NCAA Pick: North Carolina Tar Heels vs Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
by Joe Rodriguez
The North Carolina Tar Heels has traditionally experienced some turbulence when it pays a visit to Tobacco Road rival Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Tar Heels have won just 11 of the last 20 meetings at Winston-Salem (N.C.) - and settled for a split in the last four contests overall between the in-state rivals. Roy Williams' club looks to right the ship Tuesday when fifth-ranked North Carolina faces Wake Forest in the clubs' lone matchup this season.
The Tar Heels have won three in a row and 12 of their last 13 while the Demon Deacons have been struggling in by January. Wake Forest has dropped six of the eight contests this month, including a 76-60 setback to Clemson on Saturday.
- North Carolina Tar Heels @ Wake Forest Demon Deacons
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Where: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPNU
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Justbet Sportsbook currently have the Tar Heels listed as 16-point favorites versus the Demon Deacons.
North Carolina Tar Heels (18-3): The Tar Heels made good on Williams' vow that they would find their range from long distance. Sophomore F Harrison Barnes connected on eight of 14 shots from the field for a team-high 23 points and North Carolina benefited from 10 3-pointers in its 93-81 victory over Georgia Tech on Sunday. Despite the stellar shooting, the Tar Heels are still tied for 83rd in the nation, hitting on just 36.5 percent of their 3-point attempts this season. Sophomore swingman Reggie Bullock has fared well since replacing injured G Dexter Strickland in the starting lineup. Bullock has scored 11 points in both starts.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (11-10): Junior G C.J. Harris scored a team-high 19 points on Saturday. He needs 19 more to reach the 1,000-point plateau in his career. He has scored in double figures for 20 straight games, becoming the first Demon Deacon to do so since Jeff Teague. Sophomore F Travis McKie rebounded from a brutal three-point effort in Wednesday's 75-52 setback to ACC co-leader Florida State by scoring 13 points on Saturday. Wake Forest will need McKie to step up to counter North Carolina's large frontcourt, most notably C Tyler Zeller and F John Henson.
1. With his next assist, North Carolina G Kendall Marshall will tie Jeff McInnis for 12th place in school history. The sophomore has 435 assists in his brief career.
2. The Demon Deacons have scored under 60 points in their last four home games. Despite its scoring woes, Wake Forest boasts a 7-4 mark at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum this season.
3. North Carolina and Duke remain atop the ACC with Florida State also boasting a 5-1 mark in the conference. The Tar Heels will face the Blue Devils on Feb. 8 and March 3; they dropped their lone contest versus the Seminoles, 90-57 on Jan. 14.
BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Tar Heels 86, Demon Deacons 65.
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c.j. harris - dexter strickland - harrison barnes - jeff mcinnis - jeff teague - john henson - kendall marshall - lawrence joel veterans memorial coliseum - north carolina tar heels - reggie bullock
