The North Carolina Tar Heels, in need of every victory they can get for an NCAA Tournament berth, ended Notre Dame‘s season Wednesday with a convincing, 76-56 win in the ACC Tournament.
UNC (21-12, 13-7 ACC) did just about everything right against the Fighting Irish (15-18, 8-12). North Carolina limited Notre Dame to just 20 made field goals and Markus Burton to just 11 points. Jae’Lyn Withers scored a career-high 21 points, all of which came on a UNC ACC Tournament-record seven 3-pointers, while Ven-Allen Lubin notched his second double-double in three games.
The Tar Heels should celebrate Wednesday’s victory, but they turn right around for a rematch with Wake Forest on Thursday, March 13 at 2:30 p.m. UNC struggled against the ACC’s fourth seed during January’s matchup in Winston-Salem, losing 67-66 behind a second-half collapse.
North Carolina is arguably the better team of late, though, winning seven of its past eight games. Wake Forest (21-10, 13-7), which once looked like a sure bet for the NCAA Tournament, is on the bubble like its in-state rivals.
To win, the Tar Heels will have to play another solid offensive game. The Demon Deacons have the ACC’s fourth-best defense, in terms of opponent points per game, but they’re not as skilled offensively.
UNC needs another strong defensive effort, too, but shots need to be falling from everywhere. If North Carolina can get more scoring production from its guards, I’ll feel even better about a possible victory.
If you’re already in Charlotte or making the trip down, have fun and wear your Tar Heel Blue proudly. If you’re watching on TV, your favorite streaming device or listening on the radio, keep reading below for all the broadcast information you need to know.
What channel is North Carolina vs. Wake Forest on Thursday? Time, TV schedule
TV Channel: ESPN/ESPN2
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch UNC vs. Wake Forest on live stream
Watch UNC vs. Wake Forest live on Fubo (free trial)
UNC vs. Wake Forest prediction, picks, odds
We’re all happy about the Tar Heels’ victory over Notre Dame – and rightfully so. That could all easily turn to disappointment tomorrow evening, with Wake Forest looking to send its in-state rivals packing.
North Carolina is playing great basketball right now, winning seven of its past eight games. The Demon Deacons aren’t a pushover, but not as good as they were in January.
UNC pulls this one out in a low-scoring upset on Thursday.
Score prediction: UNC 64, Wake Forest 60
All College Basketball Odds via BetMGM
SPREAD: UNC -5.5
MONEYLINE: Wake Forest +185, UNC -225
O/U TOTAL: 147.5
Full UNC basketball schedule
Oct. 12: Blue-White Scrimmage (Blue 62, White 53)
Oct. 15: Exhibition @ Memphis (W, 84-76)
Oct. 27: Exhibition vs. Johnson C. Smith (W, 127-63)
Nov. 4: vs. Elon (W, 90-76) (1-0, 0-0)Nov. 8: at Kansas (L, 92-89) (1-1, 0-0)
Nov. 15: vs. American University (W, 108-55) (2-1, 0-0)
Nov. 22: at Hawaii (W, 87-69) (3-1, 0-0)
Nov. 25: vs. Dayton, Maui Invitational (W, 92-90) (4-1, 0-0)
Nov. 26: vs. Auburn, Maui Invitational (L, 85-72) (4-2, 0-0)
Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State, Maui Invitational (L, 94-90 OT) (4-3, 0-0)
Dec. 4: vs. Alabama, SEC/ACC Challenge (L, 94-79) (4-4, 0-0)
Dec. 7: vs. Georgia Tech (W, 68-65) (5-4, 1-0 ACC)
Dec. 14: vs. La Salle (W, 93-67) (6-4, 1-0)
Dec. 17: vs. Florida, Jumpman Invitational (L, 90-84) (6-5, 1-0)
Dec. 21: vs. UCLA, CBS Sports Classic (W, 76-74) (7-5, 1-0)
Dec. 29: vs. Campbell (W, 97-81) (8-5, 1-0)
Jan. 1: at Louisville (L, 83-70) (8-6, 1-1)
Jan. 4: at Notre Dame (W, 74-73) (9-6, 2-1)
Jan. 7: vs. SMU (W, 82-67) (10-6, 3-1)
Jan. 11: at NC State (W, 63-61) (11-6, 4-1)
Jan. 15: vs. California (W, 79-53) (12-6, 5-1)
Jan. 18: vs. Stanford (L, 72-71) (12-7, 5-2)
Jan. 21: at Wake Forest (L, 67-66) (12-8, 5-3)
Jan. 25: vs. Boston College (W, 102-96) (13-8, 6-3)
Jan. 28: at Pitt (L, 73-65) (13-9, 6-4)
Feb. 1: at Duke (L, 87-70) (13-10, 6-5)
Feb. 8: vs. Pitt (W, 67-66) (14-10, 7-5)
Feb. 10: at Clemson (L, 85-65) (14-11, 7-6)
Feb. 15: at Syracuse (W, 88-82) (15-11, 8-6)
Feb. 19: vs. NC State (W, 97-73) (16-11, 9-6)
Feb. 22: vs. Virginia (W, 81-66) (17-11, 10-6)
Feb. 24: at Florida State (W, 96-85) (18-11, 11-6)
March 1: vs. Miami (FL) (W, 92-73) (19-11, 12-6)
March 4: at Virginia Tech (W, 91-59) (20-11, 13-6)
March 8: vs. Duke (L, 82-69) (20-12, 13-7)
March 12: vs. Notre Dame in ACC Tournament (W, 76-56) (21-12, 13-7)
March 13: vs. Wake Forest in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC-Wake Forest basketball channel, time, streaming information, odds
