Kendall Marshall is proving why he’s the best point guard in the nation

He might not be the flashiest player in the country and he might not be the best scorer in the country, but North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall gets the job done.

Marshall is establishing himself as the best point guard in the nation and one of the better players in the country as well. Carolina goes as he goes, and lately they’ve been going full force. With just four losses on the season, Carolina has been led by Marshalls dominant point guard play and hope to ride it a long way.

A long way through March.

See, this season was supposed to be a dominant year for the Tar Heels. Preseason number one and a whole starting lineup returning was a measure for success in Chapel Hill. It hasn’t been an easy ride however.

The Tar Heels have suffered some tough heartbreaking losses, but lately have shown what type of team they can be. And the man running the point guard position is leading them in the right direction.

Marshall is a sophomore at UNC and has already been mentioned with some of the better point guards in Carolina history. With players like Kenny Smith, Phil Ford, Ty Lawson, Ed Cota and Raymond Felton, the history is a rich one.

He’s made a quick impact for the Tar Heels since earning the starting job last season when Larry Drew decided to transfer from North Carolina. Since then Marshall has played great. Helping the Tar Heels earn a trip to the Elite Eight, Marshall quickly built up his assist total.

In fact with his 505 assists, he’s the second quickest player in ACC history to reach 500 assists. And he’s coming off a career high  performance against rival North Carolina State.

Marshall totaled 22 points, 13 assists and zero turnovers in North Carolina’s 86-74 win at North Carolina State last Tuesday. He hasn’t been known for his scoring but Marshall missed just one shot, going 6-7 from the field. If he can find a way to give Carolina 14-18 a game, they could be unstoppable in March.

With his outstanding performance against North Carolina State, Marshall now has a 3.01 assist-to-turnover ratio per game which makes him the only ACC player ever to go over 3.00.

What seperates Marshall from other point guards in the country is his ability to find the open man and make the needed pass. Marshall is virtually at the top in assists this season with 9.8 per game, only trailing Ionas Scott Machado.  It also helps that he has a variety of scorers on his team. Marshall doesn’t have the scoring like a lot of good players in the country, but his overall skill is very impressive.

This season Marshall has put up some pretty impressive stats. He’s had at least 10 assists in 12 games and has topped 15 assists four times this season alone. Marshall has an instinct for not turning the ball over and keeping his team in the game. He’s only had five or more turnovers in a game four times this season.

The Tar Heels have enough talent overall to win it all this season but Marshall is key. Where Marshall goes, the Tar Heels go. He can out match every point guard in the country, giving the Tar Heels a steady advantage in March.

The thing about Marshall is that he gives UNC the chance to win every game they are in. He compliments teammates Harrison Barnes, Tyler Zeller and John Henson well. Distributing the ball to the scorers and finding them in key situations.

Time will tell how far Marshall can lead the Tar Heels.