Preview: #3 UNC Hunts for a Victory Against the Hurricanes

 


(Photo Courtesy Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports) 

Chapel Hill - Earlier this week, the Tar Heels suffered their first home lost of the season to the Clemson Tigers, who entered the Dean Smith Center guns blazing and never looked back. UNC was unable to get on a roll offensively as well as defensively despite being one of the top team's in the country guarding the ball. However, Coach Davis and his squad face the Miami Hurricanes (15-8, 6-6 conference) on the road today at 4:00 p.m on ESPN.

Armando Bacot was the only positive takeaway from the game as he tallied another double-figure on the season scoring 24 points and securing 13 rebounds. RJ Davis had a high-scoring game too but converted 7 of his 22 shots from the field, 5 of 12 from the three-point mark. Harrison Ingram also added 11 points to the stat sheet. The absence of Seth Trimble was felt due to an upper body injury during practice, removing a unique slashing dynamic within Carolina's offense. Although, Paxson Wojcik played well through his extended minutes (22) scoring seven points and grabbing six rebounds.

The Hurricanes did not have their best offensive game by any means against the Virginia Cavaliers as they completed the first 20 minutes of the contest only scoring 17 points. The game game concluded with a final score of 60-38, a very out of the ordinary performance for Jim Larrañaga and his team. Norchad Omier was the only player to score in double-figures with 11 points, the second highest point total was 8 provided by Wooga Poplar. The team as a whole shot 29% FG, 10% 3PT, and 53% FT. 


Projected Starting Lineups 

Elliot Cadeau 
RJ Davis 
Cormac Ryan 
Harrison Ingram
Armando Bacot 

Nijel Pack 
Wooga Poplar
Matthew Cleveland 
Kyshawn George 
Norchad Omier

Key Matchup 

The perimeter game between RJ Davis and Wooga Poplar is a matchup to watch as the two guards lead their teams in 3PT shooting beyond 40%. Both players look to find their shot especially from downtown whether it's from the catch or off the dribble. An anticipated scoring battle to keep an eye on throughout the game. 

The Projected Winner by the Numbers 

UNC is listed at 63.1%, according to the matchup predictor on ESPN Analytics.

 



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