UNC Basketball vs UNCW: Game Info, preview, prediction and more

After a week off for the  UNC Basketball team,  they resume action Wed against UNC Wilmington and look to get back on track after dropping two out of their last three games.

With not many positives coming from the last week for the North Carolina Tar Heels, most of the talk revolved around Roy Williams’ postgame comments after the Michigan game where he said: “As a coach, I feel like I’ve done the worst job with this team in 31 years as a head coach… the most frustrated I’ve ever been.”

One thing we know will be different come Wednesday night and that is the starting lineup.

For most Carolina fans, they have been calling for a change in the lineup for the last couple of games, and they are finally getting it; just not the way they wanted.

The Tar Heels will be without star freshman, and leading scorer, Coby White who is dealing with an ankle injury he suffered in their last game, but Coach Williams said it wasn’t anything to worry about and this was all precautionary.

Everything points to junior guard Seventh Woods to be inserted in the starting lineup, which will hopefully lead to a much better, all around, offensive performance than what we have seen lately.

Leading the team in assists per game (4.8), Woods has proven to be a true floor general thus far in the young season. Depending on how some of the other starters play, the efficiency of the offense could be pivotal when it comes to a more long-term lineup change.

However the minutes are distributed in the backcourt for the Heels, they will be matched up against a terrific freshman point guard for the Seahawks in Kai Toews.

The freshman is averaging 8.4 points per game and 7.0 assists per game – good enough for eighth nationally, with two double-doubles and three double-digit assist games in his last three outings.

The real leader for the Seahawks though is Devontae Cacok.

The 6-foot-7 senior forward led the team in scoring and rebounding each of the last two years including a team-high 15.7 points and 12.2 rebounds this season.

Leading the country in field goal percentage as a sophomore (.800), and rebounding as a junior (13.5), Cacok’s versatile game has his name on the Naismith Trophy preseason watch list.

The UNC Wilmington Seahawks are atop the ranks in many CAA conference rankings when it comes to offense, but rank rather low on the defensive side of the ball. First and second in points and rebounding respectably, they also rank seventh and eights when it comes to steals and blocks.

One part of the game to keep an eye on is how the road environment will affect the experienced starting lineup of the Seahawks as they have only played one true road game to start the season.

When it comes to the Tar Heels, the senior trio of Luke Maye, Kenny Williams, and Cameron Johnson need to respond to the question marks surrounding their toughness and control the game from the start.

Look for this to be a confidence game for much of the Tar Heels’ roster who have struggled with inconsistent play for most of the season.

Common Opponents

The Seahawks do have two common opponents with the Tar Heels this season in Stanford and Davidson, who Carolina plays Dec 29.

UNC Wilmington has lost both of those games, a 72-59 loss to the Cardinal as well as a 91-85 loss to the Wildcats of Davidson, both of which came at home.

Cacok averaged 16.5 points on 62.6 percent shooting to go along with 10 rebounds in those two matchups.

As you remember, the Tar Heels outmatched the Cardinal 90-72 in their matchup at the Dean Dome.

Familiar Faces

When watching the game on Wednesday you should recognize a couple names on the Seahawks bench.

Their head coach, C.B. McGrath was a long time assistant for Coach Williams, appearing in seven Final Fours, including the last two with the Tar Heels. McGrath was part of the Tar Heels 2005, 2009 and 2017 NCAA Championship teams as an assistant coach.

A member of McGrath’s staff that Carolina fans love is Jackie Manuel.

Serving as a top assistant to McGrath, Manuel was a key player on the 2005 Tar Heels National Championship team, as he earned All-ACC Defensive Team honors in his final two seasons. Overall, Manuel finished his career in Chapel Hill starting 85-of-126 games over four years.

What You Need To Know

What? UNCW  (4-5) vs No. 14 UNC (6-2)
When? Wed, Dec 5 – 9:00 p.m. EST
Where? Dean Dome – Chapel Hill, NC
TV? ESPN2
Radio? Tar Heel Sports Network
Line? UNC –26.5
All-Time series? UNCW is 0-3 all-time against North Carolina, with the last meeting being back in 2013.
Prediction? UNC 103, UNCW 68