By R.L. Bynum
Notre Dame (10–8, 1–4 ACC) at No. 22 North Carolina (14–4, 2–3)
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Smith Center (the second of two January home games); UNC is 11–0 at home this season.
TV: ESPN2: 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
Line: UNC -11½
Over/under: 148½
Moneylines: Notre Dame +539; UNC -780
Coaches: Micah Shrewsberry (75–77 in 5th season; 37–31 in third season at Notre Dame) and Hubert Davis (115–49 overall and 58–27 in the ACC in fifth season, all at UNC; was 228–95 in nine seasons as a UNC assistant coach)
UNC projected starters: Derek Dixon, Seth Trimble, Jarin Stevenson, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar
Series: UNC leads 32–9 (see list below), 10–1 in the Smith Center and has won six in a row at home and five in a row in all games.
Quad designation: Notre Dame’s NET ranking is 81, making this a Quad 3 game. This is a Quad 1 game for the Irish
Common opponents
— Notre Dame lost at Ohio State 64–63 on Nov. 16, and the Tar Heels beat the Buckeyes 71–70 in the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta on Dec. 20.
— UNC beat No. 19 Kansas 87–74 at home on Nov. 7, and the Irish lost to the Jayhawks 71–61 on Nov. 24 at the Players Era Men’s Championship in Las Vegas.
— Notre Dame won at Stanford 47–40 on Dec. 30, and the Tar Heels lost at Stanford 95–90 on Jan. 14.
— Both lost at California: The Irish 72–71 on Jan. 2 and the Tar Heels 84–78 on Saturday.
Notre Dame resume
— 2–6 in Quad 1 games: wins over at TCU and Stanford; losses to Houston (neutral site), Kansas (neutral site), at Ohio State, Virginia Tech and California and vs. Clemson
— 1–1 in Quad 2 games: win vs. Missouri, loss vs. Miami
— 1–0 in only Quad 3 game: neutral-site win over Rutgers
— 6–1 in Quad 4 games (all at home): wins vs. Idaho, LIU, Evansville, Detroit Mercy, Bellarmine and Eastern Illinois; loss vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
— 0–3 against teams currently ranked: losses vs. Kansas, Houston and Clemson
Notre Dame results (current rankings listed)
Oct. 17: 77–76 exhibition win at Butler
Oct. 24: 69–62 exhibition loss vs. DePaul
Nov. 3: 89–67 win vs LIU
Nov. 7: 102–70 win vs. Detroit Mercy
Nov. 11: 78–58 win vs. Eastern Illinois
Nov. 16: 64–63 loss at Ohio State
Nov. 19: 86–79 win vs. Bellarmine
Nov. 24: 71–61 loss vs. No. 19 Kansas in Las Vegas
Nov. 25: 68–63 win vs. Rutgers in Las Vegas
Nov. 26: 66–56 loss vs. No. 6 Houston in Las Vegas
Dec. 2: 76–71 win vs. Missouri
Dec. 5: 87–85 OT win at TCU
Dec. 10: 80–65 win vs. Idaho
Dec. 13: 82–58 win vs. Evansville
Dec. 21: 72–69 loss vs. Purdue Fort Wayne
Dec. 30: 47–49 win at Stanford
Jan. 2: 72–71 loss at Cal
Jan. 10: 76–61 loss vs. No. 18 Clemson
Jan. 13: 81–69 loss vs. Miami
Saturday: 89–76 loss at Virginia Tech
Projected Notre Dame starters
No. 10 | G | Jalen Haralson (top photo) | 6–7, 220 | freshman
— Team-leading 14.7 points (16th in the ACC), 37.1 FG% (10th in the ACC), 33.7 3P%, 80.7 FT% (14th in the ACC), 3.6 rebounds; totals of 64 assists (4.0 per game, 12th in the ACC), 35 turnovers, 12 blocks, 34 steals (2.1 per game, 2nd in the ACC); 1.8 assist-to-turnover ratio (18th in the ACC)
— A five-star recruit and top-20 nationally, he’s the highest-rated commitment in Notre Dame program history
— Scored season-high 21 points against Purdue Fort Wayne
— Best ACC games were 18 points each against Miami and Clemson, hitting a season-high three 3-pointers against the Tigers
— Had a 15-game double-double streak snapped at Virginia Tech
No. 11 | G | Braeden Shrewsberry | 6–4, 205 | junior
— 11.0 points, 41.7 FG%, 42.7 3P% (leads the ACC; 23rd in the country), 2.78 3s per game (fourth in ACC), 78.3 FT%, 2.7 rebounds; totals of 26 assists, 15 turnovers, 3 blocks, 5 steals
— The son of Coach Micah Shrewsberry, he scored a season-high 26 points and netted 21 points against California.
— Has scored at least three 3-pointers 10 times in 18 games this season, including a career-high eight against Evansville (highlights below), six against Eastern Illinois and five against Cal and Detroit Mercy
— Scored 16 points and four 3-pointers last season against vs. UNC in the Tar Heels’ 74–73 win on Jan. 4.
