Tar Heels Host Jackets Saturday

• The Tar Heels play host to the Yellow Jackets at 2 p.m. on January 20th.
• Carolina has won its last three games against Boston College, Notre Dame and Clemson, and is 15-4 overall and 4-2 in the ACC heading into Saturday's game vs. Georgia Tech.
• The Yellow Jackets are 10-8 overall and 3-2 in the ACC. Tech had won three straight in the conference over Miami, Notre Dame and Pitt before losing at home to Virginia, 64-48, on Jan. 18th.
• The Tar Heels have won 14 straight home ACC games.
• This is the only week the Tar Heels play two ACC home games this season.
• 2017 first-team All-America and ACC Player of the Year Justin Jackson will be honored at halftime. Carolina will officially recognize raising Jackson's No. 44 to the rafters and will also present him with a Patterson Medal. Jackson was one of three recipients of the 2017 Patterson Medal, the top career achievement award presented to a UNC student-athlete, along with Hayley Carter (tennis) and Ryan Switzer (football). Switzer and Carter are scheduled to be honored at the Duke and Miami games, respectively.
• Carolina has a quick turnaround, returning to action on Monday, Jan. 22nd, at Virginia Tech. It's the first of two Big Monday games on ESPN (also Feb. 12th vs. Notre Dame).
• Carolina is 16th in the nation in KenPom's offensive efficiency and 12th defensively.
• Luke Maye (17.8) and Joel Berry II (17.4) lead Carolina in scoring. The last time two Tar Heels averaged 17 points or more in the same season was 1983-84, when Michael Jordan (19.6) and Sam Perkins (17.6) were UNC's top scoring duo.
• Berry is fourth in the ACC in free throw percentage (.899), fourth in three-pointers per game (2.7) and fifth in scoring. Maye is second in the league in rebounding (10.8), fourth in scoring and ninth in field goal percentage (.512).
• Luke Maye leads the ACC and is eighth in the country in defensive rebounds (8.2). Nationally he is 12th in double-doubles (10) and 14th in rebounding (10.5).
• Cameron Johnson tied his career high with six three-pointers vs. Clemson. Johnson became the first player to make six three-pointers both for and against the Tar Heels (he hit six for Pitt in the Smith Center on 1/31/16).
• The 87-79 win over Clemson was Roy Williams' 831st. He passed Mt. St. Mary's Jim Phelan for seventh place in wins by a Division I head coach. Jim Calhoun is sixth with 873.
• Joel Berry II and Luke Maye are among 25 mid-season candidates for the John R. Wooden Award presented by Wendy's.
• Maye is one of five players who are on the mid-season list who were not among the 50 players on the preseason watch list.
• Carolina is one of four schools that have two players on the mid-season Wooden Award list; Berry and Maye are among the five ACC players on the list.
• Berry is one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award (Tyler Hansbrough won the award in 2009).

THE RPI
• Carolina is No. 2 in the nation in the NCAA's RPI behind Duke. Villanova, Virginia and Xavier are ranked 3-5.
• Carolina's strength of schedule is the toughest in the country. UNC's non-conference schedule was the eighth-most difficult in the nation. (UNC went 11-2).
• Carolina's first 19 opponents have an average RPI of 80, which is the highest in the country.

THE GEORGIA TECH SERIES
• Carolina leads the series against Georgia Tech, 66-24, including 13-9 under head coach Roy Williams.
• The Tar Heels have won seven of the last eight games against the Yellow Jackets.
• Georgia Tech beat UNC, 75-63, on 12/31/16 in Atlanta in the most recent matchup.
• Carolina is 29-6 against the Yellow Jackets in Chapel Hill, including 24-4 in the Smith Center. UNC has won the last four at home.
• Joel Berry II had 19 points, four assists an five turnovers the last time the teams played in Chapel Hill in 2016. UNC won that game, 86-78.

