Who Got Next: UNC To Face A Hot Wake Forest

Tonight will be the night UNC proves if they are who they've exhibited the last two games. The Heels will have to beat the team that led them by 18 at the half and 26 with 16:41 to play during their first meeting, February 11; This was UNC's largest deficit of the season. Wake Forest is coming prepared to do it all over again in the Smith Center. The Deacons are desperately trying to reach for .500 and the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010 (If you're counting the 'First Four,' their last appearance was 2016).

Senior guard Brandon Childress, who was the hero in their Duke win scoring 15 of his 17 points in the last 30 seconds of regulation and two overtimes, walks into the Smith center looking to complete his senior year with a sweep of the Heels. The Heels also have to look to shut down Olivier Sarr, who recently won ACC player of the week. Sarr had a monstrous week with a then career high 25 with the Deacons win over Duke. Sarr elevated his play with a double double over Notre Dame, 30 pints, and 17 rebounds.

UNC is going to have to bring their A-game tonight. This won't be a cake walk.

Who: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Where: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC

Date: 3/2/2020

Time: 7 pm EST

Watch: ACCN (Rece Davis, Jon Crispin, Brooke Weisbrod)

Listen: Tar Heel Sports Properties (Jones Angell, Eric

Montross) UNC on Channel 371

Going into the game, here's where Carolina stands:

Carolina (12-17, 5-13) plays host to Wake Forest (13-15, 6-12)
This is the final home game of the season for seniors Caleb Ellis, Robbie O'Han, Brandon Robinson, and Shea Rush and graduate students Christian Keeling and Justin Pierce.

Only Bradon Robinson and Shea Rush will give their senior speeches after the game.

Carolina has won its last two games, its second two-game win streak in ACC play this season. UNC beat NC State, 85-79, at the Smith Center on Feb. 25 and won at Syracuse, 92-79, on Feb. 29.
For the third month in a row, the Tar Heels won their final two games of the month after going winless before those games. UNC began December 0-4, then beat UCLA and Yale, went 0-5 in January before defeating Miami and NC State, and went 0-7 in February before defeating NC State and Syracuse.
Carolina enters the Wake Forest game having scored 40 or more points in four consecutive halves for the first time this season (40 and 45 vs. NC State and 40 and 52 against Syracuse). Before the Syracuse game, UNC had not scored 40 or more points in more than two straight halves this season.
The 52-point half at Syracuse was UNC's second-highest output in any half this season.
The Tar Heels are 161-67 against the Demon Deacons, including 76-18 in Chapel Hill.
Carolina has beaten Wake Forest in 10 of the last 12 games and 15 of 20 under Roy Williams.
Wake Forest defeated the Tar Heels, 74-57, in Winston-Salem on Feb. 11, The 17 points matched UNC's largest margin of defeat in conference play this season (also at Louisville).

What about the players?

Garrison Brooks:

Junior power forward Garrison Brooks is one of four players in the ACC in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage. The La-Fayette, Ala., native Is seventh in scoring (16.1), fourth in rebounding (8.7) and second in field goal percentage (.537) among ACC players in all games.
In conference games only, Brooks is second in scoring (17.5), second in rebounding (8.5), and seventh in FG percentage (.529).
The 34.8 minutes are the most by a big man in the Roy Williams Era (previous high was 33.7 by power forward David Noel in 2005-06).

Cole Anthony:

Freshman point guard Cole Anthony is averaging 19.7 points. He has played in only 18 games doesn't qualify for NCAA stats, but his average would be the second-highest in the nation by a freshman and is on pace to be the highest ever by a UNC freshman (Tyler Hansbrough holds the record at 18.9 ppg in 2005-06).
Anthony scored 25 at Syracuse, his eighth game with at least 20 points, and had a season-high seven three-pointers and seven assists, his highest figure in an ACC game.

Brandon Robinson:

Senior guard Brandon Robinson is averaging 6.0 points and is 5 for 21 from three-point range in the three games since he returned from a four-game absence due to a right ankle injury.
He made three or more 3FGs in seven straight games (a streak snapped on Jan. 27 at NC State), which equaled the second-longest such streak in Carolina history.

Armando Bacot:

Bacot is the only Tar Heel to start all 29 games this season, but the win over the Orange was the third time he played less than 10 minutes due to an early injury.
Bacot has nine double-doubles in points and rebounds. He's the first Tar Heel freshman with nine double-doubles since Antawn Jamison set the freshman record with 13 in 1995-96.