UNC vs. USC-Upstate Preview
Following the blowout loss to Indiana, UNC has positioned itself back on a winning streak.
The Tar Heels bounced back with two straight blowout wins over UNC-Wilmington and Wofford, outscoring them by a combined 54 points. They will look to extend the winning streak to three against USC-Upstate on Friday.
USC-Upstate is led by head coach Jason Williams, who is in his first year with the Spartans after accumulating 171 wins in nine seasons at Belmont Abbey College.
So far, the Spartans are 3-6 overall and 0-4 on the road. They are averaging 46.1 points per game while their opponents are averaging 61.6.
Three of those losses have come against high-major opponents, however. USC-Upstate has lost by a combined 134 points to West Virginia, Virginia Tech and Vanderbilt. As of Thursday, the Spartans are on their own two-game winning streak with wins over Morehead State and Montreat College.
Statistically, the Spartans are at a disadvantage when travelling to play high-major teams, and that will likely continue against UNC.
When it comes to offensive talent and production, the Tar Heels have the upper hand, considering they have four players averaging over 10 points per game while USC-Upstate only has one.
USC-Upstate guard Isabella Geraci leads the team in scoring with 10.1 points per game, recently recording a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double against Morehead State on Monday.
The 5-9 guard is not the most efficient shooter with a 38 percent field-goal percentage, but she can make the three when needed, hitting 41.7 of her attempts from deep. She's also very active on the defensive end with a team-high 19 steals.
Yet, the Tar Heels' guard depth will be too much to handle. Both Deja Kelly and Kennedy Todd-Williams are averaging 14.9 points per game and Todd-Williams will have a size advantage as well. She and Eva Hodgson have been great on-ball defenders, too, grabbing a combined 26 steals.
The key for the guards will be to limit turnovers on the offensive end while creating them on the defensive end. USC-Upstate averages 26.9 turnovers per game.
For the bigs, this game will be about controlling the paint. The Tar Heels will also have bigger bodies under the rim who are also elite defenders. Destiny Adams is eighth in the ACC in total blocks with 13, and Alyssa Ustby isn't far behind with 11.
USC-Upstate is amongst the lower competition on the Tar Heels' schedule, but that shouldn't be much of a concern for UNC, who has taken care of business in games like these this season.
Another big win on Friday will give the Tar Heels momentum going into the Jumpman Invitational when the competition will ramp up starting with No. 19 Michigan.
