often as he should.

Barnes, who is pegged to go third overall in next year's draft, is often overshadowed by players such as Anthony Davis, Thomas Robinson or Perry Jones. While each of those players are having great seasons in there own rights, why is it that Barnes doesn't get as much hype these days?

After all, he does average just as many points, if not more, than the three mentioned above—along with the other players in ESPN Chad Ford's Top 100 players list. His 17 points per contest are also a team high for the Tar Heels, who lead the nation in points per game.

I won't go as far as to say he's underrated this year, but under appreciated is a fair word. Not too many players have the pure take-over skill that he has, and now more than ever, the world will begin to see that. 

The reason for that is, with the loss of shooting guard Dexter Strickland, Barnes will have more of a load on his shoulder. Besides the fact that he will get the ball a lot more, he will also be open much more as well.

With Strickland out, Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston will be rotating in and out of the two-guard spot. Both players are known for their shooting, especially behind the arc. In fact, in less minutes, they both averaged more points than Strickland—who scored 7.5 a night.

With either one of the two players in the game, the defenders will have to pay more attention than usual to the SG position, because any given night either one can light up the scoreboard. 

Along with that, the back up point guard duties will seem to fall in to the lap of freshmen Stilman White. White has the ability to score, but will look to be a pass-first player due to the talent surrounding him.

Mix that in with Kendall Marshall, who defines pass first, and you have a point guard duo that scores such as Barnes can only dream of. Strickland, who was a good at running the point in his own way, was more of a driver, which didn't always benefit the team. He could run the offense well, but in a way that took to him to the paint, where the ball would remain for the rest of the possession.

With Marshall and White both leading the way, the offense will be started from the top of the key and moved around at the normal rate. 

Not only will all of this contribute to lifting Carolina's scoring, it will also free Harrison Barnes up, well, to be Harrison Barnes. The player we've seen go for 20 points or more 11 times in his season and a half will be a player we see much more often. 

The injury to Strickland is devastating, but it couldn't have come at a better time for number 40. The season is coming to a critical point, as the Heels enter the last 12 games, including four against top 25 opponents.

Though Barnes would have undoubtedly stepped up and took over anyways, the chances of that are even greater now. It's no coincidence that in the game Strick went down, HB dropped a season-high 27 points. Now, with the next three games being against NC State, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest, his scoring along with his confidence will not only be high, but grow higher. 

So, for the No. 7 Tar Heels, it's time for them to witness just how great of a player Harrison Barnes can be on nightly basis. His 17 points and five boards a night should shoot up a little as he turns it on down the stretch.

Unfortunately for his opponents, they'll have to sit back and watch as this highly-talented player takes his game and team to new heights. He may not be talked about as often as deserved now, but that is all about to change. 

All stats are from ESPN.com .