By R.L. Bynum
No. 16 North Carolina (16–4, 4–3) at Georgia Tech (11–10, 2–6)
When: 2 p.m. Saturday
Where: McCamish Pavilion (the “white out” game is sold out, just the 21st sellout in 10 years)
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
Coaches: Damon Stoudamire (113–122 in 8th season; 42–45 in third season at Georgia Tech) and Hubert Davis (117–49 overall and 60–27 in the ACC in fifth season, all at UNC; was 228–95 in nine seasons as a UNC assistant coach)
Series: UNC leads 73–28 (see list below), including 23–16 on road and 17–15 in McCamish Pavilion/Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
Quad designation: Georgia Tech’s NET ranking is 140, making this a Quad 3 game for UNC.
Common opponents: None
Georgia Tech resume
— 145 NET ranking
— 1–4 in Quad 1 games: win at N.C. State; losses at Duke, Georgia, Miami and Virginia Tech
— 0–1 in Quad 2 game: home loss to Clemson
— 2–5 in Quad 3 games: Wins at home vs. Marist and Boston College; losses at home vs. Syracuse, Mississippi State, and Pittsburgh, and at a neutral site vs. DePaul and Drake
— 8–0 in Quad 4 games: Home wins vs. Monmouth, Georgia Southern, Southeastern, West Georgia, Florida A&M, Maryland Eastern Shore, Lafayette and Bryant
— 0–2 against teams currently ranked
Georgia Tech results (current rankings listed)
Nov. 3: 56–52 OT win vs. Maryland Eastern Shore
Nov. 7: 74–45 win vs Bryant
Nov. 10: 70–60 win vs. Southeastern Louisiana
Nov. 14: 92–87 loss at Georgia
Nov. 18: 68–66 win vs. Georgia Southern
Nov. 23: 82–66 win vs. West Georgia
Nov. 28: 75–61 loss vs. DePaul in Niceville, Fla.
Nov. 29: 84–74 loss vs. Drake in Niceville, Fla.
Dec. 3: 85–73 loss vs. Mississippi State
Dec. 6: 79–67 win vs. Monmouth
Dec. 16: 87–76 win vs Marist
Dec. 20: 95–81 win vs Lafayette
Dec. 28: 89–65 win vs. Florida A&M
Dec. 31: 85–79 loss at No. 4 Duke
Jan. 3: 65–53 win vs. Boston College
Jan. 6: 82–72 win vs. Syracuse
Jan. 10: 91–81 loss at Miami
Jan. 14: 89–66 loss vs. Pittsburgh
Jan. 17: 78–74 win at N.C. State
Jan. 24: 77–63 loss vs. No. 22 Clemson
Tuesday: 71–65 loss at Virginia Tech
Usual Georgia Tech starters
No. 14 | F | Kowacie (pronounced “ko-WAY-see”) Reeves Jr. (top photo) | 6–7, 205 | redshirt senior | Florida transfer in third season at GT
— Team-leading 15.9 points, 35.1 FG%, 37.8 3P%, 77.9 FT%, 4.1 rebounds; totals of 29 assists, 28 turnovers, 10 blocks, 24 steals
— Has scored a career-high 23 points three times this season: Dec. 3 vs. Mississippi State (career-high 7 3-pointers, career-high 6 steals), Dec. 6 vs Monmouth (3 3-pointers; highlights below), Dec. 31 at Duke (5 3-pointers) and Jan. 10 at Miami
— Collected 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 3-pointers in 78–74 in Jan.17 at N.C. State (highlights below)
— Has two career double-doubles, including 21 points and 10 rebounds on Dec. 16 against Marist
No. 1 | PG | Lamar Washington | 6–4, 200 | senior | Pacific transfer
— 11.7 points, 41.6 FG%, 32.6 3P%, 76.8 FT%, 5.2 rebounds; totals of 114 assists, 56 turnovers, 8 blocks, 30 steals
— Played his freshman and sophomore seasons at Texas Tech and his junior season at Pacific, where he earned All-West Coast Conference Second Team honors, setting single-season program records for assists in a season (191) and in a game (15 vs. William Jessup on Nov. 3, 2024)
— Scored career-high 40 points last season for Pacific at Washington State and a season-high 23 points on Dec. 6 against Monmouth (highlights below)
— Has seven career double-doubles (three of the five with assists and one of the two with rebounds this season), topped 17 points and 12 rebounds against Boston College and 21 points, 12 assists at Miami (highlights below)
No. 11 | F | Baye Ndongo | 6–9, 240 | junior
— 11.5 points, 54.1 FG%, 40.0 3P% (4 for 10), 65.3 FT%, 8.1 rebounds; totals of 35 assists, 33 turnovers, 21 blocks, 15 steals
— From Mboro, Senegal, he attended Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut.
