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The Tar Heels are set up nicely for a very big win tonight in Charlotte.
In the first of two pivotal games this week, UNC has de facto home court advantage at the Spectrum Center. The opponent is undefeated Florida, which is 10-0 and ranked No. 7 behind No. 2 Auburn and No. 6 Alabama, both of which beat the Heels by double digits.
The Gators have had a much softer schedule than Carolina, which has also lost to No. 8 in Kansas and no. 20 at Michigan State. The Tar Heels have the eighth-toughest schedule in the country, while Florida is No. 52 after playing four unranked Power conference schools.
The fight on the field is also favorable for the heels. Florida starts a three-guard lineup that, like Carolina, is the Gators’ strength with good, maybe better, outside shooting.
Their top two players are 6-3 senior Walter Clayton, averaging 19 points and shooting 92 percent from the foul line. The next leading scorer is 6-2 senior Alijah Martin, who is averaging 15 points. They shouldn’t be able to surpass RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble.
Up front, their leading rebounder with 7 a game is 6-11 sophomore Alex Condon, who won’t dominate the paint against Hubert Davis’ rotating and fresh postmen. Florida’s second-best non-starting big man is a 6-10 sophomore who averages 5-plus points and 6-plus rebounds a game. UNC bigs combine for 15 boards per excursion.
The Gators are shooting slightly better from the floor and 3-point range, which can be attributed to the recent average accuracy of Davis, Cadeau and Trimble, all battling inconsistency early in the season. Cade Tyson has shown he can help with more minutes to feel comfortable.
Charlotte has always been the Tar Heels’ second home, and a sellout is expected to provide a significant advantage. This is a big game for them, almost a must-win and definitely their best chance to beat a Top 10, Quad 1 team, which will be their biggest win of the season after the rough start to the schedule.
Both teams like to run and average 86 points per game. match. So it should be a fast paced contest that Carolina favors with a lot of noise in their favor. If the Tar Heels win, it will loom large because of Florida’s record and ranking; losing will be just as damaging.
Coach Davis used the same starters for his first seven games, but has since gone to a four-guard lineup with 6-6 freshman Drake Powell and 6-8 transfer Ven-Allen Lubin inside. And at least against La Salle, the Heels were more successful using all five players who moved better, penetrated and passed to create ball screens and good looks.
Hubert also introduced a full-court press, which he may test tonight and likely Saturday against 18th-ranked UCLA in New York City, another Quad 1 game.
Featured image via Todd Melet
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including bestsellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to the WCHL for decades after making his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.
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