North Carolina State (14-9, 4-6) at #3 North Carolina (23-2, 9-2)A week after taking down their biggest rival, the Tar Heels face their secondary rival, the North Carolina State Wolfpack. NC State definitely gets more hyped for this game than Carolina does because Carolina is always better than NC State. The Wolfpack come into the game having won two in a row and pretty much need to win the rest of their games to even sniff the NCAA Tournament.
In the first meeting between these teams this year, Carolina won 93-76, with Tyler Hansbrough having his best game of the season, as he finished with 31 points. That dominant aspect of Hansbrough's game was noticeably absent in last week's games against Duke and Miami. Last week it was all about Ty Lawson taking the team on his back. While for this game it isn't necessary for Hansbrough to have a huge game it would be nice to see him get more active on the offensive end.
F Brandon Costner, F-C Ben McCauley, and G-F Courtney Fells are the players to watch on NC State. McCauley disappeared in the first game, forcing Fells and Costner to pull most of the weight. For NC State to have any chance tonight they will need all three to shoot and rebound well. Carolina had trouble with Miami's zone on Sunday. It will be interesting to see if the Wolfpack try to play zone too, and if so how Carolina adjusts.
The Wolfpack have a few good wins but those have come at home. They will be outmatched in this one.
Prediction: North Carolina 90, North Carolina State 67
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