North Carolina’s third straight home game brings a clean little test Tuesday night, and this one comes with an unbeaten opponent. The Tar Heels will face Wyoming at 7 p.m. in Chapel Hill, with both teams entering at 2-0.
UNC is coming off its most complete showing of the season, a 109-70 rout of Wofford on Friday night. Five Tar Heels finished in double figures, and Utah transfer Terrence Brown led the way with 21 points.
Freshman wing Maximo Adams added 11 points and 11 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. North Carolina never trailed, shot better than 50 percent from the field and won the battle on the glass against the smaller Terriers.
Wyoming has been just as sharp early, rolling past Regis University and Idaho State by a combined 88 points. The Cowboys bring a perimeter-heavy attack into a matchup that could ask questions of a Tar Heel defense that has historically had trouble there. UNC’s size edge won’t be as obvious here, either, after a much smaller Western Carolina team controlled the boards on November 2.
The Tar Heels and Cowboys have met once before, with North Carolina winning a 2003 NIT game in Chapel Hill. That was a different era, and Tuesday’s matchup arrives with UNC trying to keep its momentum rolling before Friday’s tougher non-conference date against Georgia.
Michael Malone’s team will need another full 40 minutes to get to 3-0. The Tar Heels should have the advantage, but they’ll need the same energy, control and effort they showed against Wofford.
TV Channel: ACC Network
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Radio: SiriusXM (Channel 268 or 985)
Score prediction: UNC 83, Wyoming 72
SPREAD: UNC (-14.5)
TOTAL O/U: 153.5
MONEYLINE: UNC (-1700)
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