UNC basketball is struggling going into a tough road matchup against Gonzaga on Wednesday. Here’s what needs to happen for the Heels to pull the upset.
UNC basketball enters Wednesday’s contest against Gonzaga in a tailspin. The Tar Heels have lost three games in a row and four of their last five overall, including a disappointing 68-64 loss to Wofford in their last outing.
That loss was North Carolina’s first game without star freshman Cole Anthony, a projected top-five pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, who will miss the next 4-6 weeks as he recovers from a partially torn meniscus. Without him, head coach Roy Williams said in a statement that everyone else is going to have to step up to make up for the loss of Anthony.
"“Obviously not having a player of Cole’s caliber will be a tremendous challenge to our young team, but we have to play. No one player is going to replace the production Cole Anthony gives us, so it’s up to everyone who puts on a North Carolina jersey to raise his game, and help our team play better.”"
That didn’t happen against Wofford, and they’re tasked with getting right against a Gonzaga team that is among the toughest teams the Tar Heels will face all season.
The Bulldogs are No. 2 in the latest AP rankings and are coming off back-to-back road wins against Washington and Arizona, two of the Pac-12’s best teams. They’re hoping to make a continued statement against a blueblood like North Carolina in front of their home crowd.
What has to happen for the Tar Heels if they’re going to pull off the upset? Here are the three biggest keys to the game.