University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Prepare For N.C State
February 9, 2000 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 9, 2000
CAROLINA VISITS NC STATE
Carolina plays its second consecutive conference road game and first-ever game in the new Entertainment and Sports Arena when it visits NC State on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN.
The Tar Heels went 29-29 against NC State in Reynolds Coliseum but will play their first game against the Wolfpack in the new Entertainment and Sports Arena on Wednesday.
Brendan Haywood has made at least half his shots from the floor in 21 of 23 games this year and at least 70 percent five of the last six games. He has averaged 15.2 points in the last six contests.
Jason Capel has scored in double figures in eight straight games, averaging 15.0 points and hitting 18 of 34 field goals (52.9 percent) in that span.
Capel leads the ACC in three-point percentage in ACC games only at a .486 clip (18 of 37). 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 14.7Carolina leads the nation in field goal percentage and has shot at least 50 percent from the floor in 12 of the 23 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).
Carolina's defense has limited its opponents to 98 field goals in 262 attempts in the last four games, a percentage of .374. 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) and Clemson shot 39.7 percent (23 of 58).
In Carolina's 14 wins this season, the Tar Heels have shot 59.2 percent in the second half and 53.1 percent overall. In the Tar Heels' nine losses, they have shot 43.9 percent in the second half and 46.6 percent overall.
Although maligned for its defensive play, the Tar Heels have held their opponents under 40 percent shooting from the floor in 12 of the 23 games this season, including three of the last four games. Carolina has won 11 of 12 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.
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.
The Tar Heels average 15.3 turnovers per game this year, despite the fact that senior point guard Ed Cota averages just 3.0 miscues per game.
Carolina has turned the ball over more than its opponents in 15 of 23 games and committed an equal number of miscues in four other contests. The Tar Heels are 8-7 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 14 victories.
The Tar Heels have led at halftime in 11 of the 23 games and have won nine of those 11 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).
The Tar Heels have shot 50 percent or better from the field in the second half in 14 of the 23 games this season (60 percent six times and at least 70 percent three times). Carolina is 12-2 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.
CAROLINA'S STRONG SECOND HALF PERFORMANCES
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) Totals 170-109 .520 (64-123)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 WOLFPACK
Carolina and NC State will meet for the 196th time on Wednesday. The Tar Heels lead the series, 125-70, and have won eight of the last nine meetings. The only loss in that span came in 1997-98 at the Smith Center. The Wolfpack finished the game by making 25 consecutive free throws and 30 of 32 overall to claim an 86-72 victory and end UNC's 19-game home winning streak.
Carolina is 48-41 vs. NC State in Raleigh and went 29-29 against the Wolfpack in Reynolds Coliseum before NCSU moved to the Entertainment and Sports Arena this season. UNC has won three in a row against NC State in Raleigh, last losing there during the 1995-96 season.
Earlier this season in Chapel Hill, Ed Cota had a career-high 23 points as Carolina earned a 83-75 victory in the Smith Center. Joseph Forte added 18 points as UNC went on a 10-0 run at the end of the first half and a 22-9 run to open the second half. Brendan Haywood went 7-for-7 from the floor and had 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Carolina shot 71.1 percent for the game, the first time it shot over 70 percent in a game since Dec. 1, 1992 versus Old Dominion.
Last year, Carolina evened its alltime record vs. NC State at Reynolds Coliseum at 29-29 with a 59-56 victory in the Tar Heels' last game in the storied arena. State's Adam Harrington, who made five second-half three-point field goals, missed a potential game-winning three with eight seconds remaining. Brendan Haywood, who did not play for the first 10 minutes of the game, came off the bench to score 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting and grab six rebounds. Ademola Okulaja recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Last year in Chapel Hill, Kris Lang and Jason Capel each scored 15 points to lead Carolina to a 62-53 win. UNC trailed by as many as seven points in the second half but rallied and scored nine straight points in the final two minutes.
TAR HEEL INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS VS. NC STATE
Ed Cota: Hit the game-winning shot with 4.6 seconds remaining in Carolina's 45-44 win at Reynolds Coliseum as a freshman on Feb. 12, 1997 ... Recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 assists and added five rebounds in a 74-60 UNC win on Jan. 21, 1998, in Raleigh ... Finished with six points, six assists and four rebounds in a 62-53 UNC win on Feb. 17, 1999, in Chapel Hill...Scored a career-high 23 points on 8-for-8 shooting on Jan. 8, 2000, in Chapel Hill.
