UNC Basketball: 3 keys to beating Tennessee in ACC-SEC Challenge

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 17: Harrison Ingram #55 of the North Carolina Tar Heels moves the ball against the UC Riverside Highlanders during the game at the Dean E. Smith Center on November 17, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 77-52. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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UNC Basketball forward Armando Bacot Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

1) Get Armando Bacot going

Armando Bacot is one of the best post players in the nation, but he struggled during Carolina’s three-game stretch in the Bahamas. For UNC to beat Tennessee, it’s imperative that he play his best game on Wednesday.

Bacot hasn’t scored more than 10 points since putting up 21 against UC Riverside almost two weeks ago, and his field goal percentage topped out at 40% in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The Volunteers struggled to contain Zach Edey and Hunter Dickinson in their two losses (no surprise, as they are likely to be All-Americans at the end of the season), and Bacot needs to be similarly effective.

Edey scored 23 points and chipped in 10 rebounds, while Dickinson did his best Nick Collison impression with 17 points and 20 rebounds. Bacot needs to be aggressive against Volunteer big man Jonas Aidoo. If he can control the paint, that will open things up for RJ Davis and Harrison Ingram on the perimeter.

Dominating the boards is a must against a defense as stingy as Tennessee’s (currently ranked #1 according to KenPom). It’s an announcer cliche to say that the best shots come off of offensive rebounds, but it’s true. If Bacot can get Carolina second chances, whether it be on put-backs for himself, or kicking out to an open shooter, the Tar Heels should be able to score enough to win.

Bacot came back for one last dance in Chapel Hill to wash away the disappointment of last year. Notching a top-10 win at home to get the Heels to 6-1 would be a nice way to start.

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