UNC favored by 11. O/U is 155. Implied score: 83-72.
Stanford competed well at Wake Forest. They were ahead or tied for 31 minutes. It was a one possession game less than 4 minutes remaining. But in the end the Demon Deacons had too much - pulling away for the 80-67 win. It doesn't get any easier at the Dean Dome. North Carolina is 12-6 (5-1 in the ACC, 7-1 at home). This is a "down year" so far for the Tar Heels, but not as bad as the record might indicate. They played a brutal non-conference schedule - their non-conference losses are to Auburn, Alabama, Florida, Kansas - all top 12 teams in both polls. Their conference loss is to Louisville. Best wins are against UCLA & NC State. They are on a 4-game winning streak. Massey has UNC at 27 and Stanford(11-6, 3-3) at 82.
Coach Hubert Davis played at UNC and had an 11-year NBA career. He is in his 13th year coaching at UNC, his 4th as head coach. He was ACC Coach of the Year last season - due mostly, I'm sure, to having Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan in the line-up ;-).
The Tar Heels are particularly strong in the backcourt with R.J. Davis, Ian Jackson, Seth Trimble, & Elliot Cadeau. Davis (#4, 6'0/180 Gr) is in his 5th year with the Heels. Last season he was the ACC Player of the Year and a consensus All-American. His shooting accuracy is down this season, but he still leads the team in scoring with 17.2 ppg. Jackson (#11, 6'4/190, Fr) was a McDonalds All-American known as a scorer form all 3 levels. His FG% is 51.1 (41.8% on 3s). He averages 15.7 ppg, but he has recently established himself as UNCs top scoring threat, averaging 22.7 in the last 7 games. Jackson & Davis are the leading 3-point threats. Cadeau (#3, 6'1/180 So) was named to the ACC All-Freshman team last year. He averages 10.3 ppg and leads the Heels with 5.9 assists per game. Trimble (#7, 6'3/195 Jr G) was 3rd in the voting for ACC 6th Man of the Year last season. He was a starter for the first 12 games this year before missing 3 games with a head injury. He has been coming off the bench since his return and the Heels have been on a roll, so he seems to back to his familiar 6th man role. Davis & Cadeau have both started every game, and Jackson has joined them for the last six.
UNC is not as settled in the front court. Jalen Washington (#13, 6'10/235 Jr F) has started 14 games, leading the team in rebounds with 5.2 per game and in blocks with 22. He is backed up as the big man by Jae'Lyn Withers & Ven-Allen Lubin. Withers (#24, 6'9/220 Gr F), in his 2nd year at UNC after 3 seasons at Louisville, averages 5.2ppg & 4.3rpg. Lubin (#22,6'8/230 Jr F) averages 5.9ppg & 4.7rpg. These three appear to be a "big man by committee", none spectacular, but all solid. The 5th starter will likely be Drake Powell (#9, 6'6/195 Fr G/F). Like Jackson, he was a McDonalds All-American and both are considered to be NBA caliber freshmen. Powell scores 7.3ppg, but is especially known for playing suffocating defense.
Stanford was hurt in the Wake Forest game by losing the battles for turnovers and, surprisingly to me, rebounds, points in the paint, & 2nd chance points. They prevailed in 3-pointers, but that wasn't enough. Agarwal seems to be making a case for turning the Big 3 into the Big 4. He needs to keep doing that, and others from among Young, Gealer, Cammann, & Okpara need to step up more consistently. A victory in Chapel Hill is not out of the question, but I think its pretty darn unlikely. It would require Stanford's best effort of the season - and for a full 40 minutes. And it would probably also require an off-day from the Tar Heels. If they do return to Palo Alto with a 3-4 ACC record, at least they can look forward to 3 straight home games that all appear to be winnable.
Stanford competed well at Wake Forest. They were ahead or tied for 31 minutes. It was a one possession game less than 4 minutes remaining. But in the end the Demon Deacons had too much - pulling away for the 80-67 win. It doesn't get any easier at the Dean Dome. North Carolina is 12-6 (5-1 in the ACC, 7-1 at home). This is a "down year" so far for the Tar Heels, but not as bad as the record might indicate. They played a brutal non-conference schedule - their non-conference losses are to Auburn, Alabama, Florida, Kansas - all top 12 teams in both polls. Their conference loss is to Louisville. Best wins are against UCLA & NC State. They are on a 4-game winning streak. Massey has UNC at 27 and Stanford(11-6, 3-3) at 82.
Coach Hubert Davis played at UNC and had an 11-year NBA career. He is in his 13th year coaching at UNC, his 4th as head coach. He was ACC Coach of the Year last season - due mostly, I'm sure, to having Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan in the line-up ;-).
The Tar Heels are particularly strong in the backcourt with R.J. Davis, Ian Jackson, Seth Trimble, & Elliot Cadeau. Davis (#4, 6'0/180 Gr) is in his 5th year with the Heels. Last season he was the ACC Player of the Year and a consensus All-American. His shooting accuracy is down this season, but he still leads the team in scoring with 17.2 ppg. Jackson (#11, 6'4/190, Fr) was a McDonalds All-American known as a scorer form all 3 levels. His FG% is 51.1 (41.8% on 3s). He averages 15.7 ppg, but he has recently established himself as UNCs top scoring threat, averaging 22.7 in the last 7 games. Jackson & Davis are the leading 3-point threats. Cadeau (#3, 6'1/180 So) was named to the ACC All-Freshman team last year. He averages 10.3 ppg and leads the Heels with 5.9 assists per game. Trimble (#7, 6'3/195 Jr G) was 3rd in the voting for ACC 6th Man of the Year last season. He was a starter for the first 12 games this year before missing 3 games with a head injury. He has been coming off the bench since his return and the Heels have been on a roll, so he seems to back to his familiar 6th man role. Davis & Cadeau have both started every game, and Jackson has joined them for the last six.
UNC is not as settled in the front court. Jalen Washington (#13, 6'10/235 Jr F) has started 14 games, leading the team in rebounds with 5.2 per game and in blocks with 22. He is backed up as the big man by Jae'Lyn Withers & Ven-Allen Lubin. Withers (#24, 6'9/220 Gr F), in his 2nd year at UNC after 3 seasons at Louisville, averages 5.2ppg & 4.3rpg. Lubin (#22,6'8/230 Jr F) averages 5.9ppg & 4.7rpg. These three appear to be a "big man by committee", none spectacular, but all solid. The 5th starter will likely be Drake Powell (#9, 6'6/195 Fr G/F). Like Jackson, he was a McDonalds All-American and both are considered to be NBA caliber freshmen. Powell scores 7.3ppg, but is especially known for playing suffocating defense.
Stanford was hurt in the Wake Forest game by losing the battles for turnovers and, surprisingly to me, rebounds, points in the paint, & 2nd chance points. They prevailed in 3-pointers, but that wasn't enough. Agarwal seems to be making a case for turning the Big 3 into the Big 4. He needs to keep doing that, and others from among Young, Gealer, Cammann, & Okpara need to step up more consistently. A victory in Chapel Hill is not out of the question, but I think its pretty darn unlikely. It would require Stanford's best effort of the season - and for a full 40 minutes. And it would probably also require an off-day from the Tar Heels. If they do return to Palo Alto with a 3-4 ACC record, at least they can look forward to 3 straight home games that all appear to be winnable.
