How to Watch No. 10 Indiana Basketball Against No. 18 North Carolina

Indiana basketball (6-0) welcomes the No. 18 North Carolina Tar Heels (5-2) to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. on Wednesday for a 9:15 p.m. ET tipoff. Here's how to watch, with game time and TV information, three leading storylines, the latest on the point spread, the coaching matchup, series history and more.

Jack Ankony | Nov 30, 2022

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After an offseason of anticipation and championship aspirations for two preseason conference favorites, it's finally here.

No. 10 Indiana and No. 18 North Carolina square off in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday night at Simon Skojdt Assembly Hall. The Tar Heels dropped from their preseason No. 1 ranking after losses to Iowa State and Alabama in the Phil Knight Invitational, but Indiana coach Mike Woodson knows better than to underestimate last year's national runner-up.

"I never go into a game thinking I got the advantage," Woodson said. "I've never coached that way, I've never played that way. The beauty about their team is they're battle tested. They were in the championship game last season, so they know what it's like to have their backs against the wall. I'm not taking this team lightly. They've got a great team, they're well coached and we're going to have to come out and commit ourselves for 40 minutes to beat them. It's not going to be a game where they just roll over and let us win."

*** LIVE BLOG: And once the game starts, follow all the action on our live blog from HoosiersNow.com publisher Tom Brew. To read that story, CLICK HERE.

How to watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. North Carolina Tar Heels

Who: No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers (6-0) vs. No. 18 North Carolina Tar Heels (5-2)
What: ACC/Big Ten Challenge
When: 9:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 30
Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind.
TV: ESPN
Announcers: Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst) and Brooke Weisbrod (sideline)
Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
Radio: IU Radio Network
Radio Announcers: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (color), John Herrick (pregame, halftime, postgame)
Point spread: Indiana is a 4.5-point favorite, and the over/under is set at 145.5 points, according to the SI Sportsbook on Wednesday afternoon. For breakdowns on both teams vs. the number, CLICK HERE
Associated Press poll: Indiana is No. 10 in the AP poll, making its first appearance in the top 10 since Dec. 12, 2016. North Carolina dropped from No. 1 to No. 18 in the AP poll.
KenPom rankings: Indiana is ranked No. 11 overall in the KenPom rankings following Friday's 90-51 win over Jackson State The Hoosiers are No. 12 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 14 in adjusted offensive efficiency. North Carolina is ranked No. 21 overall, No. 47 in adjusted defensive efficiency and No. 12 in adjusted offensive efficiency.
Season projections: As of Tuesday, the Hoosiers are the betting favorite to win the Big Ten regular season title at plus-300 odds. Indiana is plus-550 to reach the Final Four and plus-2200 to win the National Championship, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. North Carolina is tied with Virginia as the betting favorite to win the ACC regular season title at plus-220 odds. The Tar Heels are plus-500 to reach the Final Four and plus-2000 to win the National Championship.
Notable games: Indiana proved its No. 10 ranking with an 81-79 win at Xavier, who was picked to finished second in the preseason Big East coaches poll. North Carolina is off to a shaky start, with a single-digit win against Gardner-Webb at home. In the Phil Knight Invitational over the weekend, the Tar Heels narrowly defeated Portland before losing 70-65 to Iowa State and 103-101 to Alabama in quadruple-overtime.
Last season's records: Indiana went 21-14 overall, 9-11 in Big Ten play, 14-4 at home, 3-8 on the road and 4-1 at neutral sites in 2021-22. The Hoosiers reached the NCAA Tournament last year for the first time since 2016, defeating Wyoming in the First Four and losing to Saint Mary's in the Round of 64. North Carolina went 29-10 overall, 15-5 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, 15-2 at home, 8-3 on the road and 6-5 at neutral sites in 2021-22. The Tar Heels earned a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and upset the No. 1 seed Baylor Bears in the Round of 32 before wins over UCLA, Saint Peter's and Duke to reach the championship. Despite leading by 15 points at halftime, North Carolina lost 72-69 to Kansas in the National Championship game.
Series history: Indiana leads the all-time series 9-6 against North Carolina, including a 4-2 record at home. The Hoosiers and Tar Heels have matched up three times in the NCAA Tournament, beginning in 1981 when Isiah Thomas led the Hoosiers to a 63-50 win in the National Championship game. In 1984, Indiana defeated North Carolina 72-68 in the Sweet 16 and held Michael Jordan to 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting. In their most recent NCAA Tournament matchup, North Carolina dominated Indiana 101-86 in the 2016 Sweet 16 behind 21 points from Marcus Paige and 20 points from Brice Johnson. Dating back to 2001, Indiana holds a 3-1 advantage over North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, including a 76-67 win at Assembly Hall on Nov. 30, 2016. The No. 1 Hoosiers dismantled No. 13 North Carolina 83-59 during the 2012-13 season, and won 79-66 on Nov. 28, 2001. The Tar Heels only win over Indiana in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge was a 70-63 win at Assembly Hall on Dec. 1, 2004. With the ACC/Big Ten Challenge ending after this year, CLICK HERE for an in-depth breakdown of the series history.

