UNC vs Alabama Preview

The Tar Heels will matchup against the Crimson Tide after dropping their first game of the season on Friday.

Coming off of a disappointing performance against Iowa State, North Carolina will look to bounce back and they're tasked with facing an Alabama team that is more talented than the Cyclones.

The Crimson Tide fell to a ranked UConn squad in Friday's semifinals, committing 21 turnovers in an 82-67 loss to the Huskies.

Despite attempting just 16 shots from beyond the arc in the loss, Alabama remains a team that relies on the three-point ball, averaging 28.3 attempts per game.

Forward Brandon Miller leads the way with 22 made threes on the season with guard Mark Sears adding on 11. 

Miller leads all freshmen in scoring with 20.5 points per game, commanding a Crimson Tide offense that averages 81.5 points per contest. He also leads Alabama with 9.2 rebounds per game, making him the biggest threat to help the Tar Heels drop their second consecutive game.

Mark Sears completes the dynamic duo and can score at all three levels. Both Miller and Sears are the top two scorers and rebounders for the Crimson Tide, while taking a majority of the shots on offense.  

Losing their No. 1 spot in the polls should not concern North Carolina, but their uninspiring performances and lack of continuity should.

The Tar Heels turned the ball over 14 times in Friday's loss, while shooting 3-for-18 from three. To start the season, Pete Nance and Leaky Black are the only starters to shoot higher than 27 percent from beyond the arc.

Caleb Love (23.7 percent) and R.J. Davis (26.7 percent) are the two best shooters on the North Carolina roster, but have struggled in the early going.

Eliminating opponents' points off of turnovers is also key for the Tar Heels, as both Portland and Iowa State had the advantage, particularly in the final minutes of their loss to the Cyclones.

After playing with fire in the season's early going, a defeat at the hands of a team like Iowa State was bound to happen. If it wasn't going to be this weekend, it was certainly going to be in Bloomington on Wednesday with the plethora of close calls they have already escaped.

Learning from the loss is the key for Hubert Davis and company. North Carolina was never going to go undefeated, but they can instill some confidence with a strong performance today.

Defending the three-point line against Alabama and limit both turnovers and points off of those turnovers is the key to victory in their first matchup in Portland.