The North Carolina Tar Heels appear on the hardwoods for the first time in 2026 on Saturday in Dallas.
SMU’s high-powered offense presents a stiff test for a Tar Heel defense that has held 14 consecutive opponents under 75 points, the longest streak to open a season since the 1981-82 championship season.
Here are a few key factors during Saturday afternoon’s ACC road opener against the Mustangs.
Who Starts on Time?
After the East Tennessee State game, Coach Hubert Davis expressed frustration with the team’s energy, saying,
“I don’t want to get off to slow starts. I felt like we did.”
Against Ohio State, Carolina did not reach double digits until the 11:23 mark, and versus Florida State, it took UNC nearly three minutes to get their first basket and another three to get their next point.
Fortunately, the Tar Heels are averaging a scoring margin of 10 points in the second half this season.
SMU has faced Butler and four SEC teams this season, and has trailed at the half in four of those five games. The Mustangs have had sluggish starts and put themselves in a first-half hole.
In two of those games, SMU earned come-from-behind victories.
For the Tar Heels, avoiding a slow start on the road against a high-powered offense will put them in a much better position down the stretch.
Neutralize the Home Court Advantage
As of writing, the odds for this game are not yet on the major sportsbooks. However, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index favors SMU at 54.4 percent, and Polymarket gives a slight advantage to the Mustangs at 51 percent.
A major factor for this is the Moody Coliseum advantage. The 7,000-seat barn will no doubt be packed for Saturday afternoon’s ACC opener for SMU, especially with the no. 12 Tar Heels in town. Looking at the aftermarket listings, a ticket this Saturday is nearly triple the next-highest home game.
The Mustangs are 9-0 this season at home, with their best win coming against Butler on November 15.
Trimble Versus Miller
The SMU offense ranks 16th in the nation, averaging 91.1 points per game this season. B.J. Edwards is the only player in the country with more than one triple-double this year, and Jaron Pierre, Jr. has scored in double figures each game, including 35 versus Texas A&M.
However, the key matchup for Saturday is between senior guards Seth Trimble and Boopie Miller.
Miller drives the SMU offense and has the versatility to impact the game in many ways.
Miller has a season high of 28 points and a low of 14 points. As the 34th best scorer in the nation, his 19.9 points per game prove he is a consistent scorer.
But when the focus is on Miller, he can dish it to his teammates, especially when opponents collapse on him when driving in the lane.
Miller averages 7.1 assists per game, good for sixth-best in the NCAA.
And to top it off, there are just two games this season in which the six-foot guard did not record at least one rebound and one assist.
Miller is the thoroughbred of the Mustang offense and will be one of the toughest tests for Trimble this year.
