NCAA Basketball Scores 2012: Why You Should Still Be Worried About UNC

On a day when the NCAA Tournament saw a No. 2 seed crash and burn in an epic upset, the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels had no trouble whatsoever advancing to the Round of 32.

North Carolina dominated a Vermont team that was simply over-matched. The Tar Heels scored early and scored often, and ultimately walked away with a 77-58 win.

North Carolina did what it had to do, but that doesn't mean the Tar Heels are on a fast track to the Final Four. There are still reasons to be concerned about this UNC squad, none of which were alleviated in its domination of Vermont.

Here's a very simple breakdown of why people should have doubts about these Tar Heels.

John Henson's Wrist Is Pretty Messed Up

The Tar Heels and head coach Roy Williams knew they didn't need John Henson to play against the Catamounts in order to beat them, so they did the right thing by playing it safe.

However, the fact that Henson's wrist was even an issue ahead of this game is pretty troubling. He sprained it a week before in the ACC Tournament, and it apparently hasn't improved all that much.

According to ESPN.com, Henson was optimistic about his chances of playing on Sunday when the Tar Heels continue their run through the tournament. But until further notice, it's not a given that he will be able to play.

If Henson is unable to play, North Carolina will be ripe for an upset. If he is able to play, he'll have to proceed with caution on the court, and he'll be running the risk of aggravating the injury.

Basically, anything less than a 100-percent-healthy Henson is a problem with the Tar Heels. As long as he's not at full strength, they're not at full strength.

Things Aren't Going to Be So Easy for Tyler Zeller

Despite Henson's absence, Tyler Zeller had no trouble owning the paint against Vermont. He had a double-double by halftime, and ultimately ended up with 17 points and 15 rebounds.

He achieved those numbers despite playing only 29 minutes.

Then again, this was bound to happen against a Vermont squad that features exactly one player taller than 6'9". That would be Ben Crenca, who barely gets any minutes. The rest of Vermont's bigs aren't very big, which is not a happy prospect against one of the best bigs in the country in Zeller.

The Tar Heels don't need Zeller to dominate a game in order to win, but things are certainly a lot easier for them when he does dominate. Friday's game was a perfect example, as Zeller's early success set the tone and the Tar Heels were able to coast to an easy victory.

There will come a time in this tourney when Zeller won't be able to set the tone, and that's when the Tar Heels will be faced with a test they may not pass.

The Matchup Was Too Easy

There are teams out there that can beat North Carolina. Any team with a talented and properly sized frontcourt will be able to beat the Tar Heels. If a team doesn't have one of those, it can beat North Carolina by raining threes.

Vermont is a team capable of doing neither. The Catamounts' frontcourt was hopeless outmatched, and they couldn't buy a bucket from distance. Vermont shot just 3-of-18 from beyond the arc, leaving it totally unable to keep up with North Carolina offensively.

Basically, it was a perfect matchup for North Carolina. That the Tar Heels dominated should come as a surprise to nobody.

And that brings us to the next point.

North Carolina Proved Nothing

Blowouts are all well and good, but they only count for something if the team getting blown out is actually worth a damn.

That was not the kind of blowout we saw on Friday. The Tar Heels blew out a that never had a shot at beating them. It was the closest thing to an automatic win that you're going to see in the NCAA Tournament. 

My guess is that even the most hardcore North Carolina fans aren't too worked up about their team's opening win, but the best idea for everyone is to treat it like it never happened. North Carolina has as much to prove after its win over Vermont as it did before.

That's how fans should view the situation, and it's how the Tar Heels themselves should view the situation.