UNC Basketball takes on rival NC State

by Sharon Thorsland

Fresh off two straight ACC wins, North Carolina heads to Raleigh Saturday to take on NC State. The Tar Heels beat SMU on Tuesday to improve to 10-6 on the year and 3-1 in ACC play. State is coming off a one point win over Notre Dame to move to 9-6 and 2-2 in league play. Tip-off is set for 4:00 on WBT.

I’m sure everyone remembers the Wolfpack’s incredible run to the Final Four last season that included an ACC Tournament championship win over the Tar Heels. Most of that team is gone now, including star guard DJ Horne and big man DJ Burns. But they still have starters Michael O’Connell and Hayden Taylor, and added a familiar face in former Tar Heels Dontrez Styles, who is averaging almost 10 points and 4.5 rebounds per game. Bowling Green transfer Marcus Hill starts at guard, and Ben Middlebrooks is back to anchor the center spot.

Offense has been hard to come by for the Wolfpack, they’re averaging under 73 points per game. Hill and Taylor both pick up over 12 points a contest, and Styles has had his moments, including a 15-point output against Notre Dame. Hill is turning into the go-to guy, but all three will need to step it up to beat the Tar Heels, who are have had their share of struggles this season but still have plenty of talent. RJ Davis is averaging over 18 points a contest, and star freshman Ian Jackson is shooting over 50% from the floor and 40% from behind the arc

They always say “throw out the records in a rivalry game.” But this has been a one-sided rivalry for years now. The Tar Heels are 39-7 versus State over the last 46 games, including wins in both regular season games last year, and no doubt they’d like a little revenge for the ACC title game. UNC should be ready to go and steal another one in Raleigh. Go Tar Heels!