The men’s basketball team heads to Chapel Hill Saturday with pride on the line. Not only will it be playing for bragging rights against rival North Carolina, but it will also be playing to avoid the unique distinction of worst team in the ACC.
The Pack sits at last in the ACC with a conference record of 2-8 but just one loss behind the 2-7 Tar Heels, meaning the loser of the game will gain sole possession of last place.
The team however is coming off a difficult loss at the hands of the Virginia Tech Hokies, a loss in which coach Sidney Lowe said physicality played a key role. The Hokies had it; State did not.
But according to freshman forward Josh Davis, the practices before the contest at Carolina will help the team regain its intensity.
“We’re going to go in the gym and it’s going to be a hard practice,” Davis said. “That’s basically the thing we’ve got to do.”
The records, however, are not indicative of the rivalry.
The Tar Heels are just 1-4 in conference at home this season, including a loss Wednesday to Duke. The Pack matches that mark with a 1-4 road record in the conference this season.
State will have to avoid long scoring droughts in order to keep pace with the home team Saturday, according to freshman guard Scott Wood.
“We can’t go into seven minute droughts where we don’t score,” Wood said. “That will definitely help.”
Junior forward Tracy Smith put up a team-high 20 points in the earlier meeting between the season between the two teams, a 77-63 Carolina win. But he will need help from the guards to play well in the post again, according to coach Sidney Lowe.
“You have to shoot the ball better to take pressure away from the bigs,” Lowe said. “We have to make some shots and better decisions.”
The Pack will also need another big night from junior guard Javier Gonzalez. Gonzalez had 19 points during the Jan. 16 game against the Tar Heels, including a 3-4 shooting performance from 3-point range.
“[The guards] know they’re going to get looks,” Lowe said. “The thing that’s frustrating is you can’t shoot the ball for them.”
The team shot just 27.8% from the field Wednesday night against the Hokies, including an 0-7 performance from beyond the arc.
The Pack has beaten the men from Chapel Hill just once under Lowe and has lost seven straight contests.
Whichever team walks out of the Dean Dome the victor will snap a lengthy losing streak. The last win for the Heels came against the Wolfpack in the RBC Center Jan. 26, while the Pack’s last ACC win came against Duke Jan. 20.
But according to Wood, despite the poor performances by the teams, the game will come down to the fundamentals.
“I think if we execute and play good defense and rebound, it should be a good game,” Wood said.
Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill.
