Keys for an NC State Win Over UNC in the ACC Championship Game

NC State and #4 UNC will tipoff at 8:30pm tonight in the ACC Championship game on ESPN.

This will be the 7th time that the two rivals will face one another in the ACC Tournament Title Game. A Wolfpack vs. Tar Heels Championship is the 2nd most frequent pairing in the Championship Game in Tournament history.

Here are a few keys for an NC State victory over UNC tonight.

Defensively

1. Don’t let the Tar Heels get out in transition. In the 13-point loss in PNC Arena, UNC scored 18 fast break points, compared to NC State’s 8.
2. Let Elliot Cadeau shoot. In the 9-point loss at Chapel Hill, his ability to get in the paint and score at the rim killed the Wolfpack’s momentum every time. He had 15 points in that game, making 5 of his 7 shots .
3. Box out Harrison Ingram. It hasn’t been RJ Davis that has killed the Pack this year. In Game 1, Ingram had 19 boards, and in Game 2 he had 22 points. Diarra is playing better defense as of late, which will hopefully translate to a decrease in Ingram’s output.
4. Keep the Tar Heels off of the free throw line. Last time out, UNC made 23 of their 27 free throw attempts. That’s way too many free throws.

Offensively

1. Attack the basket and get to the free throw line. UNC is solid defensively. Don’t settle for ill advised perimeter shots. Keep whipping the ball around in the half court. Work the pick-and-roll.
2. A guard besides DJ Horne needs to step up. Casey Morsell hasn’t been the perimeter shooter this season that we are accustomed to. Through two games against the Tar Heels this season, he is 0-7 from three. If he turns that around tonight, it will be a key to victory.
3. Feed the post. DJ Burns hasn’t played well against UNC this year, but they need to ride his momentum from yesterday. Burns has averaged 8.5 points per game in his two games against UNC this year. Bacot is a heck of a defender, but if the Pack feeds the post, and gets him in foul trouble, it will be a key to victory. NC State is known for their guard play, but it was Burns, Middlebrooks and Diarra that willed the Pack to victory yesterday. Why not two days in a row?