What to know ahead of UNC’s first-round ACC tournament game against Virginia Tech
No. 14 North Carolina vs. No. 11 Virginia Tech
What: First round of the ACC tournament
When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Where: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro
What you need to know about Virginia Tech: The Hokies had a promising start in league play with a 5-3 record, which included a 79-77 double overtime win over the Tar Heels in early January. However, they lost 10 of their last 12 ACC games. The Hokies are led by freshman guard Landers Nolley II, who is averaging 15.6 points per game and 5.9 rebounds.
What you need to know about UNC: The Tar Heels finished the regular season winning three of their final four games. Junior forward Garrison Brooks has scored 20 points in each of the Tar Heels last six games. Virginia Tech won the only meeting with UNC. However, the Tar Heels were without freshman point guard Cole Anthony (19.6 ppg) and senior guard Brandon Robinson (11.9 ppg).
What Roy Williams said: “It’s been a tough year, there’s no question about that. Our play and our record has made it a tough year. But we’ve tried to go to practice every day and tried to have a great attitude and tried to work. “It’s a very, very steep hill, but we’re still going to try to climb it. “
“They have a balanced team,” Williams said of Virginia Tech. “Michael is doing a great job with them.”
What Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said: “We’ve got to shorten the game. Our shot selection and ball handling must be on point. We cannot turn the ball over and take bad shots. We’ve got to get back to the defensive end and get our defense set. We can’t allow Carolina to be moving in transition throughout the game. That’s not going to end well for us.”
The winner gets: A second-round matchup with No. 6 Syracuse at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
