Boston College
North Carolina
Smith is averaging 17.7 points per game; Hansbrough, 17.5.
Smith is shooting 58 percent from the field; Hansbrough, 61.
Smith is averaging 8.6 rebounds per game; Hansbrough, 7.3.
Neither player is among the league leaders in blocked shots - Smith has 17; Hansbrough, 11. (Duke's Shelden Williams leads with 65.)
What does it all mean? It's entirely possible that Hansbrough and Smith each could score 18 or 20 points, canceling each other out, and leave it to their respective supporting casts to decide the game.
It's also possible that one of the two could dominate, exploiting the other's defensive weaknesses. Hansbrough struggled at times with Florida State's Alexander Johnson on Sunday, and he could have his hands full with Smith, one of the ACC's elite scorers.
But just as Miami provided a blueprint for how to beat the Tar Heels, the Hurricanes also showed how to contain Smith on Sunday during the Eagles' 65-61 win - zone defense. Smith finished the game with 18 points, but he took only one shot in the second half.
UNC coach Roy Williams hates zone like a child hates spinach, but the Eagles don't have quite enough athleticism on the perimeter to compensate if Smith struggles in the paint.
Final Analysis/Prediction: The Tar Heels' win against Florida State on Sunday averted a catastrophic three-game losing streak, but more importantly, it provided a glimpse of a scoring balance for which Williams has been pleading all season.
Boston College already has found its balance - four players average more than nine points per game - and it already has endured a three-game conference losing streak.
With a daunting schedule still remaining, the Eagles can't afford to pick up their fourth ACC loss before the calendar turns to February. At the same time, however, the Tar Heels need to defend their home court with five tough road games left on the slate.
And if Williams' teams have demonstrated nothing else since his arrival, it's that they tend to win the games they really need to win.
The Bottom Line: North Carolina 79, Boston College 76.
- Compiled by Brian MacPherson
