UNC basketball vs. Notre Dame: Game preview, info, prediction, more

No. 22 North Carolina will take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and hope to break its two-game losing skid.

North Carolina (14-4, 2-3 ACC) is coming off of a 84-78 loss to Cal, the first time this season it has lost two consecutive gamessecond straight loss. The Tar Heels have also lost three of their last four, falling to SMU, Stanford, and California.

The offense is not the issue as the Tar Heels lead the conference in scoring offense (85.2 points per game), field-goal percentage (49.7%), and effective field-goal percentage (56.6%) five games into ACC play.

In ACC play, North Carolina has been one of the poorest defensive teams in the league by almost every major metric. The Tar Heels rank 16th in field-goal percentage allowed (49.7%), 17th in points allowed (85.4 per game) and last in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (44.9%).

The perimeter numbers are especially glaring. Opponents have hit at least 40% from 3-point range against UNC in four consecutive games. Since the start of conference play, teams have knocked down 72 3-pointers against the Tar Heels — an average of 14.4 made 3s per game, the worst mark in the ACC.

The good news is that Notre Dame (10-8, 1-4 ACC) is a team that has struggled so far early on in ACC play and will be without its star player, Markus Burton. The Fighting Irish are near or at the bottom of many important categories and are one of the worst perimeter shooting teams in the country, which will be something to watch out for, considering Carolina’s struggles defending it.

Keep reading below for our full game preview of North Carolina’s matchup against Notre Dame, including the Tar Heels’ key to victory, something to watch, statistical leaders for each team, streaming informatio,n and their complete schedule.

Keys to Victory

Jan 17, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears guard Dai Dai Ames (7) shoots against North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) during the second half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Play defense.

North Carolina has been one of the worst defensive teams in the country since ACC play has started. In ACC play, Carolina sits near or at the bottom of the league in most major defensive categories, ranking 16th in field goal percentage allowed (49.7), 17th in points allowed (85.4 per game) and last in 3-point field goal percentage allowed (44.9).

Opponents have shot at least 40% from 3-point range against UNC in four straight games. Since the start of ACC play, teams have made 72 3-pointers against the Tar Heels — an average of 14.4 per game, also last in the conference.

California took full advantage. The Bears shot 29-for-58 (50%) from the field and 10-for-16 (62.5%) from beyond the arc. That outburst was a sharp contrast to their 71-55 loss to Duke a few days earlier, when they shot just 37% overall and 22% from 3. Entering Saturday, Cal ranked second to last in the ACC in field goal percentage (38.2%), last in 3-point percentage (26.8%) and second to last in effective field goal percentage (44.2%).

What to Watch Out For

Jan 14, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) dribbles against Stanford Cardinal guard Jeremy Dent-Smith (25) in the second half at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Derek Dixon building off of a strong performance in his first start.

Carolina trailed by 20 points early in the second half but clawed back to within three in the final 20 seconds. Dixon’s shooting fueled much of that surge. He scored nine of his 14 points after halftime, going 3-for-5 from 3-point range, and added two assists. His second-half scoring matched Caleb Wilson for the team high during that stretch.

Statistical leaders

Jan 17, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Zayden High (1) shoots against California Golden Bears center Milos Ilic (8) during the first half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Points

UNC: Caleb Wilson (19.7)

Notre Dame: Jalan Haralson (14.7)

Rebounds

UNC: Caleb Wilson (10.6)

Notre Dame: Carson Towt (9.9)

Assists

UNC: Kyan Evans (3.3)

Notre Dame: Jalan Haralson (2.4)

What you need to know

Jan 17, 2026; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry looks at the official during the first half at Cassell Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images

WHAT? Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-8, 1-4 ACC) AT North Carolina Tar Heels (14-4, 2-3 ACC)

WHEN? Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. ET

WHERE? Dean Smith Center

TV? ESPN2

RADIO? SiriusXM (Channel 193)

LINE? N/A

LAST MEETING? North Carolina 76, Notre Dame 56 on March 12, 2025 in second round of the ACC Tournament in Charlotte

ALL-TIME SERIES: North Carolina leads all-time series 32-9

UNC basketball 2025-26 schedule

Jan 17, 2026; Berkeley, California, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis (right) talks with guard Seth Trimble (7) during the first half against the California Golden Bears at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

October 4: Blue-White Scrimmage (White 55, Blue 50)

Oct. 24: at BYU (preseason, L 78-76)

Oct. 29: vs. Winston-Salem State (preseason, W 95-53)

Nov. 3: vs. Central Arkansas (W, 94-54)

Nov. 7: vs. Kansas (W, 87-74)

Nov. 11: vs. Radford (W, 89-74)

Nov. 14: vs. NC Central (W, 97-53)

Nov. 18: vs. Navy (W, 73-61)

Nov. 25: vs. St. Bonaventure in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (W, 85-70)

Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (L, 74-58)

December 2: at Kentucky (W, 67-64)

Dec. 7: vs. Georgetown (W, 81-61)

Dec. 13: vs. USC Upstate (W, 80-62)

Dec. 16: vs. ETSU (W, 77-58)

Dec. 20: vs. Ohio State in CBS Sports Classic (W, 71-70)

Dec. 22: vs. East Carolina (W, 99-51)

Dec. 30: vs. Florida State (W 79-66)

January 3, 2026: at SMU (L 97-83)

Jan. 10, 2026: vs. Wake Forest (W 87-84)

Jan. 14, 2026: at Stanford (L 95-90)

Jan. 17, 2026: at California (L 84-78)

Jan. 21, 2026: vs. Notre Dame (7 p.m.)

Jan. 24, 2026: at Virginia (1 p.m.)

Jan. 31, 2026: at Georgia Tech (2 p.m.)

Feb. 2, 2026: vs. Syracuse (7 p.m.)

Feb. 7, 2026: vs. Duke (6:30 p.m.)

Feb. 10, 2026: at Miami (FL) (7 p.m.)

Feb. 14, 2026: vs. Pitt (2 p.m.)

Feb. 17, 2026: at NC State (7 p.m.)

Feb. 21, 2026: at Syracuse (1 p.m.)

Feb. 23, 2026: vs. Louisville (7 p.m.)

Feb. 28, 2026: vs. Virginia Tech (TBA)

March 3, 2026: vs. Clemson (7 p.m.)

March 7, 2026: at Duke (6:30 p.m.)

March 10-14, 2026: ACC Tournament in Spectrum Center (Charlotte, N.C.)

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Notre Dame preview, game info and prediction

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