— He’s converting 52.9% of corner 3-point attempts.
No. 33 | F | Carson Towt | 6–8, 250 | graduate | Northern Arizona transfer
— 6.5 points, 61.4 FG%, 45.5 FT%, team-leading 9.9 rebounds (4th in the ACC); 3.61 offensive rebounds (1st in ACC, 17th in country); totals of 32 assists, 20 turnovers, 8 blocks, 12 steals
— Collected 1,199 points and 1,078 rebounds in four seasons at Northern Arizona, earning Big Sky Second team and Big Sky All-Defensive Team honors last season
— Scored career-high 24 points for Northern Arizona at Idaho State last season on March 3; his season-high is 19 points against Idaho on Dec. 10
— Has pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds four times, including against LIU this season on Nov. 3
— Collected 19 points and 15 rebounds against Idaho on Dec. 10 (highlights below)
No. 2 | G | Logan Imes | 6–4, 205 | junior
— 4.3 points, 38.4 FG%, 35.0 3P%, 50.0 FT%, 3.1 rebounds; totals of 25 assists, 20 turnovers, 11 steals
— Scored career-high 13 points on Jan. 10 against Clemson
No. 12 | F | Garrett Sundra | 6–11, 230 | sophomore
— 3.7 points, 40.0 FG%, 28.2 3P%, 57.1 FT%, 3.4 rebounds; totals of 10 assists, 10 turnovers, 7 blocks, 4 steals
— Has scored career-high 11 points twice, both last season, against Creighton and SMU
More on Tar Heels
— UNC slides down in bracket projections, with tough Quad 1 games ahead
— Roy Williams passionately urges UNC to renovate Smith Center, cites Dean Smith’s wishes
— Davis stresses accountability as UNC tries to rebound from defensive struggles
— Wilson gets alarmingly few shots down stretch in last four games
— UNC plummets in AP Top 25 men’s poll
— UNC moves up in NET rankings after Quad 1 loss at Cal
— ESPN says ‘technical issue’ led fans to miss large chunk of UNC-Cal game
— Trimble says it’s just ‘bump in road,’ and it’s about manning up
UNC’s keys to the game
Feed Caleb Wilson the ball early and often — UNC’s biggest advantage is its elite frontcourt, led by Caleb Wilson, who enters the game averaging 19.7 points and 10.6 rebounds. His physical dominance at the rim far outweighs what Notre Dame can counter with (the Irish are last in the ACC in blocks at 2.11 per game). UNC should run offense through him inside to establish control and force the Irish into difficult help situations.
Win the rebounding battle — UNC averages 40.5 rebounds per game, compared to Notre Dame’s 37.6, a margin that becomes even more critical given Notre Dame’s offensive scoring struggles. Securing defensive rebounds prevents the Irish from extending possessions, while extra defensive rebounds can fuel UNC’s transition opportunities. The Irish lead the ACC in defensive rebounding percentage (75.7%)
Maintain defensive discipline against thin Irish rotation — Notre Dame has lost four straight league games and five of six overall, and is dealing with injuries and lineup instability. The margin for error is small for the Irish, so UNC must avoid fouling, stay disciplined on closeouts and make the Irish hit tough shots late in the shot clock. The Irish are fifth in the ACC in 3-point shooting at 36.2%. The 3-point shooter to watch in this game is Braeden Shrewsberry, who leads the ACC and ranks 23rd in the country at 42.7% from beyond the arc.
Notes
— Notre Dame junior guard Markus Burton, who was All-ACC Second Team and averaging a team-leading 18.4 points per game, has been out since suffering a broken left ankle on Dec. 5. He had surgery on Dec. 10. He was averaging a team-best 18.5 points and was coming off his first career double-double with 18 points and 10 assists against Missouri.
— With Burton in the lineup, Notre Dame averaged 76.6 points per game, but is averaging only 69.4 without him.
— Notre Dame is also without senior forward Kebba Njie, who suffered a season-ending lower-body injury against Miami.
— The Irish, who have lost their last four games, got their only win in Chapel Hill 71–70 on Jan. 5, 2015, the season that they won the ACC title.
— Notre Dame freshman reserve Brady Koehler scored 15 of his season-high 17 points in the second half of the loss to Virginia Tech.
— Freshman guard Jalen Haralson scored 11 of Notre Dame’s first 17 points against Clemson and the Irish’s first 10 points against California.
— Notre Dame is last in the ACC in steals (4.33 per game), turnover margin (-2.61) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.98) and 17th in assists (11.94).
— In UNC’s three ACC losses, all on the road, opponents have combined to shoot 55.7%, outscored UNC 132–81 from 3-point range and averaged 92.0 points. SMU shot 51.9%, Stanford 57.1% and Cal 53.8%. In those games, Carolina has averaged 83.7 points and 9.0 3-pointers while shooting 59.9% from the floor.
