UNC Basketball: How Tar Heels Stack Up with the ACC's Top Teams

The appetizers are almost complete, and it's about time for the main course.

North Carolina has gone 9-3 during nonconference play, which wraps up Tuesday at home against William & Mary. After that, it's 18 games of ACC competition that include four other schools currently ranked in the Associated Press poll, three of which are in the top five.

Those are some heavy meals, and it remains to be seen if the Tar Heels can stomach it all.

UNC has already faced five teams that were ranked either at the time of the game or at some point this season, going 3-2 overall. But the conference gauntlet is always more daunting for power league teams than during early season play, so it's hard to know exactly how the Tar Heels will stack up against these top opponents.

We'll do our best to break down the matchups Carolina is set to face against its top competition in the ACC.

Duke

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Regular-season meetings: Feb. 18 (away), March 7 (home)

Current record: 10-0

What it does well

There's very little that Duke does not do well, as the Blue Devils have won every game by at least 10 points. Led by a trio of freshmen as well as two heady upperclassmen, Duke has one of the best and most talented starting fives in the country.

Freshman center Jahlil Okafor is averaging 17.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 65.2 percent from the field. Freshman point guard Tyus Jones is dishing out 5.3 assists per game and has a strong 3.5-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and freshman forward Justise Winslow is putting in 12 points per game.

Senior guard Quinn Cook has become a leader on the court, averaging 13.9 points per game and shooting 40 percent from the field. The Blue Devils, as a team, shoot 52.3 percent, which is fifth-best in the country.

Where UNC might have an edge

Though Duke's starting five is superb, there's no bench at this point. Rasheed Sulaimon, at seven points per game, is the top reserve scorer, but he went scoreless in 17 minutes in the last game against Connecticut. The transfer of forward Semi Ojeleye has added to the depth issues.

With that in mind, if North Carolina can cycle in its big men reserves and keep Marcus Paige from getting worn down on the perimeter, there's the ability to get an edge if the Tar Heels can cause foul trouble.

Louisville

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Regular-season meetings: Jan. 10 (home), Jan. 31 (away)

Current record: 11-1

What it does well

Though Louisville is coming off its first loss, it was an understandable one as the Cardinals fell, 58-50, at home to top-ranked Kentucky. The Cardinals played the Wildcats closer than any other team this season and held them to 18 first-half points.

Defense has been Louisville's bread and butter this season, holding opponents to 34.9 percent shooting and 54.7 points per game. Foes only shoot 28.9 percent from three-point range, and the Cardinals grab 40 percent of their own missed shots.

Montrezl Harrell has been a beast inside, as the 6'8" junior is averaging 16 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while shooting 59.6 percent from the field. But Louisville's most-improved player is sophomore guard Terry Rozier, who leads the team in scoring (16.6 points per game) while also bringing down 5.8 rebounds despite being only 6'1".

Where UNC might have an edge

The Cardinals don't shoot particularly well, at 42.7 percent, and at 28.6 percent from three-point range they're among the worst-shooting teams form outside. Making Louisville fight for its shots can lead to impatience, and if North Carolina can speed up the game that could negate Louisville's propensity for forcing turnovers out of the half-court set.

North Carolina State

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Regular-season meetings: Jan. 14 (away), Feb. 24 (home)

Current record: 10-3

What it does well

Despite losing ACC Player of the Year T.J. Warren to the NBA draft, North Carolina State has managed to put together the same record as a year ago thanks to a very soft schedule. The Wolfpack have played only one road game, losing at Purdue, while also falling at home to Wofford and dropping a neutral-site game against West Virginia in their only matchup with a ranked opponent.

The play of Alabama transfer Trevor Lacey has provided NC State with a huge boost, as the 6'3" junior guard who sat out last season leads the team in scoring at 18 points per game. He's shooting 51 percent from the field and 45 percent from three-point range, and across the board his numbers are way up from when he played at Alabama in 2012-13.

NC State also has a monster in the post in 6'9" sophomore Beejay Anya, who only scores 4.5 points and pulls down 4.5 rebounds per game but blocks 17.1 percent of shots taken when he's on the court. Anya's 44 blocks are tied for third in the country.

