UNC Basketball vs College of Charleston Preview

The Tar Heels will look to bounce back after a pedestrian start to a campaign with sky-high expectations.

James Guillory/USA Today Sports

No. 1 ranked North Carolina will continue their four game homestand on Friday night after what can be described as a sluggish start to the season with a 69-56 victory over UNC-Wilmington.

The Tar Heels will welcome a familiar opponent to the Smith Center in College of Charleston, who will face-off against North Carolina for the third consecutive year.

In Hubert Davis' first season at the helm, North Carolina took a trip to The Palmetto State to face the Cougars in a non-conference matchup. Despite trailing 42-36 at halftime, the Tar Heels rallied to earn a 94-83 win on the road behind 24 points and 12 rebounds from Armando Bacot and 22 points from Caleb Love.

In year one under Pat Kelsey, College of Charleston earned a 17-15 record with just two returning players from the 2020-2021 roster.

Now, they are slotted to finish fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association and received one first place vote.

The Cougars, who return two starters and three key reserves from last season, enter Friday's contest at 1-0 after defeating Chattanooga, and first year head coach Dan Earl, 85-78.

Sophomore Reyne Smith will be a key factor for College of Charleston, after a game-high 24-point performance against the Mocs mirrored his 19-point outing against the Tar Heels a season ago. 

Smith was a Preseason All-CAA Second Team selection for the Cougars after setting the school record for three-pointers by a freshman (90) and leading the roster with 386 total points and a success rate of 37.5 percent from beyond the arc.

With the two leading scorers from last year's showdown in Smith and Ben Burham still wreaking havoc under Kelsey, they will be a point of emphasis for the Tar Heels.

For North Carolina, both perimeter defense and the rebound battle are crucial in improving to 2-0.

With 29 three-point attempts in the season-opener, the Cougars shot 13 more than UNCW and connected at a 31 percent rate compared to the Seahawks at 25. Five different players recorded three or more attempts from beyond the arc, with four Cougars finding the bottom of the net.

Historically speaking, the Tar Heels are known for their effectiveness and efficiency on the glass, finishing as one of college basketball's best rebounding teams each season. In what was an adversity-filled opener against CAA member UNC-Wilmington, perhaps the most concerning aspect was North Carolina being outrebounded.

Against a Power Five program, this would not be a cause for concern with it being early in the season, but a more talented and physical team could certainly make the Tar Heels pay on the glass.

Although College of Charleston rosters sevens players who stand 6'6" or taller, they lost the battle of the boards 37-35 to Chattanooga.

This gives North Carolina an area to exploit, while also working on improving their ability to clean up the glass on both ends of the floor.

On the offensive end, the Tar Heels will be presented with a plethora of opportunities from beyond the arc. After attempting just 10 three-point shots on Monday, expect North Carolina to utilize Love, Davis, and Nance both off of screens and off the dribble.

The Cougars allowed 26 attempts against the Mocs and their opponents connected on 34 percent of threes last season, making 7.1 per game.

College of Charleston plays a fast-paced style of basketball, which will allow the Tar Heels to get out in transition and do what they do best.

Quick shot attempts early into the shot clock will be common and North Carolina can force a team that turned the ball over 15 times a game in 2021 to do the same on Friday.

A high scoring game appears to be in the cards as the Tar Heels look to bounce back after a slow start to the 2022-2023 season.