UNC 78-Oregon 74
Carolina got back to its bread and butter against Oregon, dominating inside and on the glass in what was probably their best performance of the year so far. Armando Bacot was sensational in this one, finishing with 23 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 blocks.
Bacot has clearly been working hard to improve his fitness since he arrived at UNC, and his increased explosiveness and endurance are yielding impressive results. He dominated the Ducks on both ends of the floor and completely owned the paint, and if he can continue playing at this level the Tar Heels may actually live up to their lofty preseason ranking.
Cole Anthony once again played one of the nation’s best point guards to a draw, and he made all the big plays down the stretch to close out the game. Having a guy like Anthony who loves the big moments and delivers with the game on the line is huge. It’s obvious that he can’t stand losing, and I know he will do everything possible to keep Carolina from ever losing two games in a row. I love UNC’s chances in close games with Cole Anthony on the floor, and getting him the ball for last second free throws has to be mandatory. He isn’t going to miss much.
Brandon Robinson was a big contributor once again. His size, length, shooting, and defense on the wing are extremely important to the success of this team, and it’s pretty obvious that UNC is much better with him in the lineup. Garrison Brooks was solid in helping Bacot dominate down low, but the Tar Heels have to get more from their bench if they have aspirations of competing for championships this season.
The Tar Heels once again allowed way too many open looks from three-point range. With Bacot and Brooks defending the rim at a high level, Carolina has to stop helping so much when the opponent drives. There are way too many occasions where shooters are left wide open to help stop a driver that doesn’t even really have an advantage, and cleaning this up will be a major key that decides just how good a season UNC is going to have.
The brutal early season schedule continues on Wednesday, as the Tar Heels welcome the Ohio State buckeyes to town in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
Game 8: Ohio State
Ohio State comes to town with an undefeated record and an extremely tough and physical style of play. The Buckeyes are led by junior Kaleb Wesson down low, but they’re a deep team with a lot of guys who can step up and hurt you on any given night.
Wesson and Kyle Young are both big, strong guys inside and should provide a stiff test for Bacot and Brooks. They’re surrounded by a plethora of tough, quick, athletic guards who can all handle, drive and shoot, so the Tar Heels will really have their hands full in this one.
Duane Washington Jr., C.J. Walker, and Luther Muhammad start the game and can all get in the lane and create for themselves or their teammates, but E.J. Liddell, D.J. Carton, and Andre Wesson provide a great spark off the bench and any one of them can explode and be the go-to-guy for this Ohio State team.
Carolina will have to match Ohio State’s toughness and physicality and handle their relentless defensive pressure to come out on top. Bacot and Brooks must win the interior battle with Wesson and Young, and the Tar Heels can’t allow the kind of open three-point looks they’ve been giving up all season if they’re going to beat the Buckeyes. This will be even more difficult with the aggressive driving ability of Ohio State’s guards, so UNC will need to be at their best to pull out the victory tomorrow night.
In Other News Around the Country…
#1 plays #2 in my poll as Michigan travels to Louisville to take on the Cardinals in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge. These two teams are the clear favorites in my eyes to win the National Championship this season, and at this point I’m giving a slight edge to Michigan because of their depth, shooting, and senior leadership. It will be tough for the Wolverines to go into Louisville and get a win, but if they do it could be a huge psychological advantage should they meet again for bigger stakes down the road.
