UNC Basketball Game Preview: Notre Dame vs. North Carolina

UNC seeks revenge as they take on Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament

In the first meeting between these two teams this season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the No. 2 North Carolina Tar Heels 80-76. Although Notre Dame shot poorly (34.8%), they committed only two turnovers in contrast to Carolina’s 13 turnovers. The turnovers were the deciding factor in the first matchup.

Fast forward to the 2016 ACC Tournament.

North Carolina has been on a roll lately. Beating Duke in Durham, North Carolina was a major psychological victory for the Tar Heels. Now they have to win and advance. On Thursday, the Tar Heels were victorious against a tough Pittsburgh team to open up their ACC Tournament. Although UNC won by 17 points, the game was very close in the first half. Moreover the Tar Heels had to come from behind to win.

UNC cannot afford to play “catch up” to Notre Dame. Notre Dame has one of the best starting fives in the county; along with Carolina. Notre Dame plays six to seven players. Their rotation is small. Notre Dame maintains a psychological advantage over Carolina, also. In addition to defeating the Tar Heels earlier this season, Notre Dame beat Carolina twice last season. The first game was a close one-point victory for the Irish, 71-70. The second game was the 2015 ACC Championship game, where Notre Dame won 90-82.

Notre Dame matches up with Carolina very well. Both teams are even, when it comes to comparing players at every position. Carolina’s advantage over Notre Dame is their depth. UNC must control the pace of the game. Head coach Roy Williams loves to play an uptempo game. This style will be instrumental in getting Notre Dame tired.

In addition, North Carolina must not settle for jump shots. When a player drives to the basket, several things can happen: a blocked shot, a layup or dunk, a foul or a foul plus a free throw (also referred to as an “And One”). Carolina has one of the best frontcourts in the country. Their bigs are the best in the ACC and they are headlined by Brice Johnson. Johnson did not shoot well in the first game (six of 16 from the field); however, he managed to finish the game with a double-double (14 points and 14 rebounds). The offense must run through him by any means necessary.

Joel Berry II has been more consistent than Marcus Paige this season. Against Pittsburgh, Berry led the Tar Heels with 20 points. He played solid defense, distributed the ball when needed and took clutch shots. Expect him to continue to take more shots and more importantly, lead the Tar Heels the way a point guard should. Marcus Paige had a modest game yesterday (eight points). This is a good thing. Paige is a streaky shooter and it seems as though his shooting slump has come to a close.

Hicks will be just as important. His toughness will be key against Notre Dame’s Bonzie Colson and Zach Auguste. Hicks is the one Carolina player who asserts himself in the low post consistently. His tenacity on both ends of the court has elevated Carolina’s play this season. If Carolina’s bigs play smart, they will go up strong in the low post and attempt to draw fouls (e.g. a la Tyler Hansbrough). Notre Dame will accrue fouls and the free throws will add up for North Carolina.

In closing, Notre Dame has a starting five similar to Carolina’s. Each of their starters is capable of scoring 20 points any game. The winner of the game will be the team who wants it more. North Carolina will avenge the regular season loss to Notre Dame and the two losses from last season. Expect a high-scoring game from two of the best teams in the nation.

WHAT? Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ North Carolina Tar Heels
WHEN? Friday, March 11, 2016
TIME? 7:00 p.m. E.T.
WHERE? Washington, D.C., The Verizon Center
TV? ESPN and GoHeelsTV
RADIO? Tar Heel Sports Network
PREDICTION? UNC beats Notre Dame, 88-84