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

The UNC Basketball program returns to action for their second game this week as they look to move to 2-0 on the year. After beating Loyola (MD), UNC is getting set to host Brown in the Dean Dome on Friday night.

UNC looked impressive in their big win over Loyola, leading wire-to-wire to move to 1-0 on the season. And Friday presents another chance for UNC to get in a groove and start to establish some rhythm under first year head coach Hubert Davis. Brown is also chance for UNC to pick up a win in non-conference before the schedule gets even tougher in a few weeks.

In the first game of the season, point guard Caleb Love showed his improvement by leading the Tar Heels with 22 points. Love shot over 50 percent from the field and was consistent throughout the game, a good sign. Another good sign was transfer Brady Manek.

The big man added 20 points on 9 of 15 shooting and did so despite going just 1 of 5 from the three-point line.

For the most part, it was a balanced scoring game for the Tar Heels and they had assists on 15 of their 29 made buckets.

The Bears are led by David Mitchell, Nana Owusu-Anane and Paxson Wojcik, all of which scored over 10 points in their season opener win. They also got nine a piece from Dan Friday and Kino Lilly Jr.. It was a balanced attack for Brown in that win over Salve Regina. But for Brown, this will be a HUGE task to take down UNC on the road.

Let’s get into our preview:

Key to Victory

Be consistent on both ends. The Tar Heels were pretty good shooting the ball in their last game against Loyola but they were also really good defensively. That’s going to be a big key for this team all season long under Hubert Davis.

If the Tar Heels can be a really good defensive team, they might have a higher ceiling than we initially thought going into the year. With these early games that you should win, building confidence and progress in your offense and defense can help when the competition gets tougher as the season goes on.

In this one, I want UNC to show their dominant on both ends of the court and do that early and often.

Something to Watch

Can Armando Bacot get going in this one? The junior big man was held to just 8 points while playing in just 17 minutes in the Tar Heels’ win over Loyola. He did get into some foul trouble, limiting his playing time a bit.

It wasn’t the debut he wanted going into his junior year, especially after all of the progress he made last season. But the good news is, it’s VERY early in the season and Friday presents another opportunity for him.

What You Need To Know

WHAT? Brown (1-0) AT North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0)
WHEN? Friday, November 12, 9pm ET
WHERE? Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
TV? ACC Network
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network
LINE? UNC -22
LAST MEETING? 1985.. UNC 115, Brown 63
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads 1-0
PREDICTION? UNC 82, Brown 60

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