UConn vs North Carolina: Essential Guide to Jimmy V Classic

The UConn Huskies men’s basketball team, currently ranked 5th, will be back in action at Madison Square Garden against the 9th ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. This is going to be the second of the three top-10 matchups they will be part of this month. The Huskies and Tar Heels have met six times before.

The Huskies will be playing for the fifth time in the Jimmy V Classic, a charity event that promotes cancer research. Despite a 2-0 record at Madison Square Garden this season, UConn has yet to win a game in this event. They’ve faced defeats in all four previous appearances.

Having a 7-1 record, the Huskies suffered a road loss to new No. 2 Kansas despite a standout 31-point performance by Tristen Newton, their grad point guard. To take on the Tar Heels, UConn will need more players stepping up. They are hopeful as freshman guard Stephon Castle is expected to return from an early-season knee injury.

Coming off a loss to Villanova in the Battle 4 Atlantis, North Carolina bounced back with three consecutive wins over Arkansas, Tennessee, and Florida State. R.J. Davis, the Tar Heels’ 6-foot senior guard and top scorer, averaged 28 points, three rebounds, and three assists over those games.

UConn’s head coach Dan Hurley highlighted the importance of improving their three-point defense. He emphasized that they will need to be aggressive to prevent Davis and the Tar Heels from scoring heavily.

North Carolina’s 6-foot-11 center Armando Bacot is also a player to watch. Bacot, who is on the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award watch list along with Donovan Clingan of UConn, is averaging 16.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game this season.

According to KenPom, North Carolina is the fifth-best offensive team nationally. Despite being ranked 196th in points allowed per game (72), they are among the top 20 in points scored (86.2). On the other hand, UConn ranks 18th in scoring defense (61.6 points allowed) and 21st in scoring offense (85.8 points per game).

Here’s what you need to know to watch this highlight matchup from home:

Location: Madison Square Garden, New York

Schedule: 9 p.m.

Records: UConn: 7-1, North Carolina: 7-1

Series history: North Carolina leads, 5-1

Most recent meeting: February 13, 2005 – North Carolina 77, UConn 70 in Storrs

Most recent UConn win: January 19, 2002 – UConn 86, North Carolina 54 in Storrs

TV: ESPN – Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Angel Gray

Radio: UConn Sports Network on 97.9 ESPN – Mike Crispino, Wayne Norman

Pre-game reading: