NCAA Braket 2012: 3 Reasons Kendall Marshall's Injury Ends North Carolina's Run

Without Kendall Marshall, North Carolina can't win the big dance.

Marshall is a great point guard for the Tar Heels. He averages 8.1 points per game along with 9.8 assists. He is left-handed and broke his right wrist; however, there will still be problems whether he plays or not.

Let's look at three big reasons North Carolina will miss Marshall.

No Transition Game

The Tar Heels are a transition or bust team. Marshall is great at pushing the ball up the court and finding the open shooter. Also, teams have been staying back on Marshall so he cannot get into the lane, but he has been making his pull-up jumpers as of late.

The Tar Heels do not have many players who can create their own shot. Harrison Barnes is probably their best option at creating a shot on his own but that's about it.

In transition, Marshall used his great speed to get around defenders and cause them to leave their man to help cover him. This created easy baskets. His court vision is something that cannot be replaced and will be greatly missed as the Tar Heels move on.

No Experienced Backup

Stilman White is expected to replace Marshall if he is unable to play. White is a freshman who only plays about five minutes per game. He is more of a shooter and is great at one-on-one instead of transition and finding the open man like Marshall.

Also, White has no experience in playing big time games in college. He will be thrown into a pool of sharks for his first game as a starter. Even if Marshall does come back, White should be seeing a lot more playing time to help Marshall rest.

No Pick and Roll Defense

North Carolina is a great pick and roll team defensively. They are great at switches and getting around screens. Yet, with this wrist injury, Marshall will be more tentative while fighting through screens so he doesn't hurt his wrist more.

This will allow his opponent to drive by him and cause havoc on defense. Once one man falls behind, others have to step up for help defensively. It will just be a matter of time before an open man gets an easy basket.

For the Tar Heels, Marshall was the last player on their roster they would want to get an injury. The team runs through him and will be without an identity when they take the floor against Ohio.