UNC faces ND in ACC Tourney Opener

by Sharon Thorsland

North Carolina takes on Notre Dame in their ACC Tournament opener today. The 5th seeded Tar Heels had a first round bye, while the Fighting Irish hung on for a 55-54 win over Pitt on Tuesday, with the game ending on a controversial foul and subsequent game winning free throw in the final second. They’ve won three in a row now and are 15-17 on the year, including a 8-12 mark in the ACC. Tip-off is set for 2:30 on WBT.

This will be the second meeting of these teams this season – UNC escaped South Bend with a 74-73 win back in January, thanks to an Elliott Cadeau four-point play at the end. And the Tar Heels (20-12, 13-7) are playing much better basketball since that game, winning six straight before losing to Duke Saturday night. Notre Dame continues to struggle to score, the Irish are averaging just 73.7 points per game, that’s 152nd in the nation. Sophomore guard Markus Burton and forward Tae Davis do most of the scoring, they combine for 37 points a game. Coaches son Braeden Shrewsberry is putting up 14 points and three rebounds a contest. The Tar Heels got a big night from freshman Ian Jackson in the first matchup, as he scored a season-high 27 points. They’ll need a similar effort from Jackson today to advance, and continued solid play from RJ Davis, who will be looking to extend his UNC career with another win.

It’s win or go home for the Tar Heels, who will not doubt miss the NCAA Tourney with a loss, and more than likely need several wins to earn a berth in the Big Dance. So they should be seriously motivated to beat the Irish. They lead the all-time series with Notre Dame 31-9, including a 15-4 record in ACC play, and have improved tremendously since their near loss in South Bend. Look for them to be focused and on top of their game today and keep the season going. Go Tar Heels!