University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Plays Wake Forest In ACC Tournament
March 8, 2000 | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2000
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina will play Wake Forest at 12:00 noon Friday in the quarterfinals of the 2000 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. UNC, which tied with Virginia for third place in the final regular-season standings, is the Tournament's No. 4 seed. Wake Forest is the No. 5 seed.
The winner of Friday's quarterfinal game will play Saturday at 1:30 p.m. against the winner of Thursday's Duke-Clemson game.
Carolina is seeking its third ACC title in four years after capturing the league crown in 1997 and 1998. The Tar Heels reached the ACC finals in 1999.
The quarterfinal round game against Wake Forest is Carolina's 103rd in ACC Tournament history. No other team has played that many games. Duke is second with 96 games prior to this year's event.
Carolina has won four of the previous nine ACC Tournaments played in Charlotte. The Tar Heels have won titles in Charlotte in 1968, 1969, 1991 and 1994. Georgia Tech and Duke have won two crowns and NC State has won one title in the Queen City.
With each assist Ed Cota tallies in the 2000 ACC Tournament, he will extend his own record of 67 career ACC Tournament assists. He dished out 29 assists in the 1999 ACC Tournament, becoming the alltime leader. Cota led Carolina to ACC championships in 1997 and '98 and to the ACC finals in '99.
Cota needs eight assists to become the third player in NCAA history with 1,000 career assists. Cota would join Bobby Hurley of Duke (1,076) and Chris Corchiani of NC State (1,038).
Bill Guthridge is 5-1 in the ACC Tournament as Carolina's head coach. Guthridge led the Tar Heels to the 1998 conference championship in his first year as UNC's head coach and led the Heels to the ACC finals in 1999.
The Tar Heels have hit just 12 of 48 three-point attempts in their last four games and 16 of 59 in their last five contests.
Brendan Haywood has hit 62 of his last 82 field goal attempts (75.6 percent). Haywood has made at least half his shots from the floor in 28 of 30 games this year and at least 70 percent in 10 of the last 13 games. He has averaged 14.6 points per game in the last 13 contests.
Jason Capel has scored in double figures in 14 of the last 15 games and is averaging 13.8 points over those 15 games.
Joseph Forte has led Carolina in scoring in each of the last three games, averaging 23.0 ppg in those contests.
Forte (16.6 points per game) has led Carolina and all ACC freshmen in scoring throughout the season. No freshman has ever led Carolina in scoring and none has averaged more points than Forte has so far this season.
Carolina has turned the ball over more than its opponents in 21 of 30 games and committed an equal number of miscues in four other contests. The Tar Heels are 11-10 in games in which they commit more turnovers, 4-1 in games they force more turnovers and 3-1 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 17.7 turnovers in its 12 losses and 13.5 per game in its 18 victories.
UNC went 7-5 at the Smith Center this season and has lost five home games in one season for the first time since moving into the Smith Center in January 1986. Carolina tied the school record for home losses in a season (also set in 1929-30 and 1943-44).
Carolina leads the ACC and the nation in field goal percentage (.503). In ACC games only, the Tar Heels are second in the ACC in field goal percentage defense (.411).
GAME FACTS
No. 4 seed North Carolina (18-12, 9-7 ACC)No. 5 seed Wake Forest (16-13, 7-9 ACC)
Head Coaches
North Carolina: Bill Guthridge (Kansas State '60)Guthridge's Record as Head Coach: 76-26 (.745), 3rd year
Guthridge's Record at UNC: same
WAKE FOREST: Dave Odom (Guilford '65)
Odom's Record as Head Coach: 253-162, 14th year
Odom's Record at Wake Forest: 215-120, 11th year
Television: Raycom/JP/ESPN
Radio: Learfield Communications (Woody Durham, Mick Mixon)
Series: Carolina leads, 144-56
Last Meeting: 2/12/00 - Carolina 87, Wake Forest 64 in Chapel Hill
Last Meeting in ACC Tournament: Carolina 86, Wake Forest 73 on March 2, 1997, in 1997 semifinals in Greensboro
CAROLINA IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT
The Tar Heels have dominated the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, winning the title a record 15 times. UNC has played in the championship game 26 times in 46 years. Duke and N.C. State are second with 10 Tournament championships each and Duke is second in title game appearances with 20.
Carolina's ACC Tournament championships have come in 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997 and 1998. The Tar Heels have played in the ACC Tournament finals in eight of the last nine years and 11 of the last 13 seasons. The only seasons Carolina has not advanced to the finals in the last 13 years were in 1990 and 1996. UNC lost in the quarterfinals in each of those seasons. The Tar Heels have not lost a semifinal round game since 1984.
