North Carolina Seeks Revenge Against Wake Forest

Feb. 11, 2000

GAME FACTS
North Carolina (15-9, 6-4 ACC)
Wake Forest (13-10, 4-6 ACC)

Head Coaches

North Carolina: Bill Guthridge (Kansas State '60)
Guthridge's Record as Head Coach: 73-23 (3rd year)
Guthridge's Record at UNC: 73-23 (3rd year)

WAKE Forest:

Dave Odom (Guilford College '65)
Odom's Record as Head Coach: 250-159 (14th year)
Odom's Record at Wake Forest: 212-117 (11th year)

Television:

ABC (Brent Musberger, Dick Vitale, Brad Daugherty)
Radio: Learfield Communications (Woody Durham, Mick Mixon)

Series:

Carolina leads, 143-56
Last Meeting: 1/12/00 Wake Forest 66, Carolina 57 in Winston-Salem
Last Meeting in Chapel Hill: 2/23/99 Carolina 68, Wake Forest 65 (overtime) in the Smith Center CAROLINA HOSTS WAKE FOREST

Carolina, winner of four of its last five games, returns home after two consecutive road games Saturday to host Wake Forest. The game will mark the 200th alltime meeting between the Tar Heels and Demon Deacons. The game will be televised by ABC.
After losing four games in a row in mid-January, the Tar Heels have won four of their last five and are tied with Maryland for second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference at 6-4. Carolina has won three consecutive ACC road games. That is the third straight year in which Bill Guthridge-led Carolina teams have won at least three consecutive ACC road contests.
Brendan Haywood has made at least half his shots from the floor in 22 of 24 games this year and at least 70 percent six of the last seven games. He has averaged 15.7 points in the last six contests.
Jason Capel has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games, averaging 14.2 points in that span.
Capel leads the ACC in three-point percentage in ACC games only at a .475 clip (19 of 40). He hit four of five three-pointers at Clemson on Feb. 6.
Freshman Joseph Forte (15.7 points per game) has led Carolina in scoring throughout the season. No freshman ever has led Carolina in scoring and just one has averaged more points than Forte so far this season.

Alltime UNC Freshmen Scoring (by average)

Player	Season	Scoring Average
1. Phil Ford	1974-1975	16.4
2. Joseph Forte	1999-2000	15.7
3. Antawn Jamison	1995-1996	15.1
4. Sam Perkins	1980-1981	14.9
5. J.R. Reid	1986-1987	14.7

Carolina ranks 28th in the country in the latest Sagarin Computer Poll (as of Feb. 9). Duke is third and Maryland is 22nd.
Carolina leads the nation in field goal percentage and has shot at least 50 percent from the floor in 12 of the 24 games this season. UNC is 9-3 in games in which it makes at least half its field goal attempts (losses to Louisville, Virginia and Florida State).
The Tar Heels average 15.3 turnovers per game this year, despite the fact that senior point guard Ed Cota averages just 3.1 miscues per game.
Carolina has turned the ball over more than its opponents in 16 of 24 games and committed an equal number of miscues in four other contests. The Tar Heels are 9-7 in games in which they commit more turnovers, 2-2 in games they force more turnovers and 4-0 in which turnovers are equal. The four games in which UNC has committed fewer turnovers include wins over UNLV and Howard and losses to Michigan State and Cincinnati.
Carolina has averaged 17.3 turnovers in its nine losses and 14.1 per game in its 15 victories.
The Tar Heels have led at halftime in 12 of the 24 games and have won 10 of those 12 contests (road losses to Wake Forest and Virginia). Carolina is 4-7 in games in which it trails at the half. UNC has come back from halftime deficits to beat Georgetown (down by 11), Purdue (down 5), Buffalo (down 5) and Maryland (down 7).
UNC is 5-4 at the Smith Center this season and has lost four home games in one season for the first time since moving into the Smith Center in January 1986. Prior to this year, the last time UNC lost four home games in a season was 1951-52 when the Tar Heels were 5-4 in Woollen Gymnasium. The school record for home losses in a season is five, set in 1929-30 and 1943-44.
Overall, the Tar Heels are 162-24 (.871) at the Smith Center. Carolina was 169-20 (.894) from 1965-86 at Carmichael Auditorium. In the last 35 seasons, the Tar Heels have been beaten just 44 times at home.

TAR HEELS AND DEMON DEACONS

Carolina and Wake Forest are meeting for the 200th time on Saturday in a rivalry that began during the 1910-11 season. The Tar Heels hold a 143-56 advantage in the series and have won six of the last seven meetings with the Demon Deacons. Carolina has won four in a row over Wake in the Smith Center.
Carolina is 13-1 vs. Wake Forest in the Smith Center and has won each of the last four played in the building. The Deacons' only win in the Smith Center was a 79-70 victory on Feb. 28, 1995. * Only four of UNC's 13 home wins over Wake Forest has been decided by less than nine points. The Tar Heels average margin of victory in those 12 wins is 14.1 points.
In games played in Chapel Hill, Carolina leads 66-15.
Bill Guthridge is 4-1 vs. the Deacons.

