One of the most entertaining sub-plots will be to chart the play at point guard. UNC Basketball’s Kendall Marshall has the keys to the machine for the Tar Heels, while Michigan State will turn to Keith Appling. Appling played in the US under-19 championships and impressed many, but he needs to realize the role of a point guard and adhere to it, deferring to his teammates often, despite his skill set individually.
What it is going to boil down to is that Michigan State’s strengths will be mitigated by the Tarheels. MSU’s best player Draymond Green will be pestered by John Henson all night, and at 6’10″ Henson has the length to frustrate Green.
Tonight’s game should be interesting to see to get some kind of gauge on just how good UNC Basketball is. The aircraft carrier will add a whole new “element of danger,” of sorts, but the real story will be on the court and whether Michigan State can manage to cover a 9.5 point spread that at this point actually looks conservative.
The game was part of an expanded Maui Invitational tournament. The Volunteers travel to Maui to face No. 6 Duke on Nov. 21, while the Spartans face Middle Tennessee at Murfreesboro, Tenn., in the regional field of the tournament.
So much about Tennessee (1-0) basketball has changed from a season ago.
Gone is Bruce Pearl, the animated coach that led the Vols to their first No. 1 ranking and first trip to the NCAA regional finals in his six seasons. The Vols are no longer concerned with the NCAA investigation of Pearl and his staff that lingered all last season.
Forward Tobias Harris and guard Scotty Hopson left early to enter the NBA draft and four other seniors who saw regular playing time have graduated, leaving Cameron Tatum as the lone returning starter.
Friday, November 11, 2011
UNC Basketball
11/11/2011
News Staff