— Carolina opponents have tied the record for most 3-pointers against UNC in two consecutive games (30), set records for the most in three (44), four (58) and five consecutive (70) games.
— Before SMU, Wake Forest, Stanford and Cal all shot 50% from the floor in six of eight halves, the only time that happened was in the second half against Michigan State and the first half against Kentucky. Before the SMU game, UNC had held six consecutive opponents below 40% from the floor for the first time since the 2014–15 season.
— The opponents’ field-goal percentage (39.8%) is still the lowest since 2000–01 team held opponents to 39.8%.
— Caleb Wilson has a nation-leading 57 dunks, and Henri Veesaar is sixth with 40. Wilson is fifth in the country in double-doubles with 11, and Veesaar is 15th with nine. They have led the team in scoring and rebounding in 16 of 18 games and have accounted for 45.1% of UNC’s scoring, 48.4% of its rebounds and 47.7% of its field goals.
UNC season statistics
All games
ACC games
Notre Dame season statistics
All games
ACC games
Statistical comparison
All games/ACC games
| Category | ND | UNC |
| NET ranking | 81 | 30 |
| Points per game | 73.4/64.8 | 81.9/83.4 |
| Scoring defense | 69.3/71.6 | 69.6/85.2 |
| Scoring margin | +4.1/-6.8 | +12.4/-1.8 |
| FG% | 45.5/41.2 | 48.0/49.3 |
| 3P FG % | 36.2/31.3 | 33.8/34.1 |
| 3P per game | 8.6/7.2 | 8.5/8.6 |
| FT% | 69.7/66.0 | 67.4/65.1 |
| FG% defense | 41.3/42.2 | 39.8/49.7 |
| 3FG% defense | 41.9/25.5 | 33.9/44.9 |
| Opponent 3P/game | 7.9/7.0 | 8.3/14.0 |
| Rebounds per game | 37.6/37.2 | 40.5/35.8 |
| Offensive rebounds/game | 11.2/11.8 | 11.8/11.2 |
| Rebounding margin | +6.7/9.0 | +7.7/+5.8 |
| Assists per game | 11.9/16.5 | 17.0/16.4 |
| Turnovers per game | 12.2/12.8 | 10.3/10.8 |
| Assist-to-turnover ratio | 1.0/0.7 | 1.7/1.5 |
| Turnovers forced/game | 9.6/7.0 | 9.8/10.0 |
KenPom comparison
| Category | ND | UNC |
| Overall ranking | 75 | 36 |
| Offensive efficiency | 114.6 (108) | 122.0 (36) |
| Defensive efficiency | 103.3 (55) | 103.2 (53) |
| Possession length | 18.4 (298) | 16.4 (75) |
| Effective FG% | 53.1 (110) | 55.2 (50) |
| Turnover % | 18.3 (247) | 14.8 (45) |
| Offensive rebound % | 33.3 (105) | 34.6 (73) |
| FTA/FGA | 33.7 (233) | 41.5 (58) |
| 3FGA/FGA | 41.8 (142) | 42.5 (126) |
| Assist/FG% | 46.3 (315) | 59.8 (34) |
| Strength of schedule | 40 | 69 |
Series: UNC 32, Notre Dame 9
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 Duke | 6–0 | 17–1 | 2 |
| No. 18 Clemson | 6–1 | 16–4 | 27 |
| No. 14 Virginia | 5–1 | 16–2 | 15 |
| Miami | 4–2 | 15–4 | 35 |
| N.C. State | 4–2 | 13–6 | 28 |
| Syracuse | 3–2 | 12–6 | 74 |
| Stanford | 3–3 | 14–5 | 68 |
| SMU | 3–3 | 14–5 | 31 |
| Virginia Tech | 3–3 | 14–5 | 54 |
| No. 23 Louisville | 3–3 | 13–5 | 16 |
| No. 22 North Carolina | 2–3 | 14–4 | 30 |
| California | 2–4 | 14–5 | 59 |
| Wake Forest | 2–4 | 11–8 | 66 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–4 | 11–8 | 143 |
| Notre Dame | 1–4 | 10–8 | 81 |
| Boston College | 1–4 | 8–10 | 162 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–4 | 8–10 | 118 |
| Florida State | 1–5 | 8–11 | 116 |
* — Through Tuesday 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
Notre Dame at No. 22 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Pittsburgh at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACC Network
Virginia Tech at Syracuse, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Saturday’s games
No. 18 Clemson at Georgia Tech, noon, ACC Network
N.C. State at Pittsburgh, noon, ESPN2
No. 22 North Carolina at No. 14 Virginia, 2 p.m., ESPN
Miami at Syracuse, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Virginia Tech at No. 23 Louisville, 3:30, The CW
Florida State at SMU, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Wake Forest at No. 5 Duke, 5:45, 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 | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 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 @NDmbb
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