UNC faces Stanford in ACC Clash

Written by Sharon Thorsland

North Carolina has traveled across the country for a two-game ACC road swing. They tip things off tonight against Stanford. Yes, it’s an Atlantic Coast Conference game against a team on the Pacific coast – makes so much sense, doesn’t it? Don’t get me started on the expanded ACC! Let’s just focus on the game, which tips off at 9:00 on WBT. The 14th-ranked Tar Heels (14-2, 2-1 ACC) are coming off a narrow win over Wake Forest, while Stanford is 13-4 on the season (2-2 ACC) following 15-point loss to Virginia.

The Cardinal has one of the best players in the country in guard Ebuka Okorie. The star freshman averages 22.1 points a game, that’s second in the ACC and eighth nationally. He’s had eight games with 25 points or more, including three over 30. Okorie also finds a way to get to the free throw line; he ranks third in the ACC in free throw attempts and first in makes per game. If UNC wants to beat Stanford, slowing down Okorie will be key. Tar Heels guard Seth Tremble will likely be charged with that task. And of course, the Tar Heels have their own star freshman in Caleb Wilson, who is averaging 19.5 points a contest.

Okorie isn’t the only dangerous Cardinal player. He’s joined by a pair of veteran players in senior forward Chisom Okpara and senior guard Benny Gealer, who combine to average nearly 25 points and over six rebounds a game. Big man Oscar Giltay leads the Cardinal with 5.5 rebounds a contest. The Cardinal manages just 35 rebounds per game as a team; that’s one of the worst rates in the country. Look for the Tar Heels to try to exploit that weakness by having Wilson and Henri Vassaer crash the boards – they combine to average over 20 boards a game.

This is just the 15th matchup between these teams, and UNC has dominated the all-time series, winning 13 of 14 games. Of course, that one loss came last season at the Dean Dome when former Duke player Jaylen Blakes hit the game-winner in the final seconds to give the Cardinal a one-point win. No doubt the Heels would like to exact a little revenge for that one and pick up another conference win at the same time. I say they get it done – go Tar Heels!