LAST YEAR IN ATLANTA
• Josh Okogie scored a game-high 26 points to lead Georgia Tech to a 75-63 win over the Tar Heels in the ACC opener for both squads.
• Carolina committed a season-high 20 turnovers, shot a season-low 33.3 percent from the floor and scored just 63 points.
• Carolina shot 33.3 percent from the floor in both halves (12 for 36 in each half).
• Carolina's points per possession was a season-low .64 for the game.
• The Tar Heels were 5 for 26 from three-point range. It was the fewest made threes in at least 25 attempts since UNC went 5 for 27 against Wake Forest in 2011.
• Justin Jackson topped UNC in scoring with 16 points, but was 6 for 17 from the floor (0 for 5 3FGs) and had three turnovers.
• Joel Berry II made two early three-pointers, but was 3 for 13 from the floor (2 of 9 3FG) and had one assist and a career-high six turnovers.
• Luke Maye had five offensive rebounds and tied his (then) career high with six boards.
• Georgia Tech was 28 for 33 from the free throw line for the game, including 25 of 28 in the second half.

GAME 19: UNC 87, CLEMSON 79
• Carolina extended its NCAA-record home winning streak over Clemson to 59 games. That is 23 games longer than the next-longest active streak (Marquette over Milwaukee).
• The Tar Heels shot 65 percent from the floor in the second half, their second-highest percentage in a half this season (.679 in first half vs. Tulane on 12/3/17) and highest in a half in ACC play this year.
• All five Tar Heel starters scored in double figures for the first time this season. UNC is now 15-2 when at least three players score in double figures.
• Carolina shot 51 percent from the floor for the game. It was the eighth time this year and second straight ACC home game the Tar Heels have shot 50 percent from the floor.
• Clemson scored 56 points on 43 second-half possessions. Its points per possession of 1.30 was the highest in a half vs. UNC this year. The Tigers had a PPP of 1.11 for the game, highest by an opponent in a UNC win this year.
• The Tar Heels scored 49 points on 39 second-half possessions (1.26) and finished the game at 1.14 PPP, their second-highest of the season (1.15 vs. Tulane).
• Clemson's 56 points in the second half were the most in a half against UNC this year. But the Tigers' 23 points in the first 20 minutes were the lowest in any half by an opponent.
• Carolina had 23 assists on 26 field goals (UNC assisted on 88 percent of its field goals). The 23 assists are the most since UNC had 31 against Western Carolina on 12/6/17.
• UNC had assists on 16 of its first 17 field goals.
• Carolina made five of its first 15 three-pointers, then made 10 of their next 16 attempts, including nine of 14 (64.3 percent) in the second half. Four different Tar Heels made two or more three-pointers.
• The 15 made three-pointers equal the fifth most in any game in UNC history and are the second most this season (16 vs. WCU).
• Carolina attempted 31 three-pointers, second most in the Roy Williams era and tied for the ninth-most in school history.
• UNC shot 48.4 percent from three-point range, second highest in school history for at least 31 attempts.
• The Tar Heels took 31 of their 51 field goal attempts from three-point range, the first time this year UNC attempted more threes than twos.
• It was the first time in the Roy Williams era the Tar Heels attempted more three-point shots than two pointers (and did so by 11).
• It was the first time Carolina attempted more threes than twos since 3/18/03 vs. DePaul in the NIT. UNC took 28 threes and 27 twos.
• Carolina came into the game No.1 in the nation in rebounds, but grabbed a season-low 29 (previous low was 36 vs. Michigan State). UNC had a season-low five offensive rebounds (previous was nine four times).
• Carolina tied its season low with 14 points in the paint (also at Virginia when UNC scored a total of 49 points).
• Clemson did not score a second-chance point. That's the second time in six ACC games this season an opponent did not score a second-chance point (also Wake Forest).
• Clemson shot 61.3 percent from the floor in the second half. That is the highest in a half this year by any opponent. The Tigers missed their first attempt of the second half, then made 15 in a row, before finishing three for their final 15.
• The Tigers out-scored the Tar Heels, 26-14, in the paint. That was the fourth time this year UNC was out-scored in the paint and was the second-largest margin (Ohio State out-scored UNC by 14 in the paint).
• Cameron Johnson tied his career high with six three-pointers and led UNC in scoring for the first time with a game-high 21 points. Johnson made six three against Syracuse at Pitt last year and made six threes against UNC at the Smith Center on 1/31/17.
• This was Johnson's sixth career 20-point game. It was his highest scoring output since he had 22 against Syracuse last year.
• Theo Pinson scored 12 points and led UNC with a game-high seven rebounds, a game-high six assists and a game-high three blocks.
• Pinson tied his career high with three blocks (also vs. Kansas State and Arkansas).
• Carolina is 10-0 when Pinson has five or more assists and 12-1 when he has more assists than turnovers.
• Pinson was 8 for 8 from the free throw line, including 6 for 6 in the final 1:17. He is 38 of 41 (92.7 percent) from the line in the last nine games.
• This was the sixth time this year Pinson has scored in double figures and the first time as a senior he has done that in consecutive games.
• Luke Maye tied his career high with five assists.
• Joel Berry did not make a field goal in the first half (0-5 FG, 0-2 3FG), but went four for seven from three-point range in the second half and ended with 17 points.
• Kenny Williams scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half. It was the 15th time this year Williams scored in double figures.
• Brandon Robinson tied his career high with two three-pointers, both in the first half. He had scored two field goals in the previous nine games. He also had two assists (he had two assists in the previous seven games).

