University of North Carolina Athletics
Men's Basketball Heads West For Saturday's UCLA Game
December 21, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2000
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UCLA Bruins
Date & Time: Saturday, December 23, 2000, 4:15 p.m. ET
Site: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, Calif.
Records: Carolina 6-2, UCLA 4-3
Rankings: Carolina 15th AP, 16th ESPN/USA Today
Series Record vs. UCLA: Carolina leads, 5-3
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Radio Network, a division of Learfield Communications. Woody Durham (play-by-play) and Mick Mixon (color) provide the
call. A live broadcast also is available on the University of North Carolina's official athletic website, TarHeelBlue.com
Television: CBS (Verne Lundquist, Billy Packer)
Websites: North Carolina (TarHeelBlue.com), UCLA (uclabruins.com)
Final Four's Top 2 Teams Meet in Los Angeles
Carolina returns to action at UCLA on Saturday, December 23. This is the first of four straight games the Tar Heels play away from the Smith Center. UNC
comes into the UCLA game having won three straight contests - victories over Miami (67-45), Texas A&M (82-60) and Buffalo (95-74).
After the game on Saturday, Carolina's players and coaches will head to their respective homes for the holidays. The team will reconvene in Chapel Hill for an evening practice on December 26. The Tar Heels then return to action on December 29 against the University of Massachusetts in the opening round of the Hardee's Tournament of Champions.
Carolina and UCLA have played in 15 Final Fours each, more than any other school in college basketball history. (Officially, Carolina leads with 15 Final Four appearances, as one of UCLA's was vacated, thus the discrepancy in some records).
Carolina and the Bruins The Tar Heels have won five of the first eight meetings between the two schools, although the Bruins beat UNC, 71-68, in Chapel Hill on January 15, 2000. Carolina is 1-2 against UCLA in games played in Los Angeles, including the 1968 NCAA championship game.
The Bruins beat the Tar Heels, 89-84, in Los Angeles on December 1, 1986. The Tar Heels returned the favor a year later with an 80-73 win at Pauley Pavilion on January 2, 1988.
This is the Tar Heels' first game in the state of California since Decemebr 29, 1998. California defeated UNC, 78-71, in Oakland in the Pete Newell Classic. This is Carolina's first game against a Pacific 10 Conference foe since beating third-ranked and No. 1 seed Stabford on March 19, 2000, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Last Year's Game
Jason Capel scored 21 points, Joseph Forte added 13 points and five assists and Ed Cota handed out eight assists for the Tar Heels, bit it was not enough as the
UCLA Bruins held on for a 71-68 win in Chapel Hill. The win was just the fourth non-conference loss for UNC in the Smith Center. The loss was the second
in what would be a four-game losing streak for the Tar Heels.
Jerome Moiso had 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks and was one of four Bruins in double figures. Jason Kopono connected on three of four three-point field goal attempts and finished with 13 points.
The Bruins built a 25-14 lead 10 minutes into the contest, but a 10-0 run by the Tar Heels narrowed the margin to one and the game went to intermission with the Bruins holding a 38-37 advantage.
UCLA took control of the game early in the second half, building a 62-51 lead with 7:41 to play. The Tar Heels went on another 9-0 spurt to lose within 62-60 with 4:02 left. Moiso scored on a pair of inside baskets to maintain a 66-61 lead and it was 69-63 UCLA with 38 seconds to play. Cota hit a three-pointer and Capel knocked in two free throws to pull UNC to within one at 69-68 with 21.7 seconds remaining. Bruin guard Ryan Bailey was fouled with 14.9 seconds to play and made a pair of free throws to complete the scoring. The two free throws were Bailey's only points.
Carolina shot 49.1 percent from the floor, but made just 39.3 percent (11 of 28) in the second half.
Another Triple Double
It took awhile, but suddenly the Tar Heels have gotten the hang of the "Triple-Double." When Brendan Haywood registered 18 points, 14 rebounds and 10
blocks against Miami, it was the first official triple-double in Carolina history. A mere two games later, Jason Capel tallied 16 points, 11 boards and 10 assists
in the 95-74 win over Buffalo for the school's second triple-double.
Capel had five assists on Carolina's first nine field goals. He scored a season-high 16, grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds and had a career-best 10 assists. It was the second game in a row in which Capel tied or set his career-high for assists. He had seven at Texas A&M on December 9.
An ACC First
Brendan Haywood and Jason Capel are the only two players in ACC history to record triple-doubles for the same team in the same season. Capel's
triple-double is only the 18th in ACC history.
