UNC vs Wake, what do ya think?

[DSouthr]

Guys, have this nasty feeling we drop this game even being at home. I am going to look deeper so I may see it a bit different but this one scares me, we are ripe for a loss, play has kind of dipped over the last couple games, we are defending pretty well but our scoring is off.

Hunter Salise is a big timer, that is why we recruited him! Efton Reid is 7'0" and 240lbs (wasn't he a 5 star coming out of high school and signed with Memphis where it didn't work out), you know, the kind of guy that gives Bacot a lot of trouble. Aaron Carr is 6'10" 220 and hits the boards hard. They just got eligible this Monsanto kid, 6'6" 225 and can shoot it and the Hildreth kid they better keep an eye on. Wake plays a lot of guys so that helps them deal with our deep bench from a fresh legs stand point.

This may be a worse match up for us than even duke, they have lost some games but they seem to be coming more together, worried about this one more than I did Clemson.

 

[Rabidfrog]

Greedy me wants us to never lose again till 2025 sometime…
Realistic me says you wanna lose a couple more to reset focus - maybe one here and one edge of February.
Honestly, we have already overachieved many of my regular season goals, so everything we keep winning is just gravy at this point and makes me want to be greedy.

 

[Bubspub88]

Selfish me (I am in Winston Salem) does NOT want to drop this one. Wake is good, especially with Monsanto back and healthy. They have a legit big and can put 4 guys out there able to hit 3's. Forbes plays a lot of guys and he can play a line-up with some big, physical guards who will attack the basket. I think it is critical for UNC to come out with maximum intensity and focus. If they start off with a lackluster effort and let WF jump out to a lead and gain confidence it could be bad.

UNC has played a much tougher schedule (Wake has played 1 quad game) and been tested by every style of play out there. The deacs will not show them anything they have not seen before but they will come out with an urgency as they have to improve their resume to make the dance and this is the best quad 1 chance they will get in the conference.

I really want UNC to hold serve at home and get those "wtf" games on the road. Hopefully the BC game was due in part to looking ahead to tonight and we see the Heels A game.

 

[superstar57]

Can Bacot be excused from guarding all muscular 7 foot players. Would rather have Withers and Washington fouling than see Bacot get abused again by one of these guys!

Pack the paint, and send Trimble on the hot 3 point shooter. Definitely a game tonight that could give us trouble.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I have watched them recently and I don't see the monster team you guys are describing. Sallis is good but forces things when pressured and he gets frustrated easy. Reid is big but doesn't have the elite instincts to really use it to a great advantage and he fouls a lot. Carr is a problem but a combo of Ingram, Withers, and High can give him some problems. I don't remember them using their guards in post situations much and our guys are really playing tough perimeter D + rotating so much better. BC was tough and played well at home. We beat them at their game, at home, on an off shooting night.....this gives me hope not pause! To be trapped, you have to look ahead and I don't see this team with this staff allowing even a second of that!

Could we lose, of course. I expect a hard fought win but will settle for fighting until the last minute with a chance to win! I also believe with a few breaks on O we could win by double digits! Defensive intensity will set the tone early so we will see.

 

[NorCalTarheel]

I don't like this game either. Wake is really, really good and as DSouth mentioned we are not playing our best. This game is actually the start of a brutal six game stretch of wake, FSU, Georgia tech (which always seems to give us problems) then Duke, Clemson and Miami! It isn't UConn, Tennessee, and Kentucky but this isn't Louisville and BC either.

It's going to be very difficult if our shooting woes, especially Ryan, Ingram and Cadeau continue. I'm less worried about Bacot than those three. Hoping for some breakout games.

I'm hoping UNC is ready for a dogfight because I think it's coming.

Go UNC and,win or lose, it's always a GDTBATH!!!

 

[IDUNK4HEELS]

This has all the ear marks of a 15 round take no prisoners battle as both teams are solid and deep. This normally might be a pick em game but I will go with Carolina because they are at home and the Smith Center will be rocking for the home team…

 

[DSouthr]

The fortunate thing for us is that while offensively we have struggled recently it isn't due to them taking bad shots or struggling to get good shots that shooters should drop. We are just missing a lot of good shots, missing way to many bunnies at the rim as well. Point of course is that continue to get and take good shots they will begin to drop eventually. The 2 guys that seem to be really in a struggle to hit clean looks is Ryan and Ingram and we know that either of them can explode at any time, this is not a Leaky/Nance situation, it absolutely is not a Caleb situation.

The other thing is when I look at how we have been winning, on the road or at home recently (since Ky game) it has been our defense that has led the way. I know you may get tired of hearing this but defense does tend to travel, in our case defense has been traveling with us. Not only has defense been traveling with us but it has really shown up at critical points, especially late in games. We have been closing out games really well, we could not do that last season.

What is concerning me is that we are in that point of the long season where things seem to drag a little bit, games become more workman like and that is when teams can sneak up and bite you if not careful. I don't think any of us expect for this team to go undefeated for the rest of the season, of course we would all love for that to happen. If they are going to get us now would be the time to suspect it and Wake has a team that can, do they have the team that will?

 

[TPFKAPFS]

Peeps need to worry about what they will have to do once our O and D click at the same time! I think we are building toward a special team and doing it the right way. Hopefully they peak in March

 

[DSouthr]

Peeps need to worry about what they will have to do once our O and D click at the same time! I think we are building toward a special team and doing it the right way. Hopefully they peak in March

I believe the hall marks for a really strong team are strong defense and balanced scoring on the offensive end, hitting and controlling the boards hard, and hitting your free throws.

