Alabama basketball’s gauntlet run continues following the Crimson Tide’s runner-up performance in the Players Era Festival last week. Next up for No. 10 Alabama is a trip to No. 20 North Carolina as part of this year’s ACC/SEC Challenge.

The SEC has already clinched a victory in this year’s challenge, as its teams went 9-1 against ACC opposition on Tuesday. Alabama’s matchup against UNC will be one of six Wednesday games in the challenge, as the SEC looks to run up the score.

Alabama and UNC have squared off in each of the past two seasons. Two years ago, the Tide edged the Tar Heels, 103-101 in four overtimes during the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon. Last season, No. 4 seed Alabama upset No. 1 seed North Carolina, 89-87, in Los Angeles during the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. The Tar Heels are currently a 2.5-point favorite in this year’s matchup, which will be held inside Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the matchup.

Who: No. 10 Alabama (6-2) at No. 20 North Carolina (4-3)

When: 6:15 p.m. CT, Wednesday, Dec. 4

Where: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Watch: ESPN (Play-By-Play: Jon Sciambi, Analyst: Jay Williams)

Listen: Crimson Tide Sports Network | SIRIUS/XM 134/201 (play-by-play: Roger Hoover, analyst: Bryan Passink)

Mark Sears: 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, graduate

Stats: 16.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.6 apg, 35.1% FG, 28.8% 3-pt

Labaron Philon: 6-foot-4, 177 pounds, freshman

Stats: 10.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.0 apg, 50.8% FG, 33.3% 3-pt

Aden Holloway: 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, sophomore

Stats: 9.0 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 41.7% FG, 34.2% 3-pt

Grant Nelson: 6-foot-11, 230 pounds, graduate

Stats: 13.5 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 55.4% FG, 30.8% 3-pt

Clifford Omoruyi: 6-foot-11, 250 pounds, graduate

Stats: 7.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 0.6 apg, 75.0% FG

R.J. Davis: 6-foot, 180 pounds, graduate

Stats: 18.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.4 apg, 36.7% FG, 27.5% 3-pt

Seth Trimble: 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, junior

Stats: 16.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.9 apg, 51.4% FG, 52.2% 3-pt

Elliot Cadeau: 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, sophomore

Stats: 14.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 5.9 apg, 50.0% FG, 37.5% 3-pt

Jae’Lyn Withers: 6-foot-9, 220 pounds, graduate

Stats: 7.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 0.9 apg, 42.9% FG, 42.9% 3-pt

Jalen Washington: 6-foot-10, 235 pounds, junior

Stats: 7.4 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 0.4 apg, 61.8% FG

The 3-point shots haven’t been falling for Alabama's and North Carolina’s biggest stars.

While Mark Sears is leading the Tide with 16 points per game, the graduate guard is hitting just 28.3% of his shots from deep this year, down from a blazing 43.6% last year. North Carolina’s R.J. Davis is in a similar situation. Despite leading the Tar Heels with 18.4 points per game, the graduate is shooting 27.5% from beyond the arc, down from 39.8% last year.

The early-season slumps can largely be attributed to the extra attention both guards have received from opponents. In Alabama’s case, head coach Nate Oats said the Tide needs to do a better job of spacing to give Sears more time to step into his shot.

“He’s shooting a much higher percentage off the line this year than last year,” Oats said. “But he shot almost half his 3s from off the line last year, and he was at 51%. So, it’s not like he can’t shoot from deep, but he makes them at a much higher clip when he’s actually stepping into his shot. The only way you can be stepping into your shot is you space away from the ball to step into your shot. So we got to get him off the ball more and spaced wide and away so he can be stepping in.”

Oats hasn’t seen enough of Davis this season to diagnose his early struggles but said he imagines the UNC guard has faced similar problems with defenses forcing him on top of the ball.

During last year’s tournament win over UNC, Sears scored 18 points while shooting 2 of 7 from beyond the arc. Davis scored 16 points but missed all nine of his shots from 3-point range. As for what to expect Wednesday night, performances in practice have Alabama confident it won’t be long until Sears breaks out of his deep-ball slump.

“I think we’ll see a much better shooting Mark Sears,” Oats said. “I think he’s working on it. He was in early [Tuesday] morning with Coach [Preston] Murphy shooting, and he shot 81%.”

After limiting turnovers earlier this season, Alabama had a loose handle on the ball during its trip to Las Vegas. The Tide gave the ball away 15 or more times in each of its three games in the Players Era Tournament, including a season-high 20 turnovers in its win over Rutgers.

Alabama finally paid for its sloppiness over the weekend, as its 15 turnovers led to 17 Oregon points in an 83-81 defeat to the Ducks.

“These last three games were really bad,” Oats said. “The No. 1 thing in my opinion is we’ve had issues with our spacing. Like with just too many guys crowding the ball, there’s not enough space to make plays. So we drive into crowds, and that’s what you’d expect to happen. Some of it’s just being casual with the ball. We had too many of those. We just weren’t strong, ball security wasn’t great.”

Fortunately for Alabama, UNC is forcing just 10.86 turnovers per game. That being said, the Tar Heels rank No. 22 nationally averaging 17.29 fastbreak points per game and should be able to take advantage of any mistakes the Tide makes.

— Following wins over then-No. 25 Illinois and then-No. 6 Houston earlier this month, Alabama is looking for its third straight win over a ranked opponent for the second time under Oats. The first time occurred during the 2021-22 season when the Tide knocked off No. 3 Gonzaga, No. 14 Houston and No. 14 Tennessee.

— Labaron Philon is currently the only freshman in the SEC to record 80 points, 30 assists and 30 rebounds. The Mobile, Alabama native is one of eight freshmen in Division I to post 84 points and 32 assists this season.

— Clifford Omoruyi is the first Alabama player since JaMychal Green (2009) to have at least 10 blocks and at least 37 rebounds in their first five games of the season.

— Wednesday’s meeting will be a matchup of two of the nation’s top offenses. North Carolina ranks No. 7 averaging 89.7 points per game, while Alabama is No. 11 at 88.6 points per game.

— Alabama is the third-top 10 opponent North Carolina has faced this season. The Tar Heels lost to No. 1 Kansas (92-89) and then-No. 4 Auburn (85-72). Wednesday’s matchup will mark the first time since 1967-68 that UNC has played at least three top-10 teams in its first eight games.