The 19th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels have gone through ACC championship droughts before, but suffering another runner-up finish at the hands of the #11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday night would be a tough one to swallow.
North Carolina will look to win the ACC Tournament for the first time in seven tries tonight, after falling in the title game three times over the past four seasons.
What To Watch For
North Carolina Looks To Keep Its Streak Of Quality Wins Going
The Tar Heels came into the ACC Tournament with just one win over a current Top-25 team to their credit. They now have three after taking out #14 Louisville and #3 Virginia over the past two days. Aside from padding their seeding for the NCAA Tournament, taking down their third seeded team in three tries would be a huge confidence boost heading into the heart of March Madness next week.
Jerian Grant Slashing His Way To The Line
The electric senior point guard has been cold for the Irish from the field over the past two games, shooting just 35.2% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc in wins over Miami and #2 Duke. However, he was a perfect 13-for-13 from the free-throw line in those contests with 13 combined rebounds and 9 combined assists. If he's cold from the field again, the Irish will once again need him to facilitate while supplementing his scoring from the charity stripe.
Prediction: North Carolina wins 74-70
We expect the Tar Heels to finally get off the ACC tourney snide thanks to another breakout performance from freshman Justin Jackson. Jackson dropped 22 on Virginia with four made 3-pointers, and that confidence boost mixed with another steady performace from junior guard Marcus Paige should be enough to push UNC over the top.
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