The Long Beach St. 49ers continue their tough trek through the top 25 on Saturday, traveling to Chapel Hill to battle the No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels. The 49ers hung tough on Tuesday in Lawrence, Kansas but ultimately lost 88-80. T.J. Robinson scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds in defeat. They now face a UNC team that is 6-0 at home this season.
Teams: Long Beach State (4-4), No. 4 North Carolina (7-2)
Location: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Time: 4 p.m. PST
TV: ESPN3, with Tom Werme on play-by-play and Nate Ross on color commentary
Leading Scorers: Casper Ware, Long Beach State (17.0 points per game); Harrison Barnes, North Carolina (17.2 ppg)
Double-Double Men: Robinson, Long Beach State (14.4 ppg, 10.8 rebounds per game); John Henson, North Carolina (14.0 ppg, 10.7 rpg)
Series History: North Carolina leads this series 1-0, winning their only battle 96-91 in a close game last season.
Tough Schedule: This is the fourth of five road games against ranked opponents for the 49ers before Christmas. They won at then-No. 9 Pittsburgh 86-76 on November 16, lost 79-66 at No. 6 Louisville on November 28, and lost on Tuesday to No. 13 Kansas 88-80. After tonight's game, Long Beach State faces No. 8 Xavier on December 22 in the Diamondhead Classic Tournament.