Cougars 27-point underdogs against third-ranked Heels

Boston College didn't do the College of Charleston any favors by knocking off previously unbeaten and No. 1-ranked North Carolina, but Charleston coach Bobby Cremins has enough to worry about without considering the Tar Heels' frame of mind.

Cremins' Cougars (10-2) take on North Carolina (13-1) at 9 p.m. tonight in the Dean E. Smith Center.

"It's not about North Carolina," Cremins said. "It's about us. We know what they're like."

The Cougars will likely be playing without two key reserves in tonight's game. Forward Jeremy Simmons is out for the second straight game after suffering a sprained right knee Dec. 22 at Winthrop.

Guard Marcus Hammond will likely miss tonight's game after suffering a broken nose in practice on Sunday, but it's possible he could play with a face mask.

"Injuries are part of the game, but we had really hoped to be full strength going into this game," Cremins said. "Those are two key players for us."

The injuries leave the Cougars dangerously thin.

Hammond's injury will likely mean more minutes for sophomore guard Donavan Monroe, while freshman Quasim Pugh also may get more playing time.

Because of the injury to Simmons, Matt Sundberg, a 6-8, 195-pound freshmen better suited to the wing, will again be the top sub off the bench for the Cougars' post players.

But Cremins' concerns go beyond injuries. He wasn't happy with the Cougars' performance in their last game, a 79-75 home loss to Davidson on Dec. 29.

"My big concern is us just being ourselves," Cremins said. "The Davidson game was an incredible environment, but we were not ourselves. I think we got caught up in the hype. We would just like to get back to playing the basketball we've been playing."

And while it's on the backburner as far as Cremins is concerned, there is the fact that North Carolina will be unlikely to overlook the Cougars after getting upset by Boston College.

"They're probably going to be a little mad," Cremins said. "They're probably going to come out for the kill. I'm sure they'll be fired up. We don't want to get embarrassed. If you overschedule and your team gets beat up, you're not doing your team any favors. We have not been beat up, but this is going to be a tough one. We've got to step up, and we cannot get caught up in all the other stuff like we did the last game."

At least the Cougars seem to be getting the message that they need to worry about themselves and not the Tar Heels.

"I have the same mindset going into every game," said Charleston guard Andrew Goudelock. "What they did has nothing to do with us. I know they're going to come out wanting to kill us since they lost, but it is what it is."