North Carolina Returns To Chapel Hill To Host Florida State

After traveling down tobacco road for their previous game eighth ranked North Carolina will return to Chapel Hill to host sixteenth ranked Florida State on Saturday.

North Carolina comes into the game with a record of 21-5 while they’re 11-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

As for their previous game, they won at Duke.

Eighth-ranked North Carolina (21-5, 11-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) got 30 points and 15 rebounds from Luke Maye and 26 points and seven boards from Cameron Johnson and beat top-ranked Duke (23-3, 11-2), 88-72, on Wednesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/2/20/mens-basketball-at-duke.aspx
 
Carolina has 14 wins over AP No. 1-ranked teams, most all-time. Eight of those 14 wins have come against Duke.  Head coach Roy Williams has eight wins over AP No. 1 teams, most of any coach in NCAA history. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/2/20/mens-basketball-at-duke.aspx
 
Maye hit 14 of 24 shots from the floor and finished with 30 points and 15 boards for his 10th double-double of the season. Johnson hit 11 of 17 shots, grabbed seven rebounds and had four assists with no turnovers. Garrison Brooks finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/2/20/mens-basketball-at-duke.aspx

Carolina shot 50.7 percent as a team from the floor but just 2 for 20 (10.0 percent) from three-point range. UNC was 36 for 55 (65.5 percent) ob two-point attempts. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/2/20/mens-basketball-at-duke.aspx

The Tar Heels held Duke to 34.7 percent shooting from the floor, including 8 for 39 (20.5 percent) from three-point range. R.J. Barrett had 33 points and 13 rebounds and Cam Reddish scored 27 for Duke. Fellow freshman Zion Williamson was limited to less than one minute of action due to a knee injury suffered on Duke's first possession of the game. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/2/20/mens-basketball-at-duke.aspx

Carolina scored 62 points in the paint, its ACC high this season, while allowing only 28 Duke points in the paint. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/2/20/mens-basketball-at-duke.aspx

UNC is 7-0 on the road in ACC play this season, its best start in league play since going 8-0 on the road in 2008.  Three of those wins have come against ranked ACC foes (No. 15 N.C. State, No. 15 Louisville and No. 1 Duke). “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/2/20/mens-basketball-at-duke.aspx
 
UNC led by as many as 13 points in the first half and took a 42-32 lead into the locker room.  The two teams shot a combined 3 for 34 from three-point range in the opening half (1 for 14 by UNC and 2 for 20 by Duke). Carolina missed its first 12 from long range before Maye hit one with under 3:00 to go before the break. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/2/20/mens-basketball-at-duke.aspx
 
The Tar Heels still shot 45 percent overall from the floor (17 for 26 from two-point range for 65.3 percent) Maye (18 points) and Johnson (12) accounted for 30 of Carolina's 42 first-half points. Duke shot 32.5 percent from the floor in the first half. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/2/20/mens-basketball-at-duke.aspx
 
The Tar Heel lead grew to as many as 22 points in the second half, and Duke couldn't get within single digits in the final 18:10 of the game. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2019/2/20/mens-basketball-at-duke.aspx

Like North Carolina, Florida State won their previous game as they defeated Clemson.

The No. 16 Florida State Seminoles set a school record Tuesday night , winning their eighth straight conference game after defeating Clemson, 77-64. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

The Seminoles (21-5, 9-4) continued their dominant stretch of play, earning their third straight double-digit victory in the streak and having controlled the paint on both ends of the floor. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

After outscoring Wake Forest and Georgia Tech 78-28 in the paint, holding a plus-28 rebounding advantage and averaging 6.0 blocks per game in their last two games, the Noles outscored the Tigers (15-11, 5-8) 36-26 in the paint, out-rebounded Clemson 43-32 and blocked four shots. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Redshirt sophomore forward Mfiondu Kabengele powered the Seminoles, earning his fourth career double-double by scoring a team-high 19 points, securing a team-high 11 rebounds, and also recorded two blocks while shooting nine of 13 from the floor. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

