Where: Comcast Center, College Park, MD
When: Saturday, February 21st, 3:30 PM
TV: ABC
Livestats: SCACC Hoops
Liveblogging: No
Records: UNC: 24-2, 10-2 ACC; MD: 16-9, 5-6 ACC
Fear the Turtle?
Always given the way things have gone in this series lately. Despite the trouble Maryland has had the fact the Terps scored 91 points last time out and this game is on the road means it is as dangerous as any the Heels will play down the stretch. Maryland would love to pick off a top five win to make it 6-6 in the ACC and give them a fighting chance at still making the NCAA Tournament.
For UNC this is one of these games clearly in the “should win” column. Any road game in the ACC is fraught with peril. Any time UNC plays Maryland and Gary Williams there is the potential for the upset. The Heels comes into this game looking to get one step closer to clinching the ACC regular season title and setting the table for the postseason. In an ideal world a combination of two more Tar Heel wins and some rampant savaging of one another in the Muddled Middle could give the Heels first place by next weekend. That is the importance of this game for the Heels.
And I am not sure at this point it the regular season it really matters all that much how well the Heels play just as long as it results in a win. Roy Williams is probably looking for improvement, particularly on defense. Working Tyler Zeller back into the rotation is crucial and just continued consistent play from Ty Lawson both scoring and setting up the team as well as seeing another game from Tyler Hansbrough similar to what he brought versus NC State. In my opinion once those two get going the rest of the pieces fall into place mainly because it destroys opposing defenses to try and guard both.
In short show, don’t get hurt, win and take the week to get ready for the stretch run.
UNC 92 MD 80
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Today, having our best defensive performance of the season would make me 10 times happier than scoring a ton of points and making the ESPN highlights. Hopefully we can do both.
I think we need to focus on D more than anything, but if the bigs have good games and Ty does what he does we should have this locked up.
Its another dreaded 3:30 ABC game. I really, really hate these.
Me too!!! LarryS, you are right about the defensive effort, that is what we want to see.
So my awesome fiance surprised we with tickets to the game as a birthday present! (We live in the DC area) Me and my trusty Carolina sweatshirt are heading to the Comcast Center in a couple hours! Hope to see at least a few other UNC fans there. This will be the first time I’ve ever seen a game outside of the Dean Dome!
I still have heartburn over last year’s inexplicable loss to Maryland in Chapel Hill. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, but there it was. I’m also leary of Gary Williams, who seems to rise to the occasion in big games like this.
Still, we’re considerably better. Maryland lost James Gist to graduation, and he was their best tall player. It’s hard to lose to a team with only one legitimate scorer (hard but not impossible, as we have learned to our sorrow), and Vasquez isn’t as good as the very top flight guards in the league who’ve been such menaces to us this season.
Not for nothing are the Terps known around Washington, D.C. as the Terriblepins. So for all my nervousness, I have to think we’ll be just fine. I also expect some defensive improvements, given Roy’s explosion after the last game.
I think they are missing athletes like Strawberry as well. Right on Rath, we should have another pg for Lawson to devour in this one. They have game that I like, but you need athletes that can break down defense in order to defeat us, and I just don’t see it with them. However, I am nervous. Funny how I am most nervous about these games leading to the Duke game, rather than the Duke game itself. If we win out before then, it’s like who cares about the Duke game? We have it clinched.
I think you are right on with your prediction. UNC just has too much offense for Maryland to overcome.
http://accsec.blogspot.com/2009/02/north-carolina-vs-maryland-prediction.html
Ugh…I love my Heels…LOVE THEM, but man do I hate ANY Saturday afternoon slots! Especially when the opponent is Maryland. Throw all the stats out for this one. I have been accurate in predicting the last two games, post Duke (not that I was happy to be right, since they were both a little too tight for my taste), and I just can’t see everything magically clicking in this one. I foresee a game where our shots simply don’t fall and we have to scramble. Maryland hits more threes than usual, and grab those dreaded long rebounds on the missed threes. Still, I look for the combination of Danny Green and Tyler Hansbrough to bail us out. I see Tyler having one of those 10-12 free throw lines and somewhere between 5-6 made FG. Danny could have his biggest offensive game of the season, for I see some matchup problems on the Maryland end. But I have the feeling that Maryland will get some bigtime breaks and this one will be yet another barn-burner.
I hope the guys are up to this though. We are sort of beat up after this recent stretch of games, especially Tyler. The weeks break after this game is a blessing.
I also hate the time. Right smack dab in the middle of the day. I can’t go shopping unless I want to miss the pre-game. And I don’t.
Man. That is rough.