TAR HEEL INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS VS. WAKE FOREST

Ed Cota: Had eight points and seven assists in a 74-60 Carolina win on Feb. 19, 1997 ... Tallied 13 points and seven assists in an 86-73 UNC win in the ACC Tournament semifinals on March 8, 1997 ... Had 10 points and four assists in a 79-73 Tar Heel win on Jan. 31, 1998, in Winston-Salem ... Had eight points, six rebounds and four assists in a 52-40 win in Winston-Salem last season ... Tallied eight points, eight assists and four rebounds in the overtime win in the Smith Center last year. Brendan Haywood:
Recorded eight points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots in a 52-40 win in Winston-Salem last year ... Tied for the team high with 16 points and had six boards in the UNC win in Chapel Hill last season. KRIS LANG:
Tied for the team-high with 10 points in a 52-40 win in Winston-Salem last season ... Tied for the team-highs with 16 points and eight rebounds in the 68-65 overtime win in the Smith Center last year ... Had 14 points and 11 rebounds in a loss on Jan. 12, 2000, in Winston-Salem. JASON CAPEL:
Tallied 10 points, five rebounds and four assists in the overtime win in Chapel Hill last season ... Had 11 points and seven rebounds at Wake Forest on Jan. 12, 2000. EARLIER THIS SEASON IN WINSTON-SALEM

Wake Forest held Carolina to a season-low shooting percentage of .382 and a season-low 57 points as UNC lost its first ACC game of the year, 66-57, on Jan. 12 at Lawrence Joel Coliseum. Wake went on a 28-9 run to overcome a 10-point second-half deficit and earn the victory. The Deacons forced 18 Tar Heel turnovers in the game.
The Tar Heels led, 35-25, with 13:30 to play in the second half.
Kris Lang led Carolina with 14 points and 11 rebounds as UNC followed up a 71.1 percent shooting performance in its previous game (NC State in the Smith Center) with a 38.2 percent effort against Wake.
The Tar Heel defense held Wake Forest's leading scorer, Robert O'Kelley, to 0-for-8 shooting in the first half, but O'Kelley exploded for 18 second-half points to lead all scorers.

LAST YEAR AGAINST THE DEMON DEACONS

Last year in Winston-Salem, UNC trailed, 24-22, at halftime but outscored the Deacons, 30-16, in the second half, holding Wake to 22.2 percent shooting after the break. Ademola Okulaja recorded his third consecutive double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. UNC outrebounded Wake, 46-23, in the game. The 40 points were the fewest by the Deacons vs. Carolina since the 1958-59 season.
Last year in Chapel Hill, Jason Capel hit four late free throws to lead Carolina to a 68-65 overtime win in the Smith Center. Ademola Okulaja, Kris Lang and Brendan Haywood led the Tar Heels with 16 points apiece as UNC shot 60 percent in the second half. Robert O'Kelley had 28 points, including seven three-pointers, for the Deacons.

HAYWOOD HEATING UP

Junior center Brendan Haywood has been dominant at times in the second half of this season, making a strong case for All-ACC honors.
In his first 10 games this season, Haywood averaged 11.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and hit 70.8 percent of his field goals. In the 14 games since, he has averaged 14.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest and hit 73.3 percent of his shots.
Haywood grabbed 55 rebounds in the first 11 games of the season (5.0 rpg) but has 112 boards in the last 13 games (8.6 rpg).
He has grabbed 64 rebounds in the last seven games, an average of 9.1 per game.
He has made 28 of 36 field goal attempts in the last five games (.778).
Has hit 48 of 65 free throws (73.8 percent) in the last 14 games.
In ACC games, Haywood has improved his scoring average (15.2 vs. 13.3), rebounding average (8.3 vs. 7.0), field goal percentage (73.0 vs. 72.4), free throw percentage (70.6 vs. 64.0) compared to his overall averages. He ranks third in the ACC in rebounding in ACC games only.

CAROLINA'S DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT

At times maligned this year for its defensive play, the Tar Heels have held their opponents to 40 percent shooting or lower from the floor in 13 of the 24 games this season, including four of the last five games. Carolina has won 12 of 13 contests when holding its opponents to under 40 percent shooting. The only team to shoot less than 40 percent from the floor to beat UNC was Wake Forest. The Deacons shot 37.9 percent in its win over the Tar Heels in Winston-Salem.
Carolina's defense has limited its opponents to 122 field goals in 322 attempts in the last five games, a percentage of .378. Maryland shot 37.7 percent (23 of 61), Georgia Tech shot 27.4 percent (20 of 73), Duke shot 45.7 percent (32 of 70), Clemson shot 39.7 percent (23 of 58) and NC State shot 40.0 percent (24 of 60).
Four opponents - Cincinnati, Indiana, Louisville and Florida State - have shot 50 percent or better from the floor and UNC is 0-4 in those contests.

CAROLINA'S STRONG SECOND HALF PERFORMANCES

In Carolina's 15 wins this season, the Tar Heels have shot 58.9 percent in the second half and 52.7 percent overall. In the Tar Heels' nine losses, they have shot 43.9 percent in the second half and 46.6 percent overall.
The Tar Heels have shot 50 percent or better from the field in the second half in 15 of the 24 games this season (60 percent six times and at least 70 percent three times). Carolina is 13-2 in games in which it shoots 50 percent or better from the floor in the second half (only losses were at Virginia when UNC made 55 percent from the floor but committed nine second-half turnovers and vs. Duke at home when UNC forced overtime after trailing by 19 in the second half). UNC has shot 43.9 percent from the floor in the second half of its nine losses.

