The North Carolina Tarheels are off to a very sluggish start to the 2010-11 season, but you can throw all of that out the window when they lace them up to play the Cats today. Even for such a storied program as the one in Chapel Hill, this is the perfect game for the Tarheels to show they can be a big player in the ACC, because beating the Kentucky Wildcats is a big win for any program. Lets looks at the keys to the game that will stop the ‘Heels from getting on the right track in the Dean Dome.
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[*]Silence the crowd. One topic in which all the freshman were asked after the Boston U. game was how they would handle such a big game environment and playing in front of a hostile crowd. If the Cats can silence the crowd early maybe the jitters the freshman have will go away alot quicker than if they start out slow.
[*]Darius Miller. Darius has to play better. Darius is becoming an enigma the BBN keeps wondering about. When is Darius going to play up to his potential? Today would be a great day to start.
[*]Stopping Harrison Barnes. Harrison Barnes has stunk so far this season and many predict this could be his breakout game in the making. I tend to not disagree. I expect him to play a lot better than he has since he is playing vs. Terrence and the rest of the freshman. He definitely has a lot to prove. The Cats need to limit his touches and keep him off the boards so he can’t get any easy baskets to get him going.
[*]The paint. Josh Harrellson has played unbelievable so far this season, and is finally getting how to play the game of winning basketball. He will probably have his toughest test today battling withe Zeller in the paint. If Harrellson gets another double double today, I look for a W for the Cats.
[*]Hitting the homerun. The 1st half vs. Boston U was terrible, and it was mostly because the Cats couldn’t hit a shot. Then the second half rolled around and they hit 8 of their first 9 from behind the arc. Hit the three today and I am looking for a 8 point win in Raleigh. Shoot like we did vs. UCONN, then it could he a long day down Tobacco Road.
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