Brendan Haywood: Did not start but came off the bench to tally 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting, six rebounds and four blocked shots in a 59-56 UNC win at Reynolds Coliseum on Jan. 16, 1999 ... Had 13 points and six rebounds in a 62-53 win in Chapel Hill on Feb. 17, 1999...Hit all seven of his shots and finished with 16 points and seven rebounds on Jan. 8, 2000, in Chapel Hill.
KRIS LANG: Tied Jason Capel for the game high with 15 points in a 62-53 Carolina win on Feb. 17, 1999, in Chapel Hill ... Hit two free throws with 9:49 left to play to give Carolina a 43-42 lead after it had trailed by as many as seven points in the second half...Hit all 10 of his free throws (a career high) and finished with 10 points and three rebounds on Jan. 8, 2000, in Chapel Hill.
JASON CAPEL: Tied Kris Lang for the game high with 15 points in a 62-53 UNC win on Feb. 17, 1999, in the Smith Center ... After Carolina had trailed by as many as seven in the second half, Capel hit a three-pointer with 9:49 remaining to cut the NCSU lead to one .... Also grabbed six rebounds in the win.
JOSEPH FORTE: Recorded 18 points, four rebounds and three assists on Jan. 8, 2000, in Chapel Hill.
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.
DEFENSE, HAYWOOD DOMINATE GEORGIA TECH
Brendan Haywood 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.
Haywood picked up his third foul with 12:05 left in the first half and sat the rest of that period.
The Tar Heels shot 66.7 percent from the floor in the second half (16 of 24) and held the Yellow Jackets to 22 percent shooting from the floor in that half (9 of 41).
Georgia Tech shot 27.4 percent from the floor for the game, the lowest percentage by a UNC opponent since Florida International shot 26.4 percent on Nov. 16, 1998.
The win was Carolina's seventh in the last eight games against Georgia Tech.
Freshman Jonathan Holmes made his first career start at point guard (Ed Cota was one minute late for the pregame meal) and had one assist in four minutes. Holmes had six assists, five points and two turnovers in 22 minutes against Florida State on Jan. 22 in his first significant action.
Jason Capel led all scorers with 20 points. He was 5 for 9 from the floor, including 2 of 4 three-pointers, and was 8 for 8 from the free throw line.
Carolina's defense, especially big men Brendan Haywood, Kris Lang and Julius Peppers, limited Jason Collier and Alvin Jones to a combined 7 of 27 shooting from the floor.
The Tar Heels were 12 for 12 from the free throw line (Capel was 8 for 8).
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 NRThe 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 1,149 points, 930 assists and 446 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 eighth in NCAA history with 930 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. Gary Payton of Oregon State is seventh (939) 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 78.3 points per game in 1999-2000 and has scored more than 80 in 11 of 23 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 72-23 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
UNC Career Blocked Shots Has scored in double figures 38 times in his career with a high of 24 at California on Dec. 27, 1998, and against Maryland on Jan. 27, 2000.
Has 12 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 49 of 57 games over the last two seasons as a starter.
HAYWOOD's 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS
ACC Single-Season Field Goal Percentage Leads the team and ranks eighth in the ACC with 6.8 rebounds per game.
Scored in double figures in 15 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.
Has grabbed 54 rebounds in the last six games, an average of 9.0 per game.
Has made 19 of 24 field goal attempts in the last four games (.792).
Has hit 47 of 62 free throws (75.8 percent) in the last 13 games.
Grabbed 55 rebounds in the first 11 games of the season (5.0 rpg) but has 102 boards in the last 12 games (8.5 rpg).
ED COTA (6-1, SR., G, BROOKLYN, N.Y.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Carolina's alltime assist leader with 930. Is third in ACC history and eighth in NCAA history in assists. Needs 10 more assists to pass Gary Payton to move into seventh place.
Is third in ACC history with 7.44 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 26 career double-digit assist games, a UNC record.
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 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 a career-high 50.0 percent from the floor (89 for 178). His previous best was 49.3 percent as a sophomore.
Leads the team with a three-point percentage of 44.8 (26 of 58).
Has an assist-turnover ratio this year of 2.63 to 1 (184 assists/70 turnovers). That is the best ratio in the ACC.
Has seven or more assists in 19 of his 22 games and more assists than turnovers in 21 of 22 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 rebounds at Clemson on 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.
MAX OWENS (6-5, JR., G/F, MACON, GA.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
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.
OWENS' 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS
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 22 shots from the floor in the last seven contests (making 12).
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.
JASON CAPEL (6-8, SO., F/G, CHESAPEAKE, VA.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
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 83.4 percent from the free throw line. Was second in the ACC in free throw percentage last season.
1999-2000 ACC Free Throw Pct. Leaders
CAPEL's 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS
Averaging 15.0 points and shooting 52.9 percent (18 for 34) over the last eight games.
