ACC Basketball: In-state rivals collide in Chapel Hill

UNC looks to remain undefeated at the Dean Smith Center as the North Carolina State Wolfpack come to Chapel Hill in an ACC basketball battle.

The 14th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (13-3) host the North Carolina State Wolfpack (12-3) on Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET (**UPDATE: The game was later postponed to Sunday due to winter weather**). The Tar Heels are 7-0 at home, while the Wolfpack remain without a true road win this season.

Both schools have split their two conference games this year.

The visitors have yet to play a top 20 opponent this year. NC State is coming off a colossal 26-point blowout win against No. 21 Virginia Tech. The previous contest, the ACC opener for the Wolfpack, was a 81-63 loss to the Miami Hurricanes

NC State is an incredible team team that has loads of contributions coming from underclassmen and their bench. Freshman sensation Dennis Smith Jr. leads the group in points and assists, averaging 19.6 points and 6.1 assists per game. Both stats are within the top five among ACC players. Smith posted the first triple-double by a freshman in ACC play history against Virginia Tech.

NC State could have one of the best backcourts in the conference. Along with Smith, the Wolfpack have senior Terry Henderson (16.2 points), sophomore Torin Dorn (13.7 points), and sophomore Maverick Rowan (10.5 points).

The two most prominent front court players for the Wolfpack are junior Abdul Malik-Abu, who has a team-leading 7.1 rebounds per game, and freshman Omer Yurtseven, a 7-foot native of Turkey who posts 8.8 points per game.

NC State averages 84.5 points per game, which ranks inside the top-20 in the NCAA.

Meanwhile, North Carolina hopes to regain momentum against NC State. Despite a hot start, the Tar Heels have struggled significantly as of late, losing to Georgia Tech by 12 points and then needing overtime to defeat Clemson. UNC opened up the year 7-0, including a 15-point win over then-No. 16 Wisconsin, but have won only six of their last nine.

Perhaps the biggest headline for the Tar Heels was released on Friday. Junior forward Theo Pinson will make his season debut against NC State. Pinson played a crucial bench role for UNC during their national championship run. He found ways to contribute on both sides of the floor.

Without surprise, star forward Justin Jackson has led the group this year. The junior leads the team in scoring with 17.4 points per game. He is the third most impactful player on the glass, grabbing 4.8 rebounds per game, and is the secondary facilitator, averaging 2.9 assists per game.

Junior guard Joel Berry II is the secondary scoring option, averaging 15.1 points per game on about 10 shots per contest. He is shooting an efficient 48 percent from the field, 43 percent from downtown and 93 percent from the charity stripe.

Down low, Kennedy Meeks’ presence has certainly been felt. He nearly averages a double-double and is just shy of a block and steal per game. Senior Isaiah Hicks is posting 12.1 points per game, while shooting just short of 60 percent.

UNC is 11th in the nation in points per game (87.9) and second in rebounds per game (45.6).

Two high-powered offenses meet in Chapel Hill on Saturday. Though North Carolina looks like the much better team by the numbers, conference play, especially in the ACC, is prone to upsets.

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I see UNC winning by less than seven points against the Wolfpack. The Tar Heels have better numbers in nearly all categories and the margin is large in rebounds per game. North Carolina has the better and deeper front court as well. Limiting Smith’s offensive production is a huge key for UNC in winning this contest.

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