UNC Basketball vs Harvard: Game info, preview, prediction and more

The Harvard Crimson head to Chapel Hill as UNC Basketball wraps up non-conference play, looking to end on a high note.

Tommy Amaker’s most talented group since he took over the Crimson program in 2007 will have their hands full in the Dean Dome on Wednesday.

Only 6-5 on the season, due to multiple injuries, the Crimson are coming off two-straight wins against George Washington and Mercer and also have a good win at St. Mary’s earlier in the year.

Expected to be without their top two returning scorers again, and arguably their best players, Seth Towns (16.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG) and Bryce Aiken (14.1 PPG, 2.7 APG), both out due to injuries, the Crimson will have to rely heavily on a young core once again this season.

WIth 10 players averaging over 10 minutes a game, Amaker has a lot of young talent to play with though.

The Crimson will be led by 6-foot-9 forward Chris Lewis, who is averaging 13.4 points a game this season. Though he isn’t your traditional ‘big’, only averaging 3.4 rebounds per game, he will have even more pressure on him to score the ball if they want any chance to keep pace with the high power offense of the Heels.

On the wing for Harvard are Justin Bassey and Noah Kirkwood, both skilled guards who bring a lot of versatility to the roster.

Bassey, a 6-foot-5 hybrid wing, leads the team in rebounding (6.7) and steals per game (1.2) while also ranking second on the team in points (10.5) and assist (2.7).

The freshman, Noah Kirkwood, has stepped in nicely with the absence of Towns and Aiken, averaging 10.5 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 45 percent from deep. He has put together a couple of nice games in a row leading up to their showdown with the Tar Heels, averaging 19.5 points on 63 percent shooting in their last two games.

Though Harvard shoots the ball well from the outside, at 36.7 percent on the season as a team, they rank just 260th nationally in three-point FG attempts on the season.

Their bread and butter comes from inside the arc as they have five players who shoot over 50 percent from the field and as a team 48.9 percent which ranks 32nd in the country.

A key player for the Crimson will be Danilo Djuricic (10.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG) though, as he can create a mismatch against the bigs of Carolina.

Shooting 43 percent from three this season, his ability to stretch the floor will be crucial in taking a big and rebounder away from the basket for the Tar Heels.

Key to the game for Harvard

Ranked just 310th nationally with 35 rebounds per game, the Crimson will be tested on the boards against the Tar Heels.

On both ends of the floor, it is crucial Harvard remains respectable on the boards if they want to keep this game close.

Chris Lewis will have to resort to his play of last year, seven double-figure rebounding games, as his season high this year is only six rebounds.

With guys like Henry Welsh (15.1 MPG), brother of former UCLA forward Thomas Welsh, and Robert Baker (11.7 MPG) playing key reserve roles in the frontcourt, their minutes off the bench will be crucial in keeping the rebound margin close when their starters get a rest.

The Tar Heels, who average 45 rebounds per game, rank third in the country with a +11.9 rebound margin.

Key to the game for UNC

There’s no question that the Tar Heels are not always ‘checked’ into the game, especially in the first half.

It was even more evident on Saturday against Davidson when they had seven turnovers in the first 12 minutes of the game, but in order for the Tar Heels to take care of business, as they should, they must limit the turnovers and win the turnover battle.

Harvard struggles to take care of the ball, with a -31 assist to the turnover margin in their five losses combined.

With a .84 assist to turnover ratio on the season, they rank 290th compared to the Tar Heels who rank 25th in the same category with a 1.42 ratio.

With Harvard ranked 305th in steals per game (5.0), there is no question that Carolina should have less than 10 turnovers in this game; if they have any more than that, the mental mistakes continue to take over.

What you need to know

What? Harvard (6-5) vs. UNC (9-3)
When? Wednesday, January 2 – 7:00 pm EST
Where? Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
TV? ESPN2
Radio? Tar Heel Sports Network
All-Time series? North Carolina leads series, 3-0.
Prediction? UNC 86, Harvard 65