UNC into Quarterfinals vs. Wake Forest
by Sharon Thorsland
North Carolina opened play in the ACC Tournament with an easy 76-56 win over Notre Dame on Wednesday. That puts them into the quarterfinals with a matchup against Wake Forest on Thursday afternoon. There is plenty on the line for both teams, with the loser likely seeing the NCAA Tournament hopes dashed. Tip-off is set for 2:30 on WBT.
These teams last met back in January, a 67-66 Wake win. The Tar Heels gave up some big runs in that game but are playing much better since then. “I think we’re a more mature team, a better team than we were before,” said UNC guard RJ Davis. “We understand the concepts of the games and understand that every possession matters. I think that’s one thing that we lacked early on in the year.” The Demon Deacons are coming off a win over Georgia Tech in the ACC regular season finale, but have lost three of their last five games.
Davis and the Tar Heels will need to slow down Wake’s big three in Hunter Sallis, Cameron Hildreth and Tre’Von Spillers. Sallis is the second-leading scorer in the ACC, averaging nearly 20 points per game, while Hildreth and Spillers combine for over 24 a contest. Wake is not putting up big numbers offensively overall though they’re averaging just 70.5 points a game. The Deacs are an excellent defensive team, they’re holding teams to just 68 points per game. But the Tar Heels rank second in the ACC picking up 81.7 points per contest, led by Davis, who combined with Elliott Cadeau for 35 of their 66 points against Wake. The Heels need someone else to step up in this one – can Jae’Lyn Withers continue his hot play? The Charlotte native scored 21 points on seven 3-pointers against Notre Dame. And fellow big man Ven-Allen Lubin added 19, giving the Heels a strong 1-2 punch inside.
There is this is the first matchup between these teams in the postseason since 2000, with UNC holding a 13-8 edge over their Tobacco Road rivals in ACC tournament play. If they play like they did against Notre Dame the Heels should add to that win total. Go Tar Heels!