By R.L. Bynum
Georgetown (6–2) at No. 16 North Carolina (7–1)
When: 5:01 p.m.
Where: Smith Center
TV: ESPN; Kevin Brown play-by-play, Cory Alexander analyst
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app);
Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Zeller analyst
Officials: Roger Ayers, Ron Groover and Bert Smith
Line: UNC -11½
Over/under: 150
Throwback: Carolina will wear early 1980s retro uniforms as they face the team the Tar Heels beat 63–62 in the 1982 national championship game behind 28 points from James Worthy and a game-winning Michael Jordan shot with 17 seconds left.
Coaches: Ed Cooley (366–263 in 20 seasons; 32–41 in third season at Georgetown) and Hubert Davis (108–46 in fifth season, all at UNC; was 228–95 in nine seasons as a UNC assistant coach)
UNC projected starters: Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac, Jarin Stevenson, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar (none played for Carolina last season)
Series: Georgetown leads 5–4 (see list below), with two of the Hoyas’ wins coming in the 1920s, and one, 79–74, in the only previous Smith Center meeting in the 2003 NIT. It’s the first meeting since the 2007 NCAA East Regional final, a 96–84 Hoyas win in overtime
Common opponent: Both won at Kentucky: Georgetown in an exhibition game 84–70 on Oct. 30 and UNC 67–64 on Tuesday.
Impact on NET ranking: Carolina is 15th in the NET rankings and can’t afford to lose what is currently classified as a Quad 3 game with the Hoyas at 113. A Quad 4 game (USC Upstate) and another Quad 3 game (East Tennessee State) follow before a Quad 2 game against Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic.
Georgetown results
Oct. 18: 74–64 exhibition win at George Washington
Oct. 30: 84–70 exhibition win at Kentucky
Nov. 3: 87–70 win vs. Morgan State
Nov. 7: 70–60 win at Maryland
Nov. 12: 83–70 win vs. Binghamton
Nov. 15: 79–74 win vs. Clemson
Nov. 22: 92–75 win vs. Wagner
Nov. 27: 84–79 overtime win over Dayton in Kissimmee, Fla.
Nov. 28: 78–65 loss to Miami in Kissimmee, Fla.
Dec. 3: 90–81 win vs. UMBC
Projected Georgetown starters
No. 5 | G | K.J. Lewis (top photo) | 6–4, 210 | junior | Arizona transfer
— Team-leading 16.6 points, 44.8 FG%, 34.8 3FG%, 73.6 FT%, team-leading 6.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.5 steals
— Teammate of Henri Veesaar at Arizona last season (his second with the Wildcats), averaging 10.8 points and 4.6 rebounds
— Preseason All-Big East Second Team
No. 2 | G | Malik Mack | 6–2, 175 | junior |Harvard transfer
— 16.6 points, 42.4 FG%, 38.5 3P%, 84.8 FT%, 3.4 rebounds, team-leading 4.6 assists, 1.6 turnovers, 1.2 steals
— Preseason All-Big East Third Team; has scored double-figure points in every game
No. 4 | F | Caleb Williams | 6–7, 227 | sophomore
— 12.8 points, 50.0 FG%, team-leading 40.6 3P%, 81.3 FT%, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists
— Scored season-high 23 points against Miami and registered a double-double (14 points, 10 rebounds) against Maryland
No. 11 | C | Julius Halaifonua | 7–0, 259 | sophomore
— 8.4 points, 54.3 FG%, 18.2 3P%, 75.0 FT%, 4.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists
— Scored career-high 16 points against Wagner and against Dayton
— Played only six games last season after suffering a season-ending injury
No. 7 | F | Isaiah Abraham | 6–7, 205 | sophomore | UConn transfer
— 6.1 points, 46.2 FG%, 27.8 3P%, 80.0 FT%, 3.0 rebounds, 0.5 of an assist
— Played only nine games last season for UConn, averaging 1.6 points
— Scored career-high 12 points against Wagner
What to watch
— Rebounding: UNC owned the offensive boards against Kentucky, and faces Georgetown’s 7–0, 259-pound center Julius Halaifonua, who only averages 4.9 rebounds per game. The Hoyas have only a +1.1 rebounding margin, while UNC is at +10.
— Perimeter defense: Georgetown’s guard duo of K.J. Lewis and Malik Mack against UNC’s point guard rotation of Derek Dixon and Kyan Evans will be one to watch. Limiting post-entry passes and drives with kick-back passes for open 3-point attempts will be important for both.
— 3-pointers and spacing: Carolina’s perimeter shooting has been streaky while Georgetown’s 3-point shooting hasn’t been great (30.9%). Who wins that efficiency battle?
— Avoiding letdown: Even though it was an ugly win at Kentucky, it was a big one, and UNC must avoid a letdown. The Heels can do it with better free-throw shooting, good ball movement and, as Hubert Davis says, battling well ”in the trenches.”
Notes
— This is the third ACC opponent for Georgetown (beat Clemson 79–74 at home and lost 78–65 to Miami in Kissimmee, Fla.), which was picked to finish sixth in the 11-team Big East in Ed Cooley’s third season.
— The Hoyas have six newcomers, with three of their starters being transfers.
— Georgetown’s 7–1, 257-pound center Vince Iwuchukwu, a St. John’s transfer, had a medical procedure last month and is out 6 to 8 weeks.
— In the Hoyas’ 90–81 win on Wednesday over UMBC, they had a season-high 25 assists, the most of the Cooley era.
— This is Carolina’s final game in a four-game stretch with opponents a combined 28–8 (St. Bonaventure 9–1, No. 7 Michigan State 8–1, Kentucky 5–4 and Georgetown 6–2).
