North Carolina wraps up its season-opening homestand with a matchup that might as well be sponsored by a ladder company. When the Tar Heels host the Navy Midshipmen, the Dean E. Smith Center will showcase one of the most dramatic height mismatches in all of college basketball. If you’ve ever watched a toddler try to guard a refrigerator, you’re emotionally prepared for this game.
Let’s start with the numbers, because these are the kind of stats that make analytics nerds whisper, “This feels illegal.”
Navy ranks No. 358 out of 365 Division I teams in average height, coming in at just under 6-foot-4. That’s shorter than a standard NBA shooting guard and roughly the same height as the average Chick-fil-A line. Meanwhile, North Carolina strolls in as one of the country’s skyscrapers: the Tar Heels average 79.2 inches, or just over 6-foot-7, making them the fifth-tallest roster in the nation. Yes, fifth. Only four teams in all of college basketball can look UNC in the eye without craning their necks.
This will be the shortest team UNC faces all season, which means the Tar Heels’ frontcourt wakes up Wednesday morning expecting the kind of buffet they dream about: rebounds stacked like pancakes, post touches served warm, and put-backs ready for seconds.
But, of course, basketball is not played on paper—if it were, UNC’s game plan would be one word long: “Dunk.” Navy, small as they are, brings structure, discipline, and a “try stopping us” energy that bigger teams often underestimate. The Midshipmen are used to being undersized; it’s practically in the preseason brochure. Their offense is built around spacing, quickness, precision, and the kind of ball movement that can give tall teams motion sickness.
Statistically, Navy tends to lean on:
High three-point frequency
Low turnover margins
Lots of off-ball action
A pace slow enough to make UNC fans check their watches
They don’t jump over you—they run around you. Their guards are slippery, their screening is relentless, and they will absolutely shoot the three within the first seven seconds of a possession if you sleep on even one rotation.
On defense, expect Navy to pack the paint like they’re trying to ship it overseas. With their lack of size, collapsing on UNC’s bigs is their only hope. They’ll force the Tar Heels to hit open threes, make smart passes, and resist the urge to treat every possession like a dunk contest audition.
For UNC, the numbers paint a different story. The Tar Heels are beginning the season as one of the nation’s best interior-scoring teams, one of the top offensive-rebounding teams, and, unsurprisingly, one of the best shot-blocking squads thanks to their size and length. Games like this let Carolina reinforce those habits—if they take it seriously.
The metrics say UNC should dominate in:
Rebounding margin (likely double digits)
Points in the paint
Second-chance opportunities
Blocked shots
But that “should” depends entirely on whether Carolina brings focus. Undersized teams have upset taller teams for decades by outshooting, outrunning, and out-disciplining them. Navy’s best chance is to turn the game into a math problem: three-pointers beating two-pointers. If the Midshipmen hit 10–13 threes, suddenly we’re in “Huh… this got interesting” territory.
UNC’s defensive communication will be tested. Navy’s constant motion—cuts, screens, re-screens, backdoors—can create more confusion than a freshman trying to buy textbooks. The Tar Heels must talk, switch cleanly, and avoid the occasional early-season nap on defense.
Offensively, this is a golden opportunity for UNC to sharpen its inside-out game. The post touches will be there. The shot quality should be elite. But settling for early jumpers is exactly what Navy wants. Working the ball inside, drawing fouls, and kicking out for clean threes will force the Midshipmen to defend longer than they’d prefer.
Rotationally, this game also gives UNC a chance to stretch its bench. Bigger lineups may overwhelm Navy, but playing small-ball lineups for stretches could help UNC prepare for future opponents who rely on speed rather than size. Expect to see a variety of combinations as Carolina experiments before tougher games arrive.
In the end, this matchup presents everything a coach loves and everything a coach fears: a major statistical advantage paired with the classic risk of underestimation. Navy comes with discipline, shooting, and effort. UNC comes with talent, size, and enough rim protection to fill a highlight reel.
If the Tar Heels play with purpose, energy, and even basic attention to detail, their physical advantages should steer them to a comfortable win. But if they treat this like a warm-up lap instead of a competition, Navy has just enough shooting and strategic grit to make things interesting.
The numbers say UNC should dominate. The humor says the height difference alone is a spectacle. The game itself? That depends on which Tar Heel team steps onto Roy Williams Court.
