UNC Basketball vs. NC State: Game preview, info and more

The UNC Basketball program takes on NC State in their second Atlantic Coast Conference game of the year

The North Carolina Tar Heels will be on the road for the second-straight game to open up Atlantic Coast Conference play as a date with NC State looms on Tuesday.

UNC is coming off a big 85-60 win over Pitt on the road Saturday to open up ACC play but their second game will be a tough test. The Tar Heels travel down the road to take on No. 15 NC State who enters the game 13-1 overall and 1-0 in the ACC.

The Wolfpack played one of the easiest non-conference schedules in the country this season with their only loss coming on the road at Wisconsin. They did get a signature win over Auburn at home in mid-December and then opened up the conference schedule with a road win at Miami.

Kevin Keatts is in his second year as Wolfpack head coach and appears to be turning this program around. Last season the Wolfpack finished 21-12 and 11-7 in the ACC. They had wins over Duke, Clemson, UNC and Florida State all while they were ranked.

Now a year later, Keatts has a chance to get another big conference win at home against the Tar Heels.

For UNC, they enter this game fresh off that road win at Pitt. After a back-and-forth start for the first few minutes, the Tar Heels took the game over as they closed out the first half on a 33-11 run and never looked back.

It was one of, if not the best defensive performances all season long for the Tar Heels.

That’s an area UNC has really struggled in this season but the performance against Pitt provided some hope that they could get it turned around on the defensive end.

Tuesday’s matchup will be one featuring two of the top scoring teams in the country. The Tar Heels enter the game averaging 89.9 points per game, ranked No. 5 in the nation in that category.

The Wolfpack are averaging 89.2 points per game and are right behind them at No. 6 in the country. It wouldn’t shock us if this game was played in the high 80’s with both teams pushing the pace and trying to get run outs.

Torin Dorn is having another good season for the Wolfpack, averaging 14.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game this season. He scored 20 and 21 points against UNC last season and he can full up the stat sheet. Limiting Dorn will be huge for the Tar Heels in this game.

On the other side, UNC really needs something from Kenny Williams. He’s struggled all season long and had just two points in the win over Pitt. Williams has scored 6 or fewer points in five games this season.

The senior guard needs to get going and turn things around if UNC wants to be successful this season.

Key to the game for NC State

Turn it up defensively. The Wolfpack are allowing 66.0 points per game this season, good for 56th in the country. As we mentioned before, UNC is scoring 89.9 points per game and when they run their offense successfully, they are a tough team to beat.

Limiting the second chances will be key for the Wolfpack. If the Tar Heels dominate the boards and get run outs or those second chances on the offensive end, it could be a long night for Keatts’ squad.

Key to the game for UNC

Get off to a good start. PNC Arena will be rocking before this game with the Tar Heels in town and it’s key that UNC gets off to a good start. They can’t fall behind by double-digits early and silencing the crowd could go a long way.

This will be one of the better teams UNC has faced this season and a good early challenge in the ACC. You don’t want to come out flat and find yourself in a hole as coming back against NC State might be tough.

What you need to know

What? UNC 11-3 (1-0) at NC State 13-1 (1-0)
When? Tuesday, January 7 – 9:00 pm EST
Where? PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina
TV? ESPN
Radio? Tar Heel Sports Network
All-Time series? North Carolina leads series 155-78
Prediction? UNC 86, NC State 84