— Scored career-high 29 points with 17 rebounds last season on March 1 against N.C. State
— Has 22 career double-doubles (3 this season), including 12 points and 19 rebounds on Dec. 16, 2023, against Penn State
— Scored season-high 20 points on Nov. 18 against Georgia Southern and Jan. 6 against Syracuse (highlights below)
No. 0 | G | Akai Fleming | 6–4, 184 | freshman
— 9.2 points, 34.0 FG%, 29.4 3P%, 81.4 FT%, 3.2 rebounds; totals of 22 assists, 37 turnovers, 5 blocks, 10 steals
— Missed Tuesday’s game with an ankle injury; Kam Craft replaced him in the lineup.
— Was a four-star recruit and the No. 96 player in the Class of 2025
— Scored season-high 20 points and 3 3-pointers against Lafayette and 16 points, 2 3-pointers and 7 rebounds at N.C. State
No. 3 | G | Jaeden Mustaf | 6–6, 210 | sophomore
— 8.5 points, 32.3 FG%, 37.9 3P%, 63.5 FT%, 4.4 rebounds; totals of 47 assists, 32 turnovers, 4 blocks, 11 steals
— Career-high is 18 points on Nov. 30, 2024, against Central Arkansas
— Scored season-highs of 16 points and 11 rebounds Wednesday at Virginia Tech
More on Tar Heels
— On radio show, Davis said many factors led to win at Virginia
— Kansas joins CBS Sports Classic field; UNC will face Ky. next season in event extended until 2029
— Heels make biggest jump in AP Top 25 men’s poll after huge win at Virginia
— Dixon’s growth, efficiency delivering consistent results for UNC
— Heels’ NET ranking jumps up after big Quad 1 victory at Virginia
— From quiet to unstoppable: Aggressive Stevenson powers UNC’s rally
— ‘Start swinging’: Davis’ halftime challenge fuels rally for huge UNC win at Virginia
— Tar Heels in pros: White surges amid trade rumors; Ryan, Davis, Ingram lighting up G League
UNC’s keys to the game
Rebound well, especially offensively — UNC’s identity that Hubert Davis desires is a team that rebounds and gets second-chance points. If UNC dominates the offensive boards, it can wear down Georgia Tech and control the tempo. If the Jackets limit second chances, the game becomes more about half-court execution, an area where UNC has been inconsistent.
Guard play and turnovers — Georgia Tech will pressure the ball and try to speed UNC up. Carolina’s guards must handle ball pressure, limit live-ball turnovers and initiate offense cleanly. Derek Dixon leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio in league games (4.2), and he must continue to do well there. The Jackets will convert turnovers into transition points, and that’s the fastest way for them to flip the game.
3-point shooting — Both teams can be streaky shooting from outside the arc. UNC needs decent perimeter shooting to keep Georgia Tech from packing inside against Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar. If the Jackets hit early 3s, it can open driving lanes and energize the crowd.
Inside scoring and post defense — UNC needs to take advantage of its size advantage. Establishing post touches early can draw fouls and control pace. Defensively, Veesaar must avoid foul trouble after he picked up four fouls at Virginia, because that will allow the Jackets to drive to the basket more easily.
Road composure — Atlanta has a history of not being kind to UNC in many sports. McCamish Pavilion can be tricky for visitors, particularly with a sellout crowd. UNC must weather early runs, avoid long scoring droughts, and stay poised late. Veteran leadership matters here, especially in close-game situations.
Control the pace — UNC is best when it can run off rebounds but still get organized offensively to create good shots. If the game becomes chaotic and fast with turnovers, that favors GT’s athleticism. If UNC controls tempo and gets quality shots, it should win.
