BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After an offseason of anticipation and championship aspirations for 2 preseason convention favorites, it is lastly right here.

No. 10 Indiana and No. 18 North Carolina sq. off within the ACC/Huge Ten Problem on Wednesday night time at Simon Skojdt Meeting Corridor. The Tar Heels dropped from their preseason No. 1 rating after losses to Iowa State and Alabama within the Phil Knight Invitational, however Indiana coach Mike Woodson is aware of higher than to underestimate final yr’s nationwide runner-up.

“I by no means go right into a recreation considering I acquired the benefit,” Woodson mentioned. “I’ve by no means coached that manner, I’ve by no means performed that manner. The sweetness about their group is that they’re battle examined. They had been within the championship recreation final season, so that they know what it is wish to have their backs towards the wall. I am not taking this group flippantly. They have an important group, they’re effectively coached and we’ll have to come back out and commit ourselves for 40 minutes to beat them. It is not going to be a recreation the place they only roll over and allow us to win.”

• *** LIVE BLOG: And as soon as the sport begins, observe all of the motion on our dwell weblog from HoosiersNow.com writer Tom Brew. To learn that story, CLICK HERE.

How you can watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. North Carolina Tar Heels

• Who: No. 10 Indiana Hoosiers (6-0) vs. No. 18 North Carolina Tar Heels (5-2)
• What: ACC/Huge Ten Problem
• When: 9:15 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 30
• The place: Simon Skjodt Meeting Corridor in Bloomington, Ind.
• TV: ESPN
• Announcers: Dan Shulman (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst) and Brooke Weisbrod (sideline)
• Stay Stream: fuboTV (Begin your free trial)
• Radio: IU Radio Community
• Radio Announcers: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Errek Suhr (colour), John Herrick (pregame, halftime, postgame)
• Level unfold: Indiana is a 6.5-point favourite, and the over/below is ready at 144.5 factors.
• Related Press ballot: Indiana is No. 10 within the AP ballot, making its first look within the prime 10 since Dec. 12, 2016. North Carolina dropped from No. 1 to No. 18 within the AP ballot.
• KenPom rankings: Indiana is ranked No. 11 general within the KenPom rankings following Friday’s 90-51 win over Jackson State The Hoosiers are No. 12 in adjusted defensive effectivity and No. 14 in adjusted offensive effectivity. North Carolina is ranked No. 21 general, No. 47 in adjusted defensive effectivity and No. 12 in adjusted offensive effectivity.
• Season projections: As of Tuesday, the Hoosiers are the betting favourite to win the Huge Ten common season title at plus-300 odds. Indiana is plus-550 to achieve the Last 4 and plus-2200 to win the Nationwide Championship, in accordance with FanDuel Sportsbook. North Carolina is tied with Virginia because the betting favourite to win the ACC common season title at plus-220 odds. The Tar Heels are plus-500 to achieve the Last 4 and plus-2000 to win the Nationwide Championship.
• Notable video games: Indiana proved its No. 10 rating with an 81-79 win at Xavier, who was picked to completed second within the preseason Huge East coaches ballot. North Carolina is off to a shaky begin, with a single-digit win towards Gardner-Webb at house. Within the Phil Knight Invitational over the weekend, the Tar Heels narrowly defeated Portland earlier than shedding 70-65 to Iowa State and 103-101 to Alabama in quadruple-overtime. 
• Final season’s data: Indiana went 21-14 general, September 11 in Huge Ten play, 14-4 at house, 3-8 on the street and 4-1 at impartial websites in 2021-22. The Hoosiers reached the NCAA Match final yr for the primary time since 2016, defeating Wyoming within the First 4 and shedding to Saint Mary’s within the Spherical of 64. North Carolina went 29-10 general, 15-5 in Atlantic Coast Convention play, 15-2 at house, 8-3 on the street and 6-5 at impartial websites in 2021-22. The Tar Heels earned a No. 8 seed within the NCAA Match, and upset the No. 1 seed Baylor Bears within the Spherical of 32 earlier than wins over UCLA, Saint Peter’s and Duke to achieve the championship. Regardless of main by 15 factors at halftime, North Carolina misplaced 72-69 to Kansas within the Nationwide Championship recreation. 
• Collection historical past: Indiana leads the all-time sequence 9-6 towards North Carolina, together with a 4-2 document at house. The Hoosiers and Tar Heels have matched up 3 times within the NCAA Match, starting in 1981 when Isiah Thomas led the Hoosiers to a 63-50 win within the Nationwide Championship recreation. In 1984, Indiana defeated North Carolina 72-68 within the Candy 16 and held Michael Jordan to 13 factors on 6-for-14 capturing. Of their most up-to-date NCAA Match matchup, North Carolina dominated Indiana 101-86 within the 2016 Candy 16 behind 21 factors from Marcus Paige and 20 factors from Brice Johnson. Courting again to 2001, Indiana holds a 3-1 benefit over North Carolina within the ACC/Huge Ten Problem, together with a 76-67 win at Meeting Corridor on Nov. 30, 2016. The No. 1 Hoosiers dismantled No. 13 North Carolina 83-59 through the 2012-13 season, and received 79-66 on Nov. 28, 2001. The Tar Heels solely win over Indiana within the ACC/Huge Ten Problem was a 70-63 win at Meeting Corridor on Dec. 1, 2004. With the ACC/Huge Ten Problem ending after this yr, CLICK HERE for an in-depth breakdown of the sequence historical past. 

