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

How will the UNC Basketball team respond after a heartbreaking loss vs. Duke at home on Saturday night? We will find out as they take on Wake Forest

After two heartbreaking losses at home with a loss on the road to Florida State sandwiched in-between, the North Carolina Tar Heels are hoping to end a three-game losing streak and get back into that win column.

UNC will hit the road on Tuesday night and travel to Winston-Salem to take on a reeling Wake Forest team. The Demon Deacons have lost 8 of their last 10 including 4 of their last 5 games as they enter this one. In that stretch they have lost three of those games by just one possession including Saturday’s road game vs. Syracuse.

For the Tar Heels, we know the story of their heartbreak from Saturday’s game vs. rival Duke in the Dean Dome and now they need to rebound quickly and pickup a big road win. The Tar Heels enter this game .5 games back of Wake Forest for last place. UNC wants to stay out of last place and hopefully improve their seeding however they can for the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.

As we go into Tuesday, the Tar Heels could be without two of their key players.

Senior wing Brandon Robinson will miss the game with an ankle injury he suffered against Boston College just 10 days ago. But now another injury in what has been an injury-plagued season has popped up. Junior center Garrison Brooks was poked in the eye in the loss to Duke on Saturday and had to leave the game in Overtime.

Brooks put together a solid performance, scoring 18 points and grabbing 5 rebounds but his status for Tuesday is in question. The center didn’t practice on Sunday and was limited on Monday so he will be a game-time decision. If he can’t go, UNC is going to be in some trouble in the post and Brandon Huffman will have to play a much bigger role.

Wake is led by Senior guard Brandon Childress who is averaging 15 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. Childress struggles from the field overall shooting 40 percent but that number goes up to 47.3 percent at home. Outside of Childress, the Demon Deacons are getting 13.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game from Oliver Sarr.

The center has been good of late and provides a challenge for UNC in the post. That challenge gets even bigger if Brooks can’t go and Armando Bacot and Huffman have to play more minutes. That will certainly be something to watch throughout this one.

Key to the Game

Rebounding. This game will be a challenge for the Tar Heels in the post on offense and defense but it’s really going to come down to rebounding. UNC enters this game averaging 43.5 rebounds per game while Wake Forest is averaging 38.5 rebounds.

Sarr can give UNC some problems down low and if UNC doesn’t have Brooks, he can be the huge difference maker in this one.

I’ll be interested to see how UNC plays in the post in this one, especially after going up against Vernon Carey Jr. on Saturday. Sarr isn’t as talented as Carey Jr. but he’s still a very good big man in the post.

Player to Watch

Rechon Leaky Black. The sophomore has played better of late and his development in these final few games of the season are important to watch for next year. It was a struggle early on for the talented wing but lately he’s played better, shooting over 40 percent in each of his last four games.

Against Duke, Black scored 8 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 9 assists. The versatile wing needs to continue to get better and use his skill-set to his advantage. If he can take a big step this offseason, he could be a key player in his final two seasons for UNC which has some very talented skill players coming in as recruits.

Keep and eye on Black on the perimeter in this one.

What you need to know

What? North Carolina 10-13 (3-9 in ACC) AT Wake Forest 10-13 (3-10 in ACC)
When? Tuesday, Feb. 11, 8:00 p.m. EST
Where? Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston Salem, North Carolina
TV? ACCN
Radio? Tar Heel Sports Network
All-time series? UNC leads 107-49
Last meeting? UNC beat Wake Forest 95-57 on Feb. 16th 2019
Line? UNC -2
Prediction? UNC 73, Wake Forest 71