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By Sonny Jones

Yes, the yard needs cleaned and office needs straightened up, but it’s Saturday and the weekend is when a Couch Potato reigns. It’s a two- or three-screen day.

• Who among us had N.C. State and North Carolina tied in the ACC standings and the Wolfpack having a better overall record in mid-January? Yet, here we are. Both are 5-3 in the ACC, two games behind league-leader Clemson, ahead of today’s match-up inside the Smith Center. Tip is scheduled for 5 p.m. on the ACC Network.

The Wolfpack is 15-4 overall, won four straight and have clawed its way back into NCAA tournament contention behind the play of Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner. It’s been the type season head coach Kevin Keatts desperately needs as the rumbling of discontent sometimes have gotten loud in Raleigh.

The Tar Heels have played inconsistently this season in winning 13 of 19 games. Much was expected from North Carolina this season after Hubert Davis guided the team to the national title game in his first season and returned the key players from last season. The Tar Heels have won eight of their last 10 and may be gearing up for another March run.

UNC has won the last four meetings in Chapel Hill and are 29-7 inside the Smith Center against the Wolfpack.

Prior to the Wolfpack and Tar Heels game, Duke (13-5, 4-3 ACC) hosts Miami (15-3, 6-2 ACC) at noon on ESPN and Wake Forest (14-5, 6-2 ACC), fresh off its win against league-leading Clemson (15-4, 7-1 ACC), will play at home against Virginia (14-3, 6-2 ACC) at 2 p.m. on ESPNU.

It doesn’t get much better in mid-January for college basketball fans.

• If college basketball isn’t your thing, then there’s NFL playoffs with Jacksonville at Kansas City at 4:30 p.m. on NBC and the New York Giants at Philadelphia at 8 p.m. on FOX. I don’t give the Jaguars much of a chance, but the Giants may give the top-seeded Eagles a stern test.

• The Carolina Hurricanes will be on Long Island tonight to play the New York Islanders. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. on Bally Sports South. It will be interesting to see how the Hurricanes handle the season-ending injury to Max Pacioretty. The winger tore his right Achilles tendon in the closing seconds of Thursday’s win against Minnesota. It’s the second time he’s had the injury in less than a year.

Pacioretty was brought in from Vegas to add offensive punch to a sometimes punchless Hurricanes offense, especially in the playoffs, but that’s gone down the drain. Hate to see it. Will the Hurricanes trade for a top-flight scorer?

Whatever happens, it’s been fun to watch from Section 304, Row C, Seats 15-16 and looking forward to the playoffs.

TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY

• 1979 — Terry Bradshaw throws four touchdown passes to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to their third Super Bowl win, a 35-31 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Bradshaw, the game’s MVP, completes 17 of 30 passes for 318 yards.

POTATO PICKS TO WATCH TODAY

• TENNIS: Australian Open (taped), 7 a.m., ESPN2

• WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES: Men’s ice hockey, 9:30 a.m., ESPNU

• SOCCER: Everton at West Ham United, 10 a.m., USA

• BASKETBALL: Miami at Duke, noon, ESPN

• LPGA: Tournament of Champions, noon, GOLF

• NHL: Anaheim at Buffalo, 12:30 p.m., NHLN

• SOCCER: Newcastle United at Crystal Palace, 12:30 p.m., NBC

• BASKETBALL: Virginia at Wake Forest, 2 p.m., ESPNU

• PGA: American Express, 3 p.m., GOLF

• WRESTLING: N.C. State at Virginia Tech, 4 p.m., ESPNU

• NFL PLAYOFFS: Jacksonville at Kansas City 4:30 p.m., NBC