UNC Basketball vs. Wofford: Game info, preview, prediction and more

The UNC Basketball team heads on the road to take on Wofford in the 2018-19 college basketball season opener as they have revenge on their minds.

The college basketball season is finally here!

It’s been a long wait since the end of March but here we are. The North Carolina Tar Heels will open up their campaign on Tuesday night with a road game. It will be the first of two road games to start the 2018-19 schedule as they play at Wofford and then at Elon on Friday night.

But first things first, UNC has to be ready for Wofford.

The Tar Heels will travel to Spartanburg, South Carolina to take on the Terriers in the season-opener Tuesday night. The two are familiar with eachother as Wofford came into the Dean Dome and upset UNC last season.

This season should be an interesting one for the Tar Heels as they return key starters Luke Maye, Kenny Williams and Cam Johnson from last season, while saying goodbye to Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson. Also returning are key role players Seventh Woods, Brandon Robinson, Sterling Manley and Garrison Brooks.

Along with players from last season’s squad, the Tar Heels welcome in a Top 10 recruiting class highlighted by No. 3 overall recruit Nassir Little.

The wing is the headliner of the class that also features Coby White and Rechon Black. This is one of Roy Williams’ best classes in years.

On Tuesday, we will finally get to see those freshmen and how they will gel with this team. So with that, let’s get into our preview.

Something to watch for the Tar Heels..

The starting five and rotation will be a big focus during this game. It’s expected that White will be the starter at point guard for this game, winning the battle against Seventh Woods.

White showed his ability to push the basketball up the court during their exhibition game Friday night. The point guard received some praise by Williams, saying that White was as fast as any player he’s seen since Ty Lawson.

With White at point guard, UNC can not only run the floor and push the pace but it gives them another scoring option.

Something else to watch is the sixth man off the bench.

If Williams goes with Little as a starter, that could mean the senior Johnson is the first player off the bench to provide a spark. That actually would work out well as Johnson is one of the best scorers on this team.

What UNC needs to do to win this game..

Stop Fletcher Magee. There is no doubt the senior is Wofford’s best player but he’s also one of the best shooters in the entire country.

Last season he averaged 22.1 points, shooting 48 percent from the field. That included shooting 44 percent from the three-point line, which makes him very dangerous. Against UNC last season, Magee scored 27 in the upset win.

He’s no stranger to putting the ball in the basket, scoring 30-plus points six times including a season high 45 last year. Magee finished with 36 against Georgia Tech in a win and 32 in a loss to Cal.

UNC can’t let Magee get into a rhythm and have to account for where he is at on the floor at all times.

Last meeting

The two teams met in Chapel Hill last season on Wednesday, Dec. 20th and the Terriers gave their fans an early Christmas present with a 79-75 win. The Tar Heels were ranked No. 5 at the time and it was one of the biggest regular season upsets in college basketball history.

UNC was sloppy throughout the game and never really gained control, allowing the Terriers to stick around. The Tar Heels struggled to score outside of Berry’s 23 and Maye’s 17 points, with Johnson and Brooks scoring 10 each.

What you need to know…

What? UNC (0-0) at Wofford (0-0)
When? Tuesday, Nov. 6
Where? Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, North Carolina
TV? ESPN2
Radio? Tar Heel Sports Network
All-Time series? Tied 1-1.
Prediction? UNC 86, Wofford 70