North Carolina vs. Gonzaga: 2019-20 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Neil Adler
A struggling North Carolina crew will make a trip to the West Coast for a Wednesday evening tilt against highly rated Gonzaga in Spokane.
TV schedule: Wednesday, December 18, 9:00 pm ET. ESPN2.
Arena: McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Wash.
North Carolina, mired in a three-affair setback streak and dealing with injury issues to its roster, will attempt to right its ship when the Tar Heels pay a visit to Gonzaga in a rematch of the 2017 national-title bout, which UNC captured. That crown, however, is now a distant memory for the Tar Heels (6-4), a group whose offense has gone cold in a trio of consecutive losses to Wofford, Virginia and Ohio State.
North Carolina has also fallen victim to Michigan, although the Tar Heels do own solid successes versus Oregon, Alabama and Notre Dame. Still, UNC’s latest results caused the Tar Heels to drop out of the Associated Press top-25 poll for the inaugural instance dating back to February of 2014.
Things don’t get any easier for North Carolina, which will enter a hostile environment at the McCarthey Athletic Center for a duel against the Bulldogs (11-1). So far in the 2019-20 campaign, Gonzaga is a perfect 6-0 at home, and the Bulldogs have vaulted up to No. 2 in the most-recent AP top-25 ballot.
Over the past week, Gonzaga has performed tremendously, picking up impressive road conquests of two ranked foes in Washington and Arizona. Additionally, the Bulldogs have bested a really good Oregon unit. Gonzaga’s sole defeat in the present term is to Michigan, although the Wolverines did crush the Bulldogs in that contest, 82-64.
For the Tar Heels, the status of star freshman guard Cole Anthony is a huge concern. Anthony, who paces UNC at 19.1 points per encounter and is among the premier freshmen across the country, didn’t suit up versus Wofford, and he’s out indefinitely because of a right-knee injury, according to North Carolina’s athletics department.
Furthermore, sophomore wing Leaky Black missed the clash with the Terriers due to a sprained right foot and is out on a game-to-game basis. Finally, junior forward Sterling Manley had surgery a few days ago to repair cartilage in his left knee and will not return in 2019-20. In summation, the Tar Heels are in a tough spot.
UNC, from a statistical perspective, pales in comparison to Gonzaga, and that situation only gets more bleak with Anthony on the sidelines. To date, the Tar Heels are producing 68.4 points every 40 minutes and allowing 66.1 points, while the Bulldogs score a stellar 85.8 points and give up 66.3 points.
Gonzaga connects on a much higher percentage from the field and from beyond the arc. Free-throw shooting among these two squads is relatively similar. North Carolina has an edge in rebounding, which is usually the case for the Tar Heels, as well as blocks. Conversely, the Bulldogs are better in assists, steals and turnovers committed.
Next. ACC power rankings. dark
On defense, UNC faces a daunting task of trying to contain a Gonzaga line-up in which seven different guys generate at least 9.8 points per battle. That’s why the Bulldogs, slotted at No. 6 in the initial NCAA NET ratings, possess an overwhelming 87.0 percent chance to prevail against the Tar Heels, with a NET of No. 95, says ESPN’s Basketball Power Index. By virtue of North Carolina’s current predicament, I can’t foresee a scenario where Gonzaga doesn’t emerge with a triumph.
Prediction: Gonzaga 78 – North Carolina 71