TRENDING...
• Carolina has scored 789 points on 822 first-half possessions and 785 on 822 second-half possessions. Overall, UNC is scoring .96 points per possession, while the opponents are scoring .88.
• Carolina scored more than 1.0 points per possession in both halves against Clemson (1.03 in the first and 1.26 in the second), the sixth time this year it was 1.0 or better in both halves (two straight home games vs. Boston College and Clemson).
• Carolina's bench averaged 23.1 points in non-conference play. In the six ACC games, UNC's bench is scoring 13.0 per game.
• The Tar Heels lead the country in rebound margin (11.7) and are second in rebounds per game (43.4).

REBOUND MARGIN
11.7 – North Carolina
11.3 – Duke
11.3 – Michigan State
10.6 – Wichita State
10.3 – Gonzaga

REBOUNDS PER GAME
44.1 – Duke
43.4 – North Carolina
42.4 – Michigan State
41.8 – Texas A&M
41.7 – Bethune-Cookman

• Carolina has had a plus-10 or more rebound margin four previous times in its history – three of those four seasons have come in the Roy Williams era (2007-08, 2011-12 and 2016-17 under Williams and the undefeated season in 1956-57).
• Roy Williams' teams have finished in the top 10 nationally in rebound margin in 14 of his previous 29 seasons as a head coach, including ninth, ninth and first in the last three seasons.
• On the offensive end, Carolina is sixth in the country in rebounding their own missed shots. UNC gets 37.4 percent of their own missed shots. Carolina is 13th in the country in protecting its defensive backboards. The Tar Heels are rebounding 76.7 percent of the opponents' missed field goals and free throws.
• Luke Maye has led UNC in both scoring and rebounding in three of the first six ACC games (Wake Forest, BC and Notre Dame). Maye has led in both categories seven times this season.
• Maye leads UNC in blocked shots with 21. At 6-8, Maye would the shortest Tar Heel to lead the team in blocks since Danny Green (6-5) in 2006.
• Theo Pinson averaged 11.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 0.7 turnovers in UNC's last three games, all wins.
• Carolina is 12-1 when Pinson has more assists than turnovers and 10-0 when he has five or more assists.
• Pinson is averaging 5.9 rebounds in UNC's wins and 3.3 in the losses. He has an assist-error ratio of 1.8 in the wins and has nine assists and 12 turnovers in the losses.
• Joel Berry II has scored the winning points in two of UNC's ACC wins this season. He hit the game-winning shot with 11 seconds to play against Wake Forest and made two free throws for a 69-68 win at Notre Dame.
• Berry has made at least three three-pointers in nine of the last 10 games and two or more in the last 10. That is the longest streak of games with multiple threes in his career.
• Maye has made 10 or more field goals five times this season – 13 vs. Boston College, 11 vs. UNI, Arkansas and Michigan and 10 at Davidson. Last year, the Tar Heels combined to make 10 or more field goals four times in 40 games – Justin Jackson twice and Joel Berry II and Kennedy Meeks one time each. Berry has also made 10 field goals twice this year.

