Keeping It Heel
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UNC vs Arkansas: Preview, broadcast information & prediction

By Blake Cockrum

PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels cheers on from the sidelines during the first half of the game against the Portland Pilots during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 23, 2017 in Portland, Oregon. North Carolina won the game 102-78. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 23: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels cheers on from the sidelines during the first half of the game against the Portland Pilots during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 23, 2017 in Portland, Oregon. North Carolina won the game 102-78. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
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North Carolina routs Portland, gears up for Arkansas in second leg of PK80

Less than 24 hours after handily beating the Portland Pilots in the first round of the Phil Knight Invitational, North Carolina will take the court against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Most remember the Tar Heels beating the Razorbacks in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament en route to winning their third national championship in the last 13 seasons.

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This is a much different North Carolina team, though. Kennedy Meeks, Isaiah Hicks, Justin Jackson and Tony Bradley were all involved in last season’s narrow victory over the Razorbacks. That won’t be the case this time around.

The Tar Heels’ front court is young and inexperienced, though they have played well through the first couple weeks of the season. They’ve had their ups and downs, as most freshman do, but Garrison Brooks, Brandon Huffman and Sterling Manley have all shined at different points this season.

Arkansas, on the other hand, has veteran leadership that is anchored by senior guards Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon. Both are high-scoring, high-efficiency players that will look to cause the UNC defense problems.

If the three North Carolina bigs can play well, and the Tar Heels’ perimeter performs reasonably close to what it has been to start the season, then fans should be in for a good game.

One Arkansas player to watch…

Dayrl Macon was Arkansas’ leading scorer last March in the Razorbacks’ 72-65 loss to the Tar Heels in the NCAA Tournament second round. He came off the bench for Mike Anderson’s Razorbacks and hit 6-of-8 shots from the floor, including 3-of-5 from three-point range and all four of his free throw attempts.

GREENVILLE, SC – MARCH 19: Daryl Macon
GREENVILLE, SC – MARCH 19: Daryl Macon /

This season, Macon is tied for first on the team in minutes played and second on the team in scoring with 18.8 points per game. He also averages 3.5 assists, three rebounds and leads the team in steals with 1.5 per game.

Even more impressive is the senior guard’s ability to knock down shots from the perimeter, where he’s connecting on 58.3 percent of his attempts. Macon has also hit all 15 of his free throw attempt to start the season, showing a tremendous amount of consistency in all phases of the game.

The Tar Heels will have to guard Macon closely if they want to keep him from catching fire from deep and creating space for Arkansas’ bigs inside. Look for North Carolina senior Theo Pinson to spend quite a bit of time guarding Macon.

The Tar Heels will, however, throw multiple guys at Macon, such as senior point guard Joel Berry II and junior sharpshooter Kenny Williams. Both are more than capable of locking down an opposing team’s best perimeter scorer.

One UNC player to watch…

Luke Maye has been consistent over the first two weeks of the season, leading the Tar Heels in scoring and rebounding. He’s recorded double-doubles in two of the team’s first four games, and came up just a rebound shy in each of the other two games.

He’s averaging 19.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game on the young season, and has been one of the Tar Heels’ best outside shooters, hitting 41.7 percent of his shots from beyond the three-point line. He’s also averaging 2.3 assists to just one turnover, and his 30.8 minutes per game lead the team.

He’s been cold from long-range in games against Stanford and Portland, so he’ll look to get back on track Friday afternoon against the Razorbacks. Regardless of that, his ability to make plays all over the court and rebound the ball inside the paint make him invaluable to North Carolina.

Difference maker…

Joel Berry is an easy out here, I know. But it’s true.

When Berry is on his game, the Tar Heels are difficult to beat. He scores in bunches and with efficiency, plays solid defense and makes good decisions.

He’s hitting 40 percent of his three-point attempts on the season and has 11 assists to just three turnovers. He’s hit 11-of-12 shots from the free throw line and can be trusted with the ball in his hand late in the game when the score is close.

He got off to a slow start in his first game of the season, but has been back to normal since. Look for him to continue playing 30-plus minutes per game and scoring at a high rate.

Next: Kendall Marshall retires from professional basketball

What you need to know

WHAT? North Carolina 4-0 (0-0 ACC) vs Arkansas 4-0 (0-0 SEC)
WHEN? Friday, November 24, 2017 at 3:30 p.m. ET
WHERE? Moda Center – Portland, Oregon
TV? ESPN
RADIO? Tar Heel Sports Network
LINE? UNC -3.5
SERIES HISTORY: North Carolina leads series 6-3
PREDICTION? UNC 93, Arkansas 81

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