UNC Basketball vs. Boston College: Preview, info, prediction and more
The UNC basketball program’s season of adjusting on the fly continues as they are set to take on Boston College Sunday.
The sports world is feeling the wrath of Covid-19 as many games are being canceled, rescheduled, or forfeited. The UNC basketball team is no stranger to maneuvering around the unknown, as their anticipated UCLA challenge became Kentucky, the postponed Virginia Tech game and now having Boston College pushed back one day.
Carolina hasn’t laced up the Jordans on the hardwood for competitive play since December 21st, but that shouldn’t change the outcome of this game.
Despite inconsistent play against some of the top schools in the nation, Carolina has dominated against teams that have had no business on the same court as them. The last played game from UNC came against (6-8) App State where they won by 20 with complete control of the entire game. Armando Bacot and Brady Manek both finished with double-doubles, and RJ Davis added 15 points in what was a bounce-back performance after losing to Kentucky 98-69.
Carolina, who is now looking to get back into the AP top 25, will begin a 9 game stretch of unranked teams starting with Boston College.
Key To Victory
Continue to dominate the paint.
Carolina already had a gem in Armando Bacot, but the addition of Dawson Garcia and Brady Manek has been a fruitful one. Bacot nearly averages a double-double with an average of 15 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Garcia and Manek both average double figures in points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Allowing these three bigs to work should cause traffic jams inside the paint, leaving Davis, Caleb Love, and Kerwin Walton to get open looks.
The players to stop from Boston College are the duo of Demarr Langford Jr. and Makai Ashton-Langford. The brothers from Worcester, MA lead the Eagles in points per game and can stall UNC’s route to a dominant victory. Makai Ashton is the brother to keep an eye on with his clean shooting, in which he shoots 51% from inside the arch. Cooling down forward Jaeden Zackery’s hot three-point shooting is the other key to victory. Zackery has an even 500. three-point shooting % and could wreak havoc if left open.
Something To Watch
There’s no denying the offensive talent that UNC has, however, their kryptonite has been the defense and costly turnovers.
As it stands the UNC basketball program is 1st in the Atlantic Coastal Conference in turnovers with 14. Boston College has had their struggles as well placing 6th in the ACC with 11 turnovers per conference gameplay. This would be the perfect game for UNC to limit those turnovers, but how?
Keep the pace simple.
UNC pushes a fast tempo, often too fast for their own good. Feeding the inside and getting shots up early in the shot clock should limit those rushed passes caused from the shot clock. Even with how star-studded this UNC roster is, it could still be a fight depending on who wins the turnover battle.
Last Meeting
This is the 25th meeting between the two teams with the first game dating back to 1967. The last time these two teams played was February 1st, 2020, where UNC took a nail-biting 71-70 loss. In that defeat Cole Anthony led the way with 26 points, 3 assists, and 5 rebounds. Armando Bacot had a double-double as well, but UNC’s 21% shooting from three can explain why Boston College escaped the Dean Dome with a victory.
Projected Starters
No. 4 R.J. Davis (So., 6-0, 175) – 13.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg
No. 2 Caleb Love (So., 6-4, 195) – 15.1 ppg, 3.7 apg
No. 1 Leaky Black (Sr., 6-8 200) – 4.5 ppg, 4.6 RPG
No. 13 Dawson Garcia (So. 6-11, 235) – 10.8 ppg, 5.8rpg
No. 5 Armando Bacot (Jr., 6-10, 240) – 15.1 ppg, 9.8 rpg
What You Need To Know
WHAT? North Carolina Tar Heels (9-3, 1-0 conference) vs Boston College (6-5, 1-0 conference)
WHEN? Sunday, January 2nd – 1:00 p.m. EST
WHERE? Conte Forum– Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
TV? ESPN2 (Jon Meterparel, Malcolm Huckaby)
RADIO? Tar Heels Sports Network Affiliates
LAST MEETING? UNC Lost 71-70, February 1, 2020
ALL-TIME SERIES? UNC leads 18-6
PREDICTION? UNC 81, BC 72
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