The North Carolina Tar Heels face a big test after some stumbling blocks as they welcome the Virginia Tech Hokies to Chapel Hill on Monday night.
At their best, college basketball fans have seen the North Carolina Tar Heels and Virginia Tech Hokies look phenomenal in terms of their national prowess. Over the past week and a half, however, both teams have seen their stock fluctuate with some tough losses, even if against different caliber opponents. Even still, the Hokies and Heels face off on Monday night in a big ACC matchup in Chapel Hill.
A little more than a week ago, North Carolina was upset in convincing fashion by Louisville and have been a bit rattled by that. Since then, the Tar Heels have struggled at times against Notre Dame and Miami, even in wins. They have talent in droves with the likes of Coby White, Nassir Little, Cam Johnson and even Luke Maye, but they need to start pulling it together.
Virginia Tech is not a team slouching in the talent department by any means. The trio of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kerry Blackshear Jr. and Justin Robinson have proven as good as many three-man groups in college basketball. However, with a blowout loss to Virginia in their recent memory, they need to right the ship and a win against UNC would help.
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Both North Carolina and Virginia Tech have a shot at winning the ACC this season. They are that balanced and talented. However, this is the time of the year when they need to hit another gear, and this is a perfect game to make that happen.
TV and Live Stream info
Date: Monday, Jan. 21, 2019
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Arena: Dean E. Smith Center
TV Info: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN
North Carolina and Virginia Tech are two teams that still sit in a good spot heading into the heart of ACC play. Having said that, a big result in this game on Monday night could be a big momentum builder for either team. Thus, all eyes for college basketball fans should be on Chapel Hill to see how this one plays out between the Hokies and Tar Heels.