UNC Basketball: Tar Heels Must Avoid Falling into Trap vs. Ohio

There are so many distractions abounding for the Tar Heels right now that it's hard to remember who they're playing in the Sweet 16 on Friday.

The never-ending drama over whether or not Kendall Marshall will play, about when his cast came off, about whether it's a good idea or a bad idea to let him back on the court so soon after surgery has completely taken over this game. No one can blame Roy Williams for being frustrated. With or without Marshall, there's still a game to play and an unfamiliar opponent to prepare for, even if that opponent is a No. 13 seed.

Hopefully, all of the wrist drama doesn't become so much of a distraction that this becomes a trap game.

The Tar Heels can win without Kendall Marshall. They are stocked with talent, from Tyler Zeller to John Henson to Harrison Barnes. The team has been playing so well in March that it will be challenging to reestablish that chemistry without him, but they are certainly capable of winning with him on the bench.

The only problem is that the UNC-related dialogue has been so dominated by Marshall-talk over the last week that it has become a distraction—for the coaches and for the players—to the point where it could begin working toward Ohio's advantage.

For UNC, this game won't be about (possibly) playing without its most important player. It will be about avoiding falling into the trap all of these week-long distractions have laid out.

Can the Bobcats really pull off an upset of a No. 1 seed? Maybe. Anything is possible during March Madness, but anything is extra possible when you're a team that has won 10 of 11 since mid-February and has already knocked off fourth-seeded Michigan and 12th-seeded South Florida. The Bobcats certainly don't play in a power conference—and even in the Mid-American conference, they finished third, gaining admittance to the NCAA tournament only after upsetting Akron in the conference championship—but they've knocked off two teams from two of the best leagues in college basketball.

The Bobcats have had their own challenges this week. They don't know whether to prepare to face Marshall or not, and with or without him, UNC is still one of the most defensively dangerous teams in the nation.

But with or without Marshall on the court, UNC will likely not be at its best on Friday, and the Bobcats just might be able to take advantage of that.