Clemson's Sharone Wright, Maryland's Derrick Lewis and Virginia's Ralph Sampson each had two triple-doubles in the same year. Prior to Capel, the last ACC player to record a triple-double in points, rebounds and assists was Florida State's Bob Sura, who turned the trick against NC State in 1995.
Hot Shooting Big Men
The head coach may be relatively new, but the long-standing Carolina philosophy of getting easy shots inside is just as true today as when Dean Smith and Bill
Guthridge directed the Tar Heels. Matt Doherty's Tar Heels are shooting 48.8 percent from the floor in the first eight games, including 53.1 percent in the last
three games (all wins).
Carolina has shot 45 percent or better in five of the first eight games. In the last three contests, the Tar Heels have shot 48.0 percent against Miami, 51.7 percent against Texas A&M and a season-high 58.0 percent against Buffalo.
Brendan Haywood is shooting 64.8 percent from the floor and Kris Lang is connecting at 62.5 percent.
Defense Limiting Good Looks
Over the last three contests, the opponents have made just 33.9 percent of its shots from the floor. Miami shot just 23.4 percent (a Smith Center low), Texas
A&M hit 37.3 percent and Buffalo made 44.8 percent.
Only two teams - Michigan State and Kentucky - have shot better than 45 percent against the Tar Heels and both of those teams defeated Carolina. Kentucky
shot a season-high 50.7 percent and the Spartans made 46.6 percent from the floor.
Capel's Triple-Double Highlights Win over Bulls
Jason Capel scored 16 points, grabbed 11 rebounds (six offensive) and handed out a career-high 10 assists in the 95-74 win over Buffalo. Joseph Forte made 9
of 15 shots from the floor and had 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals. Kris Lang equalled his career scoring high with 22 points on 11 of
17 shooting. The 17 shot attempts are a career-high for Lang (previous was 16 this year at Michigan State).
The Tar Heels shot a season-high 58.0 percent from the floor on 40 of 69 shooting. Led by Capel, Forte and Ronald Curry (four), the Tar Heels had assists on 29 of their 40 baskets.
Curry started at point guard for the first time this season. In 24 minutes, he had nine points, four assists, three rebounds, two steals and only two turnovers.
Capel Earns Second ACC Weekly Honor
Jason Capel was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week following his "Triple-Double" outing against Buffalo. It was the second consecutive
week in which a Tar Heel was named ACC Player of the Week. Brendan Haywood received the award last week.
This is the second time in his career that Capel has been named ACC Player of the Week. Last year he received the honor after he had 20 points, 14 rebounds,
five assists and two steals against the Miami Hurricanes.
Career Charts
Brendan Haywood is first alltime at Carolina in field goal percentage at .657, is second in blocked shots with 216 and is tied for 41st place in scoring with
current L.A. Clipper guard Jeff McInnis with 1,128 points. Pete Chilcutt is 40th in scoring with 1,150 points.
Jason Capel is eighth in UNC history in free throw percentage at .831.
Kris Lang is 18th in Carolina history in field goal percentage at .558.
Scoring Up for Carolina
Through eight games, the Tar Heels are averaging 80.0 points per contest. That is the highest scoring mark for UNC in the last three years and the highest since
the 1997-98 Final Four squad led by NBA standouts Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter and Shammond Williams averaged 81.9. The 80.0 average is Carolina's
second-highest mark in the last six years.
Last year, the Tar Heels averaged 75.4 points per contest. Two years ago, UNC netted 71.4 points per game.
So Are the Steals
Carolina has stolen the ball 10 or more times in four of the first eight games this season and is averaging 8.8 steals per game on defense. Last year, the Tar
Heels had 10 or more steals four times in 36 games and averaged 5.5 thefts pr contest.
Joseph Forte and Jason Capel lead the Tar Heels with 16 and 14 steals, respectively. Forte has had three steals in three different games. Capel had a career-high four against Appalachian State and Texas A&M.
Tar Heels in Los Angeles
Three former Tar Heel standouts make their homes in Los Angeles with the Lakers and Clippers. Mitch Kupchak, the 1976 ACC Player of the Year, is the
General Manager of the world champion Lakers. Rick Fox, MVP of the 1991 ACC Tournament, is in his fourth year with the Lakers. Jeff McInnis, 10th
alltime in assists at Carolina, is the starting point guard for the Clippers.
Capel Does Everything in Win over Aggies
Jason Capel suffered a hard fall while scolring a layup against Miami and missed more than a half in the win over the Hurricanes. Unable to practice before the
Texas A&M game, Capel nevertheless played a brilliant all-around contest against the Aggies. Capel scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and added
seven assists, four steals and three blocked shots. He matched his previous career high in assists and steals and set a career mark with the three blocks. Twice,
Capel fell hard to the floor and got up slowly, but neither time was he unable to return to action.
