Gonzaga faces their final non-conference test on Saturday when they travel to take on North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Who wins this heavyweight fight?
TV: Saturday, Dec. 15 at 7:00 pm ET on ESPN2
Arena: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
Gonzaga and North Carolina will meet on Saturday for the first time since they played for the national title in 2017, a game in which the Tar Heels emerged victoriously.
Things are a little bit different this time around as both are limping into this matchup between two of the best teams in the country.
Gonzaga, who has spent most of the season ranked No. 1 in the country, suffered their first loss of their season in their last outing against Tennessee. That ended the dream of an undefeated season for them and, now, this game represents Gonzaga’s (likely) final opportunity to pick up a resume-boosting win. UNC is the only team currently ranked they have left on their schedule.
The Bulldogs also have the presumptive National Player of the Year favorite in Rui Hachimura (22.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg), who will be looking to make another statement against UNC’s talented frontcourt.
As for the Tar Heels, they’ve lost two of their last four games, causing Roy Williams to proclaim “we stink” and “my coaching sucks.”
North Carolina has had problems figuring out their rotation and the lineups that work best on the court. While their personnel seems to favor small ball, Williams has been using big lineups with at least one traditional center on the court. The result has been less-than-stellar defense, particularly on the perimeter (136th in three-point defense).
I still expect this game to be played at a very high level because of the overall talent level of both teams. Gonzaga has been better to this point in the season but, with this game being in Chapel Hill, I feel like this is a spot where a Tar Heels team motivated to make a statement starts to get things right in front of their home crowd.
It will be extremely close throughout but I give the edge to UNC because of home court.
Prediction: UNC wins 89-86