THAT felt good

Yes, Carolina's win over rival NC State felt good - real good.

It's always good to beat a rival, and to beat them convincingly.  I was a tad nervous about this game; State has gotten better under new coach Mark Gottfried (quick quiz: how many current ACC  coaches have had one of their teams ranked number 1? - answer via Comments below) and there was still some lingering post-FSU angst.

But this game was more than a thorough beat down - at one point Carolina led State by 31 points in the second half - of the Wolfpack.  There were many story lines in this win.

1. Probably the biggest story was playing without the Dex Factor.  Strickland is Carolina's best defender and back up point guard, but in addition to those traits is also the Heels' toughest player.  I was anxious to see if Reggie Bullock could do all the things Dex does.  

No worries.  It looked like Bullock played great defense, rebounded well, and his offense came around in the second half.  And new back up point guard Stillman White looked okay, too, even hitting a three late in the game.

2. Tyler Zeller keeps improving.  I think most Heels were unhappy with the way Psycho Z started the season, mainly due to weak hands and the occasional disappearing act on offense.  Those fears have melted away lately, as Zeller has had double-figure rounding games in 9 of the last 11 games and his scoring is up, too.  He was aggressive and unstoppable against the Pack.

3. When Kendall Marshall is setting you up, almost anyone becomes unstoppable.  He was fantastic on Thursday night with his passing and offensive, both in terms of controlling the tempo AND shooting.  I love the fact that Marshall is not simply jacking up 3s in order to 'keep defenses honest.'  K-Marsh is taking it to the rack with authority (though not velocity) and shooting 3s, and his all-around game continues to get better and better.

4.  Marshall's defense has also improved this season, and lately the team defense has been excellent. State had trouble getting - let alone making - good shots.  Bullock was great on State's sharpshooter Scott (Wood), the run and jump was utilized effectively, and of course down low John Henson, Zeller, James Michael McAdoo and Harrison Barnes intimidated, changed and blocked numerous shots, and rebounded well.  As any born and bred fan knows, boards, blocks and steals lead to fast break points, and those runs killed State.

5. Finally, despite some early foul trouble we saw another focused performance from Harrison Barnes.  He had a number of spectacular plays against State and has had back-to-back games where he has shot the ball well.  

The focus of this team is back.  I am not sold on the notion of a 'good' loss, especially one as shocking as the one in Tallahassee, but that may end up being the case for this year's team.  Coming into the season, it was obvious that the Heels had as much or more talent than any other squad in the country.  But mentally we've seen some lapses, mainly at UNLV and in Tallahassee but also in wins over lesser teams such as BC or even Nicholls State.  The Wizards-esque beat down the Tar Heels absorbed 2 weeks ago may have cured Carolina of any lingering thoughts that a superbly talented team simply needs to 'turn it on' to win games. 

Being cured of that feels good - just like beating State.

GO HEELS!