UNC Basketball to face Florida State in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

After defeating Virginia Tech in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, Florida State earned a trip to the quarterfinals, a round that they'll once again match up with the UNC basketball program.

These two teams are very familar with each other, as they matched up twice during the regular season. The Seminoles gave the ACC regular season champions a run for their money, as both games were decided by eight points or less.

To add to that, Florida State held a eight point lead in the second half in the latest meeting between the two squads back on January 27. Fortunately, the Tar Heels were able to get the job done, as they'll now look to get the better of the Seminoles one more time this season.

Key to Victory for North Carolina

There's two areas to look for in this matchup: turnovers and foul situations.

North Carolina turned the ball over a total of 30 times in two meetings with Florida State this season, but also forced the Seminoles to commit over 40 fouls.

The Tar Heels need to do a better job at protecting the basketball, and will also need to cause foul trouble for a Seminoles team that features a lot of length and athleticism.

It starts in the post, as Armando Bacot has the potential to be a matchup problem for Florida State. If Bacot can get going early, it could only benefit the Tar Heels as they look to defeat the Seminoles for a third time this season.

Something to Watch For

It isn't easy to beat a team once, or even twice, in a single season.

Now, the Tar Heels will look to defeat Florida State for a third time.

What adjustments will Leonard Hamilton and the Seminoles make for this one, especially knowing that they had the Tar Heels on the ropes in the second half of the latest meeting.

Can Florida State close the deal this time if they gain another early lead, or will North Carolina once again have an answer for what the Seminoles throw at them?

Last Meeting

Trailing by five at the half and as much as eight at the break, the UNC basketball program put together a second half surge to defeat Florida State on January 27 in Tallahassee, Florida.

Down by as many as eight in the second half, the backcourt duo of RJ Davis and Elliot Cadeau helped lead the Tar Heels to victory. Davis scored a game-high 24 points while Cadeau knocked down eight of 9 free throw attempts en route to a 16-point outing. Harrison Ingram hauled in 17 rebounds as the Tar Heels outrebounded the Seminoles 41-32.

Projected Starters

No. 2 Elliot Cadeau (Fr. 6-1, 180) 7.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 4.1 apg
No. 3 Cormac Ryan (Sr. 6-5, 195) 10.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.3 apg
No. 4 R.J. Davis (Sr. 6-0, 180) 21.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.5 apg
No. 5 Armando Bacot (Gr. 6-11, 240) 14.0 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 1.5 apg
No. 55 Harrison Ingram (Jr. 6-7, 235) 12.5 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 2.2 apg