CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Interstat) — A surging North Carolina team looks to rebound from its first loss in over a month when it hosts a struggling Wake Forest squad in Atlantic Coast Conference play Saturday at the Dean Smith Center.

The Tar Heels (13-2, 1-1 ACC) saw a seven-game win streak snapped in a 97-83 road loss to SMU last Saturday. Guard Seth Trimble led the way with 22 points and five assists in the defeat, continuing a strong stretch where he has averaged 19.8 points over his last four games. North Carolina, which boasts a perfect 8-0 record at home this season, will rely on its defense, which ranks among the ACC’s best in scoring defense and field goal percentage allowed.

Wake Forest (10-6, 1-2) arrives in Chapel Hill seeking consistency after dropping three of its last four games, including an 81-77 home loss to Miami on Wednesday. The Demon Deacons’ fortunes often follow the scoring of guard Juke Harris, who poured in a career-high 28 points against the Hurricanes. Harris has been a bright spot, averaging 18.7 points over his last six contests, but Wake Forest has struggled defensively, allowing an average of 80.5 points in its six losses.

The matchup pits two of the conference’s top individual scorers in Harris and Trimble. For Wake Forest to pull an upset on the road, it must improve its defensive intensity and find secondary scoring beyond Harris and Nate Calmese, who added 19 points against Miami. North Carolina will look to control the interior and exploit its home-court advantage, where it has won by an average margin of 22.6 points this season.

Saturday’s game tips off a critical stretch for both teams. North Carolina embarks on a West Coast road trip next week, while Wake Forest continues a gauntlet of ACC competition, facing Florida State, SMU and Duke in quick succession after this contest.