UNC basketball’s Jalen Washington talks Hawaii trip, Maui Invitational
Ahead of UNC basketball’s trip to Hawaii, junior forward Jalen Washington previewed the Tar Heels’ trip to Hawaii, which includes the Maui Invitational.
Before UNC basketball heads to the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, the Tar Heels will hit Honolulu for a road game against Hawaii.
The 10th-ranked Tar Heels (2-1) will have their fans staying up late on the mainland Friday for a 12:30 a.m. Saturday (ESPN2) tipoff against the unbeaten Rainbow Warriors (4-0), who have won at least 20 games in back-to-back seasons.
This is the Tar Heels’ first trip to Hawaii under fourth-year coach Hubert Davis.
UNC is 5-0 in the all-time series against the Warriors, including an 83-68 win in 2016 under former head coach Roy Williams before the Tar Heels went on to win the Maui Invitational. Dean Smith coached four of the previous five games against Hawaii.
Here are some things to watch and a score prediction for the Tar Heels’ sixth meeting with Hawaii.
UNC basketball’s Jalen Washington vs Hawaii basketball’s Tanner Christensen
Hawaii’s Tanner Christensen will be a handful for the Tar Heels to handle in the post. A 6-foot-10, 265-pound center, Christensen is a graduate student with nearly 100 starts in his career. Through four games, Christensen is averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. He had a season-high 25 points in Hawaii’s last win against Weber State.
Why Jalen Washington is a throwback player
UNC junior Jalen Washington will likely draw the matchup with Christensen. Washington is coming off a career-high 18 points in 18 lively minutes against American, including a career-best six free throws. The Tar Heels’ 6-foot-10 big man needs to maintain that aggression against Christensen.
Will Cade Tyson build more confidence as UNC basketball’s 3-point shooter?
Cade Tyson got a confidence boost from his 11-point performance against American, a game in which he knocked down 3-of-7 shots from 3-point range. UNC needs Tyson to carry that confidence to Hawaii, where the Belmont transfer’s shooting could be the difference in helping the Heels pick up some big wins in close games.
Elliot Cadeau off to masterful start as point guard for Tar Heels
Sophomore point guard Elliot Cadeau looks comfortably in command as UNC’s primary facilitator, joining the company of two Tar Heel greats at the position. Cadeau is the first Tar Heel with at least 12 points and seven assists in the first three games since Ed Cota accomplished that feat in the 1999-2000 season. With 23 assists so far, Cadeau has the most by a UNC player since Kendall Marshall dished out 28 in the first three games of the 2011-12 season.
UNC vs Hawaii score prediction
UNC 92, Hawaii 66: It’ll take some time for the Tar Heels to get their bearings as they adjust to the time change. After that adjustment period, Ian Jackson will respond from a one-game absence with a big-time effort off the bench and the Heels will pull away late.
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