— Derek Dixon’s drive against Kentucky was the first winning shot by a UNC player with fewer than 20 seconds left since Pete Nance’s bucket with 17.7 seconds left at Syracuse in 2023. He’s scored 24 of UNC’s 43 bench points in the last four games.
— Caleb Wilson, who has an NCAA-high 28 dunks, leads UNC in scoring (19.3 points per game; fifth-highest in the country among freshmen), rebounding (10.1; 21st in the country, 2nd among freshmen), offensive rebounds (23), steals (14), free throws made (48), free throws attempted (64) and double-doubles (5; leads the ACC and eighth in the country). Tyler Hansbrough is the only UNC freshman to lead the team in scoring and rebounding. Eighteen UNC players have averaged double-doubles in points and rebounds, but none were freshmen.
— Wilson’s streak of seven double-figure scoring games to start a season is third among UNC freshmen after Rashad McCants (20 in 2022–23) and Brandan Wright (18 in 2006–07).
— Estonian Arizona center transfer Henri Veesaar leads the ACC and is 18th in the country
in field goal percentage at 64.9% and leads UNC in plus/minus at +126.
— Carolina is third in the country in two-point field-goal percentage defense (40.4%), eighth in effective field-goal percentage defense (42.5%) and 15th in the country in field-goal percentage defense (37.3%; 3rd in the ACC).
— UNC is second in the ACC in offensive rebounding percentage (38.1%), third in rebounding (43.25 per game), third in rebounding margin (+10; 30th in the country), third in defensive rebounding (29.63; 23rd), fourth in offensive rebounds (13.63; 57th) and seventh in defensive rebounding percentage (72.7%).
— After attempting an average of 28.8 3-pointers in the first four games, that’s dropped to 21.0 in the last four.
— Michigan State is the only team to outrebound UNC.
UNC season statistics
Georgetown season statistics
Statistical comparison
| Category | GU | UNC |
| Points per game | 80.6 | 81.3 |
| Scoring defense | 74.0 | 65.5 |
| Scoring margin | +6.6 | +15.8 |
| FG% | 44.9% | 45.9% |
| 3P FG % | 30.9% | 31.7% |
| 3P per game | 6.9 | 7.9 |
| FT% | 74.8% | 71.1% |
| FG% defense | 42.2% | 37.4% |
| 3FG% defense | 35.8% | 31.0% |
| Opponent 3P/game | 7.8 | 6.6 |
| Rebounds per game | 36.4 | 43.3 |
| Offensive rebounds/game | 11.3 | 13.6 |
| Rebounding margin | +1.1 | +10.0 |
| Assists per game | 16.4 | 16.1 |
| Turnovers per game | 8.6 | 11.3 |
| Assist-to-turnover ratio | 1.9 | 1.4 |
| Turnovers forced/game | 12.9 | 10.6 |
KenPom comparison
| Category | GU | UNC |
| Overall ranking | 88 | 26 |
| Offensive efficiency | 113.7 (79) | 118.4 (38) |
| Defensive efficiency | 104.7 (115)) | 97.8 (26) |
| Effective FG% | 50.5 (193) | 52.2 (132) |
| Turnover % | 12.2 (3) | 16.0 (105) |
| Offensive rebound % | 30.9 (186) | 38.1 (29) |
| FTA/FGA | 42.4 (68) | 42.4 (67) |
| Strength of schedule | 222 | 136 |
Series: Georgetown 5, UNC 4
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 Duke | 6–0 | 17–1 | 2 |
| No. 18 Clemson | 6–1 | 16–4 | 30 |
| No. 14 Virginia | 5–1 | 16–2 | 13 |
| Miami | 4–2 | 15–4 | 36 |
| N.C. State | 4–2 | 13–6 | 29 |
| Virginia Tech | 4–3 | 15–5 | 49 |
| No. 22 North Carolina | 3–3 | 15–4 | 27 |
| SMU | 3–3 | 14–5 | 32 |
| Stanford | 3–3 | 14–5 | 67 |
| No. 23 Louisville | 3–3 | 13–5 | 15 |
| Syracuse | 3–3 | 12–7 | 75 |
| California | 2–4 | 14–5 | 60 |
| Wake Forest | 2–4 | 11–8 | 65 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–4 | 11–8 | 142 |
| Boston College | 2–4 | 9–10 | 157 |
| Notre Dame | 1–5 | 10–9 | 81 |
| Florida State | 1–5 | 8–11 | 116 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–5 | 8–11 | 120 |
* — Through Wednesday games
Tuesday’s results
Florida State 65, Miami 63
N.C. State 80, No. 18 Clemson 76, OT
SMU 91, Wake Forest 79
Wednesday’s games
No. 22 North Carolina 91, Notre Dame 69
Boston College 65, Pittsburgh 62
Virginia Tech 76, Syracuse 74
Saturday’s games
No. 22 North Carolina at No. 14 Virginia, noon, ESPN2
No. 18 Clemson at Georgia Tech, noon, ACC Network
N.C. State at Pittsburgh, noon, ESPNU
Wake Forest at No. 5 Duke, noon, The CW
Miami at Syracuse, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Virginia Tech at No. 23 Louisville, 2:15, The CW
Florida State at SMU, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Wake Forest at No. 5 Duke, noon, The CW
Boston College at Notre Dame, 6 p.m., ACC Network
California at Stanford, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Monday’s game
No. 23 Louisville at No. 5 Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
Wake Forest at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m., ACC Network
No. 14 Virginia at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Syracuse at N.C. State, 7 p.m., ESPN U
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, 8 p.m., ACC Network
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 13 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. 19 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. 10 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. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at No. 14 Virginia | ESPN |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 5 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. 23 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 18 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 5 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo via guhoyas.com
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