It would be inaccurate to say that North Carolina is a completely different basketball team than the one that suffered a 73-72 loss at Kentucky on Dec. 3. But the No. 3 Tar Heels, who play on the road today against Florida State (2 p.m., ESPN), appear to be changing for the better for the first time since that loss in Lexington, Ky.
That UNC team suffered from defensive lapses on the perimeter. More than a month ago, there also were questions about what would happen if standout scorers Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Tyler Zeller struggled offensively on the same night.
The Tar Heels' recent play has helped to allay some of those concerns, though. UNC (15-2, 2-0) guarded the perimeter as well as it had all season during a 73-56 home victory against Miami on Tuesday. In that same win at the Smith Center, guards Kendall Marshall and Dexter Strickland combined to score 26 points.
Their production helped UNC offset the lack of scoring from Barnes and Henson. Barnes made only 2-of-his-12 field-goal attempts against Miami, while Henson finished with 11 points on a 5-of-13 shooting night.
Amid his team's nine-game home stand, in which the Tar Heels won all nine games by an average of 28.2 points, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams sensed his team had adopted a mood of complacency. Even so, Williams said Friday that he thought UNC had become a more complete team since its last game on the road.
"I think we definitely got better," Williams said. "You saw that we're better defensively. We've had better rebound moments than we did early. We're getting more balance (with) different guys scoring - not just depending on one or two guys.
"So I think there are many, many ways that we did get better."
Of all the improvements Williams mentioned, the ones that might assist UNC the most were Marshall and Strickland's abilities to serve as viable, reliable scoring options against Miami. Strickland suffered a sprained ankle in practice on Thursday, but he is expected to play today against the Seminoles (10-6, 1-1), who are known for their aggressive defense.
FSU's defensive strategy likely will focus on limiting Henson and Zeller in the interior - which could leave Marshall and Strickland with opportunities to replicate their success against the Hurricanes.
"We have Harrison who can score, we have 'Z' who can score, we have John who can score," Strickland said earlier this week. "Those guys can score their 14 (or) 15 a night. When I'm aggressive taking the ball to the basket, it opens up space for everyone."
North Carolina has won five consecutive games in Tallahassee, Fla., but the Tar Heels needed game-winning shots in the final seconds to prevail in each of their last two games there.
"They make it difficult for you to get open shots," Williams said. "They make it difficult for you to get second shots. They play at a pace where it's hard for you to speed them up ... they get enthused to play North Carolina because the game gets so much attention."
McDonald redshirting: Junior guard Leslie McDonald will not play this season while he continues to recover from a knee injury he suffered in the summer. McDonald, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a summer-league game in Durham, will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Staff writer Caulton Tudor contributed to this report.
