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There is one very big difference between Kansas and Carolina.

The top-ranked Jayhawks entertain the No. 9 Tar Heels, who make their first visit to the famed Allen Fieldhouse since 1960, when sophomore guard Larry Brown led Frank McGuire’s last UNC team to a thrilling 78-70 victory in December of that year. Friday’s tip-off at 7pm on ESPN2 features two very good teams in four positions, but it’s the center spot that will likely make the difference.

Hunter Dickinson, the 7-2 fifth-year senior, is a mismatch for anyone Carolina has on its roster, and Hubert Davis said at his press conference this week that the Michigan transfer is the complete player, from rebounding and rim protection to running the floor . and scoring inside and out.

KU has a good selection from the transfer portal, as does Carolina. But Dickinson is playing his second season at Lawrence after deciding not to turn pro for a reported NIL deal worth nearly seven figures. So Davis says that by bouncing back and denying the defense, they need to do the best job possible on the boards and on the floor against the Jayhawks giant.

Kansas also has a size advantage on the perimeter, where 6-4 guard Zeke Mayo, who played three seasons at San Diego State, has a college scoring average above 15 and made 5 of 8 3-pointers in KU’s 87-57 win. about Howard on opening night. Two other big wingers to watch are 6-6 Alabama transfer Rylan Griffen and 6-7 AJ Storr, who is averaging 17 points for Wisconsin.

Coach Bill Self used 10 players for at least 14 minutes against Howard, compared to the nine Tar Heels who made up Carolina’s rotation in the 90-76 win over Elon, who shot well enough (13 three-pointers) to keep the game close until the final five minutes.

Self, of course, replaced Roy Williams, who coached the Jayhawks for 15 seasons before returning to Carolina and says he won’t be in Lawrence on Friday night. Self has since won two national championships (Roy has three), including the dramatic victory over Davis in the 2022 NCAA championship game in New Orleans. Hubert says he watches the tape of that heartbreaking loss every season and sophomore RJ Davis adds it also looms deep in his memory.

Davis is the only UNC returnee from that game. The defending ACC Player of the Year and preseason pick to repeat as a first-team All-American is the highest-profile player in this early-season Marquis matchup, the first of a home-and-home series to be played next season resumes in Chapel Hill after he’s gone.

Davis and Dickinson entered college the same year (2020) and will be the main conversation partners before and during the first national blockbuster of the season.

Featured image via Todd Melet

Art Chansky is an experienced journalist who has written ten books, including bestsellers ‘Game Changers’, ‘Blue Bloods’ and ‘The Dean’s List’. He contributed to the WCHL for decades, after making his first appearance as a student in 1971 “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his opinion column “Art’s Angle” airs weekly on Chapelboro.

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