RALEIGH — It’s still early, but the Tar Heels and Wolfpack are atop the ACC. Now the two Tobacco Road rivals will meet for the first time Wednesday with matching overall and conference records, both on four-game winning streaks.
While No. 7 UNC (11-3, 3-0 ACC) has dominated the matchup over the last few decades, the last time these two teams met NC State got the better of the Tar Heels, winning 77-69 last Feb. 19 in Raleigh.
The game was close until graduate Jarkel Joiner took over, scoring 18 points in the final 10 minutes to seal the win for the Wolfpack.
Last season’s matchup came with one team on the rise with another on a sharp decline. This year is a different story.
After failing to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010, the Tar Heels have seemingly regained their identity under coach Hubert Davis.
UNC has wins over Florida State, Pitt and Clemson in conference play to go along with impressive wins in three matchups against ranked opponents: Arkansas, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
The Tar Heels have been able to outscore teams in fast-paced matches or grind them out in defensive slugfests.
“I’m in the huddle and there’s very little that I’m saying,” Davis said following his team’s 65-55 road win over Clemson. “I’m just listening to them, and that’s exactly what I have wanted. The conversation is in terms of what we’re doing out on the floor, where we need to go, what we need to be. They’re referencing things that we talked about in practice, situations that happened in practice, the guys behind the bench are going crazy as well, and it’s just a really special and tight group.”
Senior RJ Davis is leading the way, averaging more than 20 points a game while shooting nearly 46% from beyond the arc. Senior Armando Bacot has continued to dominate in the paint, averaging 14.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
“They’re a good basketball team,” NC State coach Keatts said. “When you look at the numbers, they’re playing really well. It’s hard to believe that RJ Davis is now playing his best basketball because he’s played well every year. Armando Bacot has gotten going. Last game, 16 points and 14 rebounds. I think the good thing about that team is when you look at them, they’re really good at every position.”
On the other side of the matchup, the Wolfpack (also 11-3, 3-0 ACC) lost some big pieces in the offseason but have used an infusion of youth and transfers to get off to a good start.
NC State returned graduates Casey Morsell and DJ Burns while adding transfers DJ Horne and Jayden Taylor along with freshman Dennis Parker. But what has really made the Wolfpack dangerous is their depth.
Keatts has spread around his minutes, with six players averaging more than 8½ minutes off the bench, including four with more than 12 minutes per game.
It’s helped the Wolfpack start 3-0 in conference play for the first time in more than a decade. NC State picked up road wins over Boston College and Notre Dame before adding an impressive 76-60 home win against stingy Virginia.
“The one thing I’ve been able to focus in on with this group is who we’re playing next,” Keatts said. “We won’t talk about, ‘Hey, you’ve won this many games and we haven’t done that since then.’ We’re proud. The way we’ve done it has been really good, two road games and being able to come back and take care of home court against a very good Virginia team says a lot. We just want to build on that.”
NC State has had just one game against a ranked opponent this season — a nine-point loss to then-No. 12 Tennessee — so a rivalry game against the seventh-ranked Tar Heels should have them champing at the bit.
The Tar Heels will have to weather that energy early in a loud and hostile PNC Arena to come out on top.
The winner will be looking down on the loser in the ACC standings.
