It's time for postseason basketball, a stretch that the UNC basketball program hopes last longer than this week in Charlotte.
The UNC basketball program is set to matchup with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon. With a win, the Tar Heels would advance to Thursday's quarterfinal round against Wake Forest.
Notre Dame survived (literally) against Pittsburgh in the first round of the tournament, as a questionable foul call sent the Fighting Irish to the line, a trip that resulted in Notre Dame securing the victory.
Now, Notre Dame looks to spoil North Carolina's quest at earning a NCAA Tournament bid.
It's literally do or die for the UNC basketball program, as the Tar Heels have to play their best brand of Charlotte for as long as they possibly can. If they want any chance of competing in the big dance, they have to at least get to Friday's semifinal round (where they would take on rival Duke for a third time this season).
2024-2025 Regular Season
North Carolina Tar Heels
Overall record: 20-12
Conference Record: 13-7
Home Record: 12-3
Away Record: 6-6
Neutral Site Record: 2-3
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Overall record: 27-3
Conference Record: 8-12
Home Record: 11-5
Away Record: 3-9
Neutral Site Record: 1-3
Key Players
North Carolina
RJ Davis (Gr. Guard) – 17.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists
Ian Jackson (Fr. Guard) – 13.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists
Seth Trimble (Jr. Guard) – 11.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists
Notre Dame
Markus Burton (So. Guard) - 22.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists
Tae Davis (Jr. Guard) - 15.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Matt Allocco (Sr. Guard) - 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists
Last Meeting
North Carolina barely escaped South Bend with a victory when the two teams met during the regular season.
The Tar Heels were down three with 14 seconds remaining. A Elliot Cadeau four-point play with just under five seconds to go put the UNC basketball program ahead by one, as Markus Burton wasn't able to finish at the rim at the other end to give the Fighting Irish a buzzer-beating basket.
Cadeau scored six points over the final 22 seconds to lead the Tar Heels to victory. Freshman Ian Jackson had a career performance, scoring a season-high 27 points in the victory.
Keys to Victory for North Carolina
Both teams are going to look different this go around.
For starters, UNC will likely utilize the same starting lineup it used down the stretch, one that is a more traditional lineup. Notre Dame will be without Braeden Shrewsberry, who will be sidelined for the remainder of the season due to injury.
In the first meeting, North Carolina struggled mightily from beyond-the-arc, a trend that can not continue when these two teams meet up in Charlotte on Wednesday.
Protect the basketball, get stops (and rebounds) and get out in transition. Those are the keys that have led to the Tar Heels improvement over the final leg of the regular season. It's vital that they continue to stick with the plan to keep that success going.
Something to Watch For
While most of the Tar Heels struggled offensively in the first meeting, Ian Jackson had arguably his best performance as a member of the UNC basketball program.
Jackson poured in a game-high 27 points, making it essentially impossible for Hubert Davis to take him off the floor.
Now, Jackson has reverted to a bench role, but his impact could be just as big in this game. Can Captain Jack put together another strong outing against the Fighting Irish?