Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball kicks off ACC Tournament vs. Boston College

By Nick Delahanty

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 17: Quinten Post #12 of the Boston College Eagles battles R.J. Davis #4 and Pete Nance #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels for possession of the ball during the first half of their game at the Dean E. Smith Center on January 17, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 17: Quinten Post #12 of the Boston College Eagles battles R.J. Davis #4 and Pete Nance #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels for possession of the ball during the first half of their game at the Dean E. Smith Center on January 17, 2023 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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On Wednesday night, the UNC basketball program will kick off the ACC Tournament with its second-round matchup against Boston College.

The opponent is now set, as the UNC basketball program will take on Boston College in the second round of the annual ACC Tournament.

431. ESPN2. Wednesday, March 8, 2023. 19-12. 441. . 7:00 PM EST. 16-16

The Eagles took care of business in their first-round game, as they secured an 18-point victory against Louisville. Now, Boston College will square off with North Carolina for the second time this season, as both teams look to advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals against Virginia.

For the Tar Heels, their NCAA Tournament hopes ride on how they fare over these next few days. If Hubert Davis’ team can string together a couple of much-needed wins, they may be able to earn an automatic bid to the big dance, rather than relying on the selection committee to give them one of the available spots.

Key to Victory for North Carolina

In the first matchup earlier this season, the trio of Armando Bacot, RJ Davis, and Caleb Love carried the load, scoring 54 of the Tar Heels’ 72 total points.

Of course, North Carolina needs that type of production from their “Big Three,” but they also need more from the team’s supporting cast.

When the Tar Heels went on a winning streak towards the end of the season, the combination of Leaky Black and Pete Nance put together arguably their best basketball that we’ve seen so far this year. In order to make a deep run in this tournament, the Tar Heels need both of these players (along with the bench) to step up and provide timely offensive production.

Both Black and Nance struggled against Duke, but they can redeem themselves with strong outings to kick off the ACC Tournament.

Something to Watch For

Over the last two games, Boston College has played without Quinten Post, the team’s leading scorer, and rebounder.

Post, who has what is being called an “ankle sprain,” was unable to go for the Eagles in their victory over Louisville. His status heading into Wednesday is very much in question, as the team has less than 24 hours to see how the ACC’s Most Improved Player is holding up.

If Post is available, it will be interesting to see not only how much he can play, but how effective he could be. If he is forced to miss the game, the Tar Heels will receive a very favorable post-advantage in his absence.

Last Meeting

On January 17, the UNC basketball program defeated Boston College 72-64 in front of the home crowd at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Bacot led the way with a dominant 20-point, 16-rebound performance, while Davis (18 points) and Love (16) were the only other Tar Heels in double-figures.

Projected Starters

No. 1 Leaky Black (Gr., 6-9 205) – 7.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 apg
No. 2 Caleb Love (Jr., 6-4, 200) – 16.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.8 apg
No. 4 R.J. Davis (Jr., 6-0, 175) – 15.8 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.3 apg
No. 5 Armando Bacot (Sr., 6-11, 235) – 16.5 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg
No. 32 Pete Nance (Gr. 6-11, 230) – 10.1 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.6 apg

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