The Burlington, Ont., native has been a force for the Noles all season, proving to be the only player in the country to lead his team in scoring while not yet starting a game. During the Noles’ current eight-game win streak, he has been even better. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Kabengele has averaged 15.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting 58.9 percent from the floor, 57.9 percent from 3-point range and 83.9 percent from the free-throw line during the streak, including two victories over the Tigers. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

After a slow start that saw the Seminoles trail 6-2 in the game’s first four minutes, the Noles’ offense came alive. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Junior guard Trent Forrest sparked the offense, making a driving layup in the paint. On the next possession for the Tigers, senior center Christ Koumadje blocked a jump shot that led to a slam from redshirt senior forward Phil Cofer. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

When the Tigers missed their fifth shot in a row on the following possession, Cofer later kicked out to senior forward Terance Mann, who hit a step back 3-point shot to give the Seminoles their first lead at 9-6. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Throughout the Noles’ eight-game win streak, Mann has showcased his ability to shoot the long ball, as he has been on a career-best pace. During the eight-game span, he has hit 10 3-pointers and has made 58.8 percent from beyond the arc. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

A few possessions later, Kabengele hit a smooth turnaround jump shot that extended the Seminoles’ lead to 12-6 and capped a 10-0 run. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

With 10:28 left in the first half, the bench gave a spark to add to the Seminoles’ lead. Off of a pass by redshirt freshman forward RaiQuan Gray, senior guard PJ Savoy hit a 3-point shot. On back-to-back possessions, Kabengele and Gray would hit their shots to bring the lead to 21-14. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Florida State’s depth continued to flex on Tuesday night. Nine different Seminoles scored, and the reserve unit outscored the Tigers’ reserves 30-2. Florida State’s ‘boom squad,’ the name given to its bench, has now outscored its opponents 427-156 in ACC play.”according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

After Clemson answered Florida State with a 7-0 to bring the score to 23-21 with 5:21 left, Trent Forrest slammed home a driving dunk in the lane that began a 15-2 run of their own to end the half up 38-23. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Forrest continued to prove to be one of the better all-around guards in the ACC. The Chipley, Fla., native finished the game with 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal while shooting 5 of 8 from the floor. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

The Noles began the second half by dominating the paint. Up 47-31 with 17:32 left in the half, Christ Koumadje recorded back-to-back slams to put the Seminoles up 51-36. After his second dunk, Koumadje would follow with a block on the defensive end of the court. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Koumadje continued his career-best stretch in a Seminoles uniform. After turning in back-to-back double-doubles, he followed by recording 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks on 4-of-6 shooting. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Over his last three games, Koumadje is averaging 13.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 76 percent from the floor. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Trailing 53-36 with 15:28 left in regulation, Clemson began to claw its way back in to the matchup by cutting the score down to 59-52 with 8:09 remaining. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Florida State then showed its experience as it fired back with the 16-6 run with a 9-2 run. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Kabengele hit on a layup off of an offense rebound, followed by a jumper by Trent Forrest and a 3-point shot by Kabengele on consecutive possessions.”according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

The ACC’s potential best sixth man saved his best basketball for the closing stretch of the game after Clemson closed the lead to seven. Kabengele scored seven points in a four-and-a-half-minute span that extended the Seminoles’ lead to 69-57 with 3:07 left. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

With less than two minutes to play, the Seminoles began to close the game out with consistency from the free-throw line. Forrest and sophomore guard M.J. Walker each hit three of four free throws to put the game out of reach. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

The Seminoles put an exclamation point on their fourth ACC road victory of the season after Terance Mann put home a break away dunk off of a Clemson free throw to put the score at 77-62. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Clemson would hit a layup to bring the score to 77-64 and Florida State then dribbled out the clock. “according to https://seminoles.com/eight-straight-for-florida-state/

Tip-off is set for 3:45pm from the Dean E. Smith Center. The game will be televised on CBS.