Wednesday night we all finally got a look at what UNC is made of, what it needs, and what it needs to get rid of. In the second version of the Big Ten matchup, we saw the Heels play the Spartans much closer than they did in Chapel Hill a year ago.

The game itself boiled down to a four minute stretch which ended the first half. That stretch included MSU scoring on eight straight possessions, while UNC could only muster a basket. MSU scored with some impressive, tough shots while UNC went completely flat from the field.

Beyond that stretch in the game, there is much to like about the Tar Heels this season. Up front the Tar Heels have a strong front line, especially if they can get better play (especially shot selection) from Brian Bersticker and if they can get quality minutes from Julius Peppers. There is far too much emphasis on Brendan Haywood’s production of “only” 10 points. While Haywood is the biggest player out there, he absolutely the key man for the opposing defenses. This allowed a healthy Kris Lang to reel off 22 points. Therefore a combined production of 32 points from Carolina’s starting big men is reason to celebrate. I will say, though, that Lang and Haywood are still not moving well enough without the ball. Good pick exchanges will get these two open much more than we saw.

The backcourt shows a lot of promise as well. Forte has an abominable night with 5-16 shooting from the field including 1-7 from bonusland. Assuming that was an aberration, we’ll focus on the rest. Max Owens is hurt, so we saw far more of Michael Brooker than we expect to see in December. In 12 minutes he was 0-2 from the field and free throw line, and was miserable on defense.

We got a pretty good glance at Brian Morrison. In 22 minutes he was only 2-7 from the field, yet had 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 turnovers. He distributed the ball well, and moved well on defense. We will see much more from Mo as the season progresses. Adam Boone started at Point Guard and was a non-factor in the freshman King Rice sense of the word. Boone has better ball control than Morrison, and it will be interesting to watch the two battle it out this season.

UNC’s biggest concern, from my standpoint, rests at the 3 position. Jason Capel, with all of his whining and exasperation, played 30 minutes and is the Heels’ only real option at 3. When Capel goes out, the Heels switch to a three-guard alignment which can only be strong if those three are lightning quick. Michael Brooker, a fine fellow, doesn’t enter into that equation.

That leaves us with Mr. Curry. Ronald Curry, the McDonald’s MVP, is perhaps the most disappointing player in blue since the “next MJ” in the late 80’s. Curry has A LOT to prove, and obviously doesn’t need any reminders. UNC really needs Curry to come in and be an outstanding point guard. This would spell Capel with a Curry/Forte/Morrison or Owens backcourt.

In general I was surprised to see UNC sit back in the 2-3 zone and dare Michigan State to implode. A full court, trapping man-to-man with about 6 minutes left might have put the Heels in the game. Instead they let the clock run out. We’ll chalk it up to early-season form.

The key factor for the Heels on Wednesday is that they just couldn’t find the bucket. Several open shots just wouldn’t fall, and UNC was miserable from the FT line. Had the Heels shot a collective 70% from the charity stripe and hit just ONE more “3″, it would have been a tie game with 4:00 remaining.

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Predictions, predictions…while it may be a bit premature, I look for this team to continue the streak of 20+ wins, place 3rd in the ACC regular season, and reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. I consider any progress beyond that point to be extra credit.

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Up next is a struggling Kentucky squad which lost to a red-hot shooting Penn State squad last weekend. It marks the first trip in uniform for Jason Parker. Remember that it was UNC who turned Parker away, so there is no reason to boo him. Send those sentiments to the admissions office. Kentucky guard Keith Bogans has been Mr. Versatility. He is an honest threat from three point land as well as with the penetration. If UNC’s perimeter defense can contain Bogans, look for a big Tar Heels win.