UNC vs. Florida State: Who has the edge

STARTERS
Kendall Marshall (7.5 ppg, 9.7 apg) vs. Luke Loucks (6.6 ppg, 4.0 apg)

Loucks has developed into a solid starter in his senior season with the Seminoles, but Marshall is arguably the best point guard in the ACC and he recently set the ACC’s single-season record for assists. His ability to score has also improved, as evidenced most recently by his game-winning shot on Saturday against N.C. State in the semifinals of the ACC tournament.
EDGE: UNC

Reggie Bullock (8.7 ppg, 4.8 rpg) vs. Michael Snaer (14.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg)

Bullock has been an underrated part of UNC’s success during the second half of the season, and he’s developed into a very good defensive player. But Snaer is among the top eight players in the conference, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski described Snaer on Saturday as the fiercest competitor in the ACC. Snaer has made two game-winning 3-pointers at the buzzer this season.
EDGE: Florida State

Harrison Barnes (17.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg) vs. Deividas Dulkys (6.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg)

Dulkys had the game of his college career during FSU’s 90-57 victory against UNC in Tallahassee on Jan. 14. He scored 32 points and made 8 of his 10 3-point attempts. Since, though, he hasn’t scored more than 14 points in any game. Barnes has had a somewhat quiet season, given his level of expectations and those surrounding him, but he’s still one of the better players in the conference.
EDGE: UNC

James Michael McAdoo (5.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg) vs. Bernard James (10.6 ppg, 8.2 rpg)

McAdoo made his first career start on Saturday and is likely to start again today in place of the injured John Henson. McAdoo has played well during the final one-third of the season, and he has become more confident and aggressive. But James, a former staff sergeant in the Air Force, is a tough matchup for anybody, let alone a freshman making his second start.
EDGE: Florida State

Tyler Zeller (16.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg) vs. Xavier Gibson (7.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg)

Gibson is one of six Florida State seniors who have helped build the Seminoles into a regular ACC contender in recent seasons .His role has expanded this season, and he scored 16 points in FSU’s victory earlier this season at Duke. But Zeller is the ACC Player of the Year for a reason. He has been UNC’s most consistently productive player night-in and night-out since conference play began.
EDGE: UNC

BENCH
UNC’s P.J. Hairston, Justin Watts, Stilman White and Desmond Hubert vs. Florida State’s Okaro White, Jeff Peterson, Ian Miller and Jon Kreft

The Tar Heels’ bench was a weakness for most of the season and a major question mark entering the post season. But UNC’s reserves have put together their best back-to-back performances of the season. Still, the Seminoles have enviable depth. White is a rangy, athletic player who can take it inside or shoot from the perimeter, and Miller, an aggressive penetrator who can create his own shot, would start for most teams in the conference.
EDGE: Florida State

INTANGIBLES
Both teams will have no shortage of motivation. The Tar Heels are attempting to win the ACC tournament championship for the 18th time, while Florida State is seeking its first tournament championship. A Florida State victory would crown the Seminoles’ arrival as an ACC power, and it would provide proof that FSU’s 90-57 victory against UNC earlier this season wasn’t a fluke. A victory for UNC, meanwhile, would cement a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the Tar Heels, who desperately want to avenge that 33-point loss against Florida State – a defeat that was the worst of Roy Williams’ nine seasons as the Heels’ head coach.
EDGE: Even

-Andrtew Carter