3 keys for UNC Basketball versus UConn in 2023 Jimmy V Classic

2) Win the battle of the boards

This is one of the few games the Tar Heels will play this year in which their offense shouldn’t run from the inside out. Armando Bacot has been a star during his time in Chapel Hill, but against UConn, Carolina needs him to do all the dirty work.

It’s not often that Carolina faces a team that can challenge them in the rebounding department, but UConn can do just that. The Huskies are long and disciplined, and they grab nearly twice as many offensive rebounds as their opponents. For Bacot, who is already UNC’s all-time leading rebounder, there’s never been a better time to show what he can do.

Carolina’s All-American center can’t do it alone, though. The Tar Heels will want to push the pace against the slower Huskies, but Hubert Davis will have to strike a balance between the desire to get out and run and the need to rebound as a team.

The Huskies have a major size advantage in the backcourt, especially with the expected return of talented freshman Stephon Castle after a six-game injury absence. Castle and senior point guard Tristen Newton are 6’6″ and 6’5″, respectively, and Newton actually leads the team with 7.9 rebounds per game.

Will Newton and Castle be crashing the boards, knowing that could lead to transition baskets on the other end from RJ Davis and Elliot Cadeau? The give and take will be fascinating to watch all game. The 6’0″ Davis and the 6’1″ Cadeau won’t be able to keep their taller counterparts off the boards simply by boxing out, so it will be up to Bacot, Ryan, and Harrison Ingram to secure the ball and make UConn pay for their aggression.

Jalen Washington will also be a key contributor when he sees the court. Will he see any time alongside Bacot in a twin towers formation? Coach Davis is going to earn his paycheck in this one.