North Carolina Returns To Chapel Hill To Host Davidson

On Saturday North Carolina returns to Chapel Hill where they will host Davidson.

North Carolina who is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference comes into the game with a record of 8-3 while Davidson who is a member of the Atlantic 10 comes into the game with a record of 9-3.

As for North Carolina’s previous game, they lost to Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic in Chicago.

Keldon Johnson scored 23 points, Reid Travis added 20, and No. 19 Kentucky beat ninth-ranked North Carolina 80-72 Saturday in a matchup between two of college basketball's winningest programs. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

Johnson scored 16 in the second half, helping the Wildcats (9-2) hold off the Tar Heels (8-3) in their first meeting since the 2017 NCAA South Regional final. North Carolina won that game on a last-second jumper by Luke Maye en route to its sixth national title. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

This time, Johnson came on strong down the stretch after Travis got off to a scorching start. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

Johnson hit three 3-pointers in the second half and made 4 of 7 from beyond the arc overall. Travis scored 16 as the Wildcats grabbed a 40-31 halftime lead. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

Tyler Herro scored 15. PJ Washington added 11 points, nine rebounds and a career-high eight assists, and Kentucky won its second in a row since an overtime loss to Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

Cameron Johnson led North Carolina with 17 points. Maye scored 16 for the Tar Heels, who knocked off then-No. 4 Gonzaga one week earlier. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

It was the Tar Heels' first game since the school announced an eight-year contract extension through the 2027-28 season for Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

Kentucky was leading 66-55 with just under eight minutes to go after Keldon Johnson nailed 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

North Carolina then cut the lead to six, but two steals by Ashton Hagans helped bump it back up to 11. The first led to a 3 by PJ Washington, and Hagans then scored on a breakaway layup off another steal to make it 71-60 with 5:50 left. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-tar-heels-fall-to-kentucky-80-72.aspx

Unlike North Carolina, Davidson won their previous game as they defeated Central Penn.

Six players scored in double figures as the Davidson Wildcats rolled by Central Penn 88-54 Saturday afternoon at Belk Arena. “according to https://davidsonwildcats.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-six-cats-hit-double-figures-in-88-54-win-over-central-penn.aspx
 
Freshman forward Luka Brajkovic turned in his third career double-double, and second straight, with 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead the way against the Knights, who play in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). “according to https://davidsonwildcats.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-six-cats-hit-double-figures-in-88-54-win-over-central-penn.aspx
 
"Every game is an experience we can learn from," said Bob McKillop. "Yes, we won by 34 points, but there are many nuggets of knowledge we can take from this game that will prove valuable as we go through this season." “according to https://davidsonwildcats.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-six-cats-hit-double-figures-in-88-54-win-over-central-penn.aspx
 
Wildcats' Bates Jones, David Czerapowicz and Luke Frampton scored 12 points each. Jon Axel Gudmundsson also reached double digits with 10 points to go along with 5 boards, 4 assists and 3 steals. “according to https://davidsonwildcats.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-six-cats-hit-double-figures-in-88-54-win-over-central-penn.aspx
 
Davidson, which led by as many as 41, shot 50 percent and finished with a commanding 51-27 margin on the glass. “according to https://davidsonwildcats.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-six-cats-hit-double-figures-in-88-54-win-over-central-penn.aspx
 
The Wildcats turned in another solid defensive effort, holding the Knights to just 33.9 percent from the floor. “according to https://davidsonwildcats.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-six-cats-hit-double-figures-in-88-54-win-over-central-penn.aspx
 
After a slow start, Davidson closed the first half on a 32-7 streak to take a 47-21 advantage into the break. “according to https://davidsonwildcats.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-six-cats-hit-double-figures-in-88-54-win-over-central-penn.aspx
 
Joel Zola led the way for Central Penn (4-8) with 12 points and 10 rebounds.”according to https://davidsonwildcats.com/news/2018/12/22/mens-basketball-six-cats-hit-double-figures-in-88-54-win-over-central-penn.aspx

Tip-off is set for 12:00pm from the Dean E. Smith Center. The game will be televised on ESPN2.