College Basketball

UNC Basketball: Fighting Irish vs. Tar Heels game preview

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:01 p.m. ET

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The North Carolina Tar Heels have won 14 straight games at home dating back to last season. Can they make it 15 against Notre Dame? What do the Irish bring to the table?

Whew, that one was close.

Thankfully the worst three shot Notre Dame had in its quiver, just happened to be the last and potential game-winning one.

The Tar Heels survived a tough one at home and the Panthers’ best attack.

Up next the top three-point shooting team in the ACC, Notre Dame. What do the Tar Heels need to know about the Irish?

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Head Coach: MIke Brey. Career Record: 472-234. Brey is in his 17th season with the Irish, which is his second head coaching stop. Before coming to South Bend, Brey coached at Delaware where he made the tourney twice in five seasons. Brey was also an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski for eight seasons.

Since arriving at Notre Dame, Brey has done nothing but win. In his 16 seasons he has averaged 22 wins a season and made the NCAA tournament 11 times, though he’s never made it past the Elite 8, something he has done each of the past two seasons.

Last Season: Last season, Notre Dame went 24-12 just a year after being the ACC Tournament Champions and making it to the Elite 8. They finished with an 11-7 record in conference play, good enough for fourth in the ACC. After an opening quarterfinals win over Duke, the Irish were throttled in the semifinals against UNC.

Notre Dame went into the NCAA tournament as a six-seed. They won their first three games by a total of 13 points. In the Elite 8, they ran into UNC again and though not as bad as in the ACC Tournament, the Tar Heels made quick work of the over-matched Irish.

Best Former Player: Bill Laimbeer. I am not going to lie, this was not easy. The choice came down to Adrian Dantley and Laimbeer. Despite more points and slightly better honors, I went with Laimbeer.

The four-time All-Star once led the league in rebounding. He was also a starter and key player on two NBA championship teams for the Detroit Pistons. Laimbeer finished his career with 13,790 points, 10,400 rebounds (34th All-Time), and 965 blocks.

This Season: This season, the Irish are 17-6 overall. Notre Dame started the season by winning 16 of their first 18 games including wins over Louisville and Northwestern. However, they have since lost four of their past five including three in a row. What started as a 5-0 first place record in ACC play has quickly become a 6-4 mark.

Key Players

Notre Dame: F Bonzie Colson

Bonzie Colson is the cog that makes this Notre Dame team work. Colson is only 6-foot-5 but leads the ACC in rebounds per game. That allows the Irish to shoot it a conference-leading 24 times a game from behind the arc.

Though they make it nearly 40 percent of the time, it’s nice knowing Colson is there to help clean up the misses. He also allows them to play four guards who can shoot the three, because they can trust his ability to handle the middle against bigger teams on the defensive end of the floor.

North Carolina: F Justin Jackson

Justin Jackson is on a tear. His 20 points against Pittsburgh marked his fourth straight 20 point game, a first in his career at Carolina. Jackson is also hot from behind the arc. Against the Panthers he only went 3-for-9 from three-point range, but has 15 threes during this four game hot streak.

Jackson is playing more aggressive and it’s working for UNC. If the rest of the Tar Heels can figure things out and Theo Pinson can return to the floor, Jackson’s aggressiveness will make North Carolina tough to beat in March.

Freshman Spotlight

Jan 28, 2017; Coral Gables, FL, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Tony Bradley (5) reacts during the second half against the Miami Hurricanes at Watsco Center. Miami won 77-62. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame: G Temple Gibbs

Temple Gibbs had 12 points and three rebounds in 19 minutes of play during the home loss to Duke. The 12 points were one shy of a season high. Gibbs gets the mention here as Notre Dame is an upperclassmen team like the Tar Heels.

UNC has also had some freshmen break out against them, most notably Bruce Brown of Miami, Ky Bowman of Boston College, and Josh Okogie of Georgia Tech.

Could Gibbs be the next to do so?

North Carolina: F Tony Bradley

To be fair, no Tar Heel freshman had a good game against Pitt. The three combined for two points, four rebounds, and three assists in 16 minutes of action. Almost all of that production came from Bradley.

Notre Dame is running with a smaller team, so Bradley getting major minutes may be not be the best thing. However, with Seventh Woods and Brandon Robinson not producing at high levels, Roy Williams may have no choice but to stay big, putting greater expectations on Bradley.

Three Questions

Jan 31, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers forward Jamel Artis (1) with the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) defends in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Panthers 80-78 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Can North Carolina match-up with Notre Dame’s Small Ball?

Pitt ran the small ball lineup to perfection against North Carolina. The Panthers hit 13 threes against the Tar Heels, a season-high allowed by UNC.

The three ball can be an equalizer in a world of height in basketball. With no starter taller than 6-foot-8 and a 6-foot-5 center, the Irish are well equipped to test that theory.

With Theo Pinson out again, the Tar Heels are not as well equipped to go small. However, if it becomes a problem, Roy Williams may be forced to give players like Nate Britt and Seventh Woods more minutes. No Tar Heel fan is overly excited to see that.

Can UNC wear down Notre Dame’s shorter rotation?

Notre Dame plays four guys at least 30 minutes per game, including three who average more than 33. They also have only seven guys who play 9 or more minutes per game.

The Tar Heels on the other hand, have 11 guys (one is injured) who play at least nine minutes a game and only one who plays more than 30.

When games are quick, like UNC wants to play, shorter rotations can be a problem. This is partly why the Tar Heels outscored the Irish 166 to 121 in their last two match-ups in 2016.

Can the Tar Heel’s perimeter defense step up?

In three of UNC’s last four games, a guard has gone off on them. The Tar Heels are 2-1 in said games, but this is still concerning. The three guards are averaging 29 points a game on a combined 30-for-43 from the field. They are also hitting 71 percent of their shots behind the arc.

These three guys are also all young players, two of them being freshmen. Part of this has to do with Pinson being out, but one of the scoring performances happened before he went down with an injury.

Prediction

Jan 31, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) reacts in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Panthers 80-78 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame presents a better version of what Pitt did, and Pitt nearly won. Notre Dame averages one more made three per game than Pitt. One more made three and the Panthers steal a road win in Chapel Hill. Bonzie Colson also does just enough to make the small ball work.

Final Score: 88-87 UNC over Notre Dame. I haven’t picked against the Tar Heels at home all season and don’t plan on starting now. Without Pinson, this will be a tough challenge, but UNC finds a way to get things done at home for their 21st win of the season.

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