Haywood Earns Second ACC Honor
Brendan Haywood was named ACC Player of the Week for his performances against Miami and Texas A&M. He was 14 for 18 from the floor, grabbed 20
rebounds and blocked 11 shots in the two wins. He averaged 17.5 points and shot 77.8 percent from the floor.
This was the second time in his career that Haywood was named ACC Player of the Week. Last year, he received the award after wins over Maryland and
Georgia Tech.
Joseph Forte earned ESPN's National Player of the Week honors earlier this season.
Brendan's Triple-Double a First
Brendan Haywood did something against Miami that no other Tar Heel player had ever accomplished in the storied history of the program. He recorded a
triple-double with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocked shots.
It was the 17th triple-double in Atlantic Coast Conference history and Haywood became the 13th player to accomplish the feat. The last triple double in ACC history was by Wake Forest Tim Duncan against Maryland in 1996.
A complete listing of ACC triple-doubles appears on page 4 of this release.
School Record for Blocks
Brendan Haywood set a school record with 10 blocked shots against Miami. The previous record was nine by Warren Martin against Stanford on December
20, 1985. Haywood's 10 blocked shots were two shy of the ACC record.
Haywood leads the ACC and is fifth in the nation in blocked shots at 4.0 per game.
New Student Section Debuted
The baseline student cheering section made its debut in the Kentucky game. The five-tiered riser has room for approximately 400 students, more than double
the number of students who sat along the same baseline in the previous seating arrangement. The riser cost $150,000 to design and manufacture. The cost was
provided by the Educational Foundation. Several members of the Foundation also moved seats to enable the students to assume the complete baseline position.
Doherty Returns to Lead Alma Mater
Matt Doherty is the second former UNC player in history to serve as head coach of his alma mater. He is the only active Atlantic Coast Conference head coach
who won a national championship as a player. Doherty, a 1984 UNC graduate, is in his first season as Carolina's head coach. He took over the program on
July 11, 2000, following Bill Guthridge's resignation. Guthridge led the Tar Heels to an 80-28 record in his three seasons as head coach.
He has a 28-17 record as a head coach at Notre Dame and Carolina.
Doherty was head coach at the University of Notre Dame last year and led the Irish to a 22-15 record and a berth in the NIT championship game. He was the starting small forward in 1982 when the Tar Heels won the NCAA championship by beating Georgetown, 63-62. In 1984, he tri-captained UNC to a 14-0 record in the ACC and a No. 1 berth in the final regular season Associated Press poll.
The East Meadow, N.Y., native began his coaching career with a three-year stint at Davidson College and then spent seven years alongside Roy Williams at the University of Kansas. He served as an assistant coach at KU in 1993 when the Jayhawks advanced to the Final Four.
Doherty played in four NCAA Tournaments and has coached in seven, all at Kansas.
As a player, he was part of Carolina teams that posted an overall record of 117-21. He averaged 9.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game and totaled 1,165 points, 446 rebounds and 446 assists in 129 games played.
What a Difference a Year and a Healthy Lang Make
Junior Kris Lang equalled his career scoring high when he netted 22 points in Sunday's 95-74 win over Buffalo. Just four games previously, Lang had scored
a career-high 22 points on 11 of 16 shooting in the 77-64 loss at Michigan State. Lang previously had scored 21 points as a freshman against both Georgia and
Florida State.
The 6-11 junior followed had 15 points on 7 of 12 shooting against Kentucky and 17 points on 7 of 11 shooting against Miami. He added 10 rebounds against the Hurricanes, one off his career high, for his fourth career double-double.
Lang is second on the team in scoring at 16.2 points per game and in field goal percentage at .629. He has converted 61 of 97 attempts from the floor in the first eight contests.
Lang has made more than half his field goal attempts in all eight games this year. That is the longest such streak in his career. He made better than half his shots in a five-game span his freshman season.
Lang is fifth in the ACC in scoring at 16.2 points per game. He is the leading scorer in the ACC among players who have not made a three-point field goal this season. Lang has made 61 field goals, more than any other player in the ACC.
Haywood, Lang Form One of the Nation's Best Tandems
Center Brendan Haywood and power forward Kris Lang are one of the most potent one-two frontline forces in college basketball. Together they combine for
an average of 31.4 points, 12.6 rebounds and 5.1 blocks per game. They have made a combined 107 of 168 field goal attempts, a percentage of .637.