Second on the team in rebounds at 6.6 per contest behind center Brenan Haywood.
Is second in the ACC shooting 81.5 percent from the free throw line. Has converted 87.5 percent from the free throw line in ACC action (21 of 24).
Has made his last 19 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
Tenth 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.
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 46.7 percent from the floor, 38.1 percent from three-point range and 69.7 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 65 assists and 60 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 18 of the 22 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.
KRIS LANG (6-11, SO., F/C, GASTONIA, N.C.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Shooting 55.5 percent from the floor and averaging 9.9 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
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.
Had seven points and six rebounds in Maui title game against Purdue.
Has scored 115 points in the last 11 games (10.5 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 22 of 42 field goals (52.4 percent) in his last four games after shooting 6-for-17 in losses to Virginia and Florida State.
BRIAN BERSTICKER (6-10, JR., F/C, VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.) CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
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
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).
JULIUS PEPPERS (6-7, FR.-R, F, BAILEY, N.C.) 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS
Averaging 3.7 points and 3.6 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.
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.
TAR HEEL PLAYERS IN THE NBA
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) will each take part in the NBA dunk contest on All-Star Weekend.
TAR HEELS IN NBA ADMINISTRATION
Carolina's ACC Players of the Week
GAME FACTS
Head Coaches
NC STATE: Herb Sendek (Carnegie-Mellon ˇ85)
Television: ESPN (Mike Patrick, Dan Bonner)
Series: Carolina leads, 125-70
Carolina's alltime leader in field goal percentage. Has made 65.6 percent of his shot attempts from the floor (309 for 471). Second-best is Rasheed Wallace at 63.5 percent.
1. Brendan Haywood (97-active) .656
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).
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) 152
Averaging 8.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in his 95-game career. Scored 11 points against Clemson on Feb. 6 to give him 818 points for his career. Over the last two seasons as a starter, he is averaging 12.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest.
Would lead the nation in field goal percentage at .722 if he had one more field goal. Has converted 114 of 158 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 57.9 percent from the floor.
1. Brendan Haywood (99-00) .722
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 2.6 per game. Has blocked 59 shots in 23 contests.
Is the first player in ACC history to score 1,000 points, have 800 assists and 400 rebounds in his career.
1. Ed Cota (1996-present) 930
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. Gary Payton, Oregon State 939
8. Ed Cota, North Carolina 930
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 930
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 7.44
4. Grayson Marshall, Clemson 7.02
5. Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech 6.98
COTA'S 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS
Leads the ACC and is third in the nation with a career-high 8.4 assists per game. Florida State's Delvon Arrington is second in the ACC at 6.6 per game.
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.
Fifth on the team with 9.9 points per contest.
Carolina's most versatile player. Playing mainly at the small and big forward spots this year after playing mostly off guard as a freshman.
1. Shane Battier, Duke .846 (88-104)
2. Jason Capel, UNC .815 (75-92)
3. Juan Dixon, Maryland .802 (77-96)
4. Darius Songaila, Wake Forest .800 (72-90)
5. Chris Carrawell, Duke .771 (84-109)
Has improved his points, rebounds and shooting percentage this season.
Has scored in double figures in 17 contests, including eight games in a row, and had 20 or more points five times.
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.
Averaged 10.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a freshman and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.
Summer virus and shin splints severely hampered his playing time and effectiveness in the first semester.
Has shot 54.9 percent from the floor (78 for 142) and 77.4 percent from the free throw line.
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.
Joined the basketball team on Nov. 29 after the Tar Heels returned from the Maui Invitational.
(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.
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
ob McAdoo Asst. coach, Miami
Mike OKoren Asst. coach, New Jersey
Donnie Walsh President, Indiana
Carolina's ACC Rookies of the Week
Nov. 30 - Joseph Forte
Dec. 20 - Jason Capel
Jan. 31 - Brendan Haywood (co-winner)
North Carolina (14-9, 5-4 ACC)
NC State (15-5, 5-4 ACC)
North Carolina: Bill Guthridge (Kansas State ˇ60)
Guthridge's Record as Head Coach: 72-23 (3rd year)
Guthridge's Record at UNC: 72-23 (3rd year)
Sendek's Record as Head Coach: 131-75 (7th year)
Sendek's Record at NC State: 68-49 (4th year)
Radio: Learfield Communications (Woody Durham, Mick Mixon)
Last Meeting: 1/8/00 - Carolina 83, NC State 75 in the Smith Center in Chapel Hill
Last Meeting in Raleigh: 1/16/99 - Carolina 59, NC State 56
