Previewing NC State’s Opponent: #7 UNC

NC State will host their rival #7 UNC tonight at 8pm on ESPN. Before the two teams tipoff, lets get to know the Tar Heels.

UNC hasn’t lost any Quad 3 or 4 games, and they haven’t played any Quad 2 games. The Tar Heels are 4-3 in Quad 1 games.

UNC’s Quad 1 Games

Loss to Villanova (#33) 81-83 (N)
Win over Tennessee (#5) 100-92 (H)
Loss to UCONN (#8) 76-87 (N)
Loss to Kentucky (#17) 83-87 (N)
Win over Oklahoma (#22) 81-69 (N)
Win over Pitt (#53) 70-57 (A)
Win over Clemson (#23) 65-55 (A)

UNC is the 2nd highest scoring offense in the ACC (trailing only Miami), putting up an average of 83.6 points per game. Defensively, they are allowing their opponents to score 70.6 points per game, which ranks 8th in the conference.

The Tar Heels are shooting 45.6% from the field, which ranks 6th in the ACC, and they are holding opponents to 40.6% from the field, which ranks 3rd. They are shooting 36.2% from three (6th place), and are one of the better teams in the conference in three-point defense, holding their opponents to 30.4% from beyond the arc (4th).

When you have Senior Armando Bacot on your team, it’s not shocking that you rank 3rd in the ACC in Rebounding Margin (4.9).

To be honest, UNC doesn’t have many statistical weaknesses, but they do rank 9th in the conference in Turnover Margin (5.6).

Senior Guard RJ Davis is leading the ACC in scoring, averaging 20.6 points per game, shooting 39.6% from three (9th in the ACC). He also leads the conference in free throw percentage (95.1). Davis makes 2.9 three’s per game, which ranks 3rd in the ACC.

Bacot is averaging a double-double, with 14.9 points and 11.1 rebounds, which makes him the ACC’s rebounding leader. He is shooting 52.9% from the field, which ranks 7th in the conference, which is one spot behind NC State’s DJ Burns (53%).

Junior Harrison Ingram, who played at Stanford the past two seasons, is averaging 13.1 points and 6.8 boards, while shooting an impressive 42.6% from three.

Senior Cormac Ryan, who played the past three years for Notre Dame (and his 1st year at Stanford), is averaging 11.0 points per game.

The Tar Heels will enter PNC Arena tonight on a 4-game winning streak, but the Wolfpack does as well.