10 OR MORE FIELD GOALS IN A GAME, 2017-18
Luke Maye – 13 vs. Boston College
Luke Maye – 11 vs. UNI
Luke Maye – 11 vs. Arkansas
Luke Maye – 11 vs. Michigan
Luke Maye – 10 at Davidson
Joel Berry II – 10 at Stanford
Joel Berry II – 10 at Florida State

10 OR MORE FIELD GOALS IN A GAME, 2016-17
Joel Berry II – 12 at Clemson
Kennedy Meeks – 11 vs. Oregon
Justin Jackson – 10 vs. Kentucky
Justin Jackson – 10 vs. Virginia Tech

• Carolina is hitting 8.3 three-pointers per game, which ties the school record set in 2002-03. Last year, UNC made 7.1 per game. The previous high under Roy Williams was 7.6 in 2012-13 when UNC started four perimeter players over the final 13 games.

MOST THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE PER GAME
8.3 in 2017-18
8.3 in 2002-03
7.8 in 1994-95
7.6 in 2012-13
7.6 in 2001-02

• Carolina has scored 85 or more points 12 times (all wins), 90 or more points six times, 100 points twice and has averaged just 62.2 points in its four losses.
• The Tar Heels have shot 50 percent from the floor eight times. UNC is shooting 46.2 percent for the season. That includes 49.4 percent in its 15 wins and 33.2 percent in the four losses.
• After making 15 three-pointers against Clemson Carolina has now scored 29.9 percent of its points on three-point field goals. That's the highest percentage in Roy Williams' 15 seasons as UNC's head coach.

SCORING FROM THREE-POINT FGs (last 15 seasons)
29.9 percent – 2017-18
29.3 percent – 2012-13
26.2 percent – 2005-06
25.5 percent – 2004-05
25.3 percent – 2016-17

• Carolina is attempting one-third of its field goals from three-point range. That is the highest percentage in the Roy Williams era. The previous high was 31.7 percent in 2005-06.
• This is the fifth time in the last 15 seasons UNC attempted at least 30 percent of its field goals from three-point distance. UNC attempted 39.9 percent from beyond the arc under head coach Matt Doherty in 2002-03.
• The opponents have out-scored UNC in points off turnovers in eight of the last 12 games, including an 118-76 edge in the last eight games.
• Carolina scored more fast break points in 10 of the 13 non-conference games (and had the same number of points in the other three games), but has been out-scored on the break in five of the six ACC games.
• UNC out-scored Boston College, 19-2, in fastbreak points. The other five ACC opponents have out-scored UNC, 48-24.
• Carolina is 14-0 this year and 341-38 under Roy Williams when leading at the half.
• The Tar Heels are 8-0 this year and 197-5 under Roy Williams when shooting 50 percent from the floor.
• Carolina averaged 13.6 turnovers in its 13 non-conference games. In ACC play, the Tar Heels are committing 11.2 per game (take out the Virginia game when UNC turned it over a season-high 19 times and the Tar Heels averaged 9.6 miscues in the other five ACC games).

IN THE POLLS
• Carolina is 15th in the Associated Press poll and is tied for 14th in the USA Today/Coaches poll, which were released on 1/15.
• Carolina is ranked in the AP poll for the 72nd consecutive week (last four weeks in 2013-14, all 19 weeks in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 and the first 11 weeks this season).
• Carolina is ranked in the AP poll for the 888th time, most in college basketball history.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joel Berry II

Justin Jackson

Cameron Johnson

Luke Maye

Kennedy Meeks

Theo Pinson

Brandon Robinson

Kenny Williams