PistonPowered
Fansided

4 college games Detroit Pistons fans should watch this week

By Blake Stackpoole

CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 25: Cole Anthony #2 of the University of North Carolina dribbles the ball during a game between NC State and North Carolina at Dean E. Smith Center on February 25, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - FEBRUARY 25: Cole Anthony #2 of the University of North Carolina dribbles the ball during a game between NC State and North Carolina at Dean E. Smith Center on February 25, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Andy Mead/ISI Photos/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images)
Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images) /

Wake Forest at North Carolina (Tuesday)

In a season to forget for the Tar Heels and Roy Williams, the lone shining star is Cole Anthony. Anthony is averaging 19.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.9 assists.

After bursting on to the college basketball scene by scoring 34 points and grabbing 11 rebounds against Notre Dame, Anthony found himself comfortably inside the lottery in all mock drafts. He reached as high as first overall in most mocks as UNC climbed the rankings.

UNC is having a horrendous season, not just for their standards, but for any program’s standards as they find themselves dead last in the ACC with a record of 5-13. With their other remaining game being against Duke, they absolutely need this win.

Wake Forest is also having a poor season but they’re coming off their Super Bowl of sorts by upsetting Duke in a point filled double overtime thriller, 113-101.

2020 NBA Draft profile: Theo Maledon. light. Related Story

They followed that up by winning their first back to back ACC games this year and first time since December 21. While there aren’t any prospects at all on Wake Forest, senior guard Brandon Childress is leading the Demon Deacons with 15.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists.

The added importance of not finishing last could see Wake Forest extend their win streak to three, getting hot just in time for the ACC tournament.

Similarly, to the Georgia game on Saturday, this game should be dominated by Cole Anthony due to the lack of NBA talent on either team, additionally, barring a miracle, this could be one of the last times we see Cole Anthony on a college court.

Anthony’s most underrated quality is his ability to rebound the ball, something Duke couldn’t do in overtime against Wake Forest.

According to every Piston fan’s most recent bookmark, Tankathon.com, Cole Anthony is mocked to the Bulls at pick 7, the pick after the Pistons, who are mocked Iowa State’s Tyrese Haliburton.

Both players are a point guard and with Haliburton being a more defensive guard and injured for the season, I could easily see the Pistons opt to take Cole Anthony over the foreign point guards, and they better take him over Nico Mannion.