University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina Prepares For Buffalo
December 7, 1999 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 7, 1999
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Reggie Witherspoon may have the toughest opening act in Division I men's basketball this season as he leads Buffalo into its biggest game in school history, a home contest against seventh-ranked North Carolina on Tuesday.
On Friday, Witherspoon was still the coach of Erie Community College. But the Bulls accepted the resignation of coach Tom Cohane on Saturday amid possible reports of NCAA violations. The school self-reported the possible wrongdoings to the Mid-American Conference in October, and the conference is expected to release its findings before the end of the year.
Witherspoon ran his first practice with the team Saturday and seemed ready for the daunting task of trying to keep up with the Tar Heels.
"I said to the guys in practice today, 'You're playing at home in front of 9,000 people, against the (then-)No. 2 ranked team in the country,"' Witherspoon said. "As an athlete, you want that challenge."
Buffalo improved to 2-3 with a 75-71 win over Manhattan on Nov. 30. Damien Foster scored a career-high 28 points on 10-for-16 shooting for the Bulls, who also play host Indiana in the Indiana Classic on Friday.
Louis Campbell added 14 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for Buffalo. Foster is second on the team in scoring at 14.8 points per game and Campbell closely follows at 14.4 per contest.
North Carolina (5-1) showed the ability to bounce back from a loss against Michigan State Wednesday by winning the Food Lion Classic in Charlotte over the weekend. The Tar Heels defeated the College of Charleston and UNLV.
Jason Capel scored 23 points in the championship game as North Carolina pummeled UNLV, 102-78. Max Owens had 23 points and freshman Joseph Forte added 17 for the Tar Heels. Senior point guard Ed Cota dished out a career-high and school-record 17 assists.
"Seventeen assists and just two turnovers," Tar Heels coach Bill Guthridge said, shaking his head. "I thought he ran things perfectly."
The game completes a home-and-home series between the two schools. The Tar Heels pounded the Bulls at the Smith Center last season, 98-49. Brendan Haywood scored 20 points and Ademola Okulaja added 17 for North Carolina, which had a 51-9 run bridging the halves.
