[8:05 PM] Northern Iowa @ #8 North Carolina

•What will be the GAME RESULT?

#8 North Carolina: Wins By 20+ Points

Any Other Result

 

• The line for this game is North Carolina by 18 points.

• Eighth-ranked North Carolina gets a chance to avenge a shocking upset from last season when it hosts Northern Iowa on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels were No. 1 when they visited Cedar Falls, Iowa almost 13 months ago and coughed up a nine-point halftime lead before suffering a 71-67 setback against the Panthers – one of only two losses they endured before February. North Carolina will send virtually the same lineup on to the court at the Dean Smith Center where they are 6-0 this season, but comes in with two losses this time after Saturday’s 103-100 defeat against Kentucky in Las Vegas.

• The Panthers are a different team this season, struggling with five losses in the last seven games after a promising 3-0 start that included wins over Arizona State and Oklahoma.

• The Panthers had won two in a row before getting routed by rival Iowa 69-46 last Saturday while shooting 26.8 percent from the field. “When those shots aren’t falling, we’ve got to have a different level of toughness,” Northern Iowa senior guard Jeremy Morgan, who leads the team in scoring (17.7), rebounds (7.5), assists (3.3) and steals (2.7), told reporters after the loss. Freshman guard Spencer Haldeman (10.2) is the only other player scoring in double figures for the Panthers while junior forward Klint Carlson adds 8.5 per contest.

• Jackson leads the team in scoring (17.1), and junior guard Joel Berry II (15.6 points, 4.9 assists) is next after returning from a two-game absence due to an ankle injury to score 23 against Kentucky. Senior forwards Isaiah Hicks (12.5 points, 60.6 percent shooting) and Kennedy Meeks (12.4, 53.0, 9.1 rebounds) continue to be efficient for the Tar Heels. Freshman forward Tony Bradley has also made an immediate impact while averaging 9.2 points, 6.3 rebounds and draining 57.8 percent of his shot attempts.

• North Carolina coach Roy Williams is 103-4 against non-conference opponents at the Dean Smith Center.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: #8 North Carolina: Wins By 20+ Points

Confidence: 4/10

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