History aside, NC State and No. 7 UNC basketball put unbeaten ACC records on the line

Only one team was ranked — and that team won — the last time N.C. State and North Carolina went at it in basketball at PNC Arena.

The Wolfpack, then ranked No. 23 in the AP Top 25 poll, got 29 points from Jarkel Joiner in beating the Tar Heels, 77-69. It was the day after the Carolina Hurricanes’ uber successful outdoor hockey game at NCSU’s Carter-Finley Stadium, and the atmosphere still festive as the Pack broke away from a 60-60 tie in the second half for a win that enhanced its NCAA tournament resume.

In the final seconds, Wolfpack fans were dismissively chanting “N-I-T” at the Heels as UNC’s NCAA hopes were quickly evaporating — the Heels, ranked No. 1 in preseason, missed the NCAAs and then declined to play in the NIT.

Flash forward a year. The Tar Heels (11-3) are ranked seventh nationally and the Pack (11-3) outside the top 25. The game Wednesday at PNC Arena marks the first time since January 1974 that both teams have played with 3-0 ACC records.

“When you look at them, they’re really good at every position,” NCSU coach Kevin Keatts said Monday of the Tar Heels.

UNC, NC State rosters have changed

And with a number of new faces. In the rapidly changing world of college athletics, few of the same players will be on the PNC Arena floor Wednesday night.

The Pack has D.J. Burns and Casey Morsell back, and the Heels Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis. Both teams have true freshmen who could play a key role in the game — State’s Dennis Parker Jr., and the Heels’ Eliot Cadeau.

The rest of the cast? A year ago, Keatts had Joiner, Terquavion Smith and Greg Gantt in the starting lineup and forward Jack Clark was the first guy off the bench. UNC coach Hubert Davis had Caleb Love, Leaky Black and Pete Nance in his starting lineup and Puff Johnson coming off the bench.

Burns and Morsell will start Wednesday but Keatts could decide to go with transfer big man Ben Middlebrooks, a 6-11 junior, along with two transfer guards, D.J. Horne and Jayden Taylor. Middlebrooks would put more size in the lineup to try and neutralize Bacot inside.

How Wolfpack, Tar Heels match up

One deciding factor in the game could be the shooting of Horne and Davis, who both can get on 3-point binges and light it up. Davis leads the ACC with 20.6 points a game — hitting 39.6% of his 3s — and in free-throwing shooting at 95.1% (58 of 61).

“It’s hard to believe R.J. Davis is playing his best basketball, because he has played well every year,” Keatts said. “But he is.”

The Tar Heels, who won at Clemson on Saturday, are averaging 83.6 points, second only to Miami in the ACC. The Pack is allowing 68.1, sixth-best in the conference after its 54-52 win Saturday over Virginia at PNC Arena.

The Wolfpack, 8-0 at home this season, used its depth to wear down and tire the Cavaliers. But the Tar Heels have nine players getting significant playing time, including transfers Harrison Ingram, Cormac Ryan, Jae’Lyn Withers and Paxson Wojcik.

Ingram could be a matchup problem for the Pack with his versatility. The 6-7, 225-pound junior is getting 13.1 points and 6.8 rebounds a game and can be an outside threat, shooting 43% on his 3’s.

Ingram was at Stanford this time last season. So was N.C. State’s Michael O’Connell, who transferred to NCSU and has been steady at point guard for the Pack. Once teammates, they’re now rivals, albeit friendly ones.

The pace should be fast. In that 1974 game in Chapel Hill, the Pack won 83-80. It was a different time and college basketball era — the Wolfpack’s David Thompson was the national player of the year — but Wednesday’s game could have a similar score as both teams look to push the ball and attack.

“We have to play N.C. State basketball,” Keatts said. “Against Virginia, we did a good job of moving the basketball and playing inside/out. We’ve got a really good post player in D.J. Burns we can play through.

“The biggest thing for us is staying the course and doing the things we do well.”