Tuesday night at 8 p.m., the No. 15 North Carolina men’s basketball team, 19-8 overall with a 9-5 mark in the ACC, will square off with its rival from Raleigh, the N.C. State Wolfpack, who come into the contest with a 16-11 record and 7-7 mark in the league.

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UNC head coach Roy Williams will be hoping for more ‘investment’ from the Carolina fans.

“I felt like they were asleep most of the day any way. That’s not intended to be criticism, but it’s criticism. We need some dadgum help. We go on the road and people are screaming like banshees or something. Today, every time I yelled at a player, they turned around and looked at me. I yelled at a player Wednesday night, they never knew I was over there yelling. They thought I was doing exercises,” Coach Williams says.

Roy Williams animated on the sidelines (Todd Melet)

Roy Williams animated on the sidelines (Todd Melet)

Needless to say, Coach Williams was none too pleased with the atmosphere in the Smith Center Saturday afternoon for UNC’s commanding 89-60 victory over Georgia Tech.

Is it a coincidence Coach Williams’ plea for more crowd support comes just before the rematch with the Wolfpack?

Coach Williams’ 28-2 career record against N.C. State says it all. In short, the Carolina Hall of Famer has a personal disdain for the men in red.

And luckily for Coach Williams, junior guard Marcus Paige doesn’t seem to care for the Wolfpack much either. He’s produced some of his best games in this in-state rivalry matchup, including last season’s unforgettable duel with T.J. Warren and his impressive 23-point outing earlier this year.

Paige says with all the disappointment in recent weeks, coming out on the right end of scoreboard against the Yellow Jackets over the weekend was critical for Carolina’ confidence going forward.

Cat Barber dribbles around Marcus Paige (Wolfpack Athletics)

Cat Barber dribbles around Marcus Paige (Wolfpack Athletics)

“It’s been tough with the loss of Coach Smith and also us losing a couple tough games – going up to Pitt and not performing the way we wanted to and losing a heartbreaker at Duke. That was tough. This was a great way to bounce back. We really needed this one for our confidence and kind of get a positive thing going here,” Paige says.

After a questionable performance at Duke, freshman forward Justin Jackson got back on track against Georgia Tech, finishing with 11 points and six rebounds.

Jackson says he was happy to see his teammate, Paige, regain his shooting touch as well.

“To see him come out here and knock down a few shots, it’s definitely good for his confidence and for us. It lifts us up. Whenever he says stuff like that, that’s the pressure he puts on himself to be great. We got to take some of that as well. It was great to see him produce like he did,” Jackson says.

As for the Wolfpack, they’re loaded with scoring options. Junior guard Trevor Lacey is a handful and when you add in senior veteran Ralston Turner’s ability to knock down outside shots, N.C. State becomes a formidable force on the hardwood.

With things seemingly falling into place, head coach Mark Gottfried will be confident in his team’s chances at springing the upset in the Smith Center.

UNC sophomore Kennedy Meeks, though, believes in the Carolina Way and says there’s no cap on his squad’s potential coming down the stretch.

Meeks battles inside (Todd Melet)

Meeks battles inside (Todd Melet)

“Coach always says we got to keep fighting and play the Carolina Way. Last couple games, we’ve played tough, but teams hit some big-time shots with some big-time execution. I think if we play our heart out, the sky’s the limit for us. As a team, we just got to get better,” Meeks says.

Coach Williams, meanwhile, has a message for the fans who are heading to the Smith Center Tuesday night.

“If you want to act like I’m chastising the fans, just tell them to come in and invest. We need some help. Show up with your lungs rested…when do we play again? Tuesday night. We need some more support, my gosh,” Coach Williams says.

It remains to be seen what kind of atmosphere will be awaiting the Tar Heels, but Coach Williams no doubt knew exactly what he was doing in the build-up to a game that means a whole lot to a lot of people.