The ninth-rankedNorth Carolina Tar Heelsopen their season againstNotre Dametonight in the Dean Dome as they look to make a run for a seventh title.
This season will look very different for the Tar Heels withCoby White,Cameron Johnson,Nassir Little,Kenny Williams, andLuke Mayeall in the NBA now, as well asSeventh Woodshaving transferred toSouth Carolina. Despite the new-look team, there are some returning players looking to build on their impressive play from last season. To name a few, they includeGarrison Brooks,Brandon Robinson, Leaky Black,Brandon Huffman, andAndrew Platek, each of whom are expected to be key parts of the UNC offense this season. The saying “out with the old, in with the new” stands true as the Heels brought in some amazing talent, such as point guard Cole Anthony, center Armando Bacot, and graduate transferChristian Keeling.
Carolina is loaded with potential this season, however, they will be without Robinson for the first few weeks of the season as he nurses a right ankle sprain.
The loss of Robinson certainly hurts Carolina, but fortunately for the Tar Heels, the depth is there forRoy Williams‘ squad. UNC is expected to roll out a seven-man rotation with Anthony, Keeling, Black, Brooks, and Bacot as the starters withJustin Pierceand Platek coming off the bench. Others should also log minutes, but the majority of the playing time is expected to be centered around the aforementioned seven players as Robinson continues to recover. All eyes will be on Anthony, who many expect to go number-one overall in the 2020 NBA draft. As for tonight, expect big men Brooks and Bacot to steal the show after dominating the paint against Winston-Salem State in last Friday’s exhibition.
This should be an entertaining opener and can be seen on the ACC Network tonight at 7 pm ET. The Tar Heels go into the matchup as 10.5-point favorites as they look to get off to a 1-0 start. I predict the Heels will have a slow start to the game, but eventually will find their groove and dominate the Irish in rebounds and turnovers. Look for UNC to cover the spread, with a final score of 81-70. An early-season ACC contest will be fun to watch as Carolina looks to put themselves in a position to cut the nets come April.
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