The North Carolina Tar Heels and NC State Wolfpack face off in a top-15 ACC matchup between two bitter college basketball rivals.
Coming into the 2018-19 season, the North Carolina Tar Heels were touted as a potential title sleeper. At times, they’ve looked the part. Then, at other times, they’ve looked like a team trying to find their footing. However, on Tuesday night they will match up with a true sleeper — as well as a rival — as they go to Raleigh to face the 15th-ranked NC State Wolfpack.
When it comes to NC State, they are the very definition of team basketball. While they have some studs in the likes of Torin Dorn and C.J. Bryce, they are a balanced team that rotates heavily. They are also equally effective on both ends of the floor, which has come to fruition en route to their 13-1 start and wins over the likes of Auburn and Miami.
As for North Carolina, they are unbelievably talented, both with newcomers and experienced players. Freshman point guard Coby White is a juggernaut, but guys like Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson are just as critical. Meanwhile, everyone is still trying to figure out what the heck Roy Williams is doing with Nassir Little.
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This game is a fascinating clash between two bitter rivals. Though North Carolina likely has more talent, they have been far more inconsistent than NC State this season. In Raleigh, the Wolfpack could be looking to make some magic happen.
TV and Live Stream info
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019
Start Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Location: Raleigh, NC
Arena: PNC Arena
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
When it comes to these two teams, there is never any love lost. What’s more, there weren’t many that had much faith in NC State coming into the 2018-19 college basketball season. Having said that, if they can welcome North Carolina to town and knock off their rivals, that would be a big statement to the rest of the country that the Wolfpack are for real.