by Sharon Thorsland
A red hot North Carolina team heads on the road Saturday for another ACC match up, this time against Boston College. The Eagles are enjoying a much better season than a year ago, they’re 11-6 overall. But they’re just 2-4 in the ACC and are looking for a statement win in the conference. A victory over 4th ranked UNC (14-3, 6-0) would provide just that, but the Tar Heels are playing like one of the best teams in the country right now. Tip-off is set for 2:15 on WBT.
The Eagles are coming off a narrow win over Notre Dame but lost to Clemson and Syracuse before that. They’re averaging 78 points a game but just 35 rebounds a contest, and have been out rebounded in five of their six ACC games. Seven-footer Quinten Post leads the Eagles with over seven rebounds a game and picks up nearly 17 points a contest. The senior is dangerous on the perimeter as well as down low, he shot almost 43% from three against Notre Dame. Trying to contain Post will be key, with Armando Bacot likely on him most of the time.
Jaeden Zackery and Claudell Harris start at the guard spots. Sophomore forward Devin McGlockton is inconsistent on the offensive side of the ball but put up 30 in a win over Georgia Tech. Forward Prince Aligbe averages nearly seven points and five rebounds a game. They’ll have their hands full with the potent UNC offense, particularly guard RJ Davis, who has averaged over 16 points a game in his previous four outings against Boston College. And UNC has been excellent on the road defensively, allowing an average of just 55.3 points against Pitt, Clemson and NC State.
This is one of those games that UNC should win, they’ve won 16 of their past 17 games against Boston College. But they let off the gas in the second half against Louisville this week and let the Cardinals shoot 90% from the floor at one point. They can’t do that against the Eagles, who are a much better team than Louisville. UNC should come out firing and stay locked in the entire game and push their win streak to eight games. Go Tar Heels!
