On Wednesday night, No. 8 North Carolina travels to Cameron Indoor Stadium to take on their rival, No. 2 Duke. Here's a look at the Tar Heels' biggest strengths ahead of the matchup with stats updated through Feb. 15.
3-point shooting
When UNC’s starting lineup is on the floor, the Tar Heels are able to space the floor and surround Garrison Brooks with four dangerous 3-point threats. UNC boasts the third best 3-point shooting percentage in the ACC, behind only Virginia and Virginia Tech.
Cameron Johnson is the primary threat for North Carolina, as he shoots a blistering 47.9 percent from behind the 3-point line, which is the second best in the ACC. For reference, that is higher than Duke forward R.J. Barrett’s total field goal percentage (44.8).
Then there’s Coby White, who knocks down 2.4 3-pointers a game, and shoots them at a 38.0 percent clip. Luke Maye has seen a significant dip in his 3-point percentage from last season’s 43.1, but he is still knocking down about one in every three 3-point shots. Kenny Williams rounds out the starters, and while he is not a reliable source of offense for the Tar Heels, he will knock down jumpers when open.
As ranked opponents like Virginia Tech and Gonzaga saw, North Carolina is capable of running a tough opponent out of the gym when it is shooting well — the Tar Heels shot over 50 percent from 3 against the Zags, and just under that mark against the Hokies.
Rebounding
North Carolina's other primary strength this season has been its rebounding. The Tar Heels out-rebound their opponents by 9.4 boards per game.
Given UNC’s lineups, that statistic is particularly impressive. The Tar Heels’ tallest starters are Johnson and Brooks at 6-foot-9, and they don’t get much bigger off the bench. Sterling Manley certainly helps, but he has been injured since Dec. 29.
