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

By Zack Pearson

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 10: Armando Bacot #5 and Day'Ron Sharpe #11 of the North Carolina Tar Heels react following a basket during the second half of their second round game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 10, 2021 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 10: Armando Bacot #5 and Day'Ron Sharpe #11 of the North Carolina Tar Heels react following a basket during the second half of their second round game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 10, 2021 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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The UNC Basketball program opened up their 2021 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament run with a convincing win over Notre Dame and did so without senior Garrison Brooks. The win over Notre Dame advanced the Tar Heels to the quarterfinals on Thursday as they meet a Virginia Tech team for the first time this season.

The previously scheduled matchup between these two teams in Chapel Hill was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns in the Hokies program. But now the Tar Heels will get the chance to improve their resume with a shot at the No. 3 seeded Hokies on Thursday.

And it’s unknown if they will have Brooks for that game too.

Without Brooks, the Tar Heels dominated in the paint against the Fighting Irish as they out-rebounded Notre Dame 54-31, including securing 25 offensive rebounds. The Tar Heels were flat out dominant on the glass on Wednesday, backed by Armando Bacot’s 20-point and 13-rebound performance. Freshman Day’Ron Sharpe added 14 points and 10 rebounds while Walker Kessler had 16 points, 12 rebounds and 8 blocks on the game.

The No. 22 Hokies enter this game at 15-5 overall and are led by junior forward Keve Aluma who is averaging 15.9 points and 8 rebounds per game while shooting 50 percent from the field on the season.

Aluma will be a tough test for the Tar Heels defensively as he’s a player who can stretch the perimeter a bit and hit shots. In addition to Aluma, sophomore guard Tyrece Radford is averaging 11.4 points while fellow guard Nahiem Alleyne is averaging 10.2 points per game. While UNC dominated in the paint on Wednesday, this game could come down to the guard play for both teams.

Key to Victory for the Tar Heels

Dominate in the paint….again. That’s going to be the blueprint for UNC the rest of the way this season. Even with Brooks out, the Tar Heels have three others who can fill the stat sheet up in the post with Bacot, Sharpe and Kessler.

On Wednesday, the Fighting Irish had no answer inside as UNC was able to keep possessions alive and get second chances while limiting Notre Dame on their shot attempts.

Virginia Tech is a better rebounding team than Notre Dame but UNC should still have the edge on the boards. Can they build on this performance?

Something to Watch

Getting Kerwin Walton back into a groove will be key. Walton is by far UNC’s best shooter from the perimeter but he made just one of his five attempts on Wednesday. We have seen Walton struggle a bit down the stretch, outside of the Duke game, and getting him back on track will be a big priority.

Let’s hope Walton can get some open looks and drain them on Thursday night.

What you need to know

WHAT?  North Carolina Tar Heels (17-9, 10-6 ACC) vs. Virginia Tech Hokies (15-5, 9-4 ACC)
WHEN? Thursday, March 11 at 9 p.m. ET
WHERE? Greensboro, North Carolina
TV? ESPN
RADIO? Tar Heel Sports Network
LINE? N/A
LAST MEETING? UNC beat Virginia Tech 78-56 on March 10th, 2020
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads 33-8
PREDICTION? UNC 78, Virginia Tech 77

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

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