Advertisement

UNC basketball vs. Wake Forest: Scouting report, prediction for ACC showdown

rodd baxley, the fayetteville observer
·3 min read

As the calendar flips to 2023, North Carolina basketball begins the year outside of the AP Top 25 poll.

Ranked No. 1 to start the season, UNC (9-5, 1-2 ACC) entered the final week of December at No. 25 before a road loss at Pittsburgh snapped a four-game winning streak.

The Tar Heels will continue ACC play against in-state foe Wake Forest (10-4, 2-1) on Wednesday (9 p.m., ACC Network) in Chapel Hill. The Demon Deacons are coming off home wins against Duke and Virginia Tech.

Here are some things to know and a score prediction ahead of Carolina’s game against Wake Forest.

Finding Armando Bacot

UNC's Armando Bacot (5) has scored 20 or more points and grabbed 11 or more rebounds in four of the last five games.
UNC's Armando Bacot (5) has scored 20 or more points and grabbed 11 or more rebounds in four of the last five games.

UNC’s Armando Bacot, the ACC’s top scorer and rebounder (18.5 ppg, 11.2 rbg) has at least 20 points and 11 boards in four of the last five games.

The Tar Heels are 3-0 this season when their All-American big man gets at least 15 shot attempts. Bacot had 14 shots against Pitt, but only three in the final 12 minutes, as the Panthers rallied from a nine-point deficit to earn a comeback victory.

Carolina is at its best when using an inside-out approach. The Tar Heels would be wise to get back to that mindset against Wake Forest.

RECRUITING:Elliot Cadeau, No. 1 point guard in Class of 2024, commits to UNC basketball

X-FACTOR:UNC basketball’s Seth Trimble gives Tar Heels something they didn’t have during Final Four run

Wake Forest has good memories

The Demon Deacons faced little resistance against UNC in January 2022, delivering a 98-76 beatdown in Winston-Salem. The Tar Heels hadn’t allowed that many points in regulation since 1965.

Jake LaRavia and Alondes Williams have moved on, but Davien Williamson and Damari Monsanto are back after blistering UNC last season. The latter duo combined for 32 points, including six 3-pointers, in the 2022 meeting.

Tyree Appleby (18.4 points per game), Cameron Hildreth (12 ppg, 6.6 rebounds per game) and Andrew Carr (10.4 ppg) round out the top contributors for Wake Forest’s new-look squad this season.

Despite being No. 88 in KenPom’s analytics rankings, the Demon Deacons are more than capable of leaving Chapel Hill with a win Wednesday night.

Caleb Love’s struggles

In last season’s loss at Wake Forest, Caleb Love missed 12 of his 15 shots and had nine points to go with four turnovers.

Love, UNC’s second-leading scorer at 17.5 points per game, is coming off his worst scoring performance of the season. He had seven points on 3-for-9 shooting with no trips to the free-throw line in the Tar Heels’ 76-74 loss at Pitt.

As a freshman, Love scored 20 points against the Demon Deacons for his first 20-point game with the Tar Heels.

UNC is 19-1 when Love scores 20 or more points. If the Tar Heels are going to get right against Wake Forest, Love needs to get back on track.

UNC vs. Wake Forest score prediction

UNC 80, Wake Forest 75:  As inconsistent as the Tar Heels have been, they remain undefeated at home. The Demon Deacons have the pieces to get a road win, but UNC has won seven in a row against Wake Forest at the Smith Center.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball vs. Wake Forest: Scouting report, score prediction