Jackets’ ACC statistical ranks
Lower rankings
Last in the league in:
— 3-pointers made per game: 6.8
— Turnover margin: –2.33
16th in scoring margin: +1.3
14th in:
— Free‑throw percentage: 68.9%
— Opponent free‑throw percentage: 68.5%
— Scoring defense: 73.1 points allowed per game
— Scoring offense: 75.5 points per game
— Field‑goal percentage: 44.8%
13th in:
— Assist‑to‑turnover ratio: 1.21
Higher rankings
3rd in defensive rebounds: 28.0 per game
4th in blocks: 4.33 per game
5th in:
— 3-point shooting percentage: 35.8%
— Total rebounds: 39.1 per game
6th in:
— Opponent field‑goal percentage: 40.2%
— Opponent three‑point shooting percentage: 30.6%
Notes
— Georgia Tech experienced one of the largest roster overhauls in the ACC, losing 10 players (including Naithan George and Ibrahim Souare to Syracuse and Duncan Powell to Providence) and replacing them with 10 newcomers, including four transfer-portal additions (Lamar Washington from Pacific, Peyton Marshall from Missouri, Chas Kelly III from Boston College and Kam Craft from Miami of Ohio) and a six‑player freshman class. The team retained only four contributors from last season.
— The Yellow Jackets have lost four of their last five games, with the only win 78–74 at N.C. State on Jan. 17. The Jackets have lost two in a row, falling 77–63 on Jan. 24 to No. 22 Clemson and Tuesday 71–65 at Virginia Tech.
— Georgia Tech held Virginia Tech to 33.8% shooting but allowed more second‑chance points (16–8) and key 3-pointers that swung momentum at crucial stretches. The Jackets trailed by 15 points with four minutes left and mounted a 17–4 run to cut the margin to two. But they couldn’t finish late, a recurring theme in recent losses.
— Jaeden Mustaf (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Baye Ndongo (14 points) produced against the Hokies, but the team’s scattered rotation scoring and poor outside shooting have limited their ability to sustain leads or erase deficits. GT made only 3 of 17 3-point field goals.
— This is a homecoming game for UNC freshman forward Caleb Wilson, who is from Atlanta and led Holy Innocents Episcopal School to the 2025 private school state title. He produced a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds on Dec. 20 in Atlanta when UNC beat Ohio State 71–70 in the CBS Sports Classic.
— Wilson leads the country with 62 dunks, and Henri Veesaar is ninth with 40. That front-court duo has either led the team in scoring or rebounding for 18 of 20 games and has accounted for 44.2% of UNC’s scoring, 47.1% of its rebounding and 46.9% of its field goals. In double-doubles, Wilson is ninth in the ACC with 11 and Veesaar is 14th with 19.
— Veesaar leads the team in field-goal percentage (63.0%) and 3-point shooting percentage (47.3%), and is second in scoring (16.6 points per game), rebounding (8.8) and blocks (23).
— Since Carolina opened ACC play on Jan. 3 at SMU, it is second in the country in offensive efficiency, averaging 131.2 points per 100 possessions. Illinois is first (131.7). The Tar Heels are 16th in the country in assist/turnover ratio, 29th in turnovers, 43rd in field-goal percentage, and 45th in assists per game and effective field-goal percentage.
— UNC’s average of 8.8 3-pointers per game would be the all-time single-season program record, topping the 8.67 made per game in 2018–19 with Cameron Johnson, Coby White, Kenny Williams and Luke Maye.
— The Tar Heels have scored double-digit 3-pointers seven times, including 23 two games ago against Notre Dame and 10 Saturday at Virginia. Five UNC players have at least 23 3-pointers: Luka Bogavac (29), Derek Dixon (26), Kyan Evans (26), Veesaar (26) and Jonathan Powell (23).
— With Dixon starting and getting most of the point guard minutes, the Tar Heels are committing fewer turnovers. The 12 turnovers in the last two games (8 against Notre Dame and 4 against Virginia) are the third-fewest in consecutive games in program history. The record is 11 by the 1981–82 national championship team against N.C. State and Virginia in the ACC tournament (there were many fewer possessions in those games, though) and by the 2023–24 team against Duke and Clemson. The Tar Heels have fewer than 10 turnovers in seven of the last 12 games.
— Carolina’s 1.73 assist-to-turnover ratio tops the school record for a full season of 1.65 by the 2015–16 team. Dixon leads the ACC in assist-to-turnover ratio in league games at 4.2.
— The 9.6 turnovers UNC has forced per game are fewer than the school-record low of 9.7 by the 2021–22 team and 340th in the country.
