UNC Basketball: Keeping It Heel Staff Picks @ Florida State

The UNC basketball team heads to Tallahassee for their final road trip of the regular season.

Two down, two to go.  Following the Tar Heels loss at NC State last Sunday, it appeared UNC would need to win out in their final four games to have a shot at an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament.  Carolina survived at Notre Dame and protected home court against UVA last week, and now tonight’s trip to Florida State is up next as a “must-win” game for the Heels.  Coming off of a miracle comeback at a Miami team that many think is the best in the conference, the Noles are riding high.  Will UNC be able to take their momentum on the road and keep their tournament hopes alive?  Find out what our staff thinks below!

Nick Delahanty

Saturday night’s win over Virginia was very encouraging, especially in the first half of play.

As great as the win was, the Tar Heels simply can’t dwell on it. They have to come in ready to go against a Florida State team that is coming off a rather impressive come-from-behind victory over Miami.

North Carolina has to come in with the mindset that this is another must-win game. If they get similar production from the likes of Pete Nance and Puff Johnson, I feel like the Tar Heels will have a good shot to win this game.

Prediction: North Carolina 79, Florida State 72

Mark DeMott

I could see Monday night’s game going a lot of different ways.

The Tar Heels are coming off of arguably their best win of the year against UVA, but that was largely due to some outstanding outside shooting that Carolina hasn’t done on a consistent basis this season.  Will that travel to Tallahassee for the second consecutive game?  Who knows.

Florida State is one of the most puzzling teams in the country.  They have early season losses to Stetson, Troy, and Siena, but ACC wins on the road at Pittsburgh and Miami.  Which version of the ‘Noles shows up on Monday night?  Who knows (let’s hope it is one that has a hangover from the Miami game).

Regardless, Hubert Davis consistently talks about rebounding, defensive intensity, and limiting turnovers as keys for his team to win games.  I would add one other key for UNC to watch down the stretch of the season, and that is scoring from the four spot.  Both Pete Nance and Puff Johnson were effective shooting the ball against Virginia, and it is obvious that scoring from one or both of those players is enormous for Carolina’s chances in any game.

I think this one will come down to the wire.  I’ll take Carolina in a nail-biter.

Prediction: North Carolina 76, Florida State 74

Aaron Conrad

The Tar Heels are coming off of a huge win at home.

As I mentioned in the random observations after the Virigina win, I don’t know why it is but this team struggles with momentum. Outside of their incredible tournament run last year, they just don’t seem to build on success. Even within that run, they didn’t hold leads well.

Take all of that, add in the athleticism and length of Florida State, and a road game. I hate to do it again but I am still building trust in this team and hoping they prove me wrong.

Prediction: Florida State 86, North Carolina 78

Spencer Schultz

The Tar Heels put in their best performance of the season in their win on Saturday against Virginia. Now, it’s about moving onto the next opponent. Florida State has quietly looked better as of late, so this won’t be a walk in the park.

After his best game as a Tar Heel, Pete Nance will be the guy to watch in this one. If he can put in solid performances on a consistent basis, this team is completely different.

Prediction: North Carolina 70, Florida State 65

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