After a short break due to exams, the Tar Heels have found themselves back on the grind these next couple of weeks. They are coming off an uninspiring win over South Carolina Upstate on Saturday, they
face off against ETSU tonight, and then they’ll be in Atlanta Saturday to face off against Ohio State. After that stretch they will return to Chapel Hill next Monday to square off against ECU before breaking for Christmas.
The schedule is a good approximation for the Tar Heels where once the conference season starts, you’ll be dealing with Saturday games followed by either Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday games. You want that muscle memory in place for when the actual grind of the ACC schedule begins. We’re also looking at a case where the team is getting over rougher game, one that while it was a win was pretty uninspired. It’s probably a good thing Carolina didn’t face a team even at ETSU’s level as they just couldn’t seem to put SC Upstate away. Coach Hubert Davis sounded closer to a loss after the game, so there’s a decent chance that the film review and practice the last couple of days hasn’t been fun.
If you’re going to the game tonight, UNC is trying their best to keep you in your seat at halftime as they are promising a puppy race. Not kidding. They’ve been promoting this race through their social media channels and it looks a like it’ll be any chance you can have to say “Awwwwww.”
Here’s hoping that with all those good vibes the team answers with a much better performance. One thing is for sure, if ETSU gets close to out rebounding the Tar Heels like SC Upstate did, then the result probably isn’t going to be as good as it was Saturday. There’s always the inherent problem with trying to play the first game after the exam brake, and that game being an overmatched opponent. So, it probably won’t be worth getting too worked up on things.
The other thing to look for is Seth Trimble. He was spotted without any sort of wrap on his wrist before Saturday’s game, so all indications are he is close to coming back. The question is whether he’ll wait until after the Christmas break or if they want to work him back in ahead of time to go ahead and smooth out some rough edges before conference play begins. Either way, it may be the last opportunities for some players to show they deserve extending minutes on his return.
If you aren’t going to be in Chapel Hill tonight, here’s how you can catch the action:
- Time: 8 PM ET
- Location: Roy Williams Court at the Dean E. Smith Center – Chapel Hill, NC
- TV: ACC Network with Jay Alter and Terrence Oglesby on the call
- Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network with Jones Angell, Tyler Hansbrough, and Adam Lucas. Here’s a list of affiliates airing the THSN broadcast. You can also listen to them on GoHeels.com, The Varsity Network, Tune In, and Sirius XM on channel 193.
- Streaming: Available on the ESPN App, either with your own subscription or validated through cable.
- Line: UNC -15.5