UNC season statistics
All games
ACC games
Georgia Tech season statistics
All games
ACC games
Statistical comparison
All games/ACC games
| Category | UNC | GT |
| NET ranking | 26 | 140 |
| Points per game | 82.6/84.7 | 74.5/71.1 |
| Scoring defense | 70.1/82.1 | 73.1/77.8 |
| Scoring margin | +12.5/+2.6 | +1.4/-6.6 |
| FG% | 48.2/49.5 | 44.8/43.6 |
| 3P FG % | 34.6/36.3 | 35.8/37.1 |
| 3P per game | 8.8/9.4 | 6.7/6.6 |
| FT% | 67.6/66.1 | 68.9/69.8 |
| FG% defense | 39.9/46.7 | 40.2/41.3 |
| 3FG% defense | 33.6/41.3 | 30.6/32.6 |
| Opponent 3P/game | 8.3/12.3 | 8.4/9.0 |
| Rebounds per game | 40.1/35.9 | 39.1/36.4 |
| Offensive rebounds/game | 11.6/10.6 | 11.0/9.5 |
| Rebounding margin | +6.4/+2.6 | +3.3/-0.1 |
| Assists per game | 17.1/16.7 | 16.4/14.6 |
| Turnovers per game | 9.9/9.4 | 13.6/13.6 |
| Assist-to-turnover ratio | 1.7/1.8 | 1.2/1.1 |
| Turnovers forced/game | 9.6/9.4 | 11.3/10.1 |
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | GT |
| Overall ranking | 28 | 129 |
| Offensive efficiency | 123.3 (20) | 108.3 (191) |
| Defensive efficiency | 102.2 (56) | 104.8 (84) |
| Possession length | 16.3 (66) | 16.0 (44) |
| Effective FG% | 55.6 (42) | 50.4 (208) |
| Turnover % | 14.2 (25) | 18.9 (293) |
| Offensive rebound % | 33.9 (82) | 31.5 (164) |
| FTA/FGA | 41.0 (60) | 36.2 (170) |
| 3FGA/FGA | 42.8 (121) | 31.4 (335) |
| Assist/FG% | 59.5 (40) | 61.9 (19) |
| Strength of schedule | 60 | 145 |
Series: UNC 73, Georgia Tech 28
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Duke | 8–0 | 19–1 | 2 |
| No. 22 Clemson | 7–1 | 17–4 | 29 |
| No. 17 Virginia | 6–2 | 17–3 | 16 |
| Miami | 6–2 | 17–4 | 36 |
| N.C. State | 6–2 | 15–6 | 27 |
| No. 16 North Carolina | 4–3 | 16–4 | 26 |
| SMU | 4–3 | 15–5 | 31 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–4 | 16–6 | 54 |
| No. 20 Louisville | 4–4 | 14–6 | 19 |
| California | 3–5 | 15–6 | 56 |
| Stanford | 3–5 | 14–7 | 77 |
| Syracuse | 3–5 | 12–9 | 80 |
| Boston College | 2–5 | 9–11 | 157 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–6 | 11–10 | 140 |
| Notre Dame | 2–6 | 11–10 | 82 |
| Wake Forest | 2–6 | 11–10 | 67 |
| Florida State | 2–6 | 9–12 | 107 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–6 | 9–12 | 118 |
* — Through Wednesday games
Monday’s result
No. 4 Duke 83, No. 20 Louisville 52
Tuesday’s results
Pittsburgh 80, Wake Forest 76, OT
N.C. State 88, Syracuse 68
No. 17 Virginia 100, Notre Dame 97, 2 OTs
Virginia Tech 71, Georgia Tech 65
Wednesday’s results
Florida State 63, California 61
Miami 79, Stanford 70
Saturday’s games
No. 4 Duke at Virginia Tech, noon, ESPN
Pittsburgh at No. 22 Clemson, noon, ACC Network
No. 17 Virginia at Boston College, 1:30, The CW
No. 16 North Carolina at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at No. 23 Louisville, 2 p.m., ESPN
N.C. State at Wake Forest, 3:45, The CW
California at Miami, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Stanford at Florida State, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Notre Dame at Syracuse, 6 p.m., The CW
Monday’s game
Syracuse at No. 16 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN
| 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. 14 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. 7 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. 17 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 4 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. 20 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 22 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo via ramblinwreck.com
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