Here's what you need to know about the UNC basketball program's Saturday afternoon, ACC road matchup against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Still riding high from a massive, 85-80 upset victory at ACC rival Virginia last weekend, the North Carolina Tar Heels turn right around to play again this coming weekend.
UNC (16-4, 4-3 ACC) makes the 6-hour trip down I-85, heading to Atlanta for a 2 p.m. tip-off on Saturday at Georgia Tech. This will be a rematch of the 2024-25 college basketball season's ACC opener for both teams, which North Carolina won, 68-65.
The Tar Heels are in a much better position than their Yellow Jackets (11-10, 2-6 ACC) counterparts. UNC has the country's best frontcourt duo in Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, who both average over 16 points and eight rebounds per game, while Derek Dixon's emergence is solidifying the backcourt in Chapel Hill.
Georgia Tech started its season 5-1, but that early success left Atlanta upon playing in the Emerald Coast Classic over Thanksgiving week. The Yellow Jackets responded with four straight wins, nearly knocking off Duke to open ACC play, but have just two conference wins – vs. Boston College and at NC State.
Georgia Tech trailed Virginia Tech by just six at halftime on Tuesday night, but never overcame that deficit in a 71-65 loss. The Yellow Jackets shot just 18 percent from deep and turned the basketball over 14 times.
Saturday will end a road-heavy January slate for North Carolina, which will play its fifth game away from the Dean Dome this month. The Tar Heels won both their January home matchups – vs. Wake Forest and Notre Dame – but have just one victory out of town.
Keep reading below for our game preview about Saturday's ACC matchup, including the Tar Heels' key to victory, something to watch, statistical leaders for each team, streaming information and their full schedule.
Key to Victory
Feed the ball down low – and kick it back outside when nothing's available.
UNC played a very well-rounded brand of basketball last Saturday at Virginia, with five players scoring in double-digits. Wilson enjoyed his second-straight 20-point game, primarily doing his damage down low, while Jarin Stevenson broke out with 17 points off the bench.
North Carolina shot 49 percent (30-of-61) as a team, plus a stellar 45% (10-of-22) from deep. The Tar Heels' inside-out game worked at UVA, much to the joy of head coach Hubert Davis.
If UNC can produce from both the paint and outside the arc on Saturday, it'll beat Georgia Tech with no problem
Something to Watch
What Stevenson does for an encore.
Stevenson played an extremely-efficient brand of basketball in Charlottesville, leading UNC with a career-high 17 points in just 16 bench minutes. That's over one point per minute.
Stevenson shot 6-of-9 overall from the field, 2-of-4 from deep (one of four Tar Heels with multiple threes) and a much-needed, perfect 3-of-3 on free throws.
Does Stevenson deliver another classic performance off the bench? Does Stevenson start in the ATL?
Statistical leaders
Points
UNC: Caleb Wilson (19.9)
Georgia Tech: Kowacie Reeves Jr. (15.9)
Rebounds
UNC: Caleb Wilson (10.1)
Georgia Tech: Baye Ndongo (8.1)
Assists
UNC: Kyan Evans (3.0)
Georgia Tech: Lamar Washington (6.0)
What you need to know
WHAT? North Carolina Tar Heels (16-4, 4-3 ACC) at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (11-10, 2-6 ACC)
WHEN? Saturday, January 31 at 2 p.m. ET
WHERE? McCamish Pavillion in Atlanta, Ga.
TV?ACC Network
RADIO? SiriusXM (Channel 193 and 371)
LINE? N/A
LAST MEETING? UNC 68, Georgia Tech 65 on 12/7/24 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
ALL-TIME SERIES: UNC leads, 71-28
PREDICTION? UNC 89, Georgia Tech 72
UNC basketball 2025-26 schedule
October 4: Blue-White Scrimmage (White 55, Blue 50)
Oct. 24: at BYU (preseason, L 78-76)
Oct. 29: vs. Winston-Salem State (preseason, W 95-53)
November 3: vs. Central Arkansas (W, 94-54)
Nov. 7: vs. Kansas (W, 87-74)
Nov. 11: vs. Radford (W, 89-74)
Nov. 14: vs. NC Central (W, 97-53)
Nov. 18: vs. Navy (W, 73-61)
Nov. 25: vs. St. Bonaventure in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (W, 85-70)
Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (L, 74-58)
December 2: at Kentucky (W, 67-64)
Dec. 7: vs. Georgetown (W, 81-61)
Dec. 13: vs. USC Upstate (W, 80-62)
Dec. 16: vs. ETSU (W, 77-58)
Dec. 20: vs. Ohio State in CBS Sports Classic (W, 71-70)
Dec. 22: vs. East Carolina (W, 99-51)
Dec. 30: vs. Florida State (W, 79-66)
January 3: at SMU (L, 97-83)
Jan. 10: vs. Wake Forest (W, 87-84)
Jan. 14: at Stanford (L, 95-90)
Jan. 17.: at California (L, 84-78)
Jan. 21: vs. Notre Dame (W, 91-69)
Jan. 24: at Virginia (W, 85-80)
Jan. 31: at Georgia Tech (2 p.m.)
February 2: vs. Syracuse (7 p.m.)
Feb. 7: vs. Duke (6:30 p.m.)
Feb. 10: at Miami (FL) (7 p.m.)
Feb. 14: vs. Pitt (2 p.m.)
Feb. 17: at NC State (7 p.m.)
Feb. 21: at Syracuse (1 p.m.)
Feb. 23: vs. Louisville (7 p.m.)
Feb. 28: vs. Virginia Tech (TBA)
March 3: vs. Clemson (7 p.m.)
March 7,: at Duke (6:30 p.m.)
March 10-14: ACC Tournament in Spectrum Center (Charlotte, N.C.)
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball: Previewing Saturday ACC road clash with Georgia Tech
Category: General Sports
