The Duke Blue Devils created a blueprint of sorts on how to stop Kendall Marshall and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

"They did a great job of picking me up early, and one thing Coach talked to me about was getting our offense started farther down the court, not so much towards half-court," Marshall said. "So I just want to make sure we can get as deep as we can into the offense, and try to get great shots."

The Tar Heels expect 15th-seeded Long Island to key on Marshall, and North Carolina's opponents said little Thursday to persuade them otherwise. Blackbirds guard Kyle Johnson referred to Marshall as "the head of the monster."

"We've got to keep him out of the lane," LIU coach Jim Ferry said. "His aggressiveness to break teams down has really helped North Carolina's offense evolve. He's a freshman. We have to go at him hard and put him in a situation where he doesn't feel very comfortable. [But] he plays so unselfishly, that it might be easier said than done."