UNC men’s basketball to face Wake Forest in ACC tournament quarterfinals in Charlotte
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2025 ACC Men’s Tournament
Follow all the action from the 2025 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Charlotte, NC, with updated scores, standings, game recaps and analysis from the team of writers from the News & Observer, Charlotte Observer and The State.
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North Carolina men’s basketball gets its rematch with Wake Forest in the ACC tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday, with both teams needing a win — and perhaps more to have a chance at making the NCAA Tournament.
The Demon Deacons had the last laugh in the teams’ first meeting this season, earning a 67-66 victory over their in-state conference foe on Jan. 21 in Winston-Salem — and the Tar Heels remember it well.
“That was a game we should have won,” North Carolina star RJ Davis said. “They’re a really good team. We’ve gotta come with our ‘A’ game. Obviously it’s a quick turnaround, but that’s the great thing about these tournaments. Back-to-back games, we’ve just got to have our bodies right, prepared and prepped, because this is a game that we could win.”
Davis, who now averages 17.1 points per game to lead UNC (21-12, 13-7 ACC), poured in 21 points to lead all scorers in that contest at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Those efforts included a 3-pointer during the final seconds that made it a one-point game.
He and the Tar Heels will again square off against against Hunter Sallis, a First Team All-ACC player, and the Demon Deacons’ (21-10, 13-7) solid offense.
“A little bit more size down low with Efton Reid there,” Davis said. “Hunter Sallis and Cameron Hildreth being the head of the snake, their one-two punch, we’ve just gotta do a good job of keeping them contained a little bit. I think our defense and spacing were the two main things we’ve struggled a bit with down there at Wake Forest, and we’re obviously in a better spot than we were then.”
‘(The loss) really hurt us’
UNC, which hopes to make an NCAA Tournament run, averages the second-most points per game in the ACC.
The Tar Heels’ 81.5 points on average compare to a Wake squad that puts up just over 70 points per game — but the Demon Deacons have a variety of weapons. In addition to Sallis and Hildreth averaging double-digit scoring numbers, App State transfer Tre’Von Spillers is putting up 9.9 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, among Wake’s top six scorers who average at least six points each game.
Carolina presents a tall task, and the Tar Heels are ready.
Davis scored in double figures Wednesday in front of a Carolina blue-clad crowd at Spectrum Center in uptown Charlotte, and it far from represented the Tar Heels’ offense. Local product Jae’Lyn Withers led the way with a career-high 21 points, along with 17 points from Ven-Allen Lubin.
“It’s a great opportunity just to face them again,” Lubin said. “We lost to them by one point, and we want our revenge. It was very upsetting, just knowing we could have possibly won that game. It really hurt us. But we know we have another chance at it, and we want to make sure that we take advantage of it and don’t really take it for granted.”
This story was originally published March 13, 2025 at 5:30 AM with the headline "UNC men’s basketball to face Wake Forest in ACC tournament quarterfinals in Charlotte."
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