Two of college basketball’s three winningest programs will square off Friday night as No. 19 Kansas travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face No. 25 North Carolina.
Both teams are in familiar territory, as both have been ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 poll every year since 2006.
But Kansas (1-0) received its lowest preseason ranking since 2008-09, when they were selected 24th. North Carolina (1-0) received its lowest preseason ranking since not being ranked in 2005-06.
“I’m looking forward to it,” Kansas coach Bill Self said about the upcoming battle, after Monday’s 94-51 victory over Green Bay. “I don’t know that we’ll be ready to play, but I’ll bet (North Carolina coach) Hubert (Davis) will say the same thing about Carolina. It’s just so early to play a game like that.
“We’ll be excited. It’ll be a unique atmosphere. We’re taking new guys, and we’ll find out a lot about ourselves Friday. But I think it should be exciting to get out there and kind of see where we’re at. Early season matchups like this are good for our game.”
Besides pitting two of college basketball’s best programs historically, the game will see a matchup of exciting freshman phenoms: Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson.
Peterson scored 21 points in 22 minutes of action against Green Bay. He was limited to less than five minutes in the second half because of leg cramps, though Self said he probably could have played more if the game warranted it. Peterson added four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Kansas was impressive on both ends of the court against the Phoenix. The Jayhawks shot 56.9% from the field, including 37.0% from 3-point range. They held Green Bay to just 28.6% from the field.
North Carolina had similar numbers in a 94-54 victory over Central Arkansas, also on Monday. The Tar Heels shot 50.8% (34.5% from 3-point range), while holding the Bears to 31.3% from the field.
The Tar Heels had five players in double figures, led by Wilson’s 22 points in 24 minutes. The freshman went 8-of-10 from the field, including seven dunks and a 3-pointer.
“He brings high energy out there,” Davis said after the game. “Combine that with the athletic giftedness that he has. As talented as he is, he’s a kid that’s really hungry to learn.”
Then, focusing on what’s ahead for his team, Davis added, “The only thing that we talk about is reaching our full potential. Obviously, we’re nowhere near that. I think we can be a really good defensive team. I think we can be a really good rebounding team. I think from an offensive standpoint, our ability to be able to score near the basket, but also be able to shoot the ball from the perimeter, is something that I’m excited about.”
Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar added 14 points and 10 rebounds in his first action for the Tar Heels.
Returner Flory Bidunga led Kansas against Green Bay with 23 points on 9-of-11 shots. He added three blocked shots.
–Field Level Media
