The North Carolina Tar Heels are coming into this game suffering back-to-back losses in conference play and the Boston College Eagles are riding high with a 2-2 record
TV Schedule: Tuesday, Jan. 9, 8 p.m. ET, ACC Network
Arena: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The North Carolina Tar Heels bounced back recently after a disgusting loss to Wofford, beating Ohio State and Wake Forest. UNC then went on the road and fell to Florida State and Virginia. BC didn’t have all that of an impressive start to their season until they took down Duke in an early ACC matchup.
The Eagles didn’t have much to work within their non-conference schedule. They fell to Texas Tech early on which has now proven to be a good loss. Providence has had a shaky season so far, but now that they’re healthy, the Friars are on the rise. Nebraska wasn’t supposed to be good, but I think they can play themselves into bubble talk soon.
Boston College’s best win non-conference was over La Salle, who sits at a 146 RPI as of Sunday morning.
The Blue Devil win might’ve just been Duke letting down their guard. The Eagles opened back up conference play with back-to-back losses to Virginia and Clemson. Or maybe the Cavaliers and Tigers are actually the team to beat in the ACC this year.
Certainly the North Carolina Tar Heels thought they were going to be near the top of the ACC this year. Through three games, UNC is near the bottom with a 1-2 record.
Tar Heel fans really wanted to say Northern Iowa and Stanford were going to be good wins. The Panthers have shown signs of being a top team in the Missouri Valley but the Cardinal have been bad.
Arkansas, Michigan, and Tennessee are all going to make the Tournament so we can chalk those up as good wins. No need to worry about the loss to Michigan State. They are going to be one of the national title favorites despite losing to Ohio State.
North Carolina Tar Heels Basketball
The Wofford loss was confusing. The Terriers finished under .500 last year. They’re 10-5 this season, but UNC should not have lost to them. The North Carolina Tar Heels recovered nicely to beat Ohio State and Wake Forest. UNC then fell in consecutive conference games to Florida State and Virginia.
Boston College will look to pick up a pair of early wins over the top two North Carolina schools. These Eagles are led by guards who can score.
Jerome Robinson is a 6’6″ junior guard who averages 18.5 points per game, almost four boards, and three assists while knocking down 37 total three-pointers this season. Ky Bowman is a guard that also knock down the three while rebounding as he averages 15.7 points per game and just over seven boards. Jordan Chatman rounds out double-digit scorers at 13.5 points per game. Deonte Hawkins was averaging 12.4, but he’s lost for the season with a knee injury.
The two forwards, Nik Popovic and Steffon Mitchell, average just over 15 points and 13 boards per game combined while each recording over a block apiece.
The Eagles don’t go very deep. Johncarlos Reyes falls just short of 12 minutes per game while putting in 3.5 points per game. Luka Kraljevic and Vin Baker Jr. average just over 15 minutes per game combined.
They’ve been getting a little work from Gordon Gehen and freshman Avery Wilson, but they haven’t played in recent games.
The North Carolina Tar Heels may be able to use their deep bench to their advantage.
Everyone knows who the Tar Heels are led by. Joel Berry II is averaging almost 18 points per game, 3 rebounds, and almost 3 assists while knocking down 39 total 3-pointers. Luke Maye is a double-double machine. He is putting up 17.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and he can stroke it from downtown with 21 total 3-pointers.
UNC needs to find more scorers from there. Kenny Williams is averaging 12.7 points per game while knocking down just over 20 total 3-pointers. Cameron Johnson has been a nice contributor since he’s been back but doesn’t start.
Theo Pinson is a senior, undersized forward who has the ability to play big at times. Garrison Brooks is another big body that starts, but only puts in 5.8 points and 4.6 boards per game.
From there, it’s anyone’s guess at who is going to emerge. Sterling Manley has turned into the second option off the bench. He averages almost six points per game and a solid five boards off the bench.
Andrew Platek and Jalek Felton both contribute a few minutes off the bench but don’t warrant enough to be a real threat. Brandon Robinson saw seven minutes against Virginia while Brandon Huffman played two against Florida State. Neither one of the Brandon’s did much.
If the North Carolina Tar Heels can continue to throw all their guys at Boston College, they may be able to tire the Eagles out. The one positive about UNC playing all those players is that they’re all at least ready for when the time is needed.
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Both teams are statistically even. They’re great rebounding and 3-point shooting teams. The Eagles and Tar Heels shoot well from the line, but UNC distributes the ball better.
Boston College is still a little young and inexperienced to think that they can hand UNC their third straight loss. The Tar Heels are desperate to get back on track. The Eagles will have a tough task at Chapel Hill.
Prediction: North Carolina 75, Boston College 69