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

3) Win the transfer battle

Both the Tar Heels and Volunteers have been led in the early going by impact transfers. For Carolina, Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram has been the team’s most versatile player, filling out the stat sheet with 14.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. Ingram’s ability to post up and find the open man has given UNC’s offense an element it was lacking last year, and his confidence and ability in shooting from deep (48% on the season from three) has been a pleasant surprise.

For Tennessee, Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht has emerged as its go-to scorer. Knecht has seamlessly made the leap to the big stage, averaging 17.5 points per game against the country’s most difficult schedule, which not only includes the aforementioned Kansas and Purdue, but Wisconsin and Syracuse, as well.

Knecht isn’t the only fresh face on the Volunteers that is making his presence felt. Jordan Gainey, formerly of Utah State, is averaging 11.7 points on less than 24 minutes per game, and he has two steals in three of his last four games.

Carolina will likely be without Notre Dame transfer Cormac Ryan after he sprained his ankle at the end of the Villanova game. The Tar Heels played well without him against Arkansas, but they’ll miss his shooting and defense against the Volunteers.

Louisville transfer Jae’Lyn Withers and Brown transfer Paxson Wojcik haven’t made the impact of Ingram or Ryan, but their presence, and Hubert Davis’ willingness to give them solid rotation minutes, are extremely promising developments from last year, when the Tar Heels were overly reliant on their starters. This team is much deeper, and Davis seems to know it, with 10 players averaging over seven minutes per game.

In RJ Davis and Armando Bacot for UNC, and Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler for Tennessee, both teams have returning stars that will impact the end result, but this game may come down to which transfers shine the brightest.

Carolina has a chance to get the signature win they so badly lacked last year, but which Tennessee team will they be facing? Are the Volunteers despairing and jet-lagged after two tough losses to Purdue and Kansas in Maui, or will they be hungry to stop the skid and get a notable win of their own?

The result of this game will be highlighted when the committee looks at each team’s resume in March. If UNC gets quality play from Armando Bacot, RJ Davis, and Harrison Ingram, there’s not a team they can’t beat. This will be a fun one.