The way things are going in the volatile world of college hoops, the North Carolina Tar Heels could be in line for a No. 1 ranking soon. UNC got even better when Kennedy Meeks returned from his knee injury, giving an already potent lineup some extra juice.
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HOW THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE WOLFPACK CAN COVER THE SPREAD
A rough start in ACC play finds the Wolfpack in dangerous territory. Already at 0-4 in the league, one more loss would tie the longest streak under coach Mike Gottried, and it would be the team’s worst start to ACC play since it dropped the first eight conference games during the 1996-97 season. The likelihood of NC State earning a fifth-straight NCAA is starting to look like a longshot.
But the Wolfpack have always risen to the occasion under Gottfired and a wicked stretch of games could vault them back into prominence with a few victories. Following their battle with rival North Carolina, the Wolfpack stay on the road with a trip to No. 21 Pitt on Tuesday, followed by a home date with No. 9 Duke next Saturday.
Before league play began, junior point guard Cat Barber had already established himself as one of the ACC’s top players. Despite his team’s struggles, he’s backed that reputation up against conference foes. Barber leads the ACC in scoring and is fourth in assists. He’s also among the nation’s leaders in minutes per game, sitting a total of 1:49 over the last eight.
For the Pack to have a chance, Barber needs help that he hasn’t been getting recently. Caleb Martin has slumped following a strong start and Abdul-Malik Abu leads a frontcourt that doesn’t provide a lot of scoring.
HOW THE NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
UNC coach Roy Williams will be the first to tell you he’s spent four years riding Brice Johnson, pushing the senior big man to be stronger, to play smarter, to fulfill the potential he saw in him as a skinny but relentless four-star recruit in 2012. Williams waited for the proverbial light to go on and for Johnson to make a leap from good to great.
Halfway through his final season of college basketball, there’s no question it’s happening. You could see it against UCLA, when Johnson mercilessly attacked the middle of the Bruins defense to finish 11 of 12 from the field for 27 points. You could see it against Florida State, when he scored 39 with 23 boards, prompting his coach to say it was “about as good as any performance I’ve ever seen.”
He showed off his well-rounded game by picking apart Syracuse’s vaunted zone defense for eight assists as the Heels ruined Jim Boeheim’s return. Johnson had just 20 assists total entering that game and never had more than four in a single contest.
Everyone knows UNC is talented, but it’s only road to a deeper tournament run this year was through internal improvement. Wth Johnson, they’ve found it.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
There were some concerns when Meeks went down with a knee injury three weeks. The play of Johnson in Meeks’ absence alleviated those and now Williams is faced with the dilemma of having both big men back in the fold. It’s a problem every coach would love to have. Meeks returned after missing seven games due to a knee injury in last week’s win at Syracuse. His presence could create spacing issues, which could potentially stagnate UNC’s offensive flow, though it’s unlikely. Meeks is very skilled offensively and will team with Johnson to give the Heels a frontcourt duo that’s as good as the backcourt pair of Marcus Paige and Joel Berry. NC State will be pumped simply because of the Tobacco Road rivalry, but the Tar Heels have too much talent, and playing at home is good for a few extra buckets on their part.
North Carolina 86, North Carolina State 77
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