Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball set for upcoming rematch with Wake Forest

By Nick Delahanty

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 04: R.J. Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives to the basket against Matthew Marsh #33 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during their game at the Dean E. Smith Center on January 04, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 04: R.J. Davis #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives to the basket against Matthew Marsh #33 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons during their game at the Dean E. Smith Center on January 04, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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After defeating Wake Forest about a month ago, the UNC basketball program will look for another victory over the Demon Deacons on Tuesday night. 

Having lost two straight games, the UNC basketball program looks to end the skid on Tuesday night as they make a trip to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest.

441. 15-8. ESPN. Tuesday, February 7, 2023. 15-9. 448. UNC -1. 7:00 PM EST

Neither squad comes in playing their best basketball. The Tar Heels are coming off disappointing losses to Pittsburgh and Duke, while the Demon Deacons have lost four of their last five contests.

North Carolina hopes that it could put up a similar performance against Wake Forest as it did just over a month ago in Chapel Hill. This is a big game for both teams, as they could both use a boost to their NCAA Tournament resumes.

Key to Victory for North Carolina

In the first matchup, the Tar Heels shot 51.7% from the floor.

Since then, North Carolina hasn’t shot higher than 48% in any given contest.

As nice as it would be to shoot that good of a percentage once again, we’re just asking them to shoot better than the 34.5% they’ve been averaging over the last two games.

That starts in the post, as Armando Bacot can not have a stretch as he did in the second half against Duke where he went 12+ minutes without a field goal attempt.

If Bacot can get going, it will open up shots for everyone else. Wow, doesn’t that sound familiar (reference almost every other preview article and you’ll see something in similar terms).

Stick to the strengths and don’t force up bad shots.

Something to Watch For

The Demon Deacons have been utilizing a smaller lineup as of late in an effort to mix things up. How will this affect the Tar Heels approach?

This should give them a clear advantage down low offensively, but how will this factor in on the defensive side of the floor?

Knowing Hubert Davis, it probably won’t make much of a difference, but it’s important to remember that Seth Trimble saw extended minutes in the first matchup given Pete Nance exited the game after just two minutes of action.

Will the Tar Heels go with a smaller look to match the Demon Deacons, or will they rely on their size to create a potential mismatch?

Last Meeting

RJ Davis scored 22 of his game-high 27 points in the second half as the Tar Heels defeated the Demon Deacons by a score of 88-79 on January 4 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Armando Bacot recorded 21 points and 9 rebounds over 38 minutes of work, while fifth-year senior Leaky Black was 6-8 from the floor en route to an 18-point performance.

Projected Starters

No. 4 R.J. Davis (Jr., 6-0, 175) – 15.8 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.3 apg
No. 2 Caleb Love (Jr., 6-4, 200) – 16.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.0 apg
No. 1 Leaky Black (Gr., 6-9 205) – 7.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.4 apg
No. 32 Pete Nance (Gr. 6-11, 230) – 10.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.6 apg
No. 5 Armando Bacot (Sr., 6-11, 235) – 17.5 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 1.1 bpg

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