Game of the Week:

#11 Miami at #5 North Carolina

CBS at 1:00 pm

After a humiliating rivalry loss to Duke, North Carolina will have to recover quickly if they want to retake the top spot in the ACC.

UNC has been one of the most consistent teams all year and they have playmakers in every position. All five Carolina starters have averaged at least ten points per game causing havoc for opposing defenses.

UNC Forward Brice Johnson has had an incredible year scoring and rebounding. So good that he has pushed his name into the Wooden conversation right next to Buddy Hield. Against Duke, Johnson came up with 29 points and 19 rebounds but he could not pull off the win.

Much of the blame falls on Carolina’s prolific Guards Marcus Paige and Joe Berry who both shot less than 20 percent from the field.  If Carolina plans on beating Miami, Paige and Berry will need to show up.

As of now, Miami is tied for first in the ACC with UNC and they can take control of it with a win on Saturday.

Miami is not as deep of a team as UNC is, but they certainly have playmakers. Senior Guard Sheldon McClellan has led his team with 16.1 points per game while shooting 40 percent from three-point range and 87 percent on his free throws.

The Hurricanes are on a five game win streak but have a difficult stretch of games coming up with 4 straight matchups with top 20 teams. If Miami can win out the rest of this season they will be taking a tremendous amount of momentum into March Madness.

Prediction: North Carolina by 8

The Tar Heels put on a disappointing showing against Duke and still almost came away with the win. If their guards can get back on track, look for UNC to take control of Miami and the ACC.

Team to watch: Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State is an interesting pick that can go either way because of the disparity between their offense and defense.

Offensively, the Cyclones are one of the best teams in the country.  The combination of Monte Morris and Georges Niang gives opposing defenses headaches. With 19.4 points per game, Niang is one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in college basketball.

He is complemented by one of the most athletic guards in the nation, in Monte Morris. Morris runs the show and his dangerous diving ability allows Niang to get open down low for the Cyclones.

When Iowa State gets hot, there is not stopping them, however this team has not figured out how to play defense all year. The Cyclones have allowed 74.8 points per game, which is among the worst in the country.

Picking the Cyclones to go on a run in March is risky but it can pay off in a big way because of the offensive firepower that they possess.