UNC Basketball vs. Notre Dame: Game preview, info and more

The UNC Basketball program tips off their 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament run on Wednesday night, playing in the final game of Day 2 against Notre Dame. The two teams will tipoff sometime around 9 p.m. ET depending on the previous game’s completion.

But one thing is for certain, UNC will be in a battle.

The Fighting Irish are playing with a lot of confidence heading into this showdown on Wednesday night. They took down a ranked Florida State team on Saturday and then won their ACC Tournament opener on a buzzer beater from Trey Wertz on Tuesday night, stunning Wake Forest late.

While Notre Dame is riding a two-game win streak, the Tar Heels are entering fresh off a win over their rival Duke on Saturday. Going into the tournament, many thought UNC had a favorable draw and it appeared as if they were going to get a Wake Forest team that was struggling until the Fighting Irish made the comeback. Notre Dame isn’t a great matchup for the Tar Heels despite UNC winning the only meeting between the two teams 66-65 in Chapel Hill.

The Fighting Irish are a good three-point shooting team with legit wings that can give the Tar Heels trouble. UNC has struggled to defend the three-pointer all season long and this could be a problem again on Wednesday.

However, UNC should have the edge in the paint.

The Tar Heels enter this game averaging 42.5 rebounds per game compared to the 33.2 that the Fighting Irish have. Notre Dame isn’t a good team in the post, an area the Tar Heels should exploit early and often. But this one could be won on the wing.

Backed by Wertz, Dane Goodwin, Prentiss Hubb and Nate Leszewski, the Fighting Irish can create some mismatches on the wing and can really score the basketball. Hubb leads the way averaging 14.7 points per game while dishing out 6 assists. Lesezewski is shooting a career-high 46.2 percent from the three point line while averaging 13.8 points per game. He’s Notre Dame’s best shooter and gave the Tar Heels fits the first time they played.

With some NCAA Tournament seeding on the line for the Tar Heels, let’s see if they can improve that seed and make a run here in the ACC Tournament.

Key to victory for UNC

Perimeter defense will be the biggest key for the Tar Heels in this one. Last time they met, UNC watched Lesezewski drain three-pointers and he almost beat them in the end. If the Tar Heels don’t lock down on the perimeter, they are going to be in trouble on Wednesday.

The Tar Heels need to make sure they lock down on the perimeter and have rotate while communicating to not allow Notre Dame to get hot from three. Often times UNC has been slow on the rotations and have allowed drives and kicks for open threes.

Something to Watch

Can the Tar Heels get off to a hot start? UNC did that against Duke and never looked back, leading from the first basket on and they put the game away with their play.  The Tar Heels need to go to their strengths early and set the tone for this game. Play fast and get out on their fast breaks for easy buckets.

What you need to know

WHAT? Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-14, 7-11 in ACC) vs North Carolina Tar Heels (16-9, 10-6 ACC)
WHEN? Wednesday, March 10 at 9 p.m. ET
WHERE? Greensboro, North Carolina
TV? ACC Network
RADIO? Tar Heel Sports Network
LINE? N/A
LAST MEETING? UNC beat Notre Dame 66-65 on January 2nd
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads 28-6
PREDICTION? UNC 81, Notre Dame 79

For more on the UNC Basketball program including a recap of this game, please check back with Keeping It Heel.