Monday night’s biggest game : ECU VS UNC at the Dean Smith Center will outlook a struggling injury ridden East Carolina team spearheaded by Jordan Riley and Giovanni Emejuru possibly having Jayshane Woodard back for tomorrow night, and two star big post players throwing their size around in the paint creating inside outside matchups and scoring for the Tarheels two instate rivals less than two hours from each other no student section for Carolina because of Christmas break.Â
North Carolina and East Carolina both in state schools seems to be North Carolina dominating the recruiting trail in the state, but if East Carolina goes into the Dean Dome and puts up a fight this could be the time where the players in the 252 see the chance to stay home and multiple opportunities to play on the national stage.Â
East Carolina Perspective
East Carolina being little brother in this fight, with only one win over a team in the ACC beating Sidney Lowe’s NC State team once in Minges.
Mike Schwartz, the head coach of East Carolina, has been in the Dean Smith Center multiple times, but the catch of the situation is Schwartz has been there multiple times as an assistant under Rick Barnes. Mike Schwartz has yet to have a signature win as the East Carolina head coach and now sees the best team in his coaching tenure hanging his hat on defense will have to stop the blue blood offense from going on a run and snatching the momentum in the historic gym filled with multiple banners of former successes.
Key players for East Carolina who could keep the Pirates in this one are:
- Jordan Riley
- Giovanni Emejuru
- Jayshane Woodard
- Tybo Bailey
Multiple players with different talents in different spots on the floor for the Pirates Monday, this we do know the purple and gold will have to keep constant scoring, and get multiple stops and win by at least 10 on the rebounds to have a chance at knocking off the Tarheels.
North Carolina Perspective
North Carolina will obviously be the household fan favorite team in the matchup Monday night, led by these familiar super stars:
·       Caleb Wilson
·       Seth Trimble
Two guys who very much could carry this tarheel ball club Monday night and could make this thing ugly quick on a nationally televised game on ACC Network against the Pirates. Hubert Davis always has a letdown game on the hardwood in his tenure and not having the student section could be a major factor.Â
History Of The Matchup
The matchup Monday night between North Carolina and East Carolina, is not the first matchup between the two eastern North Carolina teams on the hardwood, in an intense, filled, energy bumping Dean Smith Center flooded with both Carolina blue and White and East Carolina purple and gold.Â
The game Monday night setting to be the fourth game between the two institutions the closest being between the two schools in 2014 as the Pirates gave the Tarheels a scare, but lost by 6; the only difference being the head coach at that time was Jeff Lebo, now a current assistant under Hubert Davis at UNC.
In State Battle Monday: ECU VS UNC
@ The Dean Smith Center
Monday Night @ 8 PM
Live On The ACC Network