The "Blue Bloods" come to Maples this week - UNC tonight & Duke on Saturday. It would be a win for Stanford to emerge from this with their .500 record in ACC play intact.
The Tar Heels are favored by 3.5 and the over/under is 144.5 - making the implied score 74-70.5. They are 14-2, 2-1 in the ACC, and 1-1 on the road. Losses were to Michigan State (neutral court) and at SMU. They have 3 Quad 1 wins - Kansas, at Kentucky, & Ohio State (neutral court). UNC's 9-player rotation includes 2 freshmen, 5 transfers, and a player from a European pro league. The only returning player who saw any action vs. Stanford last season at the Dean Dome is Seth Trimble.
UNC is led by a formidable front court: #8 Caleb Wilson (6'10/215 Fr F); #13 Henri Veesaar (7'0/225 Jr C); and #15 Jarin Stevenson (6'10/215 Jr F). Wilson & Veesaar account for 44.5% of UNC"s scoring, 48.8% of the rebounds, 46.9% of the field goals, & 49.7% of the free throws. Wilson was a McDonald's All-American and the Gatorade PoY in Georgia. He is a likely lottery pick in the 2026 NBA draft. He leads the team with 19.5ppg (7th in the ACC) and 11.0rpg (ist in ACC). He is 7th in the ACC in FG% (57.3) and blocks (1.4/game). Veesaar is from Estonia and spent 3 seasons at Arizona. He is 10th in the ACC in scoring (16.9ppg), 5th in rebounds (9.2/game), 2nd in FG% (64.8), & 14th in blocks (1.1/game). Stevenson played 2 years at Alabama. As a team, the Heels are 3rd in the ACC (behind Louisville & Virginia) with 41.4/game. Stanford's big men have another tough task ahead of them.
Other expected starters are:
#0 Kyan Evans (6'2/175 Jr G) 2 years at Colorado State. 2023 Missouri Gatorade PoY. Leads team with 3.5apg (14th in ACC).
#7 Seth Trimble (6'3/200 Sr G) 2022 Wisconsin Gatorade PoY. Fractured his left forearm on Nov. 7, returned to action on Dec. 20. Scores 16.7 ppg.
The Tar Heels have done a good job taking care of the ball - they lead the ACC with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.74. But they are looking for more consistent scoring from others besides Wilson, Veesaar, & Trimble. They are also looking to improve their perimeter defense. In their 3 ACC games, they have given up 40 3s on 39.2% shooting. Against both Wake Forest & SMU, UNC gave up more than 40 points to opposing guards. Hopefully Ebuka, Benny, & Jeremy can duplicate that.
I'll be watching to see if Stanford can: be competitive on the boards; apply some defensive pressure and force some turnovers; and get some flow on offense, leading to more assists & less reliance on isolation plays.
The Tar Heels are favored by 3.5 and the over/under is 144.5 - making the implied score 74-70.5. They are 14-2, 2-1 in the ACC, and 1-1 on the road. Losses were to Michigan State (neutral court) and at SMU. They have 3 Quad 1 wins - Kansas, at Kentucky, & Ohio State (neutral court). UNC's 9-player rotation includes 2 freshmen, 5 transfers, and a player from a European pro league. The only returning player who saw any action vs. Stanford last season at the Dean Dome is Seth Trimble.
UNC is led by a formidable front court: #8 Caleb Wilson (6'10/215 Fr F); #13 Henri Veesaar (7'0/225 Jr C); and #15 Jarin Stevenson (6'10/215 Jr F). Wilson & Veesaar account for 44.5% of UNC"s scoring, 48.8% of the rebounds, 46.9% of the field goals, & 49.7% of the free throws. Wilson was a McDonald's All-American and the Gatorade PoY in Georgia. He is a likely lottery pick in the 2026 NBA draft. He leads the team with 19.5ppg (7th in the ACC) and 11.0rpg (ist in ACC). He is 7th in the ACC in FG% (57.3) and blocks (1.4/game). Veesaar is from Estonia and spent 3 seasons at Arizona. He is 10th in the ACC in scoring (16.9ppg), 5th in rebounds (9.2/game), 2nd in FG% (64.8), & 14th in blocks (1.1/game). Stevenson played 2 years at Alabama. As a team, the Heels are 3rd in the ACC (behind Louisville & Virginia) with 41.4/game. Stanford's big men have another tough task ahead of them.
Other expected starters are:
#0 Kyan Evans (6'2/175 Jr G) 2 years at Colorado State. 2023 Missouri Gatorade PoY. Leads team with 3.5apg (14th in ACC).
#7 Seth Trimble (6'3/200 Sr G) 2022 Wisconsin Gatorade PoY. Fractured his left forearm on Nov. 7, returned to action on Dec. 20. Scores 16.7 ppg.
The Tar Heels have done a good job taking care of the ball - they lead the ACC with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.74. But they are looking for more consistent scoring from others besides Wilson, Veesaar, & Trimble. They are also looking to improve their perimeter defense. In their 3 ACC games, they have given up 40 3s on 39.2% shooting. Against both Wake Forest & SMU, UNC gave up more than 40 points to opposing guards. Hopefully Ebuka, Benny, & Jeremy can duplicate that.
I'll be watching to see if Stanford can: be competitive on the boards; apply some defensive pressure and force some turnovers; and get some flow on offense, leading to more assists & less reliance on isolation plays.