North Carolina @ Wake Forest preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 16, 2019 ) North Carolina 95, Wake Forest 57

A pair of teams trying to stay out of the basement in the ACC meet Tuesday when North Carolina carries a three-game losing streak into a matchup with host Wake Forest. The Tar Heels are in unfamiliar territory as they are in danger of finishing with a losing record for just the second time since 1962, although they've shown glimpses of improvement in narrow losses to top 10 teams their last two times out.

Consolation prizes mean very little in Chapel Hill, N.C., however, and Saturday's 98-96 overtime loss to No. 7 Duke in which the hated Blue Devils hit buzzer beaters in regulation and OT was just salt in the wounds for North Carolina. "We had some opportunities that we didn't take advantage of and that in some ways it's been our story several times, but it doesn't make any difference," coach Roy Williams told reporters. "Duke's locker room is very happy, and our locker room is crushed." The Tar Heels own a six-game winning streak against the Demon Deacons, who are tied for last in the conference - a half-game behind North Carolina - after a 75-73 loss at Syracuse on Saturday. Junior guard Chaundee Brown was solid in the setback with 14 points and eight rebounds in his best game since returning from a leg injury.

TIME: 8 p.m. ET. TV: ACC Network

ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA (10-13, 3-9 ACC): The Tar Heels are 0-3 since star freshman Cole Anthony returned from an 11-game layoff following knee surgery. He finished with 24 points, a season high-tying 11 rebounds and four assists in 43 minutes in the loss to Duke, and tops the team in scoring at 19.8 points per game. Junior forward Garrison Brooks is second on that list (15.0) and tops the squad in rebounding (8.9) after producing 18 and five, respectively, against the Blue Devils.

ABOUT WAKE FOREST (10-13, 3-10): Senior guard Brandon Childress is averaging 15 points to lead the Demon Deacons, but he is 8-of-30 from the floor over his last three games. Junior center Olivier Sarr averages 13.1 points and entered Monday ranked second in the ACC in rebounding (9.4), but lamented his team's inability to corral a big rebound in the closing moments against Syracuse, which allowed the Orange to win on a putback with 1.5 seconds to go. "That's our job to box them out," Sarr told the media. "We didn't come out with the rebound, they scored, game over."

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Tar Heels senior guard Christian Keeling is averaging 13.5 points - more than eight above his season average - over the last two games.

2. Demon Deacons freshman G Jahcobi Neath produced seven points, a season high-tying five rebounds and a season-high five assists in just 15 minutes Saturday.

3. North Carolina won 95-57 at Wake Forest in the last meeting on Feb. 16, 2019, producing its most lopsided road win ever in ACC play.

PREDICTION: North Carolina 74, Wake Forest 72