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UNC basketball vs. South Carolina Upstate game preview, info, more
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- UNC basketball vs. South Carolina Upstate game preview, info, more
The North Carolina Tar Heels will host USC Upstate on Saturday afternoon as they return to the court following a little bit of a break. After beating Georgetown on Sunday afternoon , North Carolina continues on with the non-conference schedule here in December.
And this is a game North Carolina should win handidly.
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The Tar Heels scheduled this game between Georgetown and then Ohio State as part of the non-conference schedule. Sitting at 8-1 overall, the Tar Heels have the opportunity to go 9-1 into that CBS Sports Classic showdown with the Buckeyes.
Both teams struggle to shoot from the three-point line so far this season at 29.4 percent. Neither team has been able to find their groove from there. Both are averaging close to the same amount of points as well.
The Spartans are scoring 79.7 points per game while UNC is at 81.2 points per game this season. Where UNC has the advantage is on the boards where they are averaging 43.4 rebounds per game. The Spartans are at 39.2 per game. That coud be the biggest difference.
Key to Victory
Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) goes to the basket during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Starting off fast. This isn't a game the Tar Heels should lose and playing their game from start to finish will be key in this one. The longer you keep a team that is an underdog around, the more time you give them to believe they can win a game like this.
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I'd really like to see UNC come out and dominate early and make this one an easy game from start to finish.
Something to watch
Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) shoots the ball during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Point guard play. For North Carolina, Kyran Evans remains the starter at point guard and Luka Bogavac plays at the other guard slot with Seth Trimble out. But a player who has been playing really well as of late is freshman Derek Dixon.
After his impressive performance in the win over Kentucky, which UNC wouldn't have won without him, he had another good game against Georgetown. He's hoping to keep things rolling and if he can play well again, he probably deserves more minutes.
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Statistical leaders
Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) shoots the ball during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
Points
UNC: Caleb Wilson (19.3)
USC Upstate: Mason Bendinger (16.1)
Rebounds
UNC: Caleb Wilson (10.6)
USC Upstate: Jafeth Martinez (5.5)
Assists
UNC: Kyan Evans (4)
USC Upstate: Tyler Smith (3.5)
What you need to know
TarHeelsWire How to Watch
WHAT? South Carolina Upstate Spartans (6-5) AT North Carolina Tar Heels (8-1)
WHEN? Saturday, December 13 at 1 p.m.
WHERE? Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, N.C.
TV? CW Network
RADIO? SiriusXM (Channel 371)
LINE? N/A
LAST MEETING? First meeting
ALL-TIME SERIES: First meeting
PREDICTION? UNC 100, South Carolina Upstate 80
UNC basketball 2025-26 schedule
Dec 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis reacts in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
October 4: Blue-White Scrimmage (White 55, Blue 50)
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Oct. 24: at BYU (preseason, L 78-76)
Oct. 29: vs. Winston-Salem State (preseason, W 95-53)
Nov. 3: vs. Central Arkansas (W, 94-54)
Nov. 7: vs. Kansas (W, 87-74)
Nov. 11: vs. Radford (W, 89-74)
Nov. 14: vs. NC Central (W, 97-53)
Nov. 18: vs. Navy (W, 73-61)
Nov. 25: vs. St. Bonaventure in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (W, 85-70)
Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State in Fort Myers (Fla.) Tip-Off (L, 74-58)
December 2: at Kentucky (W, 67-64)
Dec. 7: vs. Georgetown (W, 81-61)
Dec. 13: vs. USC Upstate (2 p.m.)
Dec. 16: vs. ETSU (8 p.m.)
Dec. 20: vs. Ohio State in CBS Sports Classic (3 p.m. in Atlanta, Ga.)
Dec. 22: vs. East Carolina (8 p.m.)
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Dec. 30: vs. Florida State (2:15 p.m.)
January 3, 2026: at SMU (2:15 p.m.)
Jan. 10, 2026: vs. Wake Forest (6 p.m.)
Jan. 14, 2026: at Stanford (9 p.m.)
Jan. 17, 2026: at California (4 p.m.)
Jan. 21, 2026: vs. Notre Dame (7 p.m.)
Jan. 24, 2026: at Virginia (TBA)
Jan. 31, 2026: at Georgia Tech (2 p.m.)
Feb. 2, 2026: vs. Syracuse (7 p.m.)
Feb. 7, 2026: vs. Duke (6:30 p.m.)
Feb. 10, 2026: at Miami (FL) (7 p.m.)
Feb. 14, 2026: vs. Pitt (2 p.m.)
Feb. 17, 2026: at NC State (7 p.m.)
Feb. 21, 2026: at Syracuse (1 p.m.)
Feb. 23, 2026: vs. Louisville (7 p.m.)
Feb. 28, 2026: vs. Virginia Tech (TBA)
March 3, 2026: vs. Clemson (7 p.m.)
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March 7, 2026: at Duke (6:30 p.m.)
March 10-14, 2026: ACC Tournament in Spectrum Center (Charlotte, N.C.)
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Game preview, info, prediction vs. USC Upstate
