Williams tries to muzzle hype for key rematch

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - In his preparations for a rematch with UNLV, Roy Williams opted not to hype the revenge angle. It's not important, the North Carolina coach said, and it's not really on his mind.

Only once this week did he remind his Tar Heels players about last year's game against the Rebels.

"I told them they beat us, but I think that's the only thing I said. I don't spend a lot of time talking about it," Williams said. "It's a good question. But I spend no time talking about it."

Times have changed for both teams. It will be a mostly new cast of characters and a different storyline when No. 20 UNLV (11-1) visits North Carolina (9-3) at 11 a.m. today at the Dean E. Smith Center.

The unranked Tar Heels are 4½-point favorites in a game to be televised nationally on ESPN2. They were bigger favorites in last year's meeting and left Las Vegas with a stunning loss.

Fans stormed the Orleans Arena floor two days after Thanksgiving as the Rebels shot down then-No. 1 North Carolina, 90-80. The Tar Heels had a college basketball dream team that eventually sent four starters - Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, John Henson and Tyler Zeller - to the first round of the NBA Draft.

The marquee matchup in the rematch pits North Carolina sophomore forward James Michael McAdoo against UNLV freshman forward Anthony Bennett.

"The first thing is how different our team is. We're night and day," Williams said. "It's a different team for them, but not as different as our team is. I think Anthony really added a lot to them."

The Tar Heels, ranked as high as No. 9 in November, were blown out by Butler, Indiana and Texas. This is their final exam before Atlantic Coast Conference play.

"We're getting ready to play a team that would be one of the two best teams in the ACC," Williams said. "Big-time basketball is here now. We have UNLV and the ACC, and that's all we have now.

"We've got a bunch of young kids that are being challenged more than they have ever been challenged."

North Carolina is hunting for an accomplishment to put on its resume for March.

"We all realize it's a big opportunity to get a really good nonconference win," freshman guard Marcus Paige said. "To get a win like this, a signature win, is something we really have not had yet."

The Rebels, 3-0 on the road with hard-earned victories over Portland, California and Texas-El Paso, are riding a nine-game winning streak but have not faced a ranked opponent.

Their top three scorers in last year's upset were Chace Stanback, Oscar Bellfield and Mike Moser. Stanback and Bellfield graduated, and Moser, a junior forward, is doubtful to play as he recovers from a dislocated right elbow suffered Dec. 9.

"The mark of a good team is to be able to go on the road and win games," Williams said. "They have not only won on the road, they have won close games on the road, and that's the sign of a good team."

The teams are similar in their desires to play a fast pace. Transition defense and 3-point shooting figure to be points of emphasis for both sides. UNLV shapes up as stronger in the interior with the 6-foot-8-inch Bennett, 6-9 Khem Birch and 6-8 Quintrell Thomas.

Two keys for the Tar Heels, Williams said, are to contain the penetration of senior point Anthony Marshall and the Rebels' guards and not rely on perimeter shooting on the offensive end.

"We've had trouble stopping dribble penetration. We have not been a great defensive team," Williams said. "We like to say we're a running team. I think you live by the 3 and you die by the 3. I think you should live by getting to the free-throw line."

UNLV, with one win in four previous meetings with the Tar Heels, is playing in Chapel Hill for the first time.

Marshall said he expects to encounter a team hungry for revenge, even if Williams is not saying as much.

"It's like a pit bull fight. If one pit bull sees a little bloodshed, he's going to keep attacking," Marshall said. "You never want to let a team get any hope that they can compete with you.

"It's a hostile environment. It's going to be tough on the road."

Contact reporter Matt Youmans at myoumans@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2907. Follow him on Twitter: @mattyoumans247.