Starter breakdown: Coby White will be crucial against Duke

Hair down or hair up, it hasn’t mattered: Coby White has been UNC’s most dynamic scorer this season. 

White, who holds the North Carolina high school scoring record, became the first UNC point guard since Marcus Paige to start his first college game. Since then, the first-year has only solidified what head coach Roy Williams saw out of him before the season began. 

Strengths

When asked after the Miami game, Roy Williams conceded White is one of the best first-years he’s ever coached at UNC. 

“Well at his position I’d say he's been the best ...” Williams said. “Coby is a scoring point guard, I like scoring point guards.”

As a scoring point guard, the 6-foot-5 Goldsboro native likes to run the floor, and he has the highest scoring average of a UNC first-year since Tyler Hansbrough. In addition to scoring, his strength lies in an ability to create opportunities for his teammates, as he leads the team in assists. 

As North Carolina's leading scorer in eight games so far, North Carolina's offense has run through the three-time ACC Rookie of the Week. 

With career highs of 33 points against Texas and Miami as his best nights when he made seven 3-pointers in each game, White also just might be the second-best shooter on the team from deep behind Johnson.  He'll need that to continue with a strong game against Duke. 

Weaknesses

Against the Blue Devils, UNC will look to White as one of the keys to the matchup, just like he’s been crucial all season. 

But White’s Achilles’ heel is that he has a tendency to turn the ball over. While he leads the team in assists per game and free throw percentage, he's also had many more turnovers than anyone else on the team. 

As the primary ball handler, that could prove fatal for the Tar Heels in a big game. White’s careless play with the ball can create just as many shots for the opponent as he can for himself on the offensive end. 

Aspects to watch for

The matchup between White and Duke’s Tre Jones will be an interesting one. Jones, who is near the top of the conference in steals, will put White's ball-handling skills to the test. If UNC wants to be successful, he’ll need to cut down on his nearly three turnovers per game — while continuing to lead the team on the offensive end. 

The matchup of Jones against White might be the key to who wins the game. North Carolina won’t beat Duke without White. But if he’s going to be on the court, the Tar Heels can’t afford anything less than his best in both scoring and handling the ball.

@_jackfrederick

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