Normally, the Virginia men's basketball matchup against North Carolina would be one students would camp out for days to see. The media would spend a week's work of newspaper space writing columns and previews. This year, however, things are different.
Coming off Sunday's victory over Clemson, the No. 15 Virginia men's basketball team faces a pivotal home contest against the struggling Tar Heels tonight.
North Carolina typically fields a team ranked in the Top 5, but this season, Carolina is full of freshmen struggling to find their identity and their game. Even so, don't tell Virginia coach Pete Gillen that the Tar Heels don't have a chance.
"North Carolina is still North Carolina," Gillen said after the Cavaliers' win against Clemson. "They have talented players and we will need to play tough if we want to end up with a win."
The Tar Heels will feature two seniors that can be an intimidating force in the front court. Six-foot-eight forward Jason Capel leads Carolina in both points and rebounds with 14.9 and 8.9, respectively.
Kris Lang bangs down low along with Capel, when he is not out with an injured knee or back, and he is a terrific low post scoring threat, averaging 13.9 points and 6.6 rebounds.
Beyond those two players, however, lies nothing but question marks for the young 'Heels. The team's starting lineup has changed repeatedly throughout the ACC season.
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It is likely that the Tar Heels' three freshmen will see significant minutes tonight. Jawad Williams, Jackie Manuel and Melvin Scott all have shown sparks of brilliance for North Carolina. Unfortunately, those sparks have been few and far between. The Tar Heels will need stellar performances from the freshmen if they hope to compete with Virginia.
Brian Morrison, Adam Boone and Will Johnson round out North Carolina's rotation, providing some scoring off of the bench for Carolina. Morrison is the Tar Heels' leading three-point shooter, while Boone and Johnson can knock down threes if they are open.
Virginia junior guard Roger Mason Jr. and his teammates recognize the strong tradition of North Carolina basketball and understand they cannot take this team for granted.
"An ACC game is tough no matter who it is against," Mason said. "If we don't bring our game and take it easy on these guys, they could put it to us. We need to play our best."
Either way, this will be a much different team of Tar Heels than Virginia fans are used to seeing. As of now, the only way North Carolina can make a postseason tournament is to complete the improbable task of winning the ACC tournament in Charlotte in two weeks. Still, expect the 'Heels to be fired up in an attempt to knock off a team that beat them at home in early January.
"It's going to be a tough game, but it is a must win," senior Chris Williams said. "We understand that we have to play hard and we can't let up no matter who we are playing."
The Tar Heels may look weak, but it certainly would not hurt Virginia's chances at a postseason NCAA tournament berth if they can post a solid victory over North Carolina tonight. Slump or no slump, UNC is always a team to watch.
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