Auburn vs North Carolina: 2024-25 College basketball game preview, TV schedule

Auburn faces North Carolina in a ranked battle in the Maui Invitational semifinals. Will we see the Tigers or Tar Heels power their way to this tournament’s title game?

TV schedule: Tuesday, November 26, 11:00 pm ET. ESPN

Arena: Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii

While some teams shy away from early challenges, Auburn (5-0) has clearly been the exact opposite. The Tigers shocked the country with their win in Houston in the opening week of the season and found another Top 5 victory in the opening round at Maui, putting together a massive comeback against Iowa State. Can they keep this trend going further into the Maui Invitational?

The star of the show is preseason All-American Johni Broome (20.0 ppg, 11.3 rpg), who not only had another double-double but had the game-winning put back to beat the Cyclones on Monday. Another major piece of the puzzle is Chad Baker-Mazara (10.5 ppg, 2.3 rpg), who himself scored 18 points and has been a sparkplug for much of 2024. Senior Chaney Johnson (12.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg) is another important piece to keep an eye on, even after a quiet performance in the Maui opener.

Auburn is #4 in the AP Top 25, though they’d certainly be ranked higher if the poll was taken after Monday’s games. They’re 3rd in KenPom, owning one of the nation’s most efficient offenses. While this isn’t a team that’s exactly been lights out from long range, the Tigers are dynamic inside the paint, with Broome in particular one of the best interior players in the country, let alone this tournament.

They’ll face a fair challenge from North Carolina (4-1), as the Tar Heels also put together a crazy comeback to get into this semifinal. With their only loss coming two and a half weeks ago at Kansas, the Tar Heels have played strong basketball when needed, and depended on their strength to come back for that clutch win over Dayton late Monday night.

RJ Davis (17.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.5 apg) unquestionably stands out as one of the nation’s best players and showed it already in Hawaii, with 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists in that wild game against the Flyers. Alongside that effort, Seth Trimble (15.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg) has really turned into a monster as a junior, putting up 27 points and 10 rebounds Monday night. Another important piece for North Carolina is Elliot Cadeau (16.0 ppg, 6.8 apg), who hasn’t been perfect but has shown signs of brilliance as a sophomore already.

Not only are these Tar Heels sitting at #12 in the AP Top 25, they’re also 12th in the KenPom ratings. North Carolina’s offense is strong, ranking as one of the very best in the nation, though they too depend on the interior strength more than making outside shots. This is a team that can basically score at will, hitting 87 points in all five of their games this season, but how do they hold up one day after that massive comeback?

This will be a brilliant and fascinating matchup, pinning two of the most efficient offenses in the nation against each other. Neither team depends on the outside shot, meaning the team that can get a few to fall down early might have quite the advantage. Trimble’s development has been significant and he really outmuscled the Flyers, but how does he stack up to Broome and the rest of Auburn’s frontcourt?

The answer to that question will determine who wins this semifinal. These teams can both score points in a hurry and eat up the opposition inside the arc, but North Carolina hasn’t matched up with someone like Broome. Neither team is going to be stiffened or outshot early; it all depends on who’s producing and getting enough stops. We’re leaning slightly towards Auburn with those advantages, though North Carolina winning this game would shock nobody.

Prediction: Auburn 85, North Carolina 83