The ACC, and North Carolina specifically, have a light shining on them today as the Heels travel to Rupp Arena to take on #1 Kentucky. I'll get to that game in a minute, but first FSU received some bad news as Aaron Thomas has been ruled ineligible for the remainder of the season. Thomas had been leading the Seminoles in scoring with 14.8 points per game. Leonard Hamilton declined to comment on the situation in the school's release. The timing couldn't be worse for FSU as they open up conference play at Notre Dame tonight.
Back to UNC/Kentucky, which should make for an interesting Saturday afternoon matchup. Kentucky has struggled at home on occasion, most notably with Buffalo and Columbia, but I would expect the Wildcats to be a bit more motivated today. Kentucky will be playing their first game without Alex Poythress who tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. Poythress was perhaps the only true small forward that Calipari had on his roster, leaving a minor advantage for UNC. North Carolina, on the other hand, has several players that fill that role. Will Roy Williams be able to find a way to take advantage?
UNC's biggest task will be hitting the boards, particularly on the defensive end. Kentucky is the top offensive rebounding team in the nation, grabbing 46% of their own misses. On the other hand, the Heels haven't been a good defensive rebounding team. UNC has allowed teams to rebound 36% of their own misses, good enough for 299th in the nation according to Pomeroy. The Heels have it in them to be a good rebounding team though. Look no further than the other end of the court where UNC is the 5th best offensive rebounding team in the nation. Look for Roy Williams to send a couple more guys to the defensive glass and sacrifice some of the transition opportunities that they usually get.
In other ACC action, Notre Dame hosts FSU in the conference opener. As I mentioned previously, the Noles will be once again playing withour Aaron Thomas. Thomas missed a couple games earlier in the season due to dizziness, which should help FSU a bit tonight versus the Irish. Without Thomas and Devon Booker, who is still out after foot surgery, the Seminoles will have their hands full with Jerian Grant.
One thing that will be interesting to watch is how the two teams matchup against one another. Notre Dame has been playing with a small lineup a bit more with Pat Connaughton playing the power forward position. Can FSU's size be a factor or will Notre Dame's ball-handling and quickness take advantage of that spot?
Pitt is also in action hosting St. Bonaventure today.
Check out links, previews, and more below to get you ready for a full day of college basketball.
NCAAGameSim.com Predictions
UNC at Kentucky - Kentucky wins 71-64 Sim the game here
St. Bonaventure at Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh wins 69-64 Sim the game here
FSU at Notre Dame - Notre Dame wins 74-69 Sim the game here
View more predictions at NCAAGameSim.com
| Team | Conf | Pct | Overall | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NC State | 1-0 | 1.000 | 8-1 | 0.889 |
| Virginia | 0-0 | 1.000 | 9-0 | 1.000 |
| Duke | 0-0 | 1.000 | 8-0 | 1.000 |
| Louisville | 0-0 | 1.000 | 8-0 | 1.000 |
| Miami | 0-0 | 1.000 | 9-1 | 0.900 |
| Notre Dame | 0-0 | 1.000 | 9-1 | 0.900 |
| Georgia Tech | 0-0 | 1.000 | 6-2 | 0.750 |
| UNC | 0-0 | 1.000 | 6-2 | 0.750 |
| Clemson | 0-0 | 1.000 | 5-3 | 0.625 |
| Pittsburgh | 0-0 | 1.000 | 5-3 | 0.625 |
| Boston College | 0-0 | 1.000 | 5-3 | 0.625 |
| Syracuse | 0-0 | 1.000 | 5-3 | 0.625 |
| FSU | 0-0 | 1.000 | 4-4 | 0.500 |
| Virginia Tech | 0-0 | 1.000 | 4-4 | 0.500 |
| Wake Forest | 0-1 | 0.000 | 4-5 | 0.444 |
Links
- UNC hopes PG can turn Paige on shooting slump
- Kentucky's preparations for UNC after Poythress injury 'a hard deal'
- John Clay: Mood blue before battle of blue bloods
- State Now: 3 Points from Friday’s 86-50 win over Charleston Southern
- UNC faces a tall task against Kentucky
- FSU top scorer Aaron Thomas ineligible for rest of season
- Florida State scoring leader declared ineligible
Yesterday's Games
| Matchup | |
|---|---|
| Charleston Southern 50 @ NC State 86 | Box |
Today's Games
| Time | Matchup | TV | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00:00 PM | UNC @ Kentucky | CBS | Preview |
| 2:00:00 PM | St. Bonaventure @ Pittsburgh | Preview | |
| 8:00:00 PM | FSU @ Notre Dame | ESPN2 | Preview |
 Injury Report |
|---|
| Darryl Hicks (BC) |
| Out - knee surgery, is out indefinitely |
| Idy Diallo (BC) |
| Out - knee surgery, is out indefinitely |
| Lonnie Jackson (BC) |
| Out - strained calf, is out indefinitely |
| Aaron Thomas (FS) |
| Out - dizziness, is out indefinitely |
| Devon Bookert (FS) |
| Out - foot, is out indefinitely |
| Shaqquan Aaron (LO) |
| Out - eligibility, will be eligible to return on 12/20 against Western Kentucky |
| Ivan Cruz Uceda (MI) |
| Out - eligibility, will be eligible to return on 1/13 against Duke |
| Luke Davis (NC) |
| Out - right foot surgery, will miss at least 2-3 months |
| VJ Beachem (ND) |
| Out - torn plantar fascia, is out indefinitely |
| Cameron Johnson (PI) |
| Questionable - undisclosed, is questionable for Saturday's game against St. Bonaventure |
| Cameron Wright (PI) |
| Probable - foot, is probable for Saturday's game against St. Bonaventure |
| Durand Johnson (PI) |
| Suspended - disciplinary, will miss the entire season |
| DaJuan Coleman (SY) |
| Out - left knee surgery, is out indefinitely |
| Darion Atkins (VA) |
| Questionable - bruised lower back, is questionable for Thursday's game against Cleveland State |
| Daniel Green (WF) |
| Out - knee surgery, is out indefinitely |
