This Saturday, December 16th, the UNC Tar Heels face off against the Kentucky Wildcats in a star-studded matchup in the CBS Champions Classic. The Tar Heels come into this game ranked No.9 led by R.J. Davis. He is the standout guard averaging 21 points as he can score from anywhere on the court and lead his team at a high level. He along with a strong defender is Harrison Ingram who also has the ability to score the ball and with a rebounding threat like Armando Bacot makes this an extremely dangerous team. The Wildcats come in ranked No.14 in the country led by Antonio Reeves who seems to be the leader and backbone of this team averaging 18 points and 4.6 rebounds so far this season. He is surrounded by many star freshmen including Rob DIllignham, Reed Shepard, Aaron Bradshaw and Justin Edwards who are all extremely talented and once they put the pieces together will not only be a dominant team in the SEC but a team to watch out for in March Madness.
Green Level is full of die hard UNC fans so I asked Jr. Andrew Langdon why this is such a big game for UNC. He said, “The Champions Classic is a prestigious event. Winning it will add a lot of confidence to our team before we go into the ACC play.” I completely agree that this could be a game that could show the true firepower and talent on display for the Tar Heels this year. I also asked Jr. Austin Conway who he thinks needs to improve in order for the Tar Heels to get this victory and have success moving forward. He said, “Cormac Ryan needs to become a knockdown shooter. He was 0/6 against UConn and is a player we desperately need. Armando needs to be more physical and finish at the rim at a higher consistency.” There are a lot of eyes on this team and with Armando being more dominant around the rim could really bring this team to the next level.
Overall this is going to be a game to watch with a lot on the line for each team. Both teams have the ability to put up points at a high level. I think what it will really come down to is who comes out and takes pride on the defensive side of the ball. With the talented backcourts of each team it will be a fast paced game and very important for each team to limit their turnovers and take care of the ball. It will be an exciting game and all UNC and Kentucky fans are excited to watch.
