A dominant 76-56 North Carolina victory over Notre Dame now puts the Tar Heels in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons awaiting. Carolina was led by Jae’Lyn Withers who netted seven three pointers, three of which came early on consecutive offensive possessions that game them a big lead that they held for the entire game.
The Tar Heels, who have been playing for their tournament lives, ended the regular season strong with a record of 6-1 prior to their win on Tuesday. The problem is none of those victories were Quad 1 wins that would have put a strong and convincing highlight on their tournament resume. Wake will be another opportunity to improve a 7-0 Quad 2 record for a team that is widely considered as one of the next four out.
Being the No. 4 seed in the ACC, this will be the first game of the tournament for Wake Forest. Contrary to UNC, the Deacons struggled when on the bubble late in the season losing four of their last seven which included two Quad 3 losses that put an end to any argument of them being in.
These two teams already met once this season when the Demon Deacons squeaked out a one point victory at home. RJ Davis and Elliot Cadeau combined for over half of the Tar Heels points in that one while Wake had four players score in double figures to pull out the win.
The winner of this one will advance to the semifinals where they will take on the winner of Duke/Georgia Tech, and assuming that the Blue Devils take care of business it would provide a huge opportunity for either team.
How to watch North Carolina vs. Wake Forest
- Date: Thursday, March 12
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Spectrum Center
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN or ESPN2
- Streaming: fubo TV
- North Carolina record: 21-12 (13-7)
- Wake Forest record: 21-10 (13-7)
North Carolina vs. Wake Forest odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- North Carolina -230
- Wake Forest +188
Spread
- North Carolina -5.5 (-110)
- Wake Forest +5.5 (-110)
Total
- 146.5 (over -106/under -114)
North Carolina injury report
- N/A
Wake Forest injury report
- Vincent Ricchiuti, F: Out (undisclosed)
- Will Underwood, G: Out (redshirt)
- Mason Hagedorn. F: Out (redshirt)
Wake Forest and North Carolina series history
- Wake Forest all-time record vs. North Carolina: 53-111
North Carolina vs. Wake Forest prediction
Both teams need a win here but it would mean much more in terms of postseason chances for North Carolina. The last time these two met the Tar Heels were actually better in most of the main statistical categories that usually decide a basketball game, including turnovers, points in the paint, and 3-point percentage. The difference was the free throw line where Wake had 17 more attempts. They were led by Cameron Hildreth who had a poor shooting performance, but got half of his 20 points from the line.
In my mind this solidifies my belief that Carolina is the better team. On top of that they are playing at a high level right now, especially on the offensive end where they have averaged 86.2 points in their last eight games. Defense will be the key for the Tar Heels as they will have to limit their opponent in the paint; something they have struggled with this season. Hunter Sallis and Hildreth will find ways to score, but they will have to keep big man Efton Reid from having a big game.
I believe UNC is capable of doing so and couples that with another impressive scoring day to get a much needed win and set up a trilogy of the Duke-UNC rivalry in the ACC Tournament semifinals.