You can make the case that all conference games are "must win games," but given the current circumstances, this one feels a little more important for Hubert Davis and the UNC basketball program.
After a disappointing loss to Louisville on New Year's Day, the UNC basketball program returns to action on Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Indiana as they take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Currently with an 8-6 overall record, a win would be a positive step and hopefully a momentum builder for the Tar Heels, while a loss would leave social media even more up in arms then they already are given the team's early season play.
Let's just say, it's very important that the Tar Heels return home with a win.
2024-2025 Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall record: 8-6
Conference Record: 1-1
Home Record: 5-1
Away Record: 1-2
Neutral Site Record: 2-3
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Overall record: 7-6
Conference Record: 1-1
Home Record: 6-1
Away Record: 1-2
Neutral Site Record: 0-3
Key Players
North Carolina
RJ Davis (Gr. Guard) – 18.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists
Seth Trimble (Jr. Guard) – 14.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Ian Jackson (Fr. Guard)- 13.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.7 assists
Notre Dame
Tae Davis (Jr. Forward) – 16.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Braeden Shrewsberry (So. Guard) – 16.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists
Matt Allocco (Sr. Guard) – 10.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists
*Markus Burton leads the team with 18.2 points per-game, but hasn't played since December 11 due to injury.*
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
The Tar Heels need to find a way to take control from the opening tip-off.
This team has a bad tendency of coming out of the gate sluggish, often leaving to double-digit deficits. Especially on the road, you do not want to fall behind, as this is something that Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels must figure out.
While this team has shown fight to battle back into games, sometimes the deficit is just too much to overcome.
Someone needs to go into the huddle before the game and tell them that they are down by 10-20 points. If they can play with that mentality, this group definitely has the potential to be the ones getting out to good starts in games.
Something to Watch for
We all know that North Carolina is prone to having some random player that no one has ever heard about absolutely light it up against them.
My bet on this game is senior guard Matt Allocco.
Allocco has been one of the best three-point shooters in the country, knocking down just under 47% of his shot attempts from deep this season. While plenty of good shooters have haunted the Tar Heels this season, it's important to know where Allocco is at all times, as the Tar Heels don't want him to light it up from three-point range against them on Saturday.
Projected Starters
No. 3 Elliot Cadeau (So. 6’1)
No. 4 RJ Davis (Gr. 6’0)
No. 11 Ian Jackson (Fr. 6'3)
No. 9 Drake Powell (Fr. 6’6)
No. 13 Jalen Washington (Jr. 6'10)