UNC men's basketball prepares for tough road test against Texas

Inside the Smith Center on Friday, North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams and junior forward Kennedy Meeks met with the media to discuss the No. 3 Tar Heels' upcoming game against Texas at 5:15 p.m. on Saturday in Austin. 

The last time the two sides played, on Dec. 18, 2013, the Longhorns pulled out an 83-80 victory over UNC in Chapel Hill.

Here are some things to know from Friday's press conference.

1. Breaking containment

Texas Coach Shaka Smart has put together an impressive resume as a head coach behind his defensive game plan. As Virginia Commonwealth's head coach from 2009-15, Smart implemented what is known as the "havoc" defense, a philosophy that emphasizes pressuring ball handlers and creating turnovers. 

A key component of Smart's defense is full-court pressure, but the coach has said that the Longhorns have not been executing to his liking so far this season. But despite this, Williams knows that his team will need to prepare for pressure. 

"I would think that it's a change in what they've been doing and it's hard to get them to where Shaka wants them to be, I'm sure," he said. "But I still think it's good enough that we worked press offense yesterday and we'll work press offense again today."

2. Improvement from long range

In 2014-15, Marcus Paige made more than half of UNC's 3-point field goals as other players struggled to find a groove from downtown. 

But when Paige was sidelined for the first six games of this season, his teammates had to step up to make up for the loss, something that Williams said they have handled quite well. 

"At one point it was just Marcus, the only one I was comfortable with," he said. "But Joel (Berry) has shown that he can make some, Nate (Britt)'s showing he can make some, Theo (Pinson)'s showing he can make some."

Berry currently leads the team with 15 made 3-pointers, while Britt is shooting 48.1 percent beyond the arc, turning what was a weakness a year ago into a bright spot for the team. 

3. Rebounding Ridley

What could be the key for the Tar Heels when they take on the Longhorns on Saturday is how they match up against Texas senior center Cameron Ridley. 

The 6-foot-9, 285-pound senior from Houston, Texas was once recruited by Williams to play at UNC, but opted to commit to Texas in April 2011. Now, Ridley is averaging 12.4 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, and is currently fifth in the nation in field goal percentage (72.4 percent). 

"He gives them that guy inside that takes up so much space, takes away some of your offensive rebound baskets as well because of his rebounding ... " Williams said. He's pretty doggone effective there, and he's a big rascal."

For Meeks, the key to slowing Ridley down for him will be focusing on details. 

"I think the biggest thing for me is getting low post position, going up to the basket as strong as I can and getting those and-ones or easy baskets," he said. "I just think the little things that I can do tomorrow will help our team win."

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