CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina was in the middle of a blowout victory against Monmouth last weekend when reserves Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston started chatting about the quickness of Hawks guard Jesse Steele.
“I said, 'Man, he's moving fast,’’ Hairston remembered. “And Reggie said, 'There's going to be a lot of players that are a lot quicker than that in ACC play.' And he started naming off different players in the ACC and I said, 'Well, I guess I'm going to get to find out.'"
Hairston and fellow freshmen Stilman White, Jackson Simmons and Desmond Hubert will get their first introduction into ACC play when the No. 3/4 Tar Heels (13-2) face Boston College (5-9)at the Smith Center on Saturday. (Fellow freshman James Michael McAdoo, a reserve forward, is doubtful to play because of a sprained ankle.)
But how much they’ll get a feel for ACC competition is in question. With nine freshman on the team (and five listed in the probable starting lineup), BC -- which has beaten the likes of Stony Brook and Bryant, but lost to the likes of Rhode Island -- has a worse RPI than several of the non-conference foes the Tar Heels have already blown out.
UNC coach Roy Williams, though, said Friday that he isn’t worried that his team might overlook the Eagles.
“The good thing is, our players listen to us, and they don’t form their own scouting reports, most of the time,’’ Williams said. “But the other thing is: 48-46. We beat them by 4,000 up at their place [last season], and scored over 100 and everything, and they played us 48-46 [at the Smith Center] and, not only that, had the last shot to win the game. So I think that will help us, too.”
A few things to watch:
INTENSITY
So, maybe the Tar Heels players don’t form their own scouting reports, but they do catch the crawl of scores on their favorite sports stations. Thus, they know they’re the much more talented team. Thus, they must focus on showing it by being aggressive from the tip.
After all, when asked if this is a naturally-intense team, Williams said “no.”
“I think we have to emphasize it,’’ he said. "I think they care a great deal, but we don’t have any of those wacko guys flying around. Jerod Haase [now a UNC assistant who formerly played for Williams at Kansas] was like a kamikaze. George Karl and Steve Previs, before you were even born, those guys really set the tone for everybody. We don’t have that. So that’s something we have to concentrate on.”
THE RECORD BOOKS
Hat-tip to the BC Interruption blog on this one; it broke down some single-game ACC records that could fall if this game is as lopsided as everyone expects it to be -- including rebound margin (49, N.C. State vs. South Carolina, 1956), steals by an individual (11, Kenny Dennard, Maryland, 1979), and blocked shots by an individual (13, Sean Williams Boston College vs Duquesne 2006).
Those last two, in particular, could be difficult to attain, considering UNC’s starters should get plenty of rest on the bench if the game is over, early. But as always, keep an eye on that UNC single-game assist record of 18, currently held by Raymond Felton. Sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall has already exceeded 15 on four occasions.
THE POST ROTATION
If McAdoo, who sprained his left ankle in practice on Wednesday, can’t play, look for 6-foot-5 senior Justin Watts and the 6-9 1/2 Hubert to get more minutes in the post. Hubert, in particular, is a fun one to watch. His offense is still raw, but in the 63 total minutes he has played this season, he’s pulled own 24 rebounds and blocked six shots.
Click here for the ESPN3 link to the game.
Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.
“I said, 'Man, he's moving fast,’’ Hairston remembered. “And Reggie said, 'There's going to be a lot of players that are a lot quicker than that in ACC play.' And he started naming off different players in the ACC and I said, 'Well, I guess I'm going to get to find out.'"
Hairston and fellow freshmen Stilman White, Jackson Simmons and Desmond Hubert will get their first introduction into ACC play when the No. 3/4 Tar Heels (13-2) face Boston College (5-9)at the Smith Center on Saturday. (Fellow freshman James Michael McAdoo, a reserve forward, is doubtful to play because of a sprained ankle.)
But how much they’ll get a feel for ACC competition is in question. With nine freshman on the team (and five listed in the probable starting lineup), BC -- which has beaten the likes of Stony Brook and Bryant, but lost to the likes of Rhode Island -- has a worse RPI than several of the non-conference foes the Tar Heels have already blown out.
UNC coach Roy Williams, though, said Friday that he isn’t worried that his team might overlook the Eagles.
“The good thing is, our players listen to us, and they don’t form their own scouting reports, most of the time,’’ Williams said. “But the other thing is: 48-46. We beat them by 4,000 up at their place [last season], and scored over 100 and everything, and they played us 48-46 [at the Smith Center] and, not only that, had the last shot to win the game. So I think that will help us, too.”
A few things to watch:
INTENSITY
So, maybe the Tar Heels players don’t form their own scouting reports, but they do catch the crawl of scores on their favorite sports stations. Thus, they know they’re the much more talented team. Thus, they must focus on showing it by being aggressive from the tip.
After all, when asked if this is a naturally-intense team, Williams said “no.”
“I think we have to emphasize it,’’ he said. "I think they care a great deal, but we don’t have any of those wacko guys flying around. Jerod Haase [now a UNC assistant who formerly played for Williams at Kansas] was like a kamikaze. George Karl and Steve Previs, before you were even born, those guys really set the tone for everybody. We don’t have that. So that’s something we have to concentrate on.”
THE RECORD BOOKS
Hat-tip to the BC Interruption blog on this one; it broke down some single-game ACC records that could fall if this game is as lopsided as everyone expects it to be -- including rebound margin (49, N.C. State vs. South Carolina, 1956), steals by an individual (11, Kenny Dennard, Maryland, 1979), and blocked shots by an individual (13, Sean Williams Boston College vs Duquesne 2006).
Those last two, in particular, could be difficult to attain, considering UNC’s starters should get plenty of rest on the bench if the game is over, early. But as always, keep an eye on that UNC single-game assist record of 18, currently held by Raymond Felton. Sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall has already exceeded 15 on four occasions.
THE POST ROTATION
If McAdoo, who sprained his left ankle in practice on Wednesday, can’t play, look for 6-foot-5 senior Justin Watts and the 6-9 1/2 Hubert to get more minutes in the post. Hubert, in particular, is a fun one to watch. His offense is still raw, but in the 63 total minutes he has played this season, he’s pulled own 24 rebounds and blocked six shots.
Click here for the ESPN3 link to the game.
Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.
Robbi Pickeral | email
College Basketball- ESPN.com UNC basketball blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2011
- Wrote for Raleigh News & Observer
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Robbi Pickeral
Robbi Pickeral joined ESPN.com in 2011 after spending eight years covering North Carolina and the ACC for The (Raleigh) News & Observer. She previously wrote about preps in Florida and the NBA in Minnesota, and now lives near Tobacco Road.
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