Date - Opponent	UNC-Opp. Scoring	UNC FG Shooting
1/27 - Maryland	41-22	.500 (14-28)
1/29 - @ Ga. Tech	42-25	.667 (16-24)
2/3 - Duke	49-32	.500 (25-50)
2/6 - @ Clemson	38-30	.478 (11-21)
2/11 - @ NC State	42-36	.552 (16-29)
Totals	212-145	.526 (80-152)

COTA, HAYWOOD LEAD HEELS TO WIN AT NC STATE

Carolina outrebounded NC State, 46-31, and outscored the Wolfpack, 40-18, in the paint to pick up a 70-62 win over NCSU at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Raleigh. The game marked State's first loss on their new home court after starting the season 14-0 at home.
Carolina trailed by as many as 10 points at 14-4 in the first half. However, the Heels went on a 12-4 run that included three dunks and a Jason Capel three-pointer to tie the score at 24-24 with 4:16 left before intermission. It was the fifth time this season that Carolina had come back from a double-digit defit to win a game. UNC has trailed by 10 points or more in 13 games this season.
After shooting 37.9 percent from the floor and hitting just 1 of 9 three-pointers in the first half, Carolina shot 46.6 percent in the second half and drained 5 of 7 three-pointers (71.4 percent).
Senior point guard Ed Cota created much of the Tar Heel attack, recording 11 assists and just one turnover in 39 minutes of action (his only turnover came with 1.3 seconds left when the game's outcoime was no longer in question). Cota hit just 2 of 9 field goals, but did drain a long three-pointer from the top of the key to put UNC up, 66-58, with 1:32 left, essentially ending NC State's chances of winning.
Cota is the first UNC player to play in four wins at NC State.
Junior center Brendan Haywood continued his strong performance in the second half of this season, controlling the paint and tallying 19 points and 10 rebounds. He tied his career highs with nine field goals, 12 field goal attempts and four assists.
Junior swingman Max Owens hit back-to-back three-pointers from the left corner in a 30-second span of the second half to put Carolina up, 46-38, and give Carolina its biggest lead of the game at that point. Owens also tipped in an Ed Cota missed free throw with 33.2 seconds left that gave UNC a 10-point lead, its largest of the game. Owens' eight points in the game were the most he had scored in 10 games (since scoring 14 at home against Clemson on Jan. 6).

BALANCED ATTACK LEADS TO WIN AT CLEMSON

All five Carolina starters scored in double figures as the Tar Heels earned their second straight ACC road win, 73-60, on Feb. 6 at Clemson.
The win was Carolina's 20th in its last 23 games with Clemson.
Carolina shot 52.2 percent from the floor in the game and held the Tigers to 39.7 percent. Clemson shot 52.2 percent in the first half but the UNC defense buckled down after halftime and held the Tigers to 31.4 percent after the break.
Ed Cota had 17 points, six rebounds and seven assists to lead the Heels. Other double-figure scorers included Jason Capel (14), Kris Lang (12), Brendan Haywood (11 and eight rebounds) and Joseph Forte (11 and six rebounds).
Clemson's Will Solomon, the ACC's leading scorer, finished with 26 points, including six three-pointers, but did not score after hitting a field goal with 7:47 left in the second half. After that shot by Solomon pulled the Tigers to within 58-54, UNC went on a 15-6 run to close out the game. Carolina hit 12 of 16 free throws during that span.

COMEBACK FALLS SHORT AGAINST DUKE

Carolina trailed by 17 points at halftime and by 19 with 14:41 to play in the second half but battled back to force overtime before losing, 90-86, to No. 3 Duke on Feb. 3 in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels scored on 19 of their 22 second-half possesssions and shot 50.0 percent (25-for-50) while limiting Duke to 42.1 percent (16-for-38) after halftime.
Ed Cota took a career-high 23 shots from the floor and scored 21 points, his third 20-point game of the season. Cota also finished with eight assists and seven rebounds. Cota scored 18 of his points after halftime.
Joseph Forte had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists in the game and hit a three-pointer with 0:05 remaining in regulation to tie the game and force overtime.
The Tar Heels outrebounded Duke, 53-38, in the game but committed 19 turnovers. However, just five of those turnovers occurred after halftime.
In the first half, Carolina committed 14 turnovers and shot 37.9 percent from the floor. Duke led, 41-24, at intermission.
Carolina had a loss of ball percentage of 33 percent in the first half and six percent in the second half.

TRACKING THE TAR HEELS IN THE POLLS

Week	AP	USA Today/ESPN
Preseason	6	5
Nov. 15	5	no poll
Nov. 22	5	6
Nov. 29	2	2
Dec. 6	7	7
Dec. 13	7	9
Dec. 20	6	7
Dec. 27	13	14
Jan. 3	14	14
Jan. 10	13	14
Jan. 17	21	21
Jan. 24	NR	NR
Jan. 31	NR	NR
Feb. 7	NR	NR

The Tar Heels are unranked in both national polls this week. Prior to Jan. 24, UNC had been ranked in the Associated Press poll for 172 consecutive weeks (dating back to the 1990-91 preseason). That was the second-longest streak in NCAA history. Carolina has been ranked in 628 Associated Press polls since the poll's inception in 1949, more than any other school in the nation. Kentucky is second with 620.

