UNC basketball and Villanova haven’t played since the Wildcats dealt the Tar Heels a heartbreaking loss in the 2016 NCAA championship game.
The 14th-ranked Tar Heels (4-0) and the Wildcats (4-1) meet again on Thanksgiving in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament. Tipoff inside Imperial Arena at the Atlantis Paradise Island resort is set for 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.
UNC leads the all-time series against Villanova, but the teams have split the last six meetings since 1995. Eleven of the previous games were played on a neutral court.
The UNC-Villanova winner will play No. 20 Arkansas, Memphis, Michigan or Stanford at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN) in Friday’s championship game.
Here’s a look at some things to know and a score prediction for the Tar Heels’ upcoming meeting with the Wildcats.
UNC basketball’s Armando Bacot, RJ Davis vs. Villanova’s Eric Dixon, Justin Moore
Villanova veterans Eric Dixon and Justin Moore combined for 37 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in an 85-69 win against Texas Tech on Wednesday. UNC veterans RJ Davis and Armando Bacot combined for 23 points, nine rebounds and four assists against Northern Iowa.
The Tar Heels’ stars have to shine a lot brighter if UNC is going to win big-time games.
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Tar Heels can’t afford slow start vs. Villanova
UNC has played with fire this season. At halftime of their first four games, the Tar Heels were up five against Radford, up nine against Lehigh, up 11 against UC Riverside and trailed by six against Northern Iowa.
If UNC has an unbalanced first half against Villanova – in the Tar Heels’ first game against a Power Five opponent this season – it’ll get burned. The Wildcats had halftime leads against Maryland and Texas Tech and buried both teams in the second half of those games.
UNC, Villanova good at getting to the free-throw line
UNC made a season-high 27 free throws on 31 attempts against Northern Iowa. Villanova was 26-for-32 at the charity stripe against Texas Tech. The team that gets to the lane and the line on Thanksgiving Day will likely be playing for a trophy on Friday.
UNC vs. Villanova score prediction
UNC 74, Villanova 72: The toughest team down the stretch will win this game. Villanova is 7-0 in the Bahamas, including a 2013 Battle 4 Atlantis title. UNC struggled to win close games last season, but this is a chance to show this squad is different.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.