By R.L. Bynum
The No. 9 Carolina men’s team gets one last easy non-conference game before playing its first three games on an opponent’s court in successive games as the ACC season ramps up.
The Tar Heels (8–3) meet the worst team on their schedule at 8 p.m. Friday (ACC Network) and will be 32½-point favorites at the Smith Center against Charleston Southern (4–8). The Bucs, whose longtime coach resigned late last month, have a 339 NET ranking (out of 362) and were picked to finish eighth in the nine-team Big South.
The Bucs went 10–21 last season, and this season hasn’t gone much better, with their only wins over Division I teams against North Florida and South Carolina State. They’ve lost road games at N.C. State (87–53 on Nov. 17) and Wake Forest (71–56 on Nov. 24).
That will be a one-game break from UNC’s rigorous schedule that has included three consecutive ranked opponents. The Heels lost 87–67 to No. 5 UConn on Dec. 5 in New York and 87–83 to No. 8 Kentucky on Dec. 16 in Atlanta but beat No. 12 Oklahoma in Charlotte 81–69 on Dec. 20. It ended the first stretch of five consecutive ranked non-conference opponents in program history (also Arkansas, then No. 20, on Nov. 24 and No. 6 Tennessee on Nov. 29).
The tough schedule resumes in the new year, with three Quad 1 road ACC games, facing Pittsburgh (9–3, 0–1 ACC; NET ranking of 39) at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, No. 18 Clemson (10–1, 1–0; 12) at noon on Jan. 6 and N.C. State (9–3, 1–0; 70) at 8 p.m. on Jan. 10.
Coach Hubert Davis hopes that his team can continue to play with the kind of energy he saw from them in the victory over the Sooners.
“I thought that’s something to build on,” he said. “I don’t know how many days we’ve been together as a group, but every day I mention defense and rebounding. We talk about how important it is for us to be the best that we can be. It means that we can check those two boxes as well as taking care of the basketball. It puts us in great position to be successful against whomever we play.”
Senior guard RJ Davis has been on a roll, becoming the first player to lead Carolina in scoring for seven consecutive games since Tyler Hansbrough did it for seven games in the 2007–08 season. The ACC Player of the Week for the second time this season, his 183 points in those seven games are the most since Hansbrough scored 191 in a seven-game stretch in 2007–08.
“For him to step up in so many different ways? Outstanding defensive player; he’s really stepped it up on that end,” Coach Davis said. “I’m just really happy for him. I feel like this is the first time that he is being celebrated and encouraged and noticed.”
This all comes after RJ Davis didn’t even make the preseason All-ACC team.
“It’s been something I’ve dealt with — the doubters,” he said. “I’ve stayed within myself and not really paid too much attention to that. Obviously not making the preseason team, I’m not in control of who’s making the decisions. I am in control of mentally how I play.”
Saah Nimley, who was the associate head coach, became Charleston Southern’s interim coach on Nov. 30 when, after a 2–5 start, Coach Barclay Radebaugh resigned after 19 seasons in what the school called a mutual decision.
Charleston Southern lost three of its best players and more than half the team’s scoring from last season, including guard Claudell Harris, who transferred to Boston College after averaging 17.4 points last season. He’s averaging 14.6 points for the Eagles, starting nine of 11 games.
The Bucs have seven newcomers, including six transfers, to go with three top returners in redshirt 6–1 sophomore point guard R.J. Johnson and junior forwards Taje’ Kelly (6–7) and Kalib Clinton (6–4).
Johnson leads the team in scoring (17.3 points), 3-point shooting (20, 47.6%) and assists (2.4). Kelly, a preseason second-team All-Big South preseason pick, is averaging 15.3 points and a team-leading 8.7 rebounds.
NOTES — This is the first meeting between UNC and Charleston Southern. … The Bucs won their last game 103–79 on Dec. 21 against Kentucky Christian, an NAIA school. … They are the second Big South opponent this season after UNC beat Radford 86–70 in its season opener on Nov. 6. … Jones Angell will do the broadcast of the game by himself with an empty chair next to him as a tribute to his friend and longtime color analyst Eric Montross, who passed away on Dec. 17. There will be a moment of silence and tribute to Montross before the game. … Mike Monaco and Randolph Childress will be on the ACC Network call of the game. … Carolina will play only five December games, the fewest since playing four in the 2018–19 season. … KenPom ranks Carolina’s schedule as the 11th-toughest in the country, and only Purdue’s non-conference schedule is tougher. … UNC leads the ACC in scoring with 84.5 points per game. … RJ Davis leads the ACC in scoring (21.7 points per game; eighth in the country) and free-throw percentage (94.6%; ninth in the country), is second in minutes (34.5 per game) and fourth in 3-pointers (2.9 per game). … Armando Bacot leads the ACC in rebounding (11.0 per game; fifth in the country) and is fourth in blocked shots (1.9). … Cormac Ryan is third in the ACC and 35th in the country in free-throw percentage (90.0%).
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | CSU |
| Overall ranking | 15 | 338 |
| Offensive efficiency | 118.5 (10) | 96.5 (318) |
| Defensive efficiency | 96.3 (41) | 112.8 (339) |
| Effective FG% | 52.1 (110) | 46.8 (279) |
| Turnover % | 14.4 (27) | 19.1 (256) |
| Offensive rebound % | 30.6 (136) | 23.5 (323) |
| FTA/FGA | 45.5 (10) | 35.1 (122) |
| Strength of schedule | 15 | 173 |
UNC season statistics
Charleston Southern season statistics
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 10 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 17 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 9 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. East Tennessee State | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | 3 p.m. | vs. Ohio State | CBS |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | 8 p.m. | vs. East Carolina | ACCN |
| 30 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Florida State | ESPN2 |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | 2:15 | at SMU | The CW |
| 10 | Saturday | 6 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 14 | Wednesday | 9 p.m. | at Stanford | ACCN |
| 17 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at California | ACCN |
| 21 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 or 2:30 | at No. 23 Virginia | ESPN or ESPNU |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo by Smith Hardy
tarheeltribune.com 