COTA'S CAREER NUMBERS IN EXCLUSIVE COMPANY

Senior point guard Ed Cota has 1,155 points, 941 assists and 451 rebounds in his career. He is just the fourth player in Carolina history to score 1,000 points and have 500 assists (joining Phil Ford, Kenny Smith and Jeff Lebo).
Cota is the only player in ACC history to compile 1,000 points, 800 assists and 400 rebounds in a career.
Cota ranks third in ACC history and seventh in NCAA history with 941 career assists. Bobby Hurley of Duke is first in NCAA and ACC history with 1,076 career assists and Chris Corchiani of NC State is second in both categories with 1,038. Greg Anthony of Portland and UNLV is sixth (950) in NCAA history.
Cota led the ACC in assists in each of his first three seasons and is vying to become the only player in conference history to lead the ACC in assists four times. Virginia's Ralph Sampson and Wake Forest's Tim Duncan both led the ACC in blocked shots four times and are the only players in ACC history to lead the league in a statistical category four times.

COTA A WOODEN AWARD CANDIDATE
Senior point guard Ed Cota, who ranks third in the nation in assists this season, has been named to the John Wooden Award Midseason All-America Team. The team includes the top 30 candidates for the Wooden Award, which is given in the postseason to the National Player of the Year. Cota is one of five Atlantic Coast Conference players to survive the cut down from 50 preseason candidates to 30 at midseason. The other ACC honorees include Shane Battier (Duke), Chris Carrawell (Duke), Jason Collier (Georgia Tech) and Terence Morris (Maryland).

IN THE LATEST NCAA STATS (AS OF FEB. 7)

Carolina led the nation in field goal percentage (50.5 percent).
Brendan Haywood would lead the nation in individual field goal percentage (72.2 percent) if he had one more field goal. Haywood ranks 28th in blocked shots (2.6 per game).
Ed Cota ranked third nationally in assists (8.4 per game).

SCORING IS UP

Carolina is averaging 78.0 points per game in 1999-2000 and has scored more than 80 in 11 of 24 games. Last year, Carolina averaged 71.4 points per game and scored 80 points or more just six times all season.
UNC's 102 points versus UNLV were the most in a single game since scoring 107 in a double-overtime win at Georgia Tech on 2/8/98.

TAR HEELS WIN MAUI INVITATIONAL TITLE

North Carolina outscored Purdue, 56-26, in the second half and defeated the Boilermakers, 90-75, to win the 1999 Maui Invitational on Nov. 24 in Lahaina, Hawaii. The Tar Heels earlier had defeated Southern California, 82-65, and Georgetown, 85-79, to advance to the finals.
Freshman guard Joseph Forte was named MVP of the Maui Invitational and to the all-tournament team after averaging 20.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in the three Tar Heel wins, hitting 22 of 39 field goals (.564) and 7 of 10 three-pointers (.700) in the tournament. Forte led Carolina in scoring against Southern California (24 points) and Purdue (21 points) and scored 17 in the semifinal win over Georgetown. His 24 points in his collegiate debut against USC were the most ever by a UNC freshman in his first college game and the most by any Tar Heel in his first game since Lennie Rosenbluth scored 30 in the first game of his sophomore year in 1954-55 before the days of freshman eligibility.
Ed Cota and Brendan Haywood also received All-Tournament honors.

HEAD COACH BILL GUTHRIDGE

Guthridge is 73-23 as the Tar Heels' head coach. He is in his third year as head coach, but 33rd as part of the UNC program. He was an assistant coach for Dean Smith for 30 seasons before taking over in 1997-98 following Smith's retirement.
Guthridge won more games (58) in his first two seasons than any coach in NCAA history and reached 50 wins faster than any coach in UNC history.
In 1997-98, Guthridge set the NCAA record for most wins by a first-year head coach with 34.
Guthridge received National Coach-of-the-Year honors and was ACC Coach of the Year in 1997-98. He was named the National Coach of the Year by the NABC, The Sporting News, the Atlanta Tipoff Club (Naismith Award) and CBS/Chevrolet.

BRENDAN HAYWOOD (7-0, JR., C, GREENSBORO, N.C.)

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

The ACC's and Carolina's alltime leader in field goal percentage. Has made 65.8 percent of his shot attempts from the floor (318 for 483). Second-best is Rasheed Wallace at 63.5 percent.

UNC Career Field Goal Percentage

1.	Brendan Haywood (97-active)	.658
2.	Rasheed Wallace (93-95)	.635
3.	Brad Daugherty (82-86)	.620
4.	Bobby Jones (71-74)	.608
5.	J.R. Reid (86-89)	.601

Ranks seventh in school history in career blocked shots. Rasheed Wallace is sixth with 156 blocks (in just two seasons).

UNC Career Blocked Shots

1.	Sam Perkins (80-84)	245
2.	Warren Martin (81-86)	190
3.	Kevin Salvadori (90-94)	174
4.	Eric Montross (90-94)	169
5.	Scott Williams (86-90)	161
6.	Rasheed Wallace (93-95)	156
7.	Brendan Haywood (97-active)	153

Averaging 8.7 points and 5.1 rebounds in his 96-game career. Scored 19 points against NC State on Feb. 9 to give him 837 points for his career. Over the last two seasons as a starter, he is averaging 12.5 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest.
Has scored in double figures 39 times in his career with a high of 24 at California on Dec. 27, 1998, and against Maryland on Jan. 27, 2000.
Has 13 career double-doubles (points and rebounds).
Has scored 20 or more points eight times, most recently at Virginia on Jan. 18 and against Maryland on Jan. 27.
Has made 50 percent or more of his field goal attempts in 50 of 58 games over the last two seasons as a starter.
Needs seven rebounds to reach 500 for his career.

