Washington shakes up lineup to battle Georgia's size | Huskies notebook

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Washington rolled out its ninth different starting lineup in Friday's second-round NCAA tournament matchup against Georgia.

Forward Darnell Gant, a fourth-year junior, replaced freshman guard C.J. Wilcox, which allowed the Huskies to combat Georgia's big front line. The move was also supposed to help UW pressure the Bulldogs in the backcourt.

However, Gant collected two fouls in the opening minutes and spent most of the first half on the bench. He played just seven minutes before the break and finished with seven points and three rebounds.

Sophomore center Aziz N'Diaye replaced Gant for most of the first half.

Before Friday, Gant had started 10 games this season, with the Huskies going 6-4. He also started 11 games last season and 34 as a redshirt freshman.

Off to a late start

The 9:45 p.m. EDT tipoff made for a long day for both Washington and Georgia.

Georgia coach Mark Fox was concerned about the late start, while downplaying the effects for Washington because the Huskies normally play later on the West Coast.

Washington's players didn't mind the start time, but they griped about being shipped east to Charlotte. They would have liked a better draw, but coach Lorenzo Romar said they only had themselves to blame.

"I'm thinking during our season if we take care of our business, we don't have to worry about that," he said. "We've been inconsistent this year, and as a result, we've flown across the country 2,800 miles.

"Maybe we've done a little better job during our season, we wouldn't have had to go so far. So we kind of made our bed in that regard."

Tar Heels not lacking size

Here's an early scouting report on the North Carolina Tar Heels: They're big.

As in NBA big.

The Tar Heels start a 7-foot center in Tyler Zeller and 6-10 John Henson (6-10) and 6-8 Harrison Barnes at forward.

Even the guards are ample size — Dexter Strickland and Kendall Marshall stand 6-3.

North Carolina (27-2) used its size advantage to overpower Long Island for a 102-87 victory on Friday.

"It's a W," coach Roy Williams said. "We're one of 32 teams. ... We're pleased about that. We didn't play the greatest basketball game."

Zeller finished with 32 points and nine rebounds, Henson had 28 and 11, and Barnes 24 and 16.

"We emphasized all week getting the ball inside, either throwing it into us or off the dribble," Zeller said. "We did a great job of it over the course of the game."

North Carolina is the only team in the tournament to score 100 points.

Percy Allen: 206-464-2278 or pallen@seattletimes.com