The No. 18 North Carolina men’s basketball team will host No. 11 Kentucky today. Tipoff is set for 5:15, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Finals are tough
North Carolina guard Marcus Paige said it best at Thursday afternoon’s press conference.
“Exam week kind of sucks in terms of not having everyone on the page,” Paige said.
No kidding.
On top of wrapping up classes, the Tar Heels (6-2) were also faced with the task of prepping for the No. 11 team in the country that boasts the top freshman class headlined by forward Julius Randle.
On Thursday, 11 players had at least one final, coach Roy Williams said.
Hectic exam schedules made for a tough week of practice, and by the time No. 18 UNC takes on Kentucky (8-2) this afternoon, the Tar Heels will have only had two complete practices — one Wednesday and another Friday.
“I can’t give you a reason why, but it’s a little more limited than what we’ve had in the past,” Williams said. “We do a lot of running and shooting sometimes, but still get some practice time in… It really has been much more limited practice time than we’ve ever had.”
Hairston and McDonald still sidelined
Yet another week in UNC’s season passed with the fates of guards P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald still up in the air.
“I still have the same thoughts,” Williams said. “Just trying not to waste my time thinking about that either. I’m sure that the NCAA would like for it to be over with too.
“There’s no update. There’s nothing else. We’re just staying the course and I’m sure they’re trying to do everything they can too.”
Each week, the message from Williams has been the same — no update, nothing’s changed. With UNC approaching its ninth game of the season today, people around the program are growing restless with the NCAA’s silence.
A billboard bearing the message “#FreePJ” went up along I-85 in Durham Thursday, and former UNC player John Henson attracted national attention for posting a photo wearing a Thrill City shirt that read “SCAM,” resembling the NCAA logo. The photo caught the attention of major media outlets, including ESPN’s Keith Olbermann.
Battle of the bigs
Super sophomore Willie Cauley-Stein has 34 blocks this season — two fewer than UNC’s 36.
Cauley-Stein creates problems for shooters with his long reach and spot-on swatting, and he’s also a physical player. The newly blonde forward also recently revealed that he has a sickle cell trait that makes him more vulnerable to exhaustion on the court.
“There are many athletes that have it,” Kentucky coach John Calapari told reporters Friday. “It’s a trait, it’s not anemia; it’s a trait. I’m a little cautious, I’ve coached other players who have it, have that trait and I’m a little cautious. If I see them get winded I’ll make sure they get fluids and all the other things and you don’t want them to get dehydrated and stuff, I’m conscious about it.”
Sophomore forward Brice Johnson will be one of UNC’s big men faced with the task of getting around Cauley-Stein. Though Johnson hasn’t cracked the starting lineup, Williams said Johnson’s offensive prowess makes him a valuable asset off the bench, and there aren’t any immediate plans to switch up UNC’s starting five.
“I’m going to leave it alone,” Williams said. “If those guys start playing better defense then Joel (James) better start scoring more. It’s a pretty simple thing. It’s just that they’ve got to give you something. If I could put Brice and Desmond (Hubert) then oh my gosh you’ve really got something there but you can’t do that. My whole thing is when you come into the game you give us something positive.”
Another blue-blood rivalry
This matchup might not evoke pranks and trash talking like another rivalry with a certain royal blue-wearing team, but it’s still historically significant.
Kentucky, the winningest program in college basketball, will be pitted against UNC, the third winningest, for the 36th time this afternoon.
North Carolina holds a 22-13 advantage against Kentucky in the series.
UNC took on the Wildcats for 12 consecutive years between 2000-01 through 2011-12. The last time the two programs met in Dec. 2011, Kentucky big man Anthony Davis blocked a John Henson shot attempt with one second remaining, giving Kentucky the 73-72 win against UNC in Rupp Arena.
This year has the potential to be just as competitive. The Tar Heels have posted two wins against top-5 programs and two surprising losses against unranked opponents. Kentucky also has two losses this season — one to then-No. 2 Michigan State and the other to then-No. 20 Baylor.
Though the hype surrounding today’s game hasn’t subsided for either program — the Smith Center will host a whiteout crowd today — Williams said more big ticket early season games and tournaments detract from the novelty of two powerhouse programs matching up before conference and tournament play.
“To me, it’s still important,” Williams said. “But it’s not like it used to be … There’s so many of those matchups that you did not used to have.”
To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.