Leading scorers

Indiana Hoosiers

F Trayce Jackson-Davis: 18.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 76.0 FG pct
PG Xavier Johnson: 11.0 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3.8 rpg, 66.7 3-point FG pct
F Malik Reneau: 10.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 63.6 FG pct

North Carolina Tar Heels

G Caleb Love: 20.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.3 apg, 24.5 3-point FG pct
F Armando Bacot Jr.: 16.7 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 56.7 FG pct
G RJ Davis: 15.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.4 apg, 39.2 FG pct
F Pete Nance: 11.9 pigs, 5.0 rpg, 41.7 3-point FG pct

Meet the coaches

Hubert Davis, North Carolina: Hubert Davis is in his second year as head coach of North Carolina, where he played from 1988-92 and averaged 21.4 points as a senior. Davis was the 20th overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks and played for six teams through 2004. Following his playing career, Davis worked for ESPN as a college basketball analyst before joining Roy Williams' staff at North Carolina in 2012 as an assistant coach. Davis helped North Carolina win its sixth national championship with a 71-65 win over Gonzaga in 2017. Williams retired after the 2020-21 season, and Davis led the Tar Heels to an appearance in the National Championship game in his first season as head coach.
Mike Woodson, Indiana: Woodson has NBA head coaching experience with the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-10 and the New York Knicks from 2012-14. Dating back to 1996, Woodson has also been an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers. Woodson played at Indiana University from 1976-80, and was named the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player as a senior under coach Bob Knight. He was the 12th overall pick in the 1980 NBA Draft, and played for various teams from 1980-91, averaging 14 points over 786 games.Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana Hoosiers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (1) drives to the basket during the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. — Indiana Hoosiers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino (1) drives to the basket during the first half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Three things to watch in Indiana vs. North Carolina

1. All-Americans dealing with injuries

Two of the nation's top players withdrew from the NBA Draft to return for their senior seasons, creating a highly-anticipated matchup down low. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Armando Bacot Jr. were both named preseason AP-All Americans, as well as Big Ten and ACC Player of the year, respectively, but both players are a bit banged up heading into Wednesday's game.

Jackson-Davis was held out of Indiana's game against Little Rock last Wednesday, but he played 19 minutes on Friday against Jackson State. Indiana coach Mike Woodson said Jackson-Davis has practiced on Monday, but he'll continue to evaluate him ahead of Wednesday's game.

"You go through bumps and bruises when you play this game," Woodson said. "I don't know if he took a fall or what, but I noticed it a few games right before the Little Rock game, him over there sitting uncomfortably. I don't know if it was his tailbone or something that was going on."

Jackson-Davis' response was more straight forward.

