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North Carolina vs. Texas

This Saturday the No. 25 Texas Longhorns will get a big test when they take on the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina. Both teams were expected to be in the top 10 this season, and still could be, but haven’t exactly got off to the start that many people thought they would. Texas 8-2, with a bad loss at USC (73-56), while the Tar Heels are just 7-3, after starting the season ranked No. 9 in the country. The odds have not yet been posted, but be sure to check back as they are sure to be up soon.

Both teams have played Illinois this season, and both teams had quite a different result. Texas came away with a 90-84 win in overtime at home, while the Fighting Illini beat the Tar Heels 79-67 at Illinois. While you might instantly think that Texas is the easy choice to win this game, I wouldn’t be so fast to pull the trigger.

North Carolina has a clear advantage in size, as the Long Horns tallest player is Tristan Thompson at 6’8, compared to the Tar Heels who have Tyler Zeller at 7’0, John Henson at 6’10. and Harrison Barnes at 6’8. Henson and Zeller were a big reason why the Tar Heels upset a very good Kentucky team earlier this season. USC, which doesn’t quite have the size the the Tar Heels do, really muscled around the Longhorns earlier this season, and this figures to play a huge role in this game.

Barnes came to North Carolina as a big time recruit, and many believed he would lead the Tar Heels to a National Championship this season, but the freshman is averaging just 12 points and six rebounds a game, and has yet to score 20 points in a game this season. Some of it has to do with the fact that Tar Heels offense doesn’t utilize his abilities to the fullest, or maybe he was simply over-hyped.

Texas is led by Jordan Hamilton who comes into the contest averaging 19 points and 7 rebounds a game. Hamilton and Cory Joseph have been deadly from behind the arc this season, both come in hitting over 40% from the three-point line, and with all the size North Carolina has down low, these two need to be on from long range in this one. Joseph hit 5-8 from downtown in the Longhorns most recent win over Texas State.

While I think the Longhorns have the advantage and our my pick to win this game, I don’t think it will be easy at all, especially with the height advantage UNC has down low. I look for this game to be close all the way, with the Longhorns pulling away at the finish.