While we talk a lot about most of these aspects, one that isn't talked about enough is the balance in our scoring. Balanced scoring is not always everyone scores double digit points, it more often is different guys stepping up at different times and especially at critical times. Okonkwo gives us a lead at the half, JWit hits a couple early jumpers at a time we were struggling to score early first half, Ingram hits a huge trey late after struggling with his shot for a good part of the game. It isn't just the RJ/Caleb show we saw last season. 5 is bigger than 2 !!!

 

[keysersosay#1]

Heels win by 6

 

[DSouthr]

Honestly, I think this one will be a nail biter, I think it is a push right now, I suspect this one ends up around a 77-74 game and I just don't know which team gets the win. It will be us if RJ and Bacot continue their solid play and Ingram & Ryan shoot it well from outside by double digits, but if they don't it can be anyone's game for the taking.

 

[NorCalTarheel]

Honestly, I think this one will be a nail biter, I think it is a push right now, I suspect this one ends up around a 77-74 game and I just don't know which team gets the win. It will be us if RJ and Bacot continue their solid play and Ingram & Ryan shoot it well from outside by double digits, but if they don't it can be anyone's game for the taking.

Agreed and hope like heck that I'm wrong and we boat-race them by 40!!! 🤪

 

[Kool1234567]

I haven’t watched Wake this year…Are they this good…Looked at the schedule they have played not impressed…This game is at UNC not Wake….i don’t know…This is a game as the #3 team in the Nation we should win at Home…Keep stacking wins…

 

[TarHeelTroy]

Wake will have to bring their A game to beat us. Maybe they will. I just want a game in which Mando doesn't pick up his 2nd foul in the first 10 minutes and have to sit out in foul trouble which seems to be happening way more than I like.

 

[Ozheelfan]

Heels like to score at home, I haven’t seen wake play but they’ve scored well too this season…. I expect a high-ish scoring dogfight.
Putting on my homer glasses and I believe UNC will protect home court….. losses are going to come, but I reckon they’ll be on the road.

 

[superstar57]

So does Wake break our streak of holding teams to 70 point or less? That has been impressive.

 

[dtodd4475]

I watch a ton of college games, somehow I have not caught even 1 Wake Forest game. That leaves me just guessing, but I think it will be a battle. I see Monsanto is back for them from injury. I think he may have been the best pure shooter in the conference last year. Stay at home with him !!!!!

 

[Kool1234567]

Man we have played 1 of the toughest schedules in the country…Why I was not worried about wake at home…Truth is I am not worried about this team anymore…

 

[Ozheelfan]

Man we have played 1 of the toughest schedules in the country…Why I was not worried about wake at home…Truth is I am not worried about this team anymore…

Agreed. They are very fun to watch. The joy with which they play, the synchronicity, the attention to detail, the skill and the determination. Getting to a point where I don't care if they win it all as long as they keep playing like this and the results will be what they may.

 

[TarHeelTroy]

Wake will have to bring their A game to beat us. Maybe they will. I just want a game in which Mando doesn't pick up his 2nd foul in the first 10 minutes and have to sit out in foul trouble which seems to be happening way more than I like.

Mando's first foul did not happen until 5 minutes left in the 2nd half! Never thought I'd see it

 

[keysersosay#1]

Take it one at a time yeah a cliche..but HD has this team dialed in especially on defense. I felt in novemberthis was a special group...just keep playing d and let the chips fall where they may.

 

[Heelicious]

Agreed. They are very fun to watch. The joy with which they play, the synchronicity, the attention to detail, the skill and the determination. Getting to a point where I don't care if they win it all as long as they keep playing like this and the results will be what they may.

I was about to say the same sort of crazy-thing. Even in the last two years when they would win and go far (two years ago - recall they eeked into tourney and got hot) -

neither year was fun to watch just because they were so inconsistent and even when they won it seemed to largely be on whether Love played well on both ends - or didn’t. The team was so dysfunctional that even wins didn’t seem like happy cohesive TEAM wins.

Complete opposite this year. Of course you have to start with RJ playing out of his mind almost every night but after that any guys about 6 or 7 after rj can contribute bigly on both ends.

And our defense is much improved. We seem the fight thru more screens which is the better tougher d way to do it and while teams get open 3s still - we seem to guard them better - at least identify the hot shooter and lock Trimble on him.

And our help rotations are so vastly improved. I know it’s an older team but guys know where to go on help d without overthinking it. If you have to think about it - it’s too late and you’re beat for a score.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

Mission Accomplished!

 

[vikandpirate4christ]

Thankful to have been wrong. Was in the dome last night, and during the second half, that place was rocking

 

[TarHeelFanWV]

I hope we dont have a letdown at FSU on Saturday.. We were down at home to them by like 14 or 15 points and fought back.. But this time its at their place..

 

[IDUNK4HEELS]

What I think last night we clearly understood who was a pretender and who was a contender

 

[DSouthr]

What I think last night we clearly understood who was a pretender and who was a contender

From what I watched last night, clearly we are a contender but I honestly think this Wake team may be the second best team in the ACC and a top 20 level team. They have a LOT of fire power, we were just that much better last night. Look, we stomped Tenn in that first half when we played them and cruised thru the second half and that is the #5 team in the country right now? Duke is extremely talented but I think Wake will match up well against them.