Two keys to UNC men's basketball's road matchup at N.C. State

Coming off a double-digit victory at No. 16 Clemson, the No. 7 UNC men's basketball team (11-3, 3-0 ACC) is looking to continue its winning streak as the Tar Heels travel to Raleigh to take on N.C. State (11-3, 3-0 ACC) on Wednesday night at PNC Arena.

"We have a huge game coming up on Wednesday at N.C. State," UNC graduate center Armando Bacot said on Saturday after the Clemson win. "A lot of those guys [Bacot's teammates] have no clue what we're getting ourself into so I guess that'll be a huge test to see where we're at."

The Wolfpack defeated the Tar Heels in their previous matchup and enters the bout on a four-game winning streak — along with an 8-0 home record. 

Notably, this is the fourth time ever — and first time since January 22, 1974 — the Tar Heels and Wolfpack will play when both teams were at least 3-0 in the ACC.

Here are two keys for UNC if it hopes to hand N.C. State its first home loss of the season:

Draw more fouls

The Tar Heels will need to draw fouls against N.C. State if they want to reach or surpass their average of 83.6 points per game. Their 65 points in UNC's win over Clemson on Saturday was a season-low — partly due to UNC's lack of trips to the charity stripe.

With only two minutes to go, UNC had shot only eight free throws, making just four. The Tar Heels finished the game going 7-12 from the line, well below their season average of 19.3 free throw attempts per game and shooting nearly 20 percent less than their season average of 76.5 percent.

As N.C. State's opponents have averaged merely 69 points this season, North Carolina will need to play aggressively in the paint to draw fouls and get to the line against the Wolfpack. Moreover, if RJ Davis can initiate contact more frequently to earn free throw attempts, UNC can almost always count on two extra points, given the senior guard's ACC-best 95 percent clip from the line this season.

"We've got playmakers like RJ who can get you a basket or get a foul and do what it takes to seal the deal," graduate guard Cormac Ryan said at a press conference on Tuesday. "That's something that we're fortunate to have and we're excited to use moving forward."

Neutralize DJ Horne

A newcomer to this rivalry matchup is N.C. State’s leading scorer: guard DJ Horne, who averages 14.4 points.

A graduate transfer from Arizona State, Horne ranked top-two on the Sun Devils in both scoring and assists over the past two seasons. The 6-foot-2 veteran was brought in to help fill the void of Terquavion Smith — N.C. State's top scorer last season — who parted ways with the program to go pro.

When asked on Tuesday what challenges Horne poses, UNC head coach Hubert Davis replied, "A lot."

"[He's] very aggressive, a playmaker, confident, has the green light," Davis said. "The type of attention that needs to be on him is the same type of attention you have on [Pitt's Blake] Hinson and [Clemson's Joseph] Girard and those type of guys."

Horne has been strong from the three-point line, shooting at a 42.9 percent clip, and has hit 79.2 percent of his free throws. Whoever is tasked with guarding Horne will need to limit catch-and-shoot looks, pay careful attention to ball screen action and avoid fouling him early.

The graduate is also averaging just over 30 minutes per game, second-most on the team behind guard Casey Morsell. Horne is a threat on the defensive end, swiping 20 steals in 14 games.

"He's in a really nice rhythm right now," Davis said. "He's playing at an extremely high level and [is] very difficult to defend."

In a nutshell, limiting Horne’s looks early would counter N.C. State’s game plan, making UNC’s night much easier.

Shelby Swanson contributed reporting to this story.

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