The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (14-4, 6-1 ACC) play host to the UNC Tar Heels (12-7, 5-2 ACC) at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston Salem. The Deacons are riding high winning 7 of their last 8 games. The Tar Heels were playing with tremendous confidence. They were on a 4 game win streak. This was until the Stanford Cardinal burst their bubble in Chapel Hill on Saturday.
The Deacons defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies on Saturday in Blacksburg. They won 72-63 and earned a coveted ACC road win. Star Hunter Silas scored 24 points in the matchup, his seventh straight 20 point performance, and guard Cam Hildreth added an extra 21 points. The Demon Deacons are off to their best start in ACC play since the days of Tim Duncan in the 1996-97 season. They have achieved their first five game ACC win streak in two decades.
The UNC Tar Heels hosted the cross continent foes Stanford Cardinal in Chapel Hill on Saturday afternoon. Duke graduate transfer, Jaylen Blakes, abruptly ended the Tar Heels 4 game win streak with his made jumper with 1.5 seconds left to give the Cardinal the upset in Chapel Hill, 72-71. Guard Seth Trimble made two free throws to give the Heels the lead with 7.7 seconds left before Blakes took the inbounds pass the length of the court and scored. The entire game was incredibly close seeing 12 ties and 14 lead changes. RJ Davis led the Tar Heels with 19 points, Ven-Allen Lubin scored 13. Star freshman Ian Jackson was held to only 6 points making only one shot from the field.
Key Points
Wake Forest
- The Joel Magic. The Deacs are 9-0 at the LJVM this season and 16-1 last season. The Joel has turned into a hard place for road teams to get a victory. Look for Carolina to struggle in the big game atmosphere in Winston Salem
- Hunter Silas has scored 20 points in 7 consecutive games. The hot streak should continue in front of Tye-Dye nation as Silas will carry the Deacs offense again.
- The Best of the Rest: The Deacs have had clutch performances from their lesser known players over the past few weeks. Tre’Von Spillers and Juke Harris offer some relief to Hunter Silas and make the Deacs a multi-dimensional squad. Another big game from them will have the Deacs celebrating their 6th win in a row.
North Carolina
- Get Ian Jackson back. Jackson was held to one field goal against Stanford after a streak of 20-point performances. If Jackson can find his range again, he will silence the Joel and steal momentum from the Deacs.
- RJ vs Silas. The matchup of senior guards will determine the outcome of this game. If RJ can outperform Hunter Silas, the Tar Heels will get a huge road W and help them keep pace in the ACC.
- Out grit the Deacs. Cam Hildreth is not afraid of getting dirty or diving for loose balls. Carolina must match his intensity specifically to get the road W.
The Deacons start a Tobacco Road homestand as they host Duke (16-2, 8-0 ACC) this Saturday in what is turning out to be the marquee matchup of the ACC Season. The Blue Devils are undefeated in ACC play and have won 12 in a row.
The Tar Heels will get a reprieve as they take on the bottom dwelling Boston College Eagles (9-9, 1-6 ACC) on Saturday
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