Chances are, if you have seen any highlights of North Carolina on TV this year, you have seen Vince Carter more than any other Tar Heel. Though Antawn Jamison is clearly the go-to guy on the team and Shammond Williams is a better three-point shooter, Carter is undoubtedly the most athletic player on the squad and one of the best in the nation at what he does.
Carter's ability to sky for devastating dunks both in the open floor and in the half-court set quickly silences hostile crowds and demoralizes even the best defender. He has a knack for sparking the Tar Heels at critical moments of the game. Carter's athleticism and range as a shooter create matchup problems for opposing teams.
"He's as talented physically as any player that we'll play," Steve Wojciechowski said. "It seems like he's on another plane athletically."
A 6-foot-7, 215-lb. junior who can play the two, three or four spot, Carter is one of the most versatile players in college basketball. When he came to Carolina two years ago from his hometown of Daytona Beach, Fla., he was heralded mainly for his vertical jump and raw athletic ability.
Since his freshman year, he has become a more complete player. Carter has improved upon his shot selection
Looking at his statistics, it is even more evident that Carter has developed into one of the best all-around players in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Carter is hitting 60 percent of his shots, making him the second-best shooter in the ACC behind teammate Antawn Jamison, and averaging 15.6 points per game.
Many of these field goals have come on easy buckets in transition, but Carter is also shooting an impressive 42.2 percent from behind the arc. Carter is also averaging a little under one block per game to put him among the ACC leaders in that category.
Carter has an air of confidence when he steps onto the floor. Some would go so far as to call it arrogance. His unmistakable swagger and frequent chest-thumping displays light a fire under the rest of the Carolina team.
Carter's thunderous dunks and obvious self-confidence evoke memories of former Tar Heel Jerry Stackhouse, a player whom Duke fans loved to hate. Blue Devil fans won't easily forget Carter's antics during the Duke-Carolina game earlier this month when he and Antawn Jamison were whooping it up in the Tar Heels' rout of the Blue Devils.
Tomorrow's much-awaited showdown will give Duke fans and players alike a second shot at Carter. The Cameron Crazies will do their best to rattle him, and the Duke's defenders will look to shut him down.
"He presents a lot of matchup problems," Wojciechowski said. "We're just going to have to be tough and keep a body on him and hopefully not let him get in any comfort zone."
With the exception of two games this year, the Blue Devils have consistently shut down or neutralized opponents' biggest scoring threats. The Duke defense did a number on Matt Harpring on Wednesday and also shut down the likes of Arizona's Mike Bibby and Maryland's Laron Profit earlier this year. Not coincidentally, the Blue Devils lost the two games this year in which they struggled defensively.
Against Michigan and against North Carolina, Duke did not execute well defensively and gave up a lot of easy baskets. The Blue Devils will have a shot at redemption tomorrow when they take on the Tar Heels in Cameron. Jamison will in all likelihood get his points, but the key to Duke's chances of winning will be on how it defends the explosive Carter.
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