CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –– The No.17-ranked Tar Heels are back in Dean Dome tonight for a 7:00 p.m. game against No.10 Tennessee for the first ACC/SEC Challenge.
The Tar Heels are entering arguably the most difficult stretch of the season – facing four Top 25 teams over the next five games. The Volunteers enter the contest with a two-game losing streak with losses to No. 2 Purdue and No. 1 Kansas during the Maui Invitational last week.
UNC is coming off a 2-1 record in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament with wins over Northern Iowa and Arkansas. They are 10-2 in the all-time series against the Vols, but the last time they played each other resulted in a 89-72 win for Tennessee at the Hall of Fame Tip-Off in 2021. While that contest was at a neutral site, the Vols haven’t had as much luck in the Smith Center – coming to Chapel Hill with a 0-3m record which includes a 73-71 loss back in 2016.
The availability of Cormac Ryan is still up in the air after the guard suffered an injury to his right ankle during the loss to Villanova. He was unable to play against the Razorbacks. UNC head coach Hubert Davis told us that Ryan is getting better every day and that playing him will be a game time decision. The guard has been impactful for the Tar Heels thus far, putting up 18 points over the Wildcats and 15
over Northern Iowa.
Tonight will undoubtedly be the toughest defensive challenge the Tar Heels have faced all season, as the Vols boast one of the most elite squads in the country. They ranked No. 1 in defensive efficiency per KenPom.com – allowing 87.3 points per 100 possessions. One of their most productive guards is Zakai Zeigler who was honored as a All-SEC Defensive Team player last season.
“They’re always a really good defensive team especially in the half court.” coach Davis said. “They’re an excellent rebounding team.”
Initiating physicality has been a staple of Vols head coach Rick Barnes coaching style since he started his head coaching tenure back in 1987 at the helm of George Mason. Four of his players on this Tennessee squad are averaging at least one steal per game and they have height in 6’11” Durham-native Jonas Aidoo and freshman J.P. Estrella.
Aidoo has been the most consistent front court player for the Vols – averaging 8 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, oftentimes outperforming those numbers. The production of Aidoo against Armando Bacot will be interesting to watch, considering Bacot’s quiet week in the Bahamas where he only scored in double
figures once out of the three games.
In their last two contests the Tar Heels have allowed one-man performances to control the game. This time around they must be stingy and protect their basket from formidable guards in Santiago Vescovi and Josiah-Jordan James, both of whom pulled their names out of the NBA Draft opting to return to Knoxville
for a final season. They’re supplemented by the return of veteran guards in Jahmai Mashack and Zeigler and added in some new weapons with Northern Colorado transfer Dalton Knecht and SC Upstate transfer Jordan Gainey. If any of these duos get going, things are gonna be ugly real quick.
The majority of the scoring will come from these backcourt guys, especially Knecht who has led the Vols with his dominant scoring abilities and eye for the ball. He’s put up double figures in each contest, including a season-high 24-point performance against Wisconsin on Nov. 10th. In 2021, Zeigler and Vescovi led the scoring drive for the Vols – contributing 18 and 17 points, respectively over North Carolina.
Taking all this into consideration, a win over the Volunteers would be a good sign and a huge Top 10 victory for the Tar Heels ahead of their other ranked competitions.
Who: North Carolina (5-1) vs. Tennessee (4-2)
When: Wednesday, November 29th, 7:15 p.m. ET
Where: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
Last Meeting: UNC, 89-72
All-Time: UNC leads the series 10-2