CHAPEL HILL, NC -- The Canes (20-8, 9-7 ACC) travel to Chapel Hill to take on the 9th ranked Tar Heels (22-7, 11-5 ACC) in their final true road game of the season.
All the way back on December 18th the 9-0 Canes were ranked 6th in the nation and sat right behind the 10-1 North Carolina Tar Heels who were ranked 5th with a loss against Michigan State the only blemish on their record. Later that week the Canes would fall to the New Mexico State Aggies in Hawaii, while UNC dropped one of the biggest head scratchers of the season at home against the Wofford Terriers. While the losses didn't leave either team reeling, it did raise questions about the potential of the two thought-to-be powerhouses as the season progressed.
2 months later, both teams look to be safely on their way to the Big Dance, but they also seem like they are heading in very different directions. The Tar Heels suffered a 3 game losing streak at the end of January, but since then have won 6 straight, outscoring their opponents 88 - 74.7 during the stretch. The streak has helped the Tar Heels climb from .500 in ACC play to 11-5 and sole possession of 3rd place in the conference.
Meanwhile, the Canes needed an improbable 14 point comeback against an average Boston College team to avoid a season sweep against the Eagles. While the Canes are on a two game winning streak, neither game has been comfortable. Long stretches of scoreless basketball has haunted the Canes causing them to fall out of games, or allow opponents to come back against them. While early in the season, the Canes defense was dominant it has been less than stellar of late. Bad offense has led to easy points on the other end, but until Saturday the Canes defense hadn't been able to get key stops in their previous losses to allow them to mount a comeback.
Unfortunately, the Canes have the unlucky privilege of playing against the Tar Heels on Senior night, where the careers of Joel Berry, Theo Pinson, and Cameron Johnson will be honored. Even if it weren't the final home game for Berry and Pinson, two players who helped lead the Tar Heels to last year's national title, the Canes would still have their work cut out for them in this one. The Tar Heels are peaking at the right time, while the Canes still look like they are trying to find an identity. Against the Eagles the one thing that kept the Canes within striking distance was their ability to overwhelm BC on the glass. However, Dewan Huell and Ebuka Izundu will have their hands full with Luke Maye, who is having a tremendous Junior season, averaging 18 PPG and 10.2 RPG.
For the Canes to have a chance in this one, they will need to limit turnovers and shoot the ball much better from beyond the arc than in their previous game, where they recorded 12 turnovers and shot just 28.6% from 3. Turnovers absolutely killed the Canes on Saturday, leading to easy fast break points for the Eagle which helped them build their lead. If the Canes are as careless with the ball against UNC it is hard to imagine that they will be able to mount a comeback of any kind.
One bit of good news for the Canes is that they have officially earned a bye in the first round of the ACC tournament. This is huge for the Canes, as it pretty much eliminates any potential bracket busting loss to an ACC bottom dweller. Maybe this will help the Canes play loose, knowing they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Coach L always seems like he's able to get his teams ready and focused more easily for games against highly ranked opponents than against teams at or below the Canes talent level, so that will also be in the Canes favor. If the Canes are able to pull off the victory it would be a huge seed booster for the tournament. In Joe Lunardi's latest update of Bracketology, he has the Canes as a 9 seed in the dreaded 8/9 matchup. A win on the road against a top 10 team would certainly help the Canes inch closer to the 7 line, which offers better first and second round matchups.
The game will air live on ESPN at 9pm.
All the way back on December 18th the 9-0 Canes were ranked 6th in the nation and sat right behind the 10-1 North Carolina Tar Heels who were ranked 5th with a loss against Michigan State the only blemish on their record. Later that week the Canes would fall to the New Mexico State Aggies in Hawaii, while UNC dropped one of the biggest head scratchers of the season at home against the Wofford Terriers. While the losses didn't leave either team reeling, it did raise questions about the potential of the two thought-to-be powerhouses as the season progressed.
2 months later, both teams look to be safely on their way to the Big Dance, but they also seem like they are heading in very different directions. The Tar Heels suffered a 3 game losing streak at the end of January, but since then have won 6 straight, outscoring their opponents 88 - 74.7 during the stretch. The streak has helped the Tar Heels climb from .500 in ACC play to 11-5 and sole possession of 3rd place in the conference.
Meanwhile, the Canes needed an improbable 14 point comeback against an average Boston College team to avoid a season sweep against the Eagles. While the Canes are on a two game winning streak, neither game has been comfortable. Long stretches of scoreless basketball has haunted the Canes causing them to fall out of games, or allow opponents to come back against them. While early in the season, the Canes defense was dominant it has been less than stellar of late. Bad offense has led to easy points on the other end, but until Saturday the Canes defense hadn't been able to get key stops in their previous losses to allow them to mount a comeback.
Unfortunately, the Canes have the unlucky privilege of playing against the Tar Heels on Senior night, where the careers of Joel Berry, Theo Pinson, and Cameron Johnson will be honored. Even if it weren't the final home game for Berry and Pinson, two players who helped lead the Tar Heels to last year's national title, the Canes would still have their work cut out for them in this one. The Tar Heels are peaking at the right time, while the Canes still look like they are trying to find an identity. Against the Eagles the one thing that kept the Canes within striking distance was their ability to overwhelm BC on the glass. However, Dewan Huell and Ebuka Izundu will have their hands full with Luke Maye, who is having a tremendous Junior season, averaging 18 PPG and 10.2 RPG.
For the Canes to have a chance in this one, they will need to limit turnovers and shoot the ball much better from beyond the arc than in their previous game, where they recorded 12 turnovers and shot just 28.6% from 3. Turnovers absolutely killed the Canes on Saturday, leading to easy fast break points for the Eagle which helped them build their lead. If the Canes are as careless with the ball against UNC it is hard to imagine that they will be able to mount a comeback of any kind.
One bit of good news for the Canes is that they have officially earned a bye in the first round of the ACC tournament. This is huge for the Canes, as it pretty much eliminates any potential bracket busting loss to an ACC bottom dweller. Maybe this will help the Canes play loose, knowing they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Coach L always seems like he's able to get his teams ready and focused more easily for games against highly ranked opponents than against teams at or below the Canes talent level, so that will also be in the Canes favor. If the Canes are able to pull off the victory it would be a huge seed booster for the tournament. In Joe Lunardi's latest update of Bracketology, he has the Canes as a 9 seed in the dreaded 8/9 matchup. A win on the road against a top 10 team would certainly help the Canes inch closer to the 7 line, which offers better first and second round matchups.
The game will air live on ESPN at 9pm.
