North Carolina @ NC State preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 5, 2019 ) NC State 96, North Carolina 113

It has been a difficult month for Brandon Robinson and his North Carolina teammates, but they head into Monday’s trip to North Carolina State feeling much better after pummeling Miami (Fla.) on Saturday. The Tar Heels snapped a five-game losing streak with a 94-71 victory and were led by Robinson - who was involved in a car accident on Jan. 11 and did not play in Wednesday’s loss at Virginia Tech - who scored a career-best 29 points.

“The mood in the locker room was so much better," Robinson told the media after shooting 11-for-16 from the field and hitting six 3-pointers. "I feel so much better just because we won, I can sleep good tonight, so I'm happy about that.” The Wolfpack saw their three-game winning streak end with a disappointing 64-58 defeat Saturday at Georgia Tech. NC State was outscored 14-3 after taking a 55-50 lead with 6:21 remaining, and senior guard C.J. Bryce - the Wolfpack’s leading scorer at 13.9 points - went scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting from the field. “It's disappointing because I just didn't think we brought it today,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts told reporters postgame.

TIME: 7 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (9-10, 2-6 ACC): The Tar Heels continue to miss freshman point guard Cole Anthony and his team-leading 19.1 points per game, as he recovers from December knee surgery. Freshman forward Armando Bacot flirted with a triple-double against Miami (19 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists), while junior forward Garrison Brooks - the leading scorer and rebounder among the healthy Tar Heels at 15.1 points and 9.2 rebounds - scored 14. North Carolina snapped its longest losing streak since 2003 by shooting 58 percent from the field, a season high for the Tar Heels.

ABOUT NC STATE (14-6, 5-4): Senior guard Markell Johnson led the Wolfpack on Saturday with 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting, and is second on the team in scoring at 13.2 points. Junior forward D.J. Funderburk averages 12.8 points on 63 percent shooting from the field, but finished with only eight points against Georgia Tech to snap his streak of nine consecutive games with at least 10 points. NC State has scored more than 60 points just once in its past five games, after scoring 69 or more points in its first 15 games of the season.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. NC State played Saturday without freshman F Manny Bates (concussion) and senior F Pat Andree (right ankle injury).

2. North Carolina’s 32 assists Saturday matched the highest total in Roy Williams’ 17 seasons as head coach.

3. Robinson has scored 20-plus points in three of his past six games, averaging 18.8 points in the span - more than five above his season average.

PREDICTION: NC State 73, North Carolina 67