TALLAHASSEE — Despite frigid temperatures and *gasp* snow, Florida State’s home tip against North Carolina will go on. The Seminoles come off a close loss to Duke at Cameron Indoor, while UNC is dealing with its own woes, including a loss to Wofford.
We caught up with Argyle Report’s Trent Brown to preview Wednesday night’s match-up, which will feature two of the best teams in the ACC.
FSU comes into the contest having lost a close one to Duke, while UNC has been struggling as of late. What’s the deal with the Tar Heels so far?
Brown: On the surface, the Tar Heels have gaping holes in the frontcourt rotation and shooting consistency. Roy Williams has always relied on superstar big men like (Sean) May, (Tyler) Hansbrough, and the recent duo of (Isaiah) Hicks/(Jodie) Meeks to carry the team in big moments and UNC frankly just doesn’t have that ~yet~ this season. On the other hand, the team has some nice wins over Arkansas and Tennessee, as well as holding out against Wake Forest in the ACC opener. The struggles are all relative.
What must UNC correct from its loss to Wofford in order to have success against a high-scoring Seminoles team?
Brown: Offensively, it comes down to being consistent on outside shots and correcting the turnover mistakes. A lot of times, it seems like UNC is playing against itself with bad mistakes, when its actually playing well on the defensive end. Wofford only shot 43 percent and 32 percent from three. But a poor shooting performance, especially inside, coupled with 14 bad turnovers killed the Heels. Roy has got to get the guys to play at a high level for 40 minutes, instead of allowing random minute-long lapses to happen.
Any players you think could have a breakout performance against the Noles?
Brown: Watch out for Cameron Johnson to take every chance he’s given to shoot the ball in this one. He’s only played in three games since his injury and is averaging 12 points per game on 47 percent shooting, as well as 46 percent from three. He might be the key to the Heels’ offensive consistency.
For UNC to win in Tallahassee, which player has to have a big game?
Brown: Joel Berry, Joel Berry II, and Joel Berry the Second. He’s been shooting poorly recently, but has showed some incredible poise in late game situations (the Wake Forest shot). UNC needs him to take the ball to the hoop early and get the gears in motion.
FSU has had its own issues rebounding the ball with the loss of forward Chris Koumandje. How much better or worse are UNC’s bigs than Duke’s, and what should we expect UNC to try offensively?
Brown: On the offensive side of the ball, there’s not much to say about the (Marvin) Bagley/(Wendell) Carter duo other than that they are dominant. To be frank, UNC just doesn’t have that, past Luke Maye’s 18 a game. The three freshmen bigs are weak and look lost at times, but have actually been slightly better, statistically, on defense than Duke. Rebounding-wise, you’re not going to find much better than Carolina in college basketball, as is the usual with a Roy Williams team. I wouldn’t expect much out of the Tar Heels’ post offense on Wednesday night, but rebounding may play a huge factor in a Carolina win.
Alright, give us a prediction. Does FSU notch its first home win since 2012 over the Heels, or does UNC continue the streak?
Brown: I hate giving predictions in articles, because I feel like I have to knock on wood for every person that reads it. That being said, I’m never going to count the defending champs out until the final whistle blows. UNC wins 75-70 on a hot shooting night.
Special thanks to Trent for stopping by to help preview the Wednesday night match-up. For all things UNC, be sure to check out his work over at Argyle Report.
FSU and North Carolina tip off at 7 p.m. EST on ESPN2, with Dick Vitale on the call.
Joshua Mixon is the lead columnist for The Daily Nole. You can find him on Twitter @JoshDMixon.
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