UNC Basketball vs. Purdue: Game info, preview and prediction

The UNC Basketball program passed their first road test earlier in the week, surviving a scare against College of Charleston to move to 3-0 on the year. It’s been a good start so far for Hubert Davis but now things get tough.

UNC has a VERY tough non-conference schedule with four ranked teams including a few in the Top 10. Things get started off this weekend with the first game in the Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Montville, Connecticut. And that test is a tough one.

The Tar Heels are set to take on No. 6 Purdue in the opening round with a spot in the championship game on the line for Sunday. With it being a four-team tournament, all four teams are ranked and UNC will take on either No. 5 Villanova and No. 17 Tennessee on Sunday. But first things first, the Boilermakers will be the best team UNC has faced so far and they present a good challenge for Davis and his team.

Purdue enters this game at 3-0 and have scored 90-plus points in all three of those games. But UNC will certainly be their toughest test as well this season.

Perhaps the biggest test for UNC in this game will be 7-foot-4-inch center Zach Edey who is averaging 18.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game this season while shooting 76.9 percent from the field. Edey will be a handful in the paint for Armando Bacot and Dawson Garcia as both players give up a few inches to him. Then there’s Purdue’s guard play.

Jaden Ivey (15.3 PPG), Sasha Stefanovic (13.7 PPG) and Brandon Newman (12.3 PPG) are all legit scorers who will present some problems for UNC’s backcourt. Specifically Stefanovic and Newman, both who are shooting over 47 percent from the field this season.

If UNC isn’t careful, this game could get out of hand especially if the Boilermakers come out hot early in this one. Nonetheless, the Tar Heels will have to play their A game and maybe a little more.

Key to Victory

Defending the three. Early on at Charleston UNC struggled to guard the three-point shot and the Cougars jumped out to an early lead. Open looks doomed UNC in that one early on but some second-half adjustments paid off.

In this one, UNC can’t afford to let the Boilermakers get hot from behind the arc. Purdue enters this game 33rd in the nation making 41.7 percent of their three point attempts. UNC’s defense is tied for 29th, allowing 33.1 percent from the three-point line.

If you’ve watched UNC play over the past few years, this isn’t shocking. But they REALLY need to come out and guard the perimeter in this one.

Something to watch

Edey vs. Bacot/Garcia. We saw Bacot take over the game in the paint against College of Charleston, but a lot of that was because the Cougars had no one to match his size. That’s not the case here against Purdue.

I’m not saying Bacot doesn’t have the skill set in his game to beat Edey but he needs to put that on display in this one. He might be the biggest key outside of three-pointers because if he cant get going or gets into foul trouble early, UNC will be in trouble.

What You Need To Know

WHAT? North Carolina Tar Heels (3-0) vs. Purdue (3-0) at the Hall of Fame Tip-off Classic
WHEN? Saturday, November 20, 4pm ET
WHERE? Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT
TV? ESPN News
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network
LINE? N/A
LAST MEETING? 1999. (4) UNC 90, (22) Purdue 75
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads 8-2
PREDICTION? Purdue 80, UNC 70

For more on this game and the UNC Basketball program, please check back with Keeping It Heel.