UNC Basketball: Staff Picks vs NC State

The UNC basketball team will host the NC State Wolfpack for a critical ACC matchup on Saturday afternoon.

North Carolina has bounced back with victories over Louisville and Boston College following the road loss at Virginia.  With both Armando Bacot and Pete Nance back from injury, the Tar Heels are getting healthy and looking to climb the ACC standings.  Up next for the Tar Heels is a home game against their rivals from Raleigh.  NC State is the first team out of the current AP Top 25 and is on track to safely make the NCAA Tournament field, making this a “quad one” opportunity for UNC.  Will Carolina defend home court and pick up one of their biggest victories of the year thus far?  Find out what our staff thinks below!

Nick Delahanty

This upcoming eight-game stretch for the UNC basketball program is a big one, as it will start, and end, with battles against the Wolfpack.

NC State has very good guard play, led by star Terquavion Smith, as North Carolina will need big performances from the likes of Caleb Love and RJ Davis. Leaky Black will also play a major role, as he’ll likely be matched up with Smith (or potentially any one of the trio who starts to get hot offensively).

I think this will be a high-scoring affair, but I ultimately think that the Tar Heels will find a way to win this one and start the stretch on a good note.

Prediction: North Carolina 91, NC State 86

Mark DeMott

This should be a fun and high-scoring matchup between the two top-scoring teams in the conference.

The battle in the backcourt between the guards should be extremely compelling.  State’s Terquavion Smith currently leads the ACC in points per game, and Casey Morsell and Jarkel Joiner help form a three-headed monster at the guard positions for the Wolfpack.  Carolina is going to need good performances from RJ Davis and Caleb Love on both ends of the floor in this one.

The matchup in the post is also very intriguing, as Armando Bacot will be going up against DJ Burns, a 275-pound center that was the Big South Conference player of the year at Winthrop last season.  Armando can have some trouble at times when facing an opponent as strong as him, and it will be critical for him to control the boards and stay out of foul trouble.

This game will likely come down to who can slow down the opponent’s best players, and that’s where I think Carolina could have the edge.  Leaky Black will likely have the task of guarding Terquavion Smith, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a lot of Seth Trimble for defensive purposes.

I think Carolina’s improved depth plays a big role and the Heels defend home court.

Prediction: North Carolina 87, NC State 75

Aaron Conrad

The Tar Heels continue their homestand against a team that hasn’t beaten them in Chapel Hill since 2018.

I am going to make the bold prediction that this is the Caleb Love game. I think Love finds his stroke and has one of those special games. Honestly, it will take that against a good State team.

If the Tar Heels can get continued contributions from the bench and Love plays well, I see the Tar Heels winning in a close one.

Prediction: North Carolina 85, NC State 79

Spencer Schultz

The health of the big guys is important for this one, but Armando Bacot has still been extremely productive despite his ankle injury. RJ Davis continued his hot shooting against Wake Forest, and Caleb Love even showed signs of breaking out of his slump.

If the Heels can win the backcourt matchup against NC State, they will win the game. The Wolfpack’s starting backcourt combines to average 35 points per game between the two, so Love and Davis will need to be on their toes defensively.

Expect a close one at the Smith Center.

Prediction: North Carolina 79, NC State 75

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