HAYWOOD's 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS

Leads the nation in field goal percentage at .724. Has converted 123 of 170 field goal attempts. The single-season ACC record is .670 by Clemson's Dale Davis in 1988-89. No other player in the ACC has made more than 55.2 percent from the floor this season.

ACC Single-Season Field Goal Percentage

1.	Brendan Haywood (99-00)	.724
2.	Dale Davis, Clemson (88-89)	.670
3.	Bobby Jones, UNC (71-72)	.668
4.	Horace Grant, Clemson (86-87)	.656
5.	Rasheed Wallace, UNC (94-95) .	.654

Third in the ACC in blocked shots with 2.5 per game. Has blocked 60 shots in 24 contests.
Leads the team and ranks eighth in the ACC with 7.0 rebounds per game.
Scored in double figures in 16 games with a high of 24 against Maryland on Jan. 27. Also had 21 against Howard, and 20 against Georgetown, Louisville and Virginia.
Blocked a career-high seven shots vs. the College of Charleston.
Grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds vs. Howard.
Scored 10 of his 14 points against top-ranked Cincinnati in the second half.
Posted consecutive double-doubles against Louisville and Howard. It was the third time in his career he had back-to-back double-doubles.
Was 7 for 7 from the floor and finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks in the win over NC State.
Had 20 points and 12 rebounds in the loss at Virginia.
Matched his career scoring high with 24 points in the 75-63 win over Maryland. Was 7 for 9 from the floor and 10 for 11 from free throw line. The 10 free throws made were a career high. Also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots.
Scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots in the second half as Carolina broke a 28-28 tie and won 70-53 at Georgia Tech. He picked up his third foul with 12:05 left in the first half and sat the rest of that period. Limited Tech center Alvin Jones to 1 of 11 shooting from the floor.
In his first 10 games this season, Haywood averaged 11.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and hit 70.8 percent of his field goals. In the 14 games since, he has averaged 14.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest and hit 73.3 percent of his shots.
Haywood grabbed 55 rebounds in the first 11 games of the season (5.0 rpg) but has 112 boards in the last 13 games (8.6 rpg).
He has grabbed 64 rebounds in the last seven games, an average of 9.1 per game.
He has made 28 of 36 FG attempts in the last five games (.778).
Has hit 48 of 65 free throws (73.8 percent) in the last 14 games.

ED COTA (6-1, SR., G, BROOKLYN, N.Y.)

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Is the first player in ACC history to score 1,000 points, have 800 assists and 400 rebounds in his career.
Carolina's alltime assist leader with 941. Is third in ACC history and seventh in NCAA history in assists. Needs 10 more assists to pass Greg Anthony to move into sixth place.
Is third in ACC history with 7.47 assists per game behind NC State's Chris Corchiani (8.37) and Duke's Bobby Hurley (7.68).
Has led the ACC in assists three straight seasons. No one has ever done it four years in a row.
Has 27 career double-digit assist games, a UNC record.
Is seventh in UNC history with 178 steals. Mike O*Koren is sixth with 183.
Has scored in double figures 54 times. Career scoring high is 23 points against NC State on Jan. 8, 2000.
Has 12 career double-doubles (11 points and assists, one points and rebounds).
Has played in three ACC Tournament championship games (winning two) and two Final Fours.

	UNC Career Assists
1.	Ed Cota (1996-present)	941
2.	Kenny Smith (1983-87)	768
3.	Phil Ford (1974-78)	753
4.	Derrick Phelps (1990-94)	637
5.	King Rice (1987-91)	629

NCAA Career Assists

1.	Bobby Hurley, Duke	1076
2.	Chris Corchiani, NC State	1038
3.	Keith Jennings, East. Tennessee State	983
4.	Sherman Douglas, Syracuse	960
5.	Tony Miller, Marquette	956
6.	Greg Anthony, Portland/UNLV	950
7.	Ed Cota, North Carolina	941
8.	Gary Payton, Oregon State	939
9.	Orlando Smart, San Francisco	902
10.	Andre Lafleur, Northeastern	894

ACC Career Assists

1.	Bobby Hurley, Duke	1076
2.	Chris Corchiani, NC State	1038
3.	Ed Cota, North Carolina	941
4.	Grayson Marshall, Clemson	857
5.	Tyrone Bogues, Wake Forest	781
6.	Kenny Smith, North Carolina	768
7.	Sidney Lowe, NC State	762
8.	Phil Ford, North Carolina	753
9.	Drew Barry, Georgia Tech	724
10.	Tommy Amaker, Duke	708

ACC Career Assists Per Game

1.	Chris Corchiani, NC State	8.37
2.	Bobby Hurley, Duke	7.68
3.	Ed Cota, North Carolina	7.47
4.	Grayson Marshall, Clemson	7.02
5.	Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech	6.98

