North Carolina and Wake Forest Clash in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — No. 5 seed North Carolina (21-12) will face No. 4 seed Wake Forest (21-10) on Thursday, March 13 at 2:30 p.m. at the Spectrum Center as they compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament quarterfinals.

The Tar Heels are coming off a decisive victory against Notre Dame, where they secured a narrow win, establishing a renewed focus as they prepare to tackle a formidable Wake Forest team. UNC head coach Hubert Davis remarked on Wednesday, “Our eyes and our preparation is on what is real, and what is real is our preparation in regards to our play tomorrow against a very good Wake Forest team.”

UNC guard Seth Trimble, addressing the postseason implications of their matchup against Wake Forest, expressed a sense of calm despite the stakes, stating, “We’re out here to play basketball, here to play games and here to play free. We’re playing our best basketball.”

This upcoming meeting marks the first time Carolina and Wake Forest will face each other in the ACC Tournament in 25 years. The teams last met in March 2000. The two squads previously clashed during the regular season, where Wake Forest edged out UNC 67-66 in a closely contested game in January.

In that game, North Carolina struggled significantly from beyond the arc, shooting only 25% (8-for-32) on 3-point attempts. The Tar Heels are currently on the brink of securing an NCAA Tournament berth, as noted by ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, who ranked them among the last four teams in his projected field following Iowa’s victory over Ohio State during the Big Ten’s opening round.

According to Bart Torvik‘s basketball analytics, UNC has a 60.1% chance of making the NCAA Tournament, slightly better than other bubble teams like Ohio State (53.1%) and Texas (14.2%).

Wake Forest earned the No. 4 seed after completing the regular season with a 21-10 overall record and a 13-7 conference record, notably finishing in a three-way tie for fourth place but prevailing in head-to-head tiebreakers. Despite their strong start, the Demon Deacons have struggled recently, winning just six of their last 12 games.

Wake Forest head coach Steve Forbes, who has led the team for five seasons, is well-respected for his coaching acumen, previously achieving success at East Tennessee State. Forbes has yet to lead the Demon Deacons into the NCAA Tournament.

Hunter Sallis, an All-ACC first-team player, is a key player for Wake Forest averaging 18 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Despite his accolades, he has encountered some recent shooting difficulties, averaging just 13 points over his last three games with a drop in shooting percentage.

In contrast, Cameron Hildreth, a senior guard, joins Sallis as an important contributor with a career-best 14.9 points per game this season. However, Wake Forest ranks as the worst 3-point shooting team in the ACC, connecting on only 29.2% of its attempts and posting the fewest made 3-pointers in the conference.

The last meeting between these two teams revealed Carolina’s shooting struggles, with RJ Davis leading the Tar Heels with 21 points. The all-time series favors UNC, which leads 165-70, having won 18 of the last 25 matchups. The ACC matchup adds more pressure as both teams vie for favorable NCAA Tournament positioning.

The projected starters for UNC include Elliot Cadeau, RJ Davis, Drake Powell, Ven-Allen Lubin, and Jae'Lyn Withers. Wake Forest’s lineup is expected to feature Efton Reid III, Cameron Hildreth, Ty-Laur Johnson, Hunter Sallis, and Tre'Von Spillers.