The faltering NC State men’s basketball team will travel to Chapel Hill on Saturday, Jan. 23 to take on the 9-5 Tar Heels.
UNC-Chapel Hill has disappointed to begin the season, as it was expected to be in the upper echelon of ACC teams with the addition of five-star recruits Caleb Love, Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler. Instead, that trio has severely underperformed, putting much of the pressure on the shoulders of returnees Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks.
Bacot has been on a tear midway through the season, leading UNC in points and rebounds per game with 11.6 and 7.6, respectively, while boasting the highest field-goal percentage on the team for qualifying players. In fact, Bacot is fifth in the ACC in rebounds and second in field-goal percentage.
Roy Williams’ team might be underperforming overall, but it isn’t due to a lack of an inside presence, as this Tar Heel squad is absolutely slamming the boards. Bacot, Brooks and Sharpe all rank in the top eight for ACC rebounders, with each accounting for at least 7.4 rebounds. This is all reflected in the fact that UNC ranks first in conference play for total rebounds per game and second in the country for offensive boards per game.
This does not bode well for a Wolfpack squad that ranks among the worst in rebounding statistics, sitting at ninth in conference games and 281th in the country for total rebounds.
In order to make up for that, the Pack will have to capitalize on opportunities provided off turnovers, as UNC ranks third in conference play for turnovers. NC State has done very well in terms of on-ball defense, ranking 12th nationally in steals per game.
Brooks is the other pillar of this UNC offense, someone that has tortured the Wolfpack several times in the past. In the 2019-20 season, Brooks scored 55 points across two games. While Brooks only scored 10 points in the last matchup between the two teams, the Pack can’t afford to bank on the fact that he’ll miss nine of 14 shots again and will need to prepare for him to get hot
One factor that spells trouble for the Pack is the availability of all of its pieces, namely redshirt sophomore forward Manny Bates, who could potentially miss the contest. Bates was a huge reason for the Pack’s victory over the Tar Heels earlier in the season, tallying 14 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. Bates missed the game against Florida State, and his presence was sorely missed as the Pack lost by 32 points.
Senior guard Braxton Beverly was another name head coach Kevin Keatts mentioned as “banged up” in a press conference on Monday, Jan. 18. Beverly added eight points along with four very important steals in the previous game versus UNC. If the Pack is unable to field one or both of these players, it would be a huge blow for a team that is currently reeling following three straight losses and two postponements.
However, the Pack will be joined by redshirt senior forward D.J. Funderburk this time around, as he missed the last clash between the two rivals. Funderburk hasn’t been playing as much this season, but he has been amazingly efficient across his performances. In a year where the Pack has struggled from the charity stripe, Funderburk has hit 92.9% of his free throws. It’ll be interesting to see how Funderburk handles Bacot and Brooks, but his efficiency at the line will be key in a game that could be scrappy and mistake-ridden.
While Bacot and Brooks will give the Pack troubles, it can’t afford to ignore UNC’s other pieces. Love has disappointed so far this season, but his high free-throw percentage suggests that he’s just in the middle of a cold spell, and his 30.2% mark from the field is bound to increase.
In fact, Love is fresh off a breakout performance against Wake Forest, in which he scored 20 points on 58.3% shooting, to go along with four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
R.J. Davis is another piece that stands out for Chapel Hill, recently earning ACC Freshman of the Week honors, joining Sharpe as the first pair of UNC players to win the award since 2010-11. Davis scored 13 points against Wake Forest and is averaging 9.4 points on the year.
With UNC’s play on the come up since the previous matchup as opposed to NC State’s decline over that period, it will be necessary for the Pack to cut down on fundamental errors and to be firing on all cylinders on defense to prevent one of Chapel Hill’s many talented players from going off.
That all starts with redshirt senior Devon Daniels, who will be tasked with leading the Pack again in the game. Daniels, redshirt junior Thomas Allen and freshman Shakeel Moore will all be asked to generate offense for the Pack. Moore had a breakout game against UNC in December, scoring 17 points and sealing the game for NC State.
Meanwhile, Daniels scored 21 points in that contest, while Allen recently went off for 16 points on 80% shooting from deep against Florida State.
Regardless of who Keatts has available for the contest, this is a winnable game and one that could set the tone for the rest of the season. NC State has not won two in a row against UNC since a stretch from 2002-03 in which the team won four straight.
This game will tip at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 23 inside the Dean Smith Center. The game can be streamed on ESPN, and fans can follow along with live coverage from @TechSports on Twitter.