Here’s a look at the new Top 30 team and player rankings…
| 2020 Team Rankings | Games Seen | Last | |
| 1 | Michigan | 4 | 11/29/2019 |
| 2 | Louisville | 1 | 11/5/2019 |
| 3 | Arizona | 1 | 11/28/2019 |
| 4 | Kansas | 3 | 11/27/2019 |
| 5 | Dayton | 4 | 11/27/2019 |
| 6 | Ohio St. | 2 | 11/13/2019 |
| 7 | UNC | 6 | 11/29/2019 |
| 8 | Baylor | 2 | 11/24/2019 |
| 9 | Gonzaga | 3 | 11/29/2019 |
| 10 | Duke | 4 | 11/26/2019 |
| 11 | Washington | 2 | 11/16/2019 |
| 12 | Auburn | 3 | 11/25/2019 |
| 13 | Oregon | 3 | 11/29/2019 |
| 14 | Seton Hall | 1.5 | 11/15/2019 |
| 15 | Iowa St. | 1 | 11/27/2019 |
| 16 | West Virginia | 2 | 11/27/2019 |
| 17 | Indiana | 0.5 | |
| 18 | Butler | 1 | 11/12/2019 |
| 19 | Stanford | 1 | 11/25/2019 |
| 20 | Maryland | 1 | 11/9/2019 |
| 21 | Virginia | 2 | 11/19/2019 |
| 22 | VCU | 1.5 | 11/13/2019 |
| 23 | LSU | 2.5 | 11/22/2019 |
| 24 | Memphis | 2 | 11/12/2019 |
| 25 | Tennessee | 2 | 11/16/2019 |
| 26 | Arkansas | 1.5 | 11/25/2019 |
| 27 | Colorado | 0.5 | |
| 28 | Villanova | 3.5 | 11/24/2019 |
| 29 | Temple | 0.5 | |
| 30 | Florida St. | 1 | 11/10/2019 |
2019-2020 NBA Draft Rankings
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| Rank | Player | Position | Team | Height | Weight | Year |
| 1 | James Wiseman | PF/C | Memphis | 7'1" | 240 | Freshman |
| 2 | Obi Toppin | PF | Dayton | 6'9" | 220 | Sophomore |
| 3 | Anthony Edwards | SG | Georgia | 6'5" | 225 | Freshman |
| 4 | Jaden McDaniels | SG/SF | Washington | 6'9" | 200 | Freshman |
| 5 | Cole Anthony | PG | UNC | 6'3" | 190 | Freshman |
| 6 | Josh Green | SG/SF | Arizona | 6'6" | 205 | Freshman |
| 7 | Zeke Nnaji | PF | Arizona | 6'11" | 240 | Freshman |
| 8 | Isaiah Stewart | PF | Washington | 6'9" | 250 | Freshman |
| 9 | Harlond Beverly | PG | Miami | 6'4" | 185 | Freshman |
| 10 | Tyrese Haliburton | PG | Iowa St. | 6'5" | 175 | Sophomore |
| 11 | Tyrese Maxey | SG/PG | Kentucky | 6'3" | 198 | Freshman |
| 12 | Jordan Nwora | SF | Louisville | 6'7" | 225 | Junior |
| 13 | Precious Achiuwa | SF | Memphis | 6'9" | 215 | Freshman |
| 14 | Jon Teske | PF/C | Michigan | 7'1" | 265 | Senior |
| 15 | Armando Bacot Jr. | SF/PF | UNC | 6'10" | 235 | Freshman |
| 16 | Vernon Carey Jr. | PF/C | Duke | 6'11" | 260 | Freshman |
| 17 | Trayce Jackson-Davis | PF/C | Indiana | 6'10" | 235 | Freshman |
| 18 | Steven Enoch | PF/C | Louisville | 6'10" | 255 | Senior |
| 19 | Oscar Tshiebwe | PF | West Virginia | 6'9" | 258 | Freshman |
| 20 | Kofi Cockburn | PF/C | Illinois | 6'10" | 290 | Freshman |
| 21 | Isaiah Livers | PF/SF | Michigan | 6'7" | 230 | Junior |
| 22 | Filip Petrusev | SF/PF/C | Gonzaga | 6'11" | 235 | Sophomore |
| 23 | Joel Ayayi | SG/SF | Gonzaga | 6'5" | 180 | Sophomore |
| 24 | Aaron Nesmith | SG/SF | Vanderbilt | 6'6" | 213 | Sophomore |
| 25 | Brandon Rachal | SG/SF | Tulsa | 6'6" | 220 | Junior |
| 26 | Samuell Williamson | SG | Louisville | 6'7" | 200 | Freshman |
| 27 | Nico Mannion | PG | Arizona | 6'3" | 190 | Freshman |
| 28 | LJ Figueroa | SF/SG | St. John's | 6'6" | 195 | Junior |
| 29 | Reggie Perry | SG/SF | Mississippi St. | 6'10" | 250 | Sophomore |
| 30 | Myles Powell | SG | Seton Hall | 6'2" | 195 | Senior |
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