UNC Basketball vs. Georgia Tech: Game preview, info, prediction and more

Can the UNC Basketball program get their first ACC win of the year? Next up is a trip to Atlanta to take on Georgia Tech on Wednesday

The UNC Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday night, a week after they dropped their Atlantic Coast Conference opener at N.C. State. That game was a struggle for the Tar Heels as they didn’t shoot well from the floor and the three-point line as their early-season problems continue.

UNC had the chance to win that game late a few times as the Wolfpack kept the door open, but the Tar Heels couldn’t buy a bucket and ended up losing their third game of the season.

Going into this matchup, the Tar Heels will be unranked as they travel to Atlanta to take on a 4-3 Yellow Jackets team that lost their conference opener to Florida State in Mid-December. Georgia Tech does have wins over Kentucky and Nebraska this season but they have also dropped games to Mercer and Georgia State.

For North Carolina, the first eight games have told similar stories.

They are really good in the paint led by their four-man post rotation of Garrison Brooks, Armando Bacot, Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler. UNC has been fantastic in the post and generally that’s been almost all of their offense. They are going to most likely out-rebound every team they face but they have really had a hard time shooting the ball.

Going into this game, UNC is shooting just 43.5 percent from the field as a team which ranks 204th nationally and near the bottom in the ACC. That’s not very good. The Tar Heels have seen most of their struggles stem from the guard spots as well. Both freshmen guards Caleb Love and R.J. Davis have had a hard time knocking down shots as has junior Leaky Black. In fact, most of their best shooting has come from senior Andrew Platek.

The Yellow Jackets are led by senior forward Moses Wright who leads the team in scoring (19.6 points per game) and rebounding (7.4 rebounds per game). He’s been the biggest key for them early on and is a player UNC will need to keep their eyes on.

Another name to watch is guard Jose Alvarado. He’s been a player that has had some success against UNC in the past and can be one of those “pests” that helps keep Georgia Tech in the game.

Georgia Tech is shooting just a tick better than UNC from the field, entering the game at 45.6 field goal percentage. They are 200th in the nation shooting 32.2 percent from the three-point line but teams facing UNC tend to always shoot better in that area.

The Tar Heels have another chance to turn things around and get in the win column early on in conference play on Wednesday and they need to take advantage of that situation. Following this game, UNC will stay on the road and take on Miami on January 5th before playing their first home game on January 9th against Clemson.

Key to Victory for UNC

Not falling behind in the first half. The Tar Heels have fallen behind a lot in the first half of games this year and it’s cost them. Despite having some comebacks in the second half, it has really hurt them overall.

It would be nice to see this team jump out to a lead early on and play with a lead. Establish your presence in the paint by going to your bigs and allowing them to take control. They are going to get you second chances on offense and limit the chances on defense, so play through them.

If UNC can get out to a big lead early, it should help them play with more confidence.

Something to Watch

I feel like we are going to be saying this a lot this year but the key to this team playing well is how they shoot the ball. The Tar Heels eventually have to get better, right? I mean they are bound to shoot better from the field eventually. This season has been rough on shooting from the field and the hope is that they get better as the year goes on.

Specifically I’m looking at the freshman duo of R.J. Davis and Caleb Love, plus the shooting from the perimeter. If that can improve, UNC could be a really good team with how their post players are playing.

Projected UNC Starting Lineup

G — Caleb Love

G — R.J. Davis

G/F — Leaky Black

F — Garrison Brooks

F/C — Armando Bacot

What you need to Know

WHAT? North Carolina 5-3 (0-1) AT Georgia Tech 4-3 (0-1)
WHEN? Wednesday, December 30 at 8 p.m.
WHERE? McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, Georgia
TV? ACC Sports Network Extra
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network
LINE? UNC -3
LAST MEETING? Georgia Tech beat UNC 96-83 on January 4th, 2020
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads 67-26
PREDICTION? UNC 77, Georgia Tech 72

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