Two straight solid wins

After a couple of lackluster games I like the way the Heels played this week.  Very methodical wins, with contributions from everywhere on the floor and from multiple players in winning at State and tonight at home versus a desperate Maryland team.

The State win was probably more impressive due to the hostile atmosphere - and that we were down early 9 to 19.  But behind our shooting guards Dexter Strickland and Leslie McDonald - and some nice play by Justin Knox - the Heels led at half in Raleigh.

The final 20 minutes belonged to Harrison Barnes. I loved the way we came out of the locker room determined to do what Dean Smith always preached: do what we want to do, not what the other team wants us to do.  Barnes and Zeller hit baskets early in the half, and Barnes - with some more impressive dunks - Henson and Marshall put it away down the stretch with Reggie Bullock of all people making a huge, Wolfpack-momentum stopping old-fashioned 3-point play along the way. 

In short, the entire team made plays all night, but especially in the second half, to defeat State for the 10th straight time and 19th in the last 20.

Tonight versus Maryland the beat went on. Barnes got us going early and Zeller was a beast throughout the game as they both finished with more than 20 points.  Henson seemed to have at least that many blocks, Marshall and Strickland were dropping dimes on every possession, and McDonald finished burying the slump he killed in Raleigh with 15 points (a nice mix of 3s, jumpers and an offensive rebound put back).

Another total team effort in a game the Heels led comfortably for most of the night.  When Maryland made runs in the second half, each one was answered by a Barnes drive or Zeller shot down low.   We got a little sloppy, but at the same time the Heels were never seriously threatened by the Terps.

So as we head into the last week of the regular season the Heels stand at 12 and 2 in conference, 14-0 at home, and with a nice head of steam.  Without Chris Singleton the Heels will likely be favored at FSU; ditto for their home rematch against the right-wing boobs from Durham. 

Who would have predicted this kind of season in November?

A few notes:

• There's a lot of justified talk about Kendall Marshall's poise, but how about his leadership?  It's easy to forget how quickly he took over this team, and Marshall has thrived as the team leader.  Early this season there was speculation that Barnes, with his Hansbrough-like work ethic, would become the young leader of this year's Heels squad. But this is Marshall's team now.
• John Henson is now 6 for his last 6 at the free throw line.  So it's now official, other than some occasional bad decision making, this guy has no weaknesses.
• Great to see Barnes hit shots early, and I'm also glad that he went to the glass a lot in the second half.
• Maryland played tough, but the real silver lining for Gary Williams' team is the duo of Terrell Scoglin and Jordan Williams. Scoglin hit shots from all over the floor on his way to 26 points, and as impressive as Zeller and Henson were Williams was their equal with 16 points and 19 boards.
• Happy to see Virginia Tech win (for the conference) and happier to see Duke lose (for the greater good).  But neither team looked good to me last night.  Virginia Tech can not run an offense to save their life, and in ACC games at least Kyle Singler looks terrible. If Nolan Smith is not hot Duke seems to have trouble running offense; they seem to be a much worse offensive team then they were last year.  I would love to have time to do a comparison.
• GO HEELS!