It is still early in the season, but the matchup between the Texas Longhorns and North Carolina looks like a preview for a round in the NCAA Tournament. Both teams have a chance to make plenty of noise this season. The Tar Heels are already on the map with their No.3 ranking while the Longhorns are improving under new head coach Shaka Smart. They might have suffered three loss to begin the year, but things are changing as they look to upset the Tar Heels at home.
North Carolina is coming off a mere mandhandling of Maryland in a holiday tournament while the return of Marcus Paige is exactly what North Carolina needed. Everyone knew the return of Paige meant the return of title hopes for North Carolina. The star player is healthy after suffering a hand injury and now North Carolina is back in their comfort zone and playing like the team they were hoping to be this year.
"I don't think I change the team to the point where it's a night-and-day difference," said Paige, via ESPN.com. "But everyone is comfortable with me on the court. It's kind of a comfort zone for the team."
Paige will be critical against a Longhorns team hoping to prove they are more than their record. Texas has become a basketball school, but a few down seasons led to the firing of Rick Barnes and hiring of Smart. Texas has an athletic squad that simply needs to find their rhythm right now. With Smart, Texas is now a top 40 defensive unit as they have a knack for forcing turnovers. That could be trouble for North Carolina if they start off slow. The team is young right now with Kerwin Roach Jr and Eric Davis Jr trying to improve quickly. Cameron Ridley could be the x-factor in this matchup as he will be paired next to Paige for most of the game.
Texas is coming off three straight wins against weaker opponents. That has the team's confidence getting higher at the moment which will be a good thing with UNC coming to town. Meanwhile the Tar Heels are coming off two big wins against Davidson and Maryland. They are looking to remain title contenders as the season goes along.
