Tar Heels Basketball Game Preview: UNC vs. Notre Dame
Last season, Notre Dame had North Carolina’s number resulting in two wins versus the Tar Heels.
Today the No. 2 Tar Heels (19-3, 8-1) will face the unranked Fighting Irish (15-7, 6-4) as they look to rebound from their first ACC loss. North Carolina will play their second away game in the middle of three-game stretch that features three pretty good opponents.
Louisville ended UNC’s 12-game win streak with their win on Monday as the Tar Heels struggled to find ways to score. They scored a season-low 65 points while shootingTheir field 34.5 percent from the field. In addition, they made 22 of their 29 free throws and three of their 17 three-point field goals.
Notre Dame has several impact players left over from the 2015 ACC Championship team from a year ago. These players included Zach Auguste, Bonzie Colson, Demetrius Jackson and Steve Vasturia. Notre Dame’s record does not indicate how good they are. All four of these players are capable of scoring 20 points any given game.
Jackson leads the Fighting Irish with 16 points and 5.2 assists per game and ranks second in assists in the ACC. He trails Pittsburgh’s James Robinson by 5/100’s (i.e. 5.29 assists to 5.24 assists). Jackson is Notre Dame’s leader. As he goes, Notre Dame goes.
Auguste connects on 54% of his field goals, which ranks fifth in the ACC. He also pulls down 10.09 rebounds per game. This inside-outside duo for Notre Dame functions as the motor for their offense. Jackson makes plays and Auguste finishes many of those plays. The role players are the side dishes to their entree’.
For North Carolina, Marcus Paige continues his shooting slump. Last week, Paige scored nine points while making three of his 13 field goals. Joel Berry II finished the game with seven points, connecting on one of his 10 field goals. The only bright spots were Justin Jackson, who broke out of his shooting woes by scoring 16 points to lead the Tar Heels. Also, Brice Johnson scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Carolina plays at their best when they defend well. Their defense against Louisville was poor. Notre Dame is just as good as Louisville, if not, better. Carolina must defend the perimeter very well because Notre Dame has seven players who shoot over 33% from three-point range. One player makes 54.5% of his three-point field goals (Austin Burgett).
Similar to Carolina, Notre Dame has five players who average double figure points per game (Auguste, V.J. Beachem, Colson, Jackson and Vasturia). These five players play around 30 minutes per game and make around 50% of their field goals. They will play the majority of today’s game against the Tar Heels. UNC cannot outrun this game. They need to pound the ball inside, get Notre Dame’s bigs in foul trouble and shut down their perimeter shooters.
Easy win? Umm, no. Notre Dame will be tough to beat today. They are playing home and they have to psychological advantage from dominating Carolina in two games last season. The Tar Heels need to regain their composure, going into March. Carolina has several tough games coming up and today’s game represents another test of their will and character. Hard to predict a winner; however, I will not use my heart to choose one. Notre Dame will win a close game. Home court advantage will be a huge factor today.
WHAT? North Carolina Tar Heels versus Notre Dame Fighting Irish
WHEN? Saturday, February 6, 2016
TIME? 7:00 p.m. ET
WHERE? Joyce Center in South Bend, IN.
TV? ESPN (Also, live stream via ESPN’s app)
RADIO? Tar Heel Sports Network
PREDICTION? Notre Dame beats UNC, 77-75