Where UNC might have an edge

NC State isn't very active on defense, getting steals on only 5.5 percent of its possessions. The Wolfpack look for Anya to create havoc defensively inside, almost steering ball-handlers his direction, so if North Carolina can avoid falling into that trap, the shots could fall.

Notre Dame

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Regular-season meetings: Jan. 5 (home)

Current record: 12-1

What it does well

Notre Dame is the nation's top-shooting team, at 55.6 percent, which has enabled the Fighting Irish to average 86.1 points per game after scoring 72 last season while going 16-17. It helps that star guard Jerian Grant has returned after missing most of last season with an academic suspension, but he's only been one part of a team that doesn't seem to miss.

Grant, a 6'5" guard, is averaging 17.6 points per game and shooting 52.7 percent from the field, a stellar efficiency for someone who takes 11.5 shots per game. Junior forward Zach Auguste is shooting 67.2 percent, while sophomore guard Demetrius Jackson shoots 57.9 percent.

Where UNC might have an edge

The Fighting Irish have a one-point overtime home win over Michigan State and a one-point loss to Providence as their most notable results, otherwise it's been mostly pushovers. They've not been challenged much, so if North Carolina can use its experience from a much tougher schedule to push Notre Dame around in this early matchup, there's a chance to get a strong early victory.

Notre Dame could also be beaten up inside, because other than the 6'10" Auguste there's not much size to match up with UNC's post players.

Syracuse

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Regular-season meetings: Jan. 26 (home)

Current record: 8-4

What it does well

A year after starting 25-0 and then fading down the stretch, Syracuse has been tested far more during nonconference play than in most years. This should steel the Orange for conference play, but for now it's exposed continued shooting issues.

Syracuse's zone defense remains one of the best in the country, and with its abundance of length it forces teams to shoot over the zone. Opponents only shoot 36.6 percent overall and 28.4 percent from three-point range, as most teams have settled for jumpers rather than attack the zone and get inside.

The Orange's post play has improved this year, thanks to freshman forward Chris McCullough's strong effort and the re-emergence of senior forward Rakeem Christmas. McCullough averages 11 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, though he's struggled in his last four games by making only three of 19 shots, but Christmas (17.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 62.1 percent shooting) has been a beast.

Where UNC might have an edge

Syracuse still struggles with its outside shooting, ranking among the bottom 10 teams in the country at 28.5 percent from three-point range (and that's after making seven of 12 shots from long range in Sunday's win over Long Beach State). If the Tar Heels can deny Christmas and others the ball inside, forcing guards Kaleb Joseph and Trevor Cooney to launch contested jumpers, there's a chance to get the transition game going off long misses.

Virginia

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Regular-season meetings: Feb. 2 (home)

Current record: 12-0

What it does well

A year after being the surprise winner of the ACC's regular-season and conference tournament title, Virginia has backed up what it did in 2013-14 by being even more dominant this year. The Cavaliers are doing it with a blend of smothering defense, efficient offense and some of the most well-rounded players in the country.

Virginia is shooting nearly 50 percent from the field while limiting opponents to 31.2 percent from the field. It has completely demolished a few opponents, holding Rutgers to 26 points and Harvard to 27, as for the season opponents average only 46.2 points per game.

But the Cavaliers aren't plodding to low-scoring victories, as Virginia averages nearly 70 points per game thanks to the play of juniors Justin Anderson, Malcolm Brogdon and Anthony Gill. That trio is averaging 15.1, 13.1 and 12.1 points per game, with Anderson hitting 60 percent from three-point range.

Where UNC might have an edge

It's been hard to find a weakness in Virginia's game to this point, but one area where it's lacked so far has been at the point guard spot. Sophomore guard London Perrantes averages only 2.9 points and 3.9 assists per game, shooting only 24.2 percent from the field and taking just 33 shots.

Perrantes' lack of involvement in the offense could enable UNC to double one of Virginia's more potent scorers, forcing the reluctant shooter to get more involved.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.