COTA's 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS

A strong candidate for first-team All-ACC honors after being named second-team in each of the last two seasons.
Leads the ACC and is third in the nation with a career-high 8.5 assists per game. Florida State's Delvon Arrington is second in the ACC at 6.6 per game.
Has an assist-turnover ratio this year of 2.75 to 1 (195 assists/71 turnovers). That is the best ratio in the ACC.
Leading the ACC in minutes played at 35.9 per game.
Tied the UNC single-game assists record when he dished out 17 against UNLV. Equalled Jeff Lebo's mark against Chattanooga in 1988. Cota had just two turnovers to go with his 17 assists. No other player in the country this season has had as many as 17 assists in a game.
Has scored in double figures in 11 games and had double-doubles in two contests.
Was named to the All-Tournament Team after leading UNC to the Maui Invitational title. Had 15 points and 10 assists vs. USC, 20 points and 7 assists vs. Georgetown and 15 points and 7 assists vs. Purdue.
Shooting 48.7 percent from the floor (91 for 187).
Leads the team with a three-point percentage of 45.0 (27 of 60).
Has seven or more assists in 20 of his 23 games and more assists than turnovers in 22 of 23 games.
Was 8 for 8 from the field and finished with a career-high 23 points in the win over NC State on Jan. 8. He had scored 24 points in the four previous games combined. It was the fifth time in his career he scored 20 or more points in a game.
Had 10 assists and committed just two of UNC's 21 turnovers in the loss at Virginia.
Scored 11 points and added eight assists in the win over Maryland. Hit a pair of second-half three-point field goals.
Had six assists and just one turnover in the win at Georgia Tech.
Had a team-high 21 points, seven rebounds and eight assists against Duke on Feb. 3. Eighteen of his points came in the second half. His nine field goals and 23 field goal attempts were both career highs.
Had 17 points, seven assists and six boards at Clemson Feb. 6.
The 38 points in the Duke and Clemson games are the most Cota has scored in back-to-back games in his career. The previous high was 35 points in the first two games of this season.
Was brilliant at NC State on Feb. 9, dishing out 11 assists and committing just one turnover (with 1.3 seconds remaining in the game). Hit a three-pointer (as the shot clock expired) with just under a minute to play in the game that gave Carolina an 8-point lead.

MAX OWENS (6-5, JR., G/F, MACON, GA.)

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Earned All-Tournament honors at the 1999 ACC Tournament after he scored 23 points in a win over No. 5 Maryland 22 points in championship game against No. 1 Duke.
Career 81.7 percent free throw shooter.
Has scored in double figures 16 times, including a career-high 23 against Maryland on March 6, 1999 and 23 against UNLV on Dec. 4, 1999.
Scored his 500th career point in the win at NC State on Feb. 9, 2000. Now has 508 points.

OWENS' 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS

Fifth on the team with 9.8 points per contest.
Has scored in double figures eight times with highs of 23 against UNLV, 22 against Louisville and 18 against #7 Michigan State and #1 Cincinnati.
Was 5 for 9 from the floor, 2 for 3 in 3FG and 6 for 6 from the free throw line against the Spartans.
Made 8 of 13 shots from the floor and was 5 for 5 from the line against UNLV.
Made a career-high four three-point baskets against Cincinnati and Louisville.
Has scored 20-plus points four times in his career, three times in the Charlotte Coliseum.
Shooting 51.9 percent from the floor. Also is shooting 83.0 percent >from the charity stripe.
Had 17 points and six rebounds in the win at Miami. Made 6 of 10 from the field, including an acrobatic, left-handed reverse layup, and was 5 for 5 from the free throw line.
Scored in double figures in 9 of the first 14 games, but has scored a total of 33 points in the last seven games. Has attempted only 36 shots from the floor in the last 10 contests.
Hit a three-pointer from the left corner that gave Carolina a 52-50 lead with 13:19 to play in the second half of the 75-63 win over Maryland. That gave UNC its first lead since the 11:59 mark of the first half, a lead Carolina would not relinquish the rest of the contest.
Hit critical, back-to-back three-pointers in a 32-second span in the second half of the Feb. 9 game at NC State. His shots increased Carolina's lead from two points to eight as the Heels took control of the game. Owens also had a huge tip-in off an Ed Cota missed free throw with 33.2 seconds left to play to give UNC a 10-point lead and ice the victory.

JASON CAPEL (6-8, SO., F/G, CHESAPEAKE, VA.)

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Carolina's most versatile player. Playing mainly at the small and big forward spots this year after playing mostly off guard as a freshman.
Had off-season back surgery to repair two disks and is playing pain free for the first time in several years.
Has scored in double figures 27 times in his career with highs of 23 against UNLV on Dec. 4, 1999, 21 against UCLA on Jan. 15, 2000, 21 vs. Tennessee Tech on Dec. 12, 1999, 20 at Miami on Dec. 18, 1999, and 20 at Georgia Tech on Jan. 29, 2000.
Has shot 83.1 percent from the free throw line. Was second in the ACC in free throw percentage last season.

1999-2000 ACC Free Throw Pct. Leaders

1. Shane Battier, Duke	.841 (90-107)
2. Jason Capel, UNC	.809 (76-94)
3. Darius Songaila, Wake Forest	.808 (80-99)
4. Juan Dixon, Maryland	.792 (80-101)
5. Chris Carrawell, Duke	.777 (87-112)

Has improved his points, rebounds and shooting percentage this season.

