The North Carolina Tar Heels (16-10, 8-7 ACC) are on the road to face the No. 23 North Carolina State Wolfpack (20-7, 10-6 ACC) Sunday in a matchup of two of the most up-tempo teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
North Carolina dropped their last game against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes 80-72 at Dean E. Smith Center on Monday. RJ Davis was the key player in the loss with 23 points. The Tar Heels are ninth in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
North Carolina State dropped a close one on Tuesday at JMA Wireless Dome, falling to the Syracuse Orange 75-72. Jarkel Joiner had a triple double with 15 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds in the losing effort, carrying the team.
The Wolfpack are fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It’s the final meeting of the season between the teams. North Carolina will be seeking a season sweep against North Carolina State after taking the only prior game 80-69 at Dean E. Smith Center on January 21, their fourth straight head-to-head victory.
Davis led the Tar Heels with 26 points, while Armando Bacot added 23 points and 18 rebounds. DJ Burns had 18 points in the losing effort. The Tar Heels have been led this season by Caleb Love (17.0 ppg), Bacot (16.7), and Davis (16.1).
Bacot also has grabbed 10.6 rebounds per game, 10th-most in the nation, while Davis has dished 3.3 assists per game. Terquavion Smith (18.3 ppg) and Joiner (16.1) have supplied much of the Wolfpack’s offense.
Smith also has doled out 4.6 assists per game. Burns has pulled down 5.1 rebounds per game. Look for plenty of transition action in this matchup that showcases the league’s two most up-and-down teams, as the Tar Heels are first in possessions per game while the Wolfpack are second.
The Tar Heels have dominated the last 10 games at PNC Arena, winning eight. In the last 10 games, North Carolina is 5-5 with an average margin of +3.5 (73.1-69.6).
For the season, the Tar Heels are averaging 78.2 points per game, compared to 72.5 for opponents. North Carolina State has a 7-3 record over the last 10, scoring 77.4 points per game on average while allowing 71.6 (+5.8 margin).
TAR HEELS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Seth Trimble: 1.8 | 3.7 | -1.9
Points per game:
Pete Nance: 5.6 | 8.6 | -3.0
Rebounds per game:
Leaky Black: 9.0 | 6.2 | +2.8
WOLFPACK HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Dusan Mahorcic: 0.0 | 6.1 | -6.1
Points per game:
DJ Burns: 16.0 | 12.3 | +3.7
Jack Clark: 4.2 | 5.8 | -1.6
Rebounds per game:
Jarkel Joiner: 6.2 | 4.8 | +1.4
Jack Clark: 2.6 | 4.5 | -1.9
Assists per game:
Jarkel Joiner: 5.2 | 3.7 | +1.5
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
NC State -2.5 (-110)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
