UNC basketball’s Hubert Davis, Tar Heels talk win vs. Florida State
Following UNC basketball’s win vs. Florida State in the ACC opener, Hubert Davis, RJ Davis, Armando Bacot, Cormac Ryan and Seth Trimble discussed it.
UNC basketball and UConn will meet in one of the marquee matchups of the season Tuesday at Madison Square Garden as part of the Jimmy V Classic.
The ninth-ranked Tar Heels (7-1) and fifth-ranked Huskies (7-1) tip off after Florida Atlantic and Illinois, tentatively scheduled for 9 p.m. on ESPN.
UNC and UConn have combined to win 11 NCAA championships, including nine in the last 30 years. The Huskies are the reigning national champions and won 24 nonconference games in a row by double digits before losing at Kansas this season.
The Heels and Huskies will be playing for the seventh time and first time since the 2004-05 season. UNC won five of the first six games in the series, including three in a row.
Here’s a look at some things to know and a score prediction for UNC’s game against UConn in New York City.
UNC basketball has to get to free-throw line, make 3s
UNC missed 17 of its 22 attempts from 3-point range against Florida State. But the Heels have a chance to get closer to the norm against the Huskies, who are 312th in the nation in 3-point defense, allowing teams to shoot 37.2%. UNC has also made a living at the free-throw line, where nearly 26% of the Heels’ points are coming from this season. Treys and free throws seem like the path to beating UConn. RJ Davis and Armando Bacot will have to lead the way if the Heels are going to nab a big-time win.
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UNC basketball’s Armando Bacot vs. UConn’s Donovan Clingan and Samson Johnson
Armando Bacot was sensational last season at Madison Square Garden, scoring 28 points to go with 15 rebounds in an overtime win against Ohio State. Bacot will likely get plenty of attention from UConn’s towering post players: 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan and 6-foot-10 big man Samson Johnson. The Huskies are 2-0 at the Garden this season, allowing the primary post players in those games to average 16 points and eight rebounds. Bacot is averaging 16.3 points and 11.8 rebounds.
UConn’s Tristen Newton makes the Huskies go
There might not be a hotter player in the nation than UConn guard Tristen Newton, who dropped 31 points at Kansas. Newton already has three triple-doubles in just over a year with the Huskies for the most in program history. The 6-foot-5 graduate guard, who started his career at East Carolina, is averaging 17.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game in his second season at UConn. Earlier this year at the Garden, Newton had 23 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in a win against Indiana. UNC has allowed a player to score at least 30 points in three of the last four games.
UNC vs. UConn score prediction
UConn 77, UNC 74: Two of the past three games in the series were decided by three points. I expect another classic at the Garden, but it’s familiar territory for the Huskies and it’ll be hard to beat the Big East’s best in the Big Apple.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at [email protected] or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
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