CAPEL's 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS

Has scored in double figures in 17 contests, including eight of the last nine games, and had 20 or more points five times.
Averaging 14.2 points and shooting 48.8 percent (21 for 43) over the last nine games.
Second on the team in rebounds at 6.7 per contest behind center Brenan Haywood.
Is second in the ACC shooting 80.9 percent from the free throw line. Has converted 84.6 percent from the free throw line in ACC action (22 of 26).
Has made 20 of his last 21 free throw attempts.
Had 14 points and nine rebounds against Michigan State.
Was outstanding in the two games in Charlotte. Scored 16 points in the opener against Charleston and had a career-high 23 points and nine boards vs. UNLV in the championship game.
Had 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a block and a steal against Tennessee Tech.
Was named MVP of the Orange Bowl Classic after leading Carolina to a 78-68 win over Miami. He scored 20 points (only his second career 20-point game, but his second in five outings), had a career-high 14 rebounds, had five assists and two steals.
Led all scorers with 21 points in the loss to UCLA (on his birthday). Was 7 for 12 from the field (including 3 of 6 from three-point range) and had two steals. Scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half. Hit two free throws in the final minute to cut UCLA's lead to 69-68.
Was all over the court with 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals on Jan. 22 vs. Florida State.
Had 11 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and five assists in the win over Maryland. That was the third time this year he has grabbed 12 or more rebounds in a contest.
Led all scorers with 20 points in the win at Georgia Tech. Was 8 for 8 from the free throw line at Tech. Also hit a pair of three-pointers, including a key one in the second half that gave the Tar Heels a 9-point lead for the first time.
Had 12 points, nine rebounds and four assists despite fouling out versus Duke on Feb. 3.

JOSEPH FORTE (6-4, FR., G, GREENBELT, MD.)

1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS

Carolina's leading scorer at 15.7 points per game. Was named Most Valuable Player of the Maui Invitational after he helped lead the Tar Heels to three wins and the title.
Ninth in the ACC in scoring average and tops among freshmen.
On pace to become the first UNC freshman to lead the team in scoring since freshmen became eligible to play in 1972-73.
Needs just 23 points for 400 for the season. The last UNC freshman to score 400 points in a season was Antawn Jamison (484 in 1995-96).
Has scored in double figures in all but three games and topped 20 points four times. Had 24 in his collegiate debut against Southern California, 21 in the Maui championship game vs. Purdue, a season-high 27 at Virginia and 20 vs. Duke.
Is shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, 37.6 percent from three-point range and 72.7 percent from the free throw line.
Scored more points in his freshman debut than any Tar Heel in history.
Is third on the team in rebounds at 5.5 per game. Has six or more boards in 11 games with a season-high 11 at Virginia. Also had nine boards (five offensive) against Maryland on Jan. 27.
Has 68 assists and 64 turnovers. Ranks second on the team in assists and had a season-high six assists against top-ranked Cincinnati.
Has connected on at least one three-point field goal in 20 of the 24 games with a high of four in the opener against USC.
Connected on a big three-point field goal late in the game at Miami after the Hurricanes had cut UNC's 16-point lead down to six.
Led the Tar Heels with 15 points on 7 of 12 shooting against Clemson in the ACC opener.
Scored 18 points against NC State (Jan. 8) on 6 of 9 shooting from the floor. Hit a pair of 3FGs, was 4 for 4 from the FT line and added 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Had 13 points, five assists and four steals in the UCLA game. Steal and dunk and three-pointer brought UNC back from an 11-point second-half deficit to within 62-60.
Had a season-high 27 points on 11 of 16 shooting at Virginia. Recorded his first career double-double against the Cavaliers, finishing with 27 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals. The 27 points were the most by a UNC freshman since Antawn Jamison had 31 at Maryland in 1995-96.
Tied for the team lead with 15 points on Jan. 22 vs. Florida State despite missing much of the second half with foul trouble.
Hit a key three-pointer to start the second half in the win over Maryland (UNC was down by seven at the break).
Had 11 second-half points in the 70-53 win at Georgia Tech.
Hit a three-pointer with 0:05 left in regulation to force overtime on Feb. 3 versus No. 3 Duke. Tallied 20 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals against Duke.
Second on the team with 16 points in the win at NC State on Feb. 9, recording 12 of those points in the second half.

KRIS LANG (6-11, SO., F/C, GASTONIA, N.C.)

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Averaged 10.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a freshman and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.
Shooting 55.7 percent from the floor and averaging 9.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in his career.
Has scored in double figures 28 times and has three double-doubles.
Career scoring high of 21 vs. Georgia in 1998 Preseason NIT.
Was in the hospital for almost a week in late summer with a virus.

LANG's 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS

Summer virus and shin splints severely hampered his playing time and effectiveness in the first semester.
Sprained his right knee in the first half of the Cincinnati game and was held out of the Tennessee Tech contest for precautionary reasons.
Has fought a stomach bug in late January.
Earned Tournament MVP honors at the Food Lion MVP Classic in Charlotte on December 3-4. Had 15 points and three rebounds against College of Charleston and 16 points and four rebounds in the finals against UNLV. Made 12 of 16 shots from the floor and 7 of 8 free throws in the two games. Played 35 combined minutes in the two games.
Has scored 123 points in the last 12 games (10.3 ppg) since he joined the starting lineup in the Howard game.
Was 10 for 10 from the free throw line against NC State (Jan. 8).
Led Carolina in scoring (14) and rebounding (11) at Wake Forest, recording the third double-double of his career.
Had 13 points and six rebounds in the win over Maryland on Jan. 27. Played despite still feeling the effects of a stomach bug that caused him to miss the final minutes of the game against FSU on Jan. 22.
Had six rebounds and played outstanding defense in the win at Georgia Tech. Defended Jason Collier for much of the contest and helped limit the Yellow Jacket standout to 6 of 16 shooting from the floor.
Had 15 points (11 in the second half and overtime) and eight rebounds vs. Duke on Feb. 3. Was 7 of 14 from the floor.
Has hit 26 of 48 field goals (54.2 percent) in his last five games after shooting 6-for-17 in losses to Virginia and Florida State.

