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Time: 6 p.m. CST
TV: ESPN2
Commentators: Dave O' Brien (play by play), Doris Burke (color)
Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Arena: Dean Smith Center (Dean Dome).
Capacity: 21,000
Previews: Check out Peter's here, Mine here, and Tar Heel Blog's here. You can also look at UNC's SID report in PDF format here.
KenPom Prediction: KenPom gives Texas a 13% chance of winning on the road.
On paper, these teams are very similar. It'll be interesting to see who overcomes struggles at the free throw line and who is more efficient in the turnover category. Tar Heel Blog thinks a key to the game will be rebounding, a skill where UNC struggles and Texas does not. If this game is close and Texas is dominating the glass, it will be a huge advantage.
Here is a cool graph from the guys over at Tar Heel Blog. It's like a website filled with Jeffs, Blakes, and Peters. Those guys have great basketball content. I suggest checking it out during the game.
| North Carolina | Texas | |
| Conference | ACC | Big 12 |
| Record | 7-2 | 9-1 |
| KenPom Rank | 11th | 65th |
| Points per game | 78.0 | 78.8 |
| Points per possession | 1.09 | 1.07 |
| Offensive Efficiency(Rank) | 113.9(20th) | 104.6(156th) |
| Defensive Efficiency(Rank) | 92.6(10th) | 94.8(32nd) |
| Tempo(Rank) | 70.9(67th) | 71.9(42nd) |
| Offensive eFG% | 50.1% | 49.0% |
| Defensive eFG% | 44.1% | 45.9% |
| Field Goal % | 47.8% | 44.8% |
| 3P FG% | 29.4% | 34.0% |
| Offensive Reb Rate | 37.3% | 38.5% |
| Defensive Reb Rate | 69.4% | 73.5% |
| TO Rate | 17.3% | 17.7% |
| FT Rate | 50.4% | 50.0% |
| KenPom win probability | UNC 87% | |
Look for me on TV!