The Tar Heels are getting warmed up, leaving wounded Spartans in their wake

Just finishing up watching the Michigan State-UNC game (‘game’ if I’m being civil, ‘beheading’ if I’m being truthful) and despite the fact that it’s generally a given that 30-point margins of defeat leave the losing coach pointing fingers at his own team’s terrible play, I think this one can be attributed almost entirely to Carolina’s absolutely superb team. As hard as it is to believe, given the 14-point halftime deficit, the Spartans played well in the first half. With the exception of a few too many turnovers, they hit shots, rebounded well, and played good defense. Unfortunately for them, it would have taken a miracle on this night for any team to beat UNC. Hell, they might’ve had a real chance against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Tar Heels are as deep as any team in the country (the concensus is that their back-up squad would themselves be a top-25 college basketball team), and are dominant at each offensive position. They’re big up front (Hansbrough, of course, but also Deon Thompson and freshman Ed Davis), have a more than adequate selection of mid-range guards and small forwards (Wayne Ellington, who’s NBA-ready, Danny Green, and Will Graves), and boast maybe the best point guard in the game, Ty Lawson, backed up by a heady senior, Bobby Frasor. But perhaps most important of all, Carolina plays great team defense, and therein lies the secret to Roy William’s success. It’s easy to get caught up in the Heel’s lightning-quick fast break offense or their prodigious individual talents, but when it comes down to it, championships are always won by teams who consistently commit on the defensive end. Tonight, watching Michigan State struggle mightily for almost every shot they took — and even then only if they weren’t having the ball stolen from them by the quick Carolina backcourt – I am convinced that this UNC team has what it takes to win everything come March. As a general rule, I’m  loathe to predict champions not even 10 games into the season, so I will not do that here, but I will admit that tonight’s game was an impressive show. If they want it, it’s theirs…

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