Following the 2022-23 UNC basketball team has been an exercise in frustration. After entering this season as the #1 team in the nation following its surprise run to the national championship game last season, UNC fans were right to feel excited about the upcoming campaign. Many pointed to the 2017 team’s redemption run as a perfect analog for what this year’s Tar Heels could accomplish following a gut-wrenching end to the season, but instead what we’ve seen is a team that hasn’t found a way to build upon last year, and has instead taken a massive step back.
Even making the NCAA Tournament is, at this point, far from guaranteed. This weekend’s game at NC State, though, provides the perfect opportunity to kickstart another late-season push. This article will highlight three keys to Carolina emerging from Raleigh with a victory.
Though the Heels defeated the Wolfpack 80-69 in Chapel Hill on January 21st, the rematch figures to be a much taller order. For one, it’ll take place in Raleigh at PNC Arena. The Heels have struggled mightily in true road games this season, with their only wins coming against a mediocre Syracuse team and a historically bad Louisville squad. They’ve had numerous close calls, notably against Duke, Virginia, and Pitt, but they’ve also had road games in which they got demolished in the first half, then spent the entire second half just trying to make the final score respectable, such as in their losses at Indiana and Wake Forest.
The Heels have shown themselves capable of beating the Wolfpack already, but it will take more to come away with a victory this time. If Carolina has designs on making another NCAA Tournament run, Sunday’s game in Raleigh is the perfect time to make it happen. Here’s what Carolina needs to do to come away with their first big road win of the season.