UNC Basketball vs Texas: Undefeated Tar Heels face Longhorns in Vegas

Tar Heels put undefeated record on the line against Longhorns in Las Vegas

The North Carolina Tar Heels take their undefeated record to Sin City on Thanksgiving Day against the 4-0 Texas Longhorns, both teams looking for their first signature win of the season.

It’s a matchup that hasn’t been kind to the Tar Heels over the years, and particularly during the Roy Williams era. The Tar Heels are 3-7 all-time against the Longhorns, and just 1-6 during Williams’ tenure in Chapel Hill. The past two meetings — both one-possession games — were won by Texas, while North Carolina’s last victory against the Longhorns came in Chapel Hill during the 2011 season.

The Tar Heels’ game against Texas will be their first real test of the season, and is the first in a stretch of tough games against either UCLA or Michigan State, Michigan, Gonzaga and Kentucky.

The Longhorns’ schedule, on the other hand, is much more forgiving. Thursday’s matchup with North Carolina should be a nice way to prepare for games against upstart VCU and 24th-ranked Purdue, though.

North Carolina’s bench will be just a bit shorter during the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational thanks to Seventh Woods’ concussion. The junior point guard will miss at least the next two games while going through concussion protocol.

Key to the game for North Carolina

North Carolina needs to shoot the ball better from three-point range. In five games, the Tar Heels are shooting 34.6 percent from long-range, but that number is greatly inflated thanks to Cameron Johnson’s 13-for-23 mark from downtown. Nobody else on the Tar Heels’ roster has shot the ball with consistency from beyond the arc to start the season.

Luke Maye was one of the Tar Heels’ best shooters last season, but has knocked down just four of his first 13 attempts from long-range so far. And Kenny Williams has been ice-cold from three-point range in his first five games, connecting on just 3-of-20.

Texas is a good rebounding team, having won the battle on the boards in each of its first four games this season. The Tar Heels will likely get less offensive rebounds and fewer second-chance points against the Longhorns, making each shot they take that much more important.

Key to the game for Texas

Rebounding will be key for Texas against the Tar Heels. The Longhorns need to eliminate second-chance point for Roy Williams’ squad, making it harder for them to reach the 100-point plateau for the third time in six games.

The Longhorns have just one player on their roster that is taller than 6-foot-9, and that’s freshman forward Jaxson Hayes. He and his teammates will have to work hard against a North Carolina unit that has two players — Sterling Manley and Brandon Huffman — who are at least 6-foot-10, as well as Luke Maye and Garrison Brooks, who both player bigger than the 6-foot-8 and 6-foot-9 that they are listed at.

What you need to know

What? Texas (4-0) vs UNC (5-0)
When? Thursday, Nov. 22 – 7:30 p.m. EST
Where? Orleans Arena – Las Vegas, Nevada
TV? FS1
Radio? Tar Heel Sports Network
All-Time series? Texas leads 7-3
Prediction? UNC 85, Texas 76