in NCAA F Articles

The word “turnover” has several meanings. Two of those meanings are particularly poignant for the defending NCAA champion North Carolina Tar Heels; sadly, neither has to do with Sara Lee.

For starters, the turnover of N.C.’s roster has been dramatic this season. After losing so many players to the NBA last summer, the Heels were not supposed to be competitive in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Coach Roy Williams has been forced to hand significant playing time to a host of freshmen. Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Marcus Ginyard and Bobby Frasor have become fixtures in Williams’ nine-man rotation. Despite their inexperience, the Tar Heels have not only stayed afloat in the ACC, they’re 10-3 overall (7-4 against the spread) and 2-1 in conference play, strong enough to earn the No. 23 spot in the college rankings.

There are few weaknesses among this gifted group of rookies, but one sticks out like a sore thumb: a propensity for coughing up the basketball. North Carolina’s 17.6 turnovers per game are second worst in the ACC, just a shade better than Wake Forest at 17.7. Those butterfingers were on full display in the Heels’ last two games, a 64-61 win at Virginia Tech (25 turnovers) and a disappointing 81-70 loss to the visiting Miami Hurricanes (17 turnovers). Miami was a 10 ½-point puppy in that affair. 

The only member of North Carolina’s Fab Freshman Four who managed to keep the ball away from Miami was Hansbrough, although he does sport the club’s worst assist-to-turnover ratio among regular players at 0.53. Hansbrough, a forward out of Poplar Bluff, Mo., makes up for it by leading the Heels with 17.7 points per game on a remarkable 63 percent from the floor. Hansbrough is also N.C.’s top rebounder at 7.2 boards per game. He may not be a household name just yet, but Hansbrough will be the center of attraction on Thursday night when North Carolina goes to University Hall in Charlottesville to take on the Virginia Cavaliers. ESPN will be on hand to broadcast the proceedings nationwide.

Hansbrough represents a critical matchup problem for the Cavs. The 6-foot-9, 235-pounder is a formidable presence in the paint, and Virginia is thin in the frontcourt after the departure of last year’s interior tandem of Devin Smith and Elton Brown. Still, even though Virginia has just eight scholarship players on the roster and is in the first year of rebuilding under new head coach Dave Leitao, the Cavs are 2-2 in ACC action (8-6 overall, 6-5 against the spread) with upset wins over Clemson and Virginia Tech. They’re also limiting themselves to a reasonable 15.4 turnovers per game, but with only 11.2 assists compared to North Carolina’s 17.9 helpers.