UNC Basketball: Hokies vs. Tar Heels game preview
The North Carolina Tar Heels have won 12-straight games at home dating back to last season. Can they make it 13 against Virginia Tech? What do the Hokies bring to the table?
Okay, it’s good thing UNC only plays in Chestnut Hill once a season. That’s two years in a row the Eagles had upsets on their minds.
Thankfully the Tar Heels pulled out the victory.
Now they return home for another tough challenge in the ACC. This time it’s against Virginia Tech with a 12-game home win streak on the line.
They also have a 6-game ACC win streak on the line as they look to keep pace with Florida State atop the conference.
What do the Tar Heels need to know about the Hokies?
Virginia Tech Hokies
Dec 28, 2016; Blacksburg, VA, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies head coach Buzz Williams reacts during the game against the UMBC Retrievers at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports
Head Coach: Buzz Williams. Career Record: 197-125. This is William’s third season at Virginia Tech and his third head coaching job. At his previous stop, Marquette, he took the Golden Eagles to the NCAA tournament five times in his six seasons, reaching the Sweet 16 three times. He has yet to take the Hokies to the NCAA tournament.
Last Season: Last season the Hokies went 20-15. They went 10-8 in the ACC finishing sixth overall. They beat Florida State in the second round of the ACC tournament before losing to Miami in the quarterfinals. Virginia Tech was considered by most to be a year ahead of scheduled and the successfully parlayed that into a trip to the NIT where they lost in the second round.
Best Former Player: Dell Curry. The former sixth man of the year and father of Stephen Curry, Dell played 16 seasons in the NBA. He finished with 12,670 points, 2,617 rebounds, and 1,909 assists. He also had a career three-point percentage of 40.2. At least now we know where his son gets is from.
This Season: The Hokies are currently 15-4 on the season and are sitting right in the middle of the ACC. They already have a wins over Duke, Michigan, and Nebraska. If they continue down this path Buzz Williams should finally return to the NCAA tournament this season.
Key Players
Jan 21, 2017; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) is guarded by Boston College Eagles forward Connar Tava (2) during the second half at Silvio O. Conte Forum. The North Carolina Tar Heels won 90-82. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Virginia Tech: F Zach LeDay
Leday leads the Hokies in scoring and is second on the team in rebounds. LeDay doesn’t always lead the team in scoring but scores enough to have the best average. In his last game against Clemson, he had 16 points and five rebounds. At 6-foot-7 he can be a difficult matchup for the Tar Heels.
North Carolina: F Kennedy Meeks
Kennedy had a big game against Boston College. He finished with 20 points and nine rebounds and pretty much did what he wanted to on the inside. Meeks is at his best when he is catching it down low and then passing it to a cutter or an open shooter. This creates more space around the basket and that’s when Meeks can really be scary.
Freshmen Spotlight
Jan 21, 2017; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seventh Woods (21) reaches for a loose ball in front of Boston College Eagles forward A.J. Turner (11) during the first half at Silvio O. Conte Forum. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Virginia Tech: F Khadim Sy
Sy is a 6 foot 10 center from Senegal. In his last game against Clemson, he had five points and three rebounds in 12 minutes of play. With the Tar Heels ability to get bigs in foul trouble and crash the boards, Sy might have a big impact on whether the Hokies win the game.
North Carolina: G Seventh Woods
Sure the Boston College game was about the return of Tony Bradley, and he came to play with six rebounds in 11 minutes. No instead let’s focus on Seventh Woods. The freshman is still trying to figure things out.
However, he has shown flashes of athleticism. He also has done admirably at the point. He had two assists against Boston College. Hopefully, he can continue to give the Tar Heels decent minutes at the point.
Three Questions
Jan 21, 2017; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) drives against Boston College Eagles forward Garland Owens (5) during the second half at Silvio O. Conte Forum. The North Carolina Tar Heels won 90-82. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Can Virginia Tech do the little things?
Virginia Tech is the 13th-worst rebounding team in the league. They also commit a little over 12 turnovers a game. Do you know what the Tar Heels do better than any other ACC team? That’s right, steal and rebound the ball. If these trends don’t change, Carolina will run away with this game.
Can Isaiah Hicks repeat his assist breakout?
Isaiah Hicks set a career-high with four assists against Boston College. One of the things under- looked on Brice Johnson last season was his ability to get an assist. If Hicks can keep this up, he becomes just that more valuable and the Tar Heels become just that more dangerous.
Can Joel Berry II get an assist?
Yes, this is two assists questions in a row. But this was a curious thing. In the game against Boston College, the Tar Heels had 17 assists. Joel Berry had zero of them. That hasn’t happened since a two-game stretch last year. The Tar Heels are 3-0 in those games. So maybe he doesn’t need an assist.
Prediction
Can Virginia Tech pull the upset? Potentially, but UNC has played much better at home this season.
Final Score: 88-82 UNC over Virginia Tech. The Hokies can score and play it close. If the game were in Blacksburg I would probably lean Virginia Tech. The Hill is just too much to overlook and North Carolina finds the way to win the game at home.
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