By R.L. Bynum
USC Upstate (6–5) at No. 14 North Carolina (8–1)
When: 2 p.m.
Where: Smith Center
TV: The CW: Tom Werme play-by-play, Mike Gminski analyst
Officials: Mark Schnur, Clare Aubry and Michael Kitts
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app);
Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Zeller analyst
Coaches: Marty Richter (73–41 in fourth season, previously at Florida SouthWestern; 12–31 in second season at USC Upstate) and Hubert Davis (109–46 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: First meeting
Line: UNC -28½
Over/under: 146½
Common opponent: Both beat N.C. Central at home: UNC 97–53 on Nov. 14 and USC Upstate 82–67 on Nov. 25.
Quad designation: USC Upstate has a NET ranking of 196, making this a Quad 4 game for UNC.
USC Upstate results
Nov. 3: 87–65 loss at Cal Baptist
Nov. 5: 67–66 win at Fresno State
Nov. 8: 105–46 win vs. Southern Virginia
Nov. 12: 114–53 win vs. Bob Jones Univ.
Nov. 15: 73–60 loss at UNCW
Nov. 19: 88–84 loss vs. Tennessee Tech
Nov. 21: 72–64 loss at West Georgia
Nov. 25: 82–67 win vs. N.C. Central
Nov. 29: 72–63 loss at Nebraska
Dec. 3: 85–78 OT win vs. Coastal Carolina
Saturday: 78–67 win vs. Western Carolina
Read more
— UNC men are high seed in early bracket projections
— Cadeau scores 18, career-high 4 3s, as No. 2 Michigan wins 6th straight by at least 25
— Davis says Trimble “getting closer and closer” to playing
— Jaw-dropping Wilson dunk in practice leads Davis to playful bluff, “lie”
— No anger, just heart: Veesaar explains his animated night
— Wilson explains how he’s learning to deal with double teams better
Projected USC Upstate starters
No. 9 | G | Mason Bendinger (top photo) | 6–4, 210 | junior | Salt Lake City CC transfer
— Team-leading 16.1 points, 51.1 FG%, 36.4 3P%, 55.8 FT%, 2.8 rebounds, 0.8 of an assist
No. 1 | G | Karmani Gregory | 6–1, 175 | redshirt junior | Florida SouthWestern transfer
— 15.1 points, 42.1 FG%, 30.0 3P%,75.0 FT%, 2.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists
— Big South Preseason Second Team selection
No. 11 | W | Learic Davis | 6–6, 195 | redshirt junior
— 8.5 points, 51.6 FG%, 34.6 3P%, 73.1 FT%, 5.0 rebounds, 1.1 assists
— Has played the five spot in a small-ball lineup but generally plays the four spot
No. 0 | G | Tyler Smith | 6–0, 152 | junior | Trinity Valley CC transfer
— 4.6 points, 25.0 FG%, 13.6 3P%, 72.7 FT%, 3.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists
— Second in the Big South and 76th in the country with 2.0 steals per game
No. 7 | F | Coen Collier | 7–1, 226 | junior | Salt Lake City CC transfer
— 1.9 points, 38.9 FG%, 43.8 FT%, 3.8 rebounds, 0.6 of an assist
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What to watch
Inside dominance — UNC is averaging 81.2 points per game, dominating the glass at 43.4 rebounds per game, compared to Upstate’s 39.2.
Spartans’ defense — USC Upstate is 21st nationally with 5½ blocks per game, led by 6–9, 238-pound junior Jafeth Martinez at 2.1 blocks, which ranks 40th nationally. The Spartans are tied with UNC with the 60th-best 3-point percentage defense in the country at 29.4%.
Guard play — USC Upstate guard Mason Bendinger leads the team at 16.1 points per game, and guard Karmani Gregory is next at 15.1. UNC freshman Derek Dixon has been impressive off the bench, logging more minutes than starter Kyan Evans (43–46) in the last two games.
Reserve center play — This game should be a good opportunity for centers Zayden High and James Brown to get more minutes to help find the rhythm both have lacked this season.
Notes
— This is the Spartans’ only game against an ACC school this season. Last season, they lost at N.C. State 97–66, at Virginia Tech 93–74 and at Wake Forest 85–80.
— USC Upstate won the NAIA national championship in 1982, became an NCAA Division I program in 2007 and has never earned an NCAA tournament berth.
— The Spartans are picked last in the nine-team Big South after going 6–26 last season and finishing last in the league at 2–14.
— The Spartans are 47th in the country in fast-break points at 16.0.
— Caleb Wilson (averaging 19.3 points and 10.6 rebounds) and Henri Veesaar (16.2 points
and 9.2 rebounds) have combined for 35.5 points and 19.8 rebounds per game, as well as 25 blocks, 37 assists, shooting 57.8% from the line and attempting 110 free throws. Wilson’s rebounding total leads the ACC and all freshmen nationally.
— Eighteen Tar Heels have averaged a double-double in points and rebounds in a season,
but none of them as a freshman.
— Wilson leads the country with 28 dunks.
