No. 14 North Carolina will look to right the ship defensively when it visits California on Saturday in an ACC matchup.
The Tar Heels (14-3, 2-2) gave up 16 3-pointers in a 95-90 loss to Stanford on Wednesday night and lost for the second time in their last three games.
The Bears (13-5, 1-4) also wish to bounce back after dropping their third consecutive game with a 71-56 home loss to Duke on Wednesday night.
Defending the 3-point line is a focal point for North Carolina. The Tar Heels allowed 44 makes from distance in their last three games, and opponents are shooting 32.7% from beyond the arc.
“Since Christmas break, we’ve talked about how we’ve struggled on that side of the floor,” coach Hubert Davis said in an interview on the Tar Heel Sports Network. “Stanford shot 57% from the field for the game. It’s very difficult to beat teams on the road when allowing them to shoot such a high percentage.”
The Bears come in shooting 35.3% from distance with 8.6 made threes per game. They drained five in the loss to Duke.
One of California’s biggest challenges Saturday will be to slow down Caleb Wilson.
The Bears dealt with another freshman sensation in Duke’s Cameron Boozer, who scored 21 in the victory. Wilson poured in a season-high 26 points against Stanford and averages a team-leading 19.9 points and 10.9 rebounds.
“They are similar players in the sense that they are both strong and dominant inside, but the way they do it is totally different,” Madsen said. “Boozer is a tough physical type of guy who can really move people with his physical strength. Caleb is a guy who is also a power player, but he’s long, he’s athletic, he slides around you, he shoots over the top of you. He will get a defensive rebound and he’ll push it out in transition himself. Transition defense is going to be a huge emphasis against North Carolina.”
In addition to Wilson, Henri Veesaar (17.4 points, 9.0 rebounds per game) and Seth Trimble (15.4 points) have been key contributors for the Tar Heels. Trimble missed nine games earlier this year due to a broken left forearm he sustained as a result of a weight room accident.
The Tar Heels score 82.2 points per game and allow 68.7.
California averages 78.5 points per game and gives up 70.1. The Bears were held to 60 or less in two of three losses during their current streak.
Dai Dai Ames leads the Bears in scoring at 17.3 points per game. Justin Pippen, the son of former NBA star Scottie Pippen, ranks second on the team with 14.4 points and has scored in double figures 14 times.
Chris Bell (13.3 points) and John Camden (13.1) have been steady contributors for the Bears. Camden has scored in double figures 13 times.
