North Carolina returns home for an important two-game stretch that begins Wednesday night with Wake Forest visiting the Smith Center.

The Demon Deacons come into this game struggling having lost five consecutive games and winning just once since Nov. 27, when they defeated Division II Catawba on New Year’s Eve by eight points.

In fairness to Wake, it actually went a month without playing because of COVID testing, so the Deacs are just now getting back into a healthy routine.

UNC enters having won three of its last four, with the loss perhaps its best game since November, as the Tar Heels battled Florida State to the last minute in Tallahassee this past Saturday.

Wake enters at 3-5 overall and 0-5 in the ACC, while the Tar Heels are 8-5 and 3-3.

Here are our picks: