Overview
- Tipoff is Saturday in Chapel Hill in a sold-out Dean E. Smith Center, where North Carolina is 10-0 this season and one win from its 500th victory in the building.
- The Tar Heels’ seven-game win streak ended at SMU after allowing 97 points and 58 after halftime on 71.4% shooting, prompting a renewed defensive focus.
- UNC leans on its size with Caleb Wilson (about 19.3 points, 10.9 rebounds) and Henri Veesaar (about 16.3 points, 9.2 rebounds), facing a Wake roster short on frontcourt depth.
- Wake Forest enters at 10-6 after an 81-77 home loss to Miami in which it was outscored 42-20 in the paint, and coach Steve Forbes questioned his team’s physicality on the glass.
- Sophomore Juke Harris leads Wake at roughly 20 points per game, while turnover pressure could be pivotal with Wake ranking high in steals and UNC lagging nationally in turnovers forced.