Preview: NC State faces UNC in another must win (9pm, ESPN)

NC State Wolfpack @ North Carolina Tarheels
Time: 9pm 
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
TV: ESPN
Line: UNC -3

What timeline are we living in? NC State sits at 8-8, tied for 5th in the ACC. Meanwhile, UNC is 3-13, last place in the conference. They have lost 7 in a row, one of which was a 17 point loss to the 4-12 Demon Deacons.

Yet, UNC is still the favorite in tonight’s matchup against the Wolfpack and not many people are that surprised.

What to expect from NC State
Not only is this your rivalry game, but it’s a revenge game. UNC’s last win was a 75-65 win over the Pack in late January.  Added on top is the fact that NC State is sitting squarely on the NCAA bubble. A loss to the Heels and they are likely NIT bound. Win, and the dream to dance is still alive.

The Pack needs to do three things.

1) Make sure Markell and Bryce are locked in.
When the senior PG is right, NC State can be dominant. You saw it against Duke, but you’ll need to see it in a game that NC State isn’t the underdog. His 6-19 (and 0-5 from 3) performance last time against Carolina was awful. He wasn’t attacking, he was hesitant and he turned it over 4 times. CJ Bryce was also in the midst of his strange stretch where he couldn’t score and he looked completely lost. He was 0-8 with zero points in that game.

Tonight they need Bryce and Johnson to be clicking on all cylinders.

2) Defend the middle. 
Bates was just back from a concussion the last time these teams met and it showed. Funderburk played well, but Garrison brooks finished with 25 points and 11 boards. Brooks is a good big, but he’s not good enough to take over a game against a healthy Wolfpack frontcourt. They need to make sure they don’t let that happen again.

3) Stop Cole Anthony
Anthony has been good for Carolina since his return but you can expect him to be great tonight unless the Pack can lock down on him. He’s going to look to take over this basketball game, and State can not let that happen. He is averaging almost 20 ppg since his return, however, Carolina hasn’t gotten a win in that span. Anthony is going to be hungry to not only prove he can help this team win but to do it in a setting where he would be knocking his rivals out of NCAA contention.