Three areas of focus for UNC basketball ahead of Wake Forest matchup

The North Carolina Tar Heels suffered just their second setback on the basketball court last Saturday, losing 97-83 in a road test against the SMU Mustangs.

UNC (13-2, 1-1 ACC) is a solid defensive team, but allowed a season-high 97 points against SMU (12-2, 1-0 ACC). The Mustangs shot 60 percent overall from the field, including a torrid 52% mark from deep, while former Wake Forest standout Boopie Miller recorded a 27-point, 12-assist double-double.

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North Carolina has a quick turnaround, hosting Wake Forest (10-5, 1-1 ACC) on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. The Demon Deacons are better than their record shows, losing to ranked Michigan and Texas Tech squads by one point, but they also have blowout losses to NC State and Vanderbilt.

As the Tar Heels continue practicing throughout the week, we take a deeper dive into three areas they need to focus on in practice. If UNC does these, they’ll leave home court with a big win on Saturday.

Perimeter defense

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs guard Boopie Miller (2) makes a jump shot over North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) during the second half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

You can’t expect to win many games when the opposition shoots 52% from deep. SMU did this on Saturday against North Carolina, with Corey Washington (5-of-7), Boopie Miller (3-of-5) and Jaden Toombs (2-of-3) all making multiple threes.

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The Tar Heels will face a Deacs squad that shoots just 32.7% from deep, which ranks 240th out of 365 teams. Four Wake regulars, including Cooper Schwieger (57.1%), are a minimum 35% on 3-pointers.

Free throws

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) looks to move the ball past SMU Mustangs forward Corey Washington (3) during the first half at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

As good as UNC is this season, free throws are a glaring weakness. That’ll happen when you lose RJ Davis in the offseason, but free…

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Publish date : 2026-01-07 19:00:00

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