Haywood and Lang have scored 107 of Carolina's 234 field goals this season, or 45.7 percent of Carolina's baskets.
Haywood and Lang are No. 1 and No. 3 in the field goal percentage shooting, respectively, in the ACC. Haywood has the eighth-highest percentage in the country (through 12/18) and Lang is 16th.
Forte Preseason All-America
Sophomore guard Joseph Forte was one of five players named to the Associated Press Preseason All-America Team. Last year, Forte led the Tar Heels in
scoring with 16.7 points per game, was the ACC Rookie of the Year and the MVP of the NCAA South Regional. He had 28 points against Tulsa in the regional
final.
Forte is joined on the AP Preseason All-America squad by Iowa State's Jamaal Tinsley, Notre Dame's Troy Murphy, Duke's Shane Battier and Arizona's Loren Woods.
Forte Adding to All-Around Game
It says something about Joseph Forte's growth as a player when head coach Matt Doherty said his best game may have been his eight-point performance in the
win over Miami. Forte had a career-high seven assists that night to go along with his eight points, six rebounds and three steals.
Forte leads the ACC in scoring at 19.0 points per contest. He has scored 23 points in each of the last two contests against Texas A&M and Buffalo and had a Smith-Center record 38 points against Tulsa on November 11.
Forte made 6 of 17 three-point tries in the three contests prior to Texas A&M, but has made 19 of 33 shots from the floor in the last two games, a percentage of .576.
Forte's field goal percentage is actually higher this season than it was a year ago (.463 in 2000-01, .459 in 1999-2000).
In addition to leading the ACC in scoring, Forte is fourth in the league in free throw percentage (.839), tied for fourth in steals (2.0), ninth in defensive rebounding (4.5), 11th in assists (4.1) and three-point percentage (.400) and 14th in rebounding (5.9).
Forte has scored 20 or more points in four of the first eight games this season. He had nine 20-point outings as a freshman.
He did not connect on a three-point basket in either win over Texas A&M or Buffalo. That was just the second time in his career in which he went back-to-back games without making a three-point basket.
Forte is averaging 6.5 rebounds per game over the last four contests and 5.9 for the season.
Also, Forte has 19 assists and committed nine turnovers in the last four games and has a season assist-turnover ratio of 33-23.
Forte Named National Player of the Week by ESPN.com
Joseph Forte earned Most Valuable Player honors at the NABC Classic and was named the first recipient of ESPN.com's National Player of the Week award.
Forte scored 48 points in the two wins in the NABC Classic, including a career-high 38 against Tulsa. His previous scoring high also came against the
Hurricanes. Last year, he had 28 in the NCAA South Regional final.
Tar Heels in the Rankings
Carolina is ranked 15th in the nation by The Associated Press and 16th in the ESPN/USA Today poll. The Tar Heels are one of five ACC teams currently
ranked in the Top 25.
UNC was No. 6 in the country in the preseason AP poll. This is the 16th consecutive season the Tar Heels were ranked in the Top 20 or Top 25 in the preseason AP poll. The last time UNC was not ranked to open the year was 1984-85, but the Tar Heels joined at No. 19 in the second week and remained ranked the rest of the year. This is the 27th time in the last 35 years that the Tar Heels have been ranked in the Top 10 in the country in the preseason Associated Press poll.
UNC has been ranked in the preseason Top 10 17 times in the last 20 years. The only exceptions were 1984-85 (not ranked), 1995-96 (ranked No. 20 after Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace left early for the NBA), and 1998-99 (ranked No. 11 after Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter left early for the NBA). Carolina's average preseason ranking in the AP poll in the last 20 years is No. 6.
Haywood Is the ACC's Alltime Leader in Field Goal Percentage
Senior center Brendan Haywood is the ACC's alltime leader in field goal percentage. Haywood has made 432 career baskets in 658 attempts, a percentage of
.657. That is the highest percentage in ACC history, ahead of former Tar Heel and current NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace (.635).
Haywood led the nation last year with a field goal percentage of .697, the highest in ACC history.
He averaged 15.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocked shots in Carolina's five games in the NCAA Tournament last season.
Haywood has made at least 62.5 percent from the field in six of the eight games this season. He made a season-high 88.9 percent against Miami (8 for 9). Haywood was 15 for 19 from the floor against Kentucky and Miami.
He leads the ACC in field goal percentage. The last player to lead the ACC in field goal percentage in consecutive seasons was Clemson's Dale Davis (1988-89 and 1989-90). Duke's Carroll Youngkin (1959-60-61), Carolina's Bobby Jones (1972-73-74) and Davis are the only three players to lead the league in consecutive seasons.