Main scorers

• Indiana Hoosiers
• F Trayce Jackson-Davis: 18.8 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 76.0 FG pct
• PG Xavier Johnson: 11.0 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3.8 rpg, 66.7 3-point FG pct
• F Malik Reneau: 10.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 63.6 FG pct
• North Carolina Tar Heels
• G Caleb Love: 20.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.3 apg, 24.5 3-point FG pct
• F Armando Bacot Jr.: 16.7 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 56.7 FG pct
• G RJ Davis: 15.7 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.4 apg, 39.2 FG pct
• F Pete Nance: 11.9 pigs, 5.0 rpg, 41.7 3-point FG pct

Meet the coaches

• Hubert Davis, North Carolina: Hubert Davis is in his second yr as head coach of North Carolina, the place he performed from 1988-92 and averaged 21.4 factors as a senior. Davis was the twentieth general choose within the 1992 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks and performed for six groups by 2004. Following his taking part in profession, Davis labored for ESPN as a school basketball analyst earlier than becoming a member of Roy Williams’ employees at North Carolina in 2012 as an assistant coach. Davis helped North Carolina win its sixth nationwide championship with a 71-65 win over Gonzaga in 2017. Williams retired after the 2020-21 season, and Davis led the Tar Heels to an look within the Nationwide Championship recreation in his first season as head coach. 
• Mike Woodson, Indiana: Woodson has NBA head teaching expertise with the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-10 and the New York Knicks from 2012-14. Courting again to 1996, Woodson has additionally been an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers. Woodson performed at Indiana College from 1976-80, and was named the Huge Ten’s Most Precious Participant as a senior below coach Bob Knight. He was the twelfth general choose within the 1980 NBA Draft, and performed for numerous groups from 1980-91, averaging 14 factors over 786 video games.Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports activities

Three issues to look at in Indiana vs. North Carolina

1. All-People coping with accidents

Two of the nation’s prime gamers withdrew from the NBA Draft to return for his or her senior seasons, making a highly-anticipated matchup down low. Trayce Jackson-Davis and Armando Bacot Jr. had been each named preseason AP-All People, in addition to Huge Ten and ACC Participant of the yr, respectively, however each gamers are a bit banged up heading into Wednesday’s recreation.

Jackson-Davis was held out of Indiana’s recreation towards Little Rock final Wednesday, however he performed 19 minutes on Friday towards Jackson State. Indiana coach Mike Woodson mentioned Jackson-Davis has practiced on Monday, however he’ll proceed to guage him forward of Wednesday’s recreation. 

“You undergo bumps and bruises if you play this recreation,” Woodson mentioned. “I do not know if he took a fall or what, however I observed it just a few video games proper earlier than the Little Rock recreation, him over there sitting uncomfortably. I do not know if it was his tailbone or one thing that was occurring.”

Jackson-Davis’ response was extra straight ahead. 

“Clearly I am not one hundred pc, however I will likely be taking part in tomorrow,” Jackson-Davis mentioned. “Clearly it is an enormous recreation, in order that’s out of the door. I am taking part in tomorrow, so you will wish to get that on the market that I am taking part in … Not as in ache as I used to be final week, however form of taking it straightforward in follow this week, however I feel with the adrenaline and the way the gang’s going to be, I will be tremendous for the sport. Clearly I will play my hardest right here, and you will have to take me out on a stretcher if they are going to do this, so I will be able to go.”

On the opposite aspect, Bacot scored 20 factors with 20 rebounds in 39 minutes throughout North Carolina’s loss to Alabama on Sunday, however he performed sparingly through the 4 additional time intervals. After the sport, Inside Carolina’s Ross Martin reported that Bacot felt “sharp pains” in his proper ankle, however he’s going to strive his hardest to play towards Indiana. North Carolina coach Hubert Davis mentioned everybody practiced on Tuesday, and as of Tuesday afternoon he expects Bacot to play.

