North Carolina vs. Yale: 2019-20 college basketball preview, TV schedule
The Yale Bulldogs seek a big non-conference road win, while the North Carolina Tar Heels look to stay on track before conference play begins.
TV Schedule: Monday, December 30, 2019, at 7:00 PM ET, ACCN
Location: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Two months ago, nobody would’ve thought the Yale Bulldogs would have the potential to be the favorite in a road contest at North Carolina. But here we are.
The love for Yale in this game has much more to do with the Tar Heels underwhelming than the Bulldogs overwhelming. That being said, Yale needs to be given their due for what they’ve achieved to this point in the season.
They’re 10-3, sporting solid wins over Vermont and Clemson. Yale hasn’t beaten anyone of North Carolina’s perceived caliber, but their three losses were all extremely close, falling by single digits against San Francisco, Oklahoma State and Penn State, all on the road; at least two of those teams should find their way to the NCAA Tournament in March.
Yale’s emergence as an Ivy League co-favorite (with Harvard) has everything to do with the play of Paul Atkinson. The junior forward has taken a big leap forward this season, averaging 17.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He’s also slowly working on developing a 3-point shot, drilling four of his six attempts after attempting just one 3-pointer combined during his freshman and sophomore seasons.
UNC’s biggest star, of course, won’t be on the court come Monday. Cole Anthony is smack in the middle of his four-to-six week injury timeline for a partially torn meniscus in his right knee. There’s some sentiment he’ll follow James Wiseman and leave college rather than return, but that won’t matter for this game unless it hinders morale.
Still, things are downright ugly for the Tar Heels right now. They’re coming off a win over UCLA but lost four straight prior to that, including a home loss to the Wofford Terriers. UNC is in legitimate danger of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.
To avoid that fate, they’ll need Anthony to return and they’ll need more contributions from Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks. But most importantly, they’ll need better play from Leaky Black. The sophomore guard is averaging just 4.9 points per game, which just doesn’t cut it for a full-time starter. His biggest bugaboo has been the 3-point shot, where he’s shooting just 28.6 percent.
This game is important for UNC because they can build upon the momentum from the win over UCLA entering ACC play. The Tar Heels have a favorable opening conference schedule, with home games against Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh and Clemson to begin. In fact, the Tar Heels don’t play a single opponent currently ranked in the AP Top 25 until February.
Coach Roy Williams has been around the block a few times and should recognize this as an opportunity to boost the spirits of one of North Carolina’s weakest teams in a decade. Expect the Tar Heels to capitalize on this chance.
Prediction: North Carolina 71, Yale 62