JULIUS PEPPERS (6-7, FR.-R, F, BAILEY, N.C.)

1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS

Joined the basketball team on Nov. 29 after the Tar Heels returned >from the Maui Invitational.
Averaging 3.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
Helped limit Georgia Tech frontcourt stars Alvin Jones and Jason Collier to 7-27 shooting from the floor on Jan. 29.
Had three steals and five boards against Maryland on Jan. 27.
In 18 minutes of action against UCLA, he had five points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Grabbed three offensive rebounds.
Ripped down 13 rebounds (five on the offensive glass) against Clemson on Jan. 6. Added six points, a blocked shot, an assist and two steals in a season-high 24 minutes against the Tigers.
Had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocked shots against Howard, 7 points and 4 rebounds vs. Tennessee Tech, 6 points at Buffalo (including a spectacular breakway dunk that was featured on ESPN) and 5 points at Louisville.
Played crucial minutes in the second half and had five points, four rebounds, two blocked shots and three steals against Florida State on Jan. 22. Had a three-point play as UNC attempted its second-half comeback.
Had four points and three rebounds in the win at NC State on Feb. 9.
Started all 11 football games this year at defensive end. He had 50 tackles and led the team in tackles for losses with 10 for 47 yards and in quarterback sacks with six for 36 yards. He also intercepted a pass (at Clemson), caused and recovered one fumble and blocked one kick. He was sixth in the ACC in sacks. The Sporting News named him first team Freshman All-America.
The NCHSAA Male Athlete of the Year as a high school senior at Southern Nash High School in Bailey, N.C., in 1997-98. Peppers was recruited by several Division I programs to play basketball. He played on the same AAU team with Tar Heel teammates Brendan Haywood and Kris Lang.

BRIAN BERSTICKER (6-10, JR., F/C, VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.)

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Has shot 54.9 percent from the floor (78 for 142) and 77.4 percent >from the free throw line.
Scored in double figures five times in his career, including three times in his last 10 games.
Had an ACC high of 12 points in the Tournament last year against Georgia Tech.

BERSTICKER's 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS

Suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot against the College of Charleston on December 3rd. Had surgery to repair the fracture on December 6th. Should be out of action for approximately 10 weeks. Had a similar fracture in the same bone in August.
Resumed practicing on Feb. 7.
Averaged 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in the first five games. Had 12 points against Purdue in the Maui in the championship game and seven against USC.
Had a season-high seven boards against the Trojans.
Shooting 70.6 percent from the floor (12 for 17).

TAR HEEL PLAYERS IN THE NBA
(as of Feb. 4, 2000)

Vince Carter	Toronto
Pete Chilcutt	Cleveland
Hubert Davis	Dallas
Rick Fox	LA Lakers
Antawn Jamison	Golden State
George Lynch	Philadelphia
Eric Montross	Detroit
Sam Perkins	Indiana
J.R. Reid	Milwaukee
Jerry Stackhouse	Detroit
Rasheed Wallace	Portland
Scott Williams	Milwaukee
Shammond Williams	Seattle

CARTER LEADS TAR HEEL NBA ALL-STARS

Former Tar Heel Vince Carter finished as the leading vote-getter for the NBA All-Star Game. The Toronto Raptors star forward will start for the East squad in the All-Star Game on Feb. 13 in Oakland, Calif. Carter received more than 1.9 million votes, the second-highest vote total of alltime behind Michael Jordan.
Former Tar Heels Jerry Stackhouse (Detroit Pistons) and Rasheed Wallace (Portland Trailblazers) were each named to their conference's All-Star team as reserves.
Former UNC stars Carter, Stackhouse and Antawn Jamison (Golden State Warriors) were selected to take part in the NBA dunk contest on All-Star Weekend.

TAR HEELS IN NBA ADMINISTRATION

Larry Brown	Head coach, Philadelphia
Michael Jordan	President of Basketball Operations/Part-owner, Washington
George Karl	Head coach, Milwaukee
John Kuester	Asst. coach, Philadelphia
Mitch Kupchak	GM, LA Lakers
Bob McAdoo	Asst. coach, Miami
Mike O'Koren	Asst. coach, New Jersey
Donnie Walsh	President, Indiana

Carolina's ACC Rookies of the Week
Nov. 30 - Joseph Forte

Carolina's ACC Players of the Week
Dec. 20 - Jason Capel
Jan. 31 - Brendan Haywood (co-winner)

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Head Coaches

BRENDAN HAYWOOD (7-0, JR., C, GREENSBORO, N.C.)

ED COTA (6-1, SR., G, BROOKLYN, N.Y.)

MAX OWENS (6-5, JR., G/F, MACON, GA.)

JASON CAPEL (6-8, SO., F/G, CHESAPEAKE, VA.)

JOSEPH FORTE (6-4, FR., G, GREENBELT, MD.)

KRIS LANG (6-11, SO., F/C, GASTONIA, N.C.)

JULIUS PEPPERS (6-7, FR.-R, F, BAILEY, N.C.)

BRIAN BERSTICKER (6-10, JR., F/C, VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.)

Related News

Players Mentioned

Jason Capel

Ed Cota

Joseph Forte

Brendan Haywood

Kris Lang

Ademola Okulaja

Max Owens

Scott Williams

Related Videos