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GAME NOTES: Desperate for a victory, the North Carolina Tar Heels invade Blacksburg tonight for an ACC clash with the Virginia Tech Hokies.

North Carolina lost most key contributors from last season's national title team, and the youth and inexperience of the 2009-10 Tar Heels has been evident in recent weeks. The team is just 2-4 in ACC action, overshadowing a decent 13-8 overall record. On Sunday, in front of a deflated home crowd, UNC fell to Virginia by a 75-60 final, and the 60 points scored marked a season-low for the club.

Virginia Tech is 16-4 overall this season, and the club has split its six ACC games to date. The Hokies carried a three-game win streak into Sunday's matchup with Miami-Florida, but that clash resulted in an 82-75 defeat. The team has plenty of reason for confidence this evening, as it is 10-0 in Blacksburg thus far.

Back on January 10th, North Carolina beat Virginia Tech by a 78-64 final in Chapel Hill, and the Tar Heels own a commanding 60-12 advantage in the all- time series.

Deon Thompson is scoring 14.7 ppg this season on 51.5 percent shooting from the floor, and he is pulling down 6.5 rpg. Ed Davis checks in with 14.0 ppg and 9.6 rpg on 59.1 percent field goal efficiency, and he is the only other double-digit scorer on the roster. The Tar Heels are averaging 80.9 ppg while permitting 73.0 ppg to opponents, but that positive differential is not a reflection of how the team has played since the start of ACC action. Will Graves and Larry Drew III both scored 15 points for UNC against Virginia last time out, but Davis and Thompson were held to 11 combined points. The Heels connected on just 35.7 percent of their field goal attempts while permitting the Cavaliers to shoot 51.9 percent.

The go-to guy at the offensive end of the court for Virginia Tech is Malcolm Delaney, who is averaging 19.7 ppg this season, including 22.2 ppg in ACC action. The fact that Delaney is shooting just 38.7 percent from the floor against league foes suggests that he is more of a volume shooter than an efficient scorer. Dorenzo Hudson provides 13.5 ppg for the Hokies, including 17.0 ppg in conference play, while Jeff Allen checks in with 11.2 ppg and 7.6 rpg. The Hokies are generating 72.6 ppg while holding opponents to 61.6 ppg. Hudson scored 22 points for Tech in the loss to Miami last time out, and Allen tallied 19 points. Delaney pitched in 16 points for the Hokies, who turned the ball over 15 times and struggled at the defensive end.

Don't look at the name on the front of the Tar Heels' jerseys, but rather at the many unfamiliar names on the back. Roy Williams' group will be tremendous next season, but the growing pains will continue tonight.