Georgia Tech, No. 20 UNC open ACC play after disappointing defeats

A pair of teams looking to get on track will square off in an early-season Atlantic Coast Conference battle on Saturday afternoon when No. 20 North Carolina hosts Georgia Tech in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Sitting at 4-4, the reigning ACC regular-season champion Tar Heels are in unfamiliar territory. Since mounting a 21-point comeback to beat Dayton in its Maui Invitational opener on Nov. 25, North Carolina has dropped three straight, solidifying its worst start to a season since it went 3-5 in 2001-02 -- a campaign that saw the Tar Heels go 8-20.

Last time out, North Carolina was dominated at home by No. 10 Alabama, falling 94-79 on Wednesday. After a pair of Seth Trimble free throws to start the game, the Tar Heels took their first and only lead before shooting just 5-for-28 (17.9 percent) on 3-pointers.

"I think (Alabama) felt us the first two, three minutes of the game," North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said. "I felt like we had a defensive presence, a physical presence on the ball, our communication was really good, and from there it just dropped. This group has shown flashes of playing at the level that is required in order to be successful, but the next step forward is to play a full 40 minutes on both sides of the ball. We've got to be ready to do that at 2 o'clock on Saturday."

RJ Davis, a first-team preseason All-American, leads the team with an average of 18.4 points per game but shot just 7-for-24 from the field and 1-for-11 from long range on Wednesday. Freshman Ian Jackson provided a spark in the loss, chipping in a career- and team-high 23 points off the bench.

Hoping to salvage the week with a strong start to ACC play, North Carolina welcomes a Georgia Tech team that's coming off a similar disappointment.

The Yellow Jackets (4-4) jumped to a 17-6 lead over No. 21 Oklahoma on Tuesday. The Sooners whittled their deficit to six before Luke O'Brien's 3-pointer at the 4:03 mark of the first half gave the Yellow Jackets a nine-point cushion. From there, Georgia Tech didn't see another made field goal until Duncan Powell's dunk with 12:22 left in the second half.

The Yellow Jackets, who were without starters Javian McCollum (concussion) and Kowacie Reeves Jr. (foot), were outscored 46-27 in the second half en route to a 76-61 loss.

"I thought we did a good job of containing Oklahoma in the first half," Georgia Tech coach Damon Stoudamire said. "My team fought hard, and I'm proud of them for that. ... You have to figure it out on the run. Nobody's going to feel sorry for you; they don't care if you have injuries. We've just got to figure out some ways to get through this rough patch."

Lance Terry's average of 14.6 points per game leads the Yellow Jackets, while McCollum and Baye Ndongo are at 12.8 apiece. Stoudamire said McCollum could be out another week in concussion protocol.

--Field Level Media