Haywood Closing in on Blocks Record
Brendan Haywood is second alltime at Carolina with 216 blocked shots and needs just 30 more blocks to become the school's alltime leading shot blocker.
Sam Perkins holds the record with 245.
The Greensboro, N.C., resident blocked 91 shots last year and 60 as a sophomore. He has 32 blocked shots in the first eight games. He had five in the opener against Winthrop, a then-career-high eight in the win over Tulsa and a school-record 10 versus Miami.
Haywood has twice this year set the Smith Center record for blocked shots in a game. The previous mark was seven by Sharone Wright of Clemson (February 17, 1993) and Rony Seikaly of Syracuse (March 17, 1988, in an NCAA Tournament game against North Carolina A&T).
Haywood is 13th in ACC history in blocked shots. He has passed 13 players thus far this season, including shot-blocking standouts Dale Davis of Clemson, Thurl Bailey of NC State and Corey Louis of Florida State. Duke's Cherokee Parks is 12th with 231.
Haywood's Double-Doubles
Senior center Brendan Haywood has scored in double figures in each of the eight games this season and recorded his first double-double of the year in the loss
to Kentucky. He had 18 points and 11 rebounds against the Wildcats.
Haywood posted his second straight double-double (actually a triple-double) in the Miami game with 18 points, 14 boards and 10 blocks. This was the fourth instance in his career in which he recorded back-to-back double-doubles.
Haywood has 18 career double-doubles, the top figure among active Tar Heels.
Double-Digit Streak for Brendan
Center Brendan Haywood has scored 10 or more points in all eight games this season. Including a 20-point effort against Florida in the 2000 NCAA semifinal,
Haywood has reached double digits in nine consecutive games, the longest streak in his career. He had an eight-game streak in 1998-99 and a six-game run a
year ago.
Forte Sets Smith Center Scoring Mark
Sophomore guard Joseph Forte scored 38 points against Tulsa to break the Smith Center record for most points in a game. The previous record was 37 by
Lionel Simmons of LaSalle against the Tar Heels on January 9, 1988. The previous record for a Tar Heel in the Smith Center was 36 by Antawn Jamison.
Jamison scored 36 against Pittsburgh on November 29, 1996, and against Maryland on February 14, 1998.
Forte's 38-point performance marked the 11th time a Carolina player scored 30 or more points in the Smith Center.
Forte made 12 of 13 free throws in the contest. The 12 free throws equaled the single-game record for the Smith Center. Terrance Jacobs of Towson State (November 30, 1991) and Ademola Okulaja (December 17, 1998, vs. Louisville) also made a dozen free throws in a game.
Freshmen Starters
Adam Boone started at point guard in the first seven games. He became the 16th Tar Heel to start in his first game as a freshmen since first-year players became
eligible to play in 1972-73. Joseph Forte (1999), Kris Lang (1998), Jason Capel (1998) and Brendan Haywood (1997) also started in their first games as a Tar
Heel. Other UNC players to do this include Phil Ford, Mike O'Koren, James Worthy, Michael Jordan, Kenny Smith, J.R. Reid, Pete Chilcutt, Rick Fox,
Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison and Ed Cota.
Curry Starts at the Point
Red-shirt sophomore Ronald Curry made his regular-season debut this season against Miami, his first college basketball game since March 1999. Curry first
practiced with UNC on Monday, November 20, and played the final four minutes in the exhibition win over the EA California All-Stars the following evening.
He made his official debut against Miami and had three points, three rebounds, three assists a steal in 18 minutes.
He had three assists and only one turnover in 20 minutes in the 82-60 win over Texas A&M.
The Hampton, Va., native joined the starting lineup against Buffalo and played a season-high 24 minutes. He had nine points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals and two turnovers in the win. He was 2 for 2 from three-point range.
Curry has started three games as a Tar Heel, all of which have been Carolina victories. (Home win over Georgia Tech, away win at Clemson as a freshman, home win over Buffalo this season).
As a freshman, Curry made three of his first 26 three-point attempts. This season, Curry has connected on three of four attempts from beyond the arc. He has 10 assists, five turnovers and four steals in the three games in which he has played this season.
Curry played in 26 games as a backup to point guard Ed Cota in 1998-99. He averaged 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds per game and amassed 43 assists and 38 turnovers. In his first collegiate start against Georgia Tech (Cota was out sick) he posted career highs with 13 points, five rebounds and seven assists. He received a medical red-shirt last year due to a ruptured right Achilles' tendon.
