2 victories later...

UNC defeated a weak Virginia team last week, but it's hard to measure how our team performed. A win is a win...

Miami, on the other hand, has talent. They can shoot the ball, rebound, and play strong D. At one point, with the Heels down by 9, I thought UNC was heading to 1-3. Thanfully, UNC played 5 minutes of some of the best basketball for the season. UNC's 13-0 run left the Heels at halftime ahead 36-32. Hansbrough had 20 of the 36 points.

Miami still had a chance to win, but UNC would not allow it to happen. Enter Wayne Ellington, who was on fire, hitting 7 consecutive 3 pointers. Ellington also turned it up a notch on defense. Overall, our starting 5 looked pretty darn good. Davis may be the best 6 man in the game.

Tonight we play Clemson, a team that has only lost 1 game all season. UNC will need to turn up the heat on D to win this game. Here are the keys to a UNC victory:

1. Play a mixture of man-to-man and zone. Carolina's defense has improved recently, but we are still struggling to defend the perimeter. Mixing it up on D may confuse the Tigers.
2. Hit the open jump shot. Ellington and Lawson are making their shots. Graves has shown some promise, albeit inconsistently. Frasor is still struggling to find a rhythm.
3. Rebound the ball. Clemson has some big men that can find the loose rebound. Thompson needs to step it up on D and become a rebounding machine.
4. Make the free throws. I want Carolina to hit 80% of their free throws tonight.

UNC has the talent, and they have the coaching. We may be lacking some confidence, but tonight could allow our players to find their mojo...again.

Prediction: UNC 84, Clemson 80.