Heel Tough Blog: Kansas Preview

Bob Sutton - AP

Later tonight, in the Smith Center, two of college basketball’s greatest programs will square off as the #25 North Carolina Tar Heels, will host the #19 Kansas Jayhawks, in a return game of a home-and-home series between the two blue bloods of the sport. Kansas topped Carolina in an instant classic last year in Lawrence, in what became the fifth straight time UNC fell to the hands of the Jayhawks, with the previous four matchups coming in the NCAA Tournament, including the 2022 national championship game, where the Tar Heels blew the largest halftime lead in championship game history. Games like these don’t happen often, but it’s good for the sport to see these two programs play this early in the season, on an on-campus venue, as opposed to a neutral floor, as it helps get eyes on the sport, during a time when many sports fans are locked into the ongoing college football and NFL seasons. 

After back-to-back disappointing seasons, the pressure is on Bill Self to get the Kansas program back atop the Big 12 and a more legitimate contender come NCAA Tournament time. After running the league for years, the Jayhawks were picked to finish 6th in the conference this season, as Houston has established itself as the premier program in the conference. With all the pressure on Self, he’s relying on a relatively new roster, which features five-star freshman Darryn Peterson, who has the potential to be the #1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. He is flanked by Flory Bidunga and Melvin Council Jr, both of whom scored in double figures in the season-opening win over Green Bay earlier this week. 

You could argue that tonight will be the second-best environment in the Smith Center all season long, behind the Duke game, which will take place in February. Furthermore, you could also make the argument that tonight will be the best ever environment on campus on November 7th. Evidence of that is the white-out that’ll be taking place in the arena, which should only further the energy in the building. Regardless, expect a spectacle tonight in the Dean Dome, between two storied programs that will forever be linked to one another. 

If there’s pressure on Bill Self to get Kansas back to its winning ways, you can only imagine the pressure on Hubert Davis, who lost to Self back in 2022, and has experienced the same rollercoaster that Self has, without the national title to his name. And like Kansas, Carolina is relying on a revamped roster to restore the program back to the top of the ACC and in position for a high seed come Selection Sunday. An early-season win over Kansas would arguably be the biggest non-conference win under Hubert Davis and secure them an early Quad-1 win, a metric UNC has struggled in at times under Davis. Here’s how Carolina can get the job done: 

1. Win the Battle of the Bigs: During his presser yesterday, Hubert Davis spoke about the importance of rebounding and that the tougher team will win the game. Even though Henri Veesaar, many Carolina fans were questioning his toughness, and tonight he’ll have a chance to quiet those concerns. Kansas may not have Hunter Dickinson or KJ Adams in their frontcourt anymore, but they are powered by Flory Bidunga, who is as physical a big Carolina will see all season long. Carolina’s depth might be the difference, because they have more depth in the frontcourt, especially with Luka Bogavac being cleared to play. 

2. Limit Darryn Peterson: AJ Dybantsa of BYU is the favorite to be the #1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft next summer, but many people believe that Darryn Peterson will push Dybantsa a lot more than Cooper Flagg was pushed last year. Peterson scored over 20 points in his Kansas debut and was efficient from the field, shooting over 60% from the field and over 40% from behind the arc. Seth Trimble is arguably regarded as the best perimeter defender in the ACC, and among the best in all of college basketball, and that needs to be the case tonight. In fact, his top priority tonight should be on the defensive end of the floor, and whatever he gives you scoring-wise would be the cherry on top. Peterson is more than capable of being the best player on the floor tonight, but if Carolina wants to win, he’ll need to be held in check and force his teammates to beat Carolina. 

3. Make & Defend Three-Point Line: It’s so ironic how similar these two programs are, and what they set out to accomplish over the off-season. Just like Carolina, Kansas wanted to add size and shooting to its roster, and they looked the part against Green Bay, shooting 37% from behind the arc. Meanwhile, Carolina shot just 34% against Central Arkansas, but seven different UNC players did connect on a three-pointer. For as much as this game will be won on the interior, whichever team is more efficient from the outside might be the difference in the game, or allow whichever team that loses the battle on the interior to find a different path to victory. In their two exhibitions and one regular-season game, every UNC opponent has shot less than 30% from behind the arc, and hopefully that trend carries over into tonight’s game. 

Series History:

• Carolina is 6-7 all-time against Kansas, having lost 5 straight games to the Jayhawks. This is the first time KU has played UNC in Chapel Hill, after playing Carolina on neutral floors back in 1959 and 1981. 

KenPom:

• North Carolina - 30th overall. Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 116.3 (25th) Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 96.5 (42nd) 

• Kansas - 19th overall. Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 115.2 (35th) Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 92.7 (7th) 

TV Info:

• Tonight’s game will tip at 7 PM on ESPN. 

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