— The last time two Tar Heels averaged at least 16 points and nine rebounds was 1959–60 (18.2 points and 11.2 rebounds by Lee Shaffer and 16.8 points and 11.3 rebounds by Doug Moe). No other duo has averaged at least 16 and nine in a season.
— Wilson and Veesaar are the first Tar Heels to average 9.0 rebounds in the same season since
John Henson (9.9) and Tyler Zeller (9.6) in 2011–12.
— Wilson (fifth in the country and leading the ACC with six) and Veesaar (10th in the country with five) have recorded double-doubles in the same game four times (the program record is nine for Henson and Zeller 2011–12). No other team in the country has two players in the top 10.
— UNC is 10th in the country in field goal percentage defense (36.8%), holding five opponents below 35%. UNC hasn’t held opponents below 40% in a season since 2014–15 (39.8%). It would be the lowest field goal percentage allowed since the 1956–57 national-championship team (35.2%).
— Carolina leads the ACC and is 12th in the country in defensive rebounds per game (30.56).
UNC season statistics
USC Upstate season statistics
Statistical comparison
| Category | USCU | UNC |
| Points per game | 79.7 | 81.2 |
| Scoring defense | 69.9 | 81.2 |
| Scoring margin | +9.8 | +16.2 |
| FG% | 45.6% | 46.2% |
| 3P FG % | 33.7% | 31.7% |
| 3P per game | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| FT% | 68.9% | 70.7% |
| FG% defense | 39.6% | 36.8% |
| 3FG% defense | 29.4% | 29.4% |
| Opponent 3P/game | 6.1 | 6.3 |
| Rebounds per game | 39.2 | 43.4 |
| Offensive rebounds/game | 11.2 | 12.9 |
| Rebounding margin | +0.6 | +9.9 |
| Assists per game | 13.7 | 16.0 |
| Turnovers per game | 12.3 | 11.0 |
| Assist-to-turnover ratio | 1.1 | 1.5 |
| Turnovers forced/game | 13.2 | 9.9 |
KenPom comparison
| Category | USCU | UNC |
| Overall ranking | 258 | 24 |
| Offensive efficiency | 101.5 (281) | 118.0 (40) |
| Defensive efficiency | 109.4 (208) | 96.5 (19) |
| Effective FG% | 49.1 (235) | 52.9 (113) |
| Turnover % | 18.2 (216) | 15.6 (81) |
| Offensive rebound % | 27.6 (267) | 36.5 (54) |
| FTA/FGA | 39.4 (103) | 41.6 (64) |
| Strength of schedule | 265 | 123 |
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Duke | 17–1 | 29–2 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 10 Virginia | 15–3 | 27–4 | 13 | 11 |
| Miami | 13–5 | 24–7 | 32 | 28 |
| No. 19 North Carolina | 12–6 | 24–7 | 23 | 19 |
| Clemson | 12–6 | 22–9 | 36 | 33 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 11–7 | 22–9 | 14 | 25 |
| N.C. State | 10–8 | 19–12 | 35 | 45 |
| Florida State | 10–8 | 17–14 | 69 | 74 |
| California | 9–9 | 21–10 | 65 | 49 |
| Stanford | 9–9 | 20–11 | 59 | 51 |
| SMU | 8–10 | 19–12 | 39 | 50 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–10 | 19–12 | 53 | 52 |
| Wake Forest | 7–11 | 16–15 | 64 | 81 |
| Syracuse | 6–12 | 15–16 | 83 | 92 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–13 | 12–19 | 109 | 146 |
| Notre Dame | 4–14 | 13–18 | 93 | 121 |
| Boston College | 4–14 | 11–20 | 159 | 217 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–16 | 11–20 | 167 | 210 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
No. 1 Duke 76, No. 19 North Carolina 61
Boston College 77, Notre Dame 69
Clemson 79, Georgia Tech 76
No. 24 Louisville 92, Miami 89
Florida State 92, SMU 78
Stanford 85, N.C. State 84
Wake Forest 80, California 73
Pittsburgh 71, Syracuse 69, OT
END OF REGULAR SEASON
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday through Saturday
| Date | Month/day | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. 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. 11 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 | W, 85–80 | at No. 9 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | W, 71–68 | vs. No. 1 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | L, 75–66 | at No. 25 Miami | 19–5, 7–4 |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 79–65 | vs. Pittsburgh | 20–5, 8–4 |
| 17 | Tuesday | L, 82–58 | at N.C. State | 20–6, 8–5 |
| 21 | Saturday | W, 77–64 | at Syracuse | 21–6, 9–5 |
| 23 | Monday | W, 77–74 | vs. Louisville | 22–6, 10–5 |
| 28 | Saturday | W, 89–82 | vs. Virginia Tech | 23–6, 11–5 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 67–63 | vs. Clemson | 24–6, 12–5 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 76–61 | at No. 1 Duke | 24–7, 12–6 |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte | |
| 12 | Thursday | L, 80–79 | Quarterfinals: vs. Clemson | 24–8 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 19 | Thursday | L, 82–78, OT | First round: vs. VCU in Greenville, S.C. | 24–9 |
Photo via upstatespartans.com
