Keys to the Game: Wake Forest Basketball vs North Carolina
Wake Forest will look to snap a two-game home losing streak on Tuesday night as they welcome the North Carolina Tar Heels to the Joel. Last time out against UNC, the Deacs fought valiantly but fell 88-79. Here are some keys to the game that will help the Deacs notch their eighth ACC win of the season.
Stay out of foul trouble
This one has proven nearly impossible for the Tar Heels’ opponents this season, as UNC is averaging a whopping 23.7 free throw attempts per game, good for most in the ACC. Armando Bacot is the leader of the pack in this regard, having shot 65 more free throws than anyone on the team. Bacot’s combination of agility and physicality down low make it difficult to play solid post defense on him without fouling — in UNC’s previous matchup with Wake Forest, Bacot shot 10 free throws and made seven en route to a 21-point performance.
Obviously, Wake isn’t going to keep Hubert Davis’s squad off the line completely, but limiting their trips would go a long way toward stifling their offense, who gets 17.4 of their 77.6 points per game from the charity stripe.
Wake Forest is also a pretty thin team these days and can’t afford to have key pieces on the bench for too long — if someone like Tyree Appleby, Damari Monsanto or Cam Hildreth were to pick up some early fouls, the Deacs’ rhythm on both ends could go out the window.
Avoid a slow start
Wake Forest had a disastrous start against Notre Dame the other day, scoring just four points and turning the ball over eight times during the first 10 minutes of the game. The Deacs were fortunate that Notre Dame didn’t make a single three pointer on eight attempts in the first half and were able to take control of the game in the second period.
Against a dynamic offense with weapons like Bacot, Caleb Love and RJ Davis, they might not be so lucky. UNC put up 88 points the last time they played Wake — there just won’t be as much room for error in this one.
Slow starts have been a problem for this team in a couple of spots throughout conference play. Against both Pitt and Virginia — both much better teams than Notre Dame — the Deacs fell down by double digits early on and couldn’t cover enough ground to come away with a win. They’ll have to adjust and get things rolling early to win their second consecutive game Tuesday night.
Win the battle of the backcourt
RJ Davis absolutely torched the Deacs back in early January, pouring in 27 points on 9/14 from the field and 5/8 from deep. Caleb Love was much quieter, finishing with just seven points on 3/15 shooting. For the Deacs, Cam Hildreth had one of his worst games of the season, going 0/3 from the field in 20 minutes and only scoring two points. Ty Appleby was a bit better, though still inefficient, shooting 5/15 from the field in a 16-point performance. All told, the UNC backcourt outscored Wake’s 34-18.
These teams have two of the best backcourts in the conference when they’re at their best. Appleby and Hildreth combine for 30.9 points and 8.8 assists per game, while Davis and Love total 32.1 points and 6.3 assists. This game could very well come down to which duo performs at a higher level. Last time it was Davis and Love (mostly Davis), but both of Wake’s primary ball handlers will have to step up their performances from last time to defeat Hubert Davis’ group.
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