"Obviously I'm not 100 percent, but I will be playing tomorrow," Jackson-Davis said. "Obviously it's a huge game, so that's out of the door. I'm playing tomorrow, so you'll want to get that out there that I'm playing ... Not as in pain as I was last week, but kind of taking it easy in practice this week, but I think with the adrenaline and how the crowd's going to be, I'll be fine for the game. Obviously I'll play my hardest here, and you'll have to take me out on a stretcher if they're going to do that, so I'll be ready to go."

On the other side, Bacot scored 20 points with 20 rebounds in 39 minutes during North Carolina's loss to Alabama on Sunday, but he played sparingly during the four overtime periods. After the game, Inside Carolina's Ross Martin reported that Bacot felt "sharp pains" in his right ankle, but he is going to try his hardest to play against Indiana. North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said everyone practiced on Tuesday, and as of Tuesday afternoon he expects Bacot to play.

2. Backcourt matchups

Jackson-Davis versus Bacot is the one-on-one battle with the most hype and accolades, but guard play will be crucial to the outcome of Wednesday's game. Point guard Xavier Johnson wasn't Indiana's best player last season, but his play often determined wins and losses for the Hoosiers, especially late in the season. Johnson had a ton of pressure to perform on a nightly basis because Indiana lacked other reliable ball handlers, but the addition of five-star freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino has made the Indiana offense more dynamic.

The Hoosiers are averaging a Big Ten-high 88.8 points per game, and they rank third in both turnover margin (5.33) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.69). Johnson is off to a hot shooting start, connecting on 58.3 of all field goals with an 8-for-12 mark from 3-point range. Hood-Schifino has struggled to find his shot, making just 33.3 percent of all attempts and 4-of-16 3-pointers. But at 6-foot-6, he's played steady defense and has found other ways to contribute, averaging 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

North Carolina's RJ Davis and Caleb Love form a veteran backcourt that poses a difficult matchup for Indiana. Love played his best basketball of the season during last year's NCAA Tournament, catching fire for 30 points against UCLA and 28 against Duke in the Final Four. Davis, a more traditional point guard, scored 30 points against Baylor in the the Round of 32 and dished out 30 assists with only 12 turnovers across six NCAA Tournament games.

The duo has been a bit more streaky to begin the 2022-23 season, however. Love leads the Tar Heels with 20.0 points per game, but he's shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 24.5 percent from 3 with 23 assists and 17 turnovers in seven games. Davis has had similar shooting issues, connecting on 39.2 percent of shots with a 27.8 percent clip from 3.

Johnson will likely start on Davis, which means Hood-Schifino will have the toughest matchup of his young but promising career against Love.

3. Depth versus lack of depth

Indiana has received a boost from its second unit in a handful of games this season, most recently against Jackson State when Tamar Bates scored a career-high 22 points off the bench. Malik Reneau is Indiana's third-leading scorer at 10.7 points, and he's come off the bench in five of six contests.

Mike Woodson tightened his rotation at Xavier, playing nine total players with Jordan Geronimo only seeing five minutes of action. Indiana has had success playing a lineup with Bates, Reneau, Geronimo, Trey Galloway and either Xavier Johnson or Jalen Hood-Schifino at point guard. CJ Gunn has played double-digit minutes in the last three games, and Kaleb Banks played 16 minutes against Jackson State. In total, Indiana has 10 players averaging double-digit minutes, and no one has played more than 26.8 minutes per game.

"In my opinion, we have two starting fives," Jackson-Davis said. "We really platoon sub kind of like the Kentucky team did, but I think with Carolina playing about seven to eight guys, it's going to wear and tear on them because we can throw different bodies at different people. So I think as the game goes on that's going to be a huge part of it."

It's reasonable to expect Woodson to play a shorter rotation against North Carolina, but depth and fresh legs could also be an advantage over the Tar Heels, who have leaned on the strength of their starting five. RJ Davis, Caleb Love, Leaky Black, Pete Nance and Armando Bacot each average 30-plus minutes, and there's a significant drop-off in playing time with Puff Johnson at 20.5 minutes per game, Seth Trimble at 11.1 and D'Marco Dunn at 8.9 as the main options off the bench.