By R.L. Bynum
Radford (2–0) at No. 18 North Carolina (2–0)
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
TV: ACC Network: Wes Durham play-by-play, Dennis Scott analyst
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app);
Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Zeller analyst
Officials: Clarence Armstrong, Jerry Heater and Anthony Eades
It is a blue-out game.
UNC starters: Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac, Jarin Stevenson, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar.
Series: UNC leads 3–0 (see list below)
Line: Carolina by 21½
Over/under: 156½
Moneylines: UNC -8,000; Radford +1,800
Radford results
Oct. 29: 95–56 exhibition win over Bridgewater
Nov. 3: 80–75 win vs. Western Illinois
Friday: 99–61 win vs. West Virginia Wesleyan
Projected Radford starters
No. 3 | PG | Jaylon Johnson | 6–0, 165 | senior | Tennessee Tech transfer
— 28 minutes, 12 points, 2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.0 steals per game
— Last season at Tennessee Tech: 32 games, 32 starts, 14.3 points, 40 FG%, 35.5 3P%, 82.2 FT%, 4.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.6 steals
No. 5 | G | Mari Jordan | 6–6, 187 | redshirt sophomore | Tulane transfer
— 16 minutes, 7.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1 assist per game
— Last season at Tulane: 32 games, 11 starts, 7.0 points, 39.5 FG%, 34.9 3P%, 81.6 FT%, 3.6 rebounds
No. 10 | G | Del Jones | 6–3, 185 | sophomore | Clemson transfer
— 26.5 minutes, 15.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists per game
— Last season at Clemson: 32 games, 0 starts, 3.8 points, 40.3 FG%, 31.1 3P%, 76.5 FT%, 1.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist
No. 11 | G | Dennis Parker Jr. (top photo) | 6–5, 218 | junior | N.C. State transfer
— 23 minutes, 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 steals per game
— Two seasons at N.C. State: 56 games, 12 starts, 3.8 points, 41.4 FG%, 28 3P%, 49.2 FT%, 2.8 rebounds
No. 21 | F | Tyson Brown | 6–9, 205 | graduate | Georgia Southern transfer
— 25.0 minutes, 10.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1 block per game
— Last season at Georgia Southern: 33 games, 29 starts, 7.3 points, 63.4 FG%, 46.8 FT%, 6.8 rebounds, 1.0 block
— The 25-year-old played at Rhode Island two seasons ago.
— This is the third of five consecutive home games, the first such stretch to start a season since 1918–19.
— UNC has won all three previous meetings, the first coming in Greensboro in the first round of the NCAA tournament at the start of the Tar Heels’ run to the 2009 national championship.
— First-year Radford coach Zach Chu brought in 13 newcomers, with all five starters transfers, including former N.C. State guard Dennis Parker Jr. (top photo) and former Clemson guard Del Jones.
— Chu, who played at Richmond, had no previous college head coaching experience and was the chief strategist for men’s basketball at SMU last season.
— The Highlanders are averaging 89.5 points per game, shooting 55% from the floor.
— Frederik Erichsen, a 6–9, 220-pound freshman from Copehagen, Denmark, has been impressive off the bench, averaging 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 55% from the floor.
— Tennessee Tech transfer Jaylon Johnson leads the Highlanders, averaging 16 points a game. He was 4 of 8 from 3-point range in their last game.
— Radford is picked to finish fourth in the eight-team Big South Conference, which was where it finished last season when it went 20–13 overall and 9–7 in the league. The Highlanders’ season ended with a semifinal loss to High Point in the Big South tournament.
— The Highlanders lost twice against ACC team last season, falling 96–56 at Pittsburgh on Nov. 4 and 79–51 at Clemson on Nov. 21. Radford plays at SMU on Nov. 24.
— It will be UNC’s first game without senior guard Seth Trimble, who broke a bone in his left forearm while lifting weights on Sunday and had surgery Monday.
— Freshman forward Caleb Wilson is the co-ACC Player and Rookie of the Week, sharing the honor with Virginia Tech’s Neoklis Avdalas. Cole Anthony in 2019–20 was the last previous UNC player named Player of the Week.
— Wilson is the eighth UNC player to be the league Player of the Week, joining Jerry Stackhouse (1994), Antawn Jamison (1996), Rashad McCants (2003), Tyler Hansbrough (2006), Brandan Wright (2007), Coby White (2019) and Anthony.
UNC season statistics
Radford season statistics
KenPom comparison
| Category | Radford | UNC |
| Overall ranking | 151 | 23 |
| Offensive efficiency | 109.3 (106) | 119.0 (18) |
| Defensive efficiency | 109.6 (260) | 97.4 (41) |
| Effective FG% | 58.4 (44) | 58.0 (52) |
| Turnover % | 11.3 (24) | 15.8 (110) |
| Offensive rebound % | 43.3 (30) | 41.2 (46) |
| FTA/FGA | 60.8 (21) | 29.8 (251) |
| Strength of schedule | 338 | 200 |
Series: UNC 3, Radford 0
Other ACC games
Tuesday
Wake Forest vs. No. 7 Michigan in Detroit, 6:30, FS1
Florida State at No. 3 Florida, 7 p.m., SECN
No. 6 Duke at Army, 7 p.m., CBSSN
Morehead State at Clemson, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Central Connecticut at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Eastern Illinois at Notre Dame, 7:30, ACCN Extra
No. 9 Kentucky at No. 11 Louisville, 8 p.m., ESPN
Murray State at SMU, 8 p.m., ACCN Extra
Hampton at Virginia, 9 p.m., ACCN
Wednesday
Saint Joseph’s at Virginia Tech, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
UNCG at N.C. State, 8 p.m., ACCN
Montana State at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
UNC schedule
| Date | Month/day | Opponent/event (final ranks) |
|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |
| 9 | 7 p.m. Friday, ACCN | vs. USC in Greensboro |
| 18 | 5 p.m. Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis |
| 27 | 7:30 Tuesday, ACCN Extra | vs. Charlotte |
| November | Regular season | |
| 2 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina |
| 6 | Friday | vs. Wofford |
| 10 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming |
| 13 | Friday | vs. Georgia |
| 20 | Friday | vs. Marshall |
| 23 | Monday | vs. Monmouth |
| 27 | Friday, 7 p.m. | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte |
| December | ||
| 1 | Tuesday, 7:30, ESPN2 | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 13 Arkansas |
| 6 | Sunday | vs. Butler |
| 12 | Saturday afternoon | at Georgetown |
| 15 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro |
| 19 | 2:30 Saturday, CBS | CBS Sports Classic vs. Kentucky in New York |
| 21 | Monday | vs. The Citadel |
| 30 | Wednesday | vs. California |
| January | ||
| 2 | Saturday | at Boston College |
| 5 | 7 p.m. Tuesday | at Louisville |
| 9 | Saturday | vs. N.C. State |
| 13 | Wednesday | at Florida State |
| 16 | Saturday | vs. Stanford |
| 19 | Tuesday | vs. No. 17 Virginia |
| 23 | Saturday | at Syracuse |
| 26 | Tuesday | vs. SMU |
| 30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 5 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. |
| February | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Notre Dame |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech |
| 8 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. Louisville |
| 13 | Saturday, 5:30, ABC | at No. 4 Duke |
| 20 | Saturday | at Wake Forest |
| 22 | Monday, 7 p.m, ESPN | vs. No. 24 Miami |
| 27 | Saturday | at Virginia Tech |
| March | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Saturday | vs. No. 4 Duke |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo via radfordathletics.com