2. Backcourt matchups

Jackson-Davis versus Bacot is the one-on-one battle with probably the most hype and accolades, however guard play will likely be essential to the result of Wednesday’s recreation. Level guard Xavier Johnson wasn’t Indiana’s finest participant final season, however his play usually decided wins and losses for the Hoosiers, particularly late within the season.  Johnson had a ton of stress to carry out on a nightly foundation as a result of Indiana lacked different dependable ball handlers, however the addition of five-star freshman guard Jalen Hood-Schifino has made the Indiana offense extra dynamic.

The Hoosiers are averaging a Huge Ten-high 88.8 factors per recreation, they usually rank third in each turnover margin (5.33) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.69). Johnson is off to a scorching capturing begin, connecting on 58.3 of all area objectives with an 8-for-12 mark from 3-point vary. Hood-Schifino has struggled to seek out his shot, making simply 33.3 % of all makes an attempt and 4-of-16 3-pointers. However at 6-foot-6, he is performed regular protection and has discovered different methods to contribute, averaging 4.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per recreation.

North Carolina’s RJ Davis and Caleb Love type a veteran backcourt that poses a troublesome matchup for Indiana. Love performed his finest basketball of the season throughout final yr’s NCAA Match, catching fireplace for 30 factors towards UCLA and 28 towards Duke within the Last 4. Davis, a extra conventional level guard, scored 30 factors towards Baylor within the the Spherical of 32 and dished out 30 assists with solely 12 turnovers throughout six NCAA Match video games. 

The duo has been a bit extra streaky to start the 2022-23 season, nonetheless. Love leads the Tar Heels with 20.0 factors per recreation, however he is capturing 41.8 % from the sector and 24.5 % from 3 with 23 assists and 17 turnovers in seven video games. Davis has had related capturing points, connecting on 39.2 % of photographs with a 27.8 % clip from 3. 

Johnson will possible begin on Davis, which suggests Hood-Schifino can have the hardest matchup of his younger however promising profession towards Love. 

3. Depth versus lack of depth

Indiana has obtained a lift from its second unit in a handful of video games this season, most just lately towards Jackson State when Tamar Bates scored a career-high 22 factors off the bench. Malik Reneau is Indiana’s third-leading scorer at 10.7 factors, and he is come off the bench in 5 of six contests.

Mike Woodson tightened his rotation at Xavier, taking part in 9 complete gamers with Jordan Geronimo solely seeing 5 minutes of motion. Indiana has had success taking part in a lineup with Bates, Reneau, Geronimo, Trey Galloway and both Xavier Johnson or Jalen Hood-Schifino at level guard. CJ Gunn has performed double-digit minutes within the final three video games, and Kaleb Banks performed 16 minutes towards Jackson State. In complete, Indiana has 10 gamers averaging double-digit minutes, and nobody has performed greater than 26.8 minutes per recreation.

“In my view, we’ve two beginning fives,” Jackson-Davis mentioned. “We actually platoon sub form of just like the Kentucky group did, however I feel with Carolina taking part in about seven to eight guys, it will put on and tear on them as a result of we are able to throw totally different our bodies at totally different folks. So I feel as the sport goes on that is going to be an enormous a part of it.”

It is affordable to count on Woodson to play a shorter rotation towards North Carolina, however depth and recent legs may be a bonus over the Tar Heels, who’ve leaned on the power of their beginning 5. RJ Davis, Caleb Love, Leaky Black, Pete Nance and Armando Bacot every common 30-plus minutes, and there is a vital drop-off in taking part in time with Puff Johnson at 20.5 minutes per recreation, Seth Trimble at 11.1 and D’Marco Dunn at 8.9 as the principle choices off the bench. 

• INDIANA VS. UNC SERIES HISTORY: Indiana has a terrific historical past with North Carolina within the ACC/Huge Ten Problem, successful three of the 4 conferences. They’re going to dance one final time on Wednesday night time on this occasion, and it has been a heck of the journey. CLICK HERE
• WOODSON RADIO SHOW HIGHLIGHTS: Coach Mike Woodson and play-by-play announcer Don Fischer broke down all the latest information surrounding Indiana basketball on Monday night time on the “Inside Indiana Basketball” radio present. CLICK HERE
• INDIANA NO. 1O IN AP POLL: Indiana has held up its finish of the cut price, staying unbeaten and transferring as much as No. 10 within the AP ballot, however North Carolina, the Hoosiers’ subsequent opponent, misplaced twice final week and fell from No. 1 to No. 18. This is the complete top-25 ballot, with a number of Indiana connections. CLICK HERE