CHICAGO – It’ll be difficult to match the atmosphere in the Dean Dome last night for Duke’s win against North Carolina, but there should be plenty of intensity tonight when Eric Gordon makes his first – and probably only - appearance in Champaign.

The Tar Heels fans booed Gerald Henderson Jr., when he stepped onto the court at 7:38 p.m. for pre-game warmups and throughout much of the game, but my guess is it’ll be nothing compared to the reaction Gordon, Indiana head coach Kelvin Sampson and even Gordon’s father receive tonight.

Remember, the Illini would be near the top of the Big Ten right now if Sampson hadn’t lured him to Bloomington despite being committed to Illinois.

Roy Williams made the correct move in holding out his point guard, Ty Lawson, due to a sprained ankle. There’s no chance that the Tar Heels can go anywhere in the postseason without their jet-quick floor leader and that was clear last night.

I’m not sure much would have changed from a defensive standpoint if Lawson had been on the floor, anyway. Sure, he’s quick – but he rarely shows any interest in trying to lock anyone up. Duke does a nice job spreading the floor and the Tar Heels haven’t shown they can defend on the perimeter this season.
 
Wayne Ellington was more affected by the absence of Lawson than anyone else. Ellington benefits by Lawson’s ability to penetrate and kick. Last night, Ellington was forced to have to create off the dribble – which isn’t his strength.

COOLEST SIGHT: Roy Williams throwing T-shirts into the crowd just prior to the start of the game. You just don’t see that often – especially from a future Hall of Famer.

WORST SIGHT: Seeing Tar Heels reserve guard Bobby Frasor in a shirt and tie. He’s one of the most underrated players in America and has had tough luck the last two years with foot injuries last year and a torn ACL in December.

STRANGEST SIGHT: Danny Green’s dance on the sidelines before the opening tip. I’m not sure there’s a name for it, but it’s downright entertaining.
  
 ARIZONA’S DEPTH TAKES HIT

You wouldn’t think the loss of Nic Wise be a crushing blow to Arizona, but Wildcats coach Kevin O’Neill has no frontcourt depth whatsoever and now he has none in the backcourt, either.

Wise will miss 4-6 weeks after yesterday’s surgery on his left knee. Now the Wildcats will be forced to move Jerryd Bayless to the point and move someone into the lineup who just isn’t good enough to be a Pac-10 starter.

If there was ever a three-man team, it’s Arizona.

Bayless, Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill.

The Wildcats are 5-4 in league play, which is tied for third place. However, Arizona is also just one game from being in eighth place.

RANDOM NOTES: Franklin Street, the place to go after North Carolina games, was a virtual ghost town after the Tar Heels loss. … I haven’t seen it yet, but one coach told me Pat Knight looked downright giddy in the post-game news conference despite losing his first game at the helm. ``He looked like a college kid,” the coach said. ``It was embarrassing.” … Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel isn’t ruling out the return of Longar Longar, who broke a bone in his lower leg Saturday against Texas A&M. Longar has had a stress fracture since the loss to Kansas and it will depend on how much pain he’s experiencing whether he can come back later this season. ... Here’s how unpredictable and balanced the ACC is these days: All four road teams won last night, including Maryland’s victory at Boston College that gave Gary Williams his 600th career win. … St. Joe’s was without star forward Ahmad Nivins in the loss to Duquesne because of a sprained ankle.