UNC basketball vs. Florida State: Scouting report, prediction for Tar Heels' ACC opener
UNC basketball lost its ACC opener last season.
The 17th-ranked Tar Heels (6-1) will look to avoid a similar start against Florida State (4-2) on Saturday afternoon (2 p.m., ACC Network) at the Dean E. Smith Center.
Despite not making a shot in the final seven minutes against No. 10 Tennessee, UNC hung 100 on the Vols and held on for an eight-point win after a first-half blitz.
Coming off back-to-back wins against top-25 opponents, the Tar Heels will look to win their eighth game in a row against FSU in Chapel Hill.
Here’s a look at some things to know and a score prediction for UNC’s ACC opener against the Seminoles.
UNC basketball’s RJ Davis is off to blistering shooting start
Senior point guard RJ Davis is arguably in the best three-game stretch of his career at UNC. For the first time as a Tar Heel, Davis has scored at least 23 points in three consecutive games. UNC’s all-time leader in free throw percentage also made 21-of-22 free throws in the last three games. To put it in perspective, Davis had seven games with 20 or more points last season. This season, he’s reached 20 in four of UNC’s first seven games.
INGRAM'S INTENSITY, THANKFULNESS: UNC basketball's Harrison Ingram giving Tar Heels something Hubert Davis loves to see
WHAT STOOD OUT VS. TENNESSEE?: Armando Bacot aggressive as UNC basketball sets tone from start in win vs. Tennessee
RESPECT FOR RJ: Is UNC basketball’s RJ Davis being disrespected? Here’s what the Tar Heels’ senior said
Assists, pace improving for Elliot Cadeau, Tar Heels
Entering its game against Tennessee, UNC was averaging 13.5 assists. The Heels had 13 in the first half against the Vols and finished with a season-high 19, paced by freshman Elliot Cadeau’s 10. Through seven games, UNC has 100 assists. Last season, the Tar Heels had 84 assists after the first seven games. As for UNC’s pace, the Tar Heels reached 20 fast-break points Wednesday for the first time since logging 24 in a quadruple-overtime loss to Alabama last season.
GET TO KNOW CADEAU: How UNC basketball’s Elliot Cadeau will help the Tar Heels move past historically bad stat
What to make of Florida State basketball
The Seminoles were smacked in a 21-point loss to Florida and rebounded with an overtime win against Colorado before blowing a 17-point lead in the second half against Georgia. It’s hard to gauge which FSU squad will show up at the Smith Center, but Charlotte native Darin Green Jr. dropped a season-high 21 points on the Bulldogs. Green only had five points against UNC last year, but FSU’s top scorers in that games are playing at different schools this season.
UNC vs. Florida State score prediction
UNC 84, Florida State 72: Leonard Hamilton’s squad won’t be a pushover, but the Tar Heels haven’t lost at home to FSU since 2010. UNC should take another step forward and start ACC play with a win.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball vs. Florida State: Scouting report, prediction