UNC'S ACC TOURNAMENT RECORD
Carolina has won more ACC Tournament games than any other school. The Tar Heels have an alltime record of 72-30 in the Tournament. Duke is second with 60 wins, followed by N.C. State (50), Wake Forest (36), Maryland (33), Virginia (27), Georgia Tech (15), Clemson (12) and Florida State (2).
15 ACC TITLES
Carolina has won 15 ACC Tournament championships, five more than any other school. Duke and NC State are second with 10 titles each. Wake Forest has four titles, Georgia Tech has three, Maryland two, Virginia and South Carolina have one apiece.
CAROLINA'S CHARLOTTE SUCCESS
Carolina has won 18 of its last 20 games at the Charlotte Coliseum, with the only losses coming to the College of Charleston on Dec. 5, 1998, in the Food Lion MVP Classic and to Duke in the 1999 ACC Tournament final.
Carolina is 18-5 in ACC Tournament games in Charlotte. Carolina has been to the championship game in each of the last five ACC Tournaments played in Charlotte (1991-92-93-94-99), winning titles in 1991 and 1994.
Overall, Carolina sports an incredible 155-16 record in the city of Charlotte, a winning percentage of .906.
ACC TOURNAMENT MVPS
Carolina players have won the ACC Tournament Most Valuable Player Award in two of the last three seasons. Shammond Williams won the award in 1997 and Antawn Jamison became the 15th Tar Heel to capture the honor in 1998. Jamison scored 25 points against NC State in the quarterfinals, 15 in the semifinal vs. Maryland despite a painful groin injury and then had 22 points and 18 rebounds in the final vs. Duke.
Jamison was Carolina's 16th MVP. Other UNC MVPs include: Lennie Rosenbluth in 1957, Larry Miller in 1967 and 1968, Charlie Scott in 1969, Lee Dedmon in 1971, Robert McAdoo in 1972, Phil Ford in 1975, John Kuester in 1977, Dudley Bradley in 1979, Sam Perkins in 1982, James Worthy in 1982, J.R. Reid in 1989, Rick Fox in 1991, Jerry Stackhouse in 1994, and Shammond Williams in 1997. Dedmon shared the award with South Carolina's John Roche.
Ford, Perkins and Stackhouse are the only freshmen in league history to win MVP honors. Miller and NC State's Tommy Burleson are the only players to earn the award in consecutive seasons.
NO. 4 SEED
Carolina is 4-4 as the No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament and 8-4 versus No. 5 seeds.
The Tar Heels have won the ACC Tournament one time as the No. 4 seed. In 1989, Carolina beat second-seeded Duke in the finals to win the title.
This season marks just the third time since 1966 that Carolina has been seeded fourth in the ACC Tournament (UNC was also seeded No. 4 in 1989 and 1990).
TAR HEELS AND DEMON DEACONS
Carolina and Wake Forest are meeting for the 201st time on Friday in a rivalry that began during the 1910-11 season. The Tar Heels hold a 144-56 advantage in the series and have won seven of the last eight meetings with the Demon Deacons.
Bill Guthridge is 5-1 vs. the Deacons as UNC's head coach.
UNC VS. WAKE FOREST IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT
Carolina has won 13 of 20 ACC Tournament games against Wake Forest. Most recently, Carolina defeated the Demon Deacons, 86-73, in the 1997 ACC Tournament semifinals in Greensboro.
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 ... Had 10 points and 13 assists in UNC's 87-64 win in Chapel Hill this season.
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 ... Had 20 points, 10 rebounds and tied his career high with four assists this season in Chapel Hill.
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 ... Had 12 points, 13 rebounds and five assists this season in Chapel Hill.
JOSEPH FORTE: Hit a season-high 6-of-8 three-pointers and scored a game-high 24 points on Feb. 12 in Chapel Hill ... In that game in the Smith Center, missed his first two three-point attempts and hit his next six in a row.
EARLIER THIS SEASON IN CHAPEL HILL
The Tar Heels had three players post double-doubles for the first time since 1997 as they outscored the Demon Deacons, 54-32, in the second half to avenge a Jan. 12 loss in Winston-Salem.
Brendan Haywood tied his career highs in field goals (nine) and assists (four) and finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Joseph Forte led all scorers with 24 points, hitting six straight three-pointers after missing his first two of the day.
Carolina shot 65.4 percent in the second half while holding the Deacons to 29.7 percent shooting in the second half.
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.
COTA, FORTE, HAYWOOD EARN ALL-ACC HONORS
Senior point guard Ed Cota and freshman guard Joseph Forte each were named second-team All-ACC on Tuesday in a vote of the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Assocation. Junior center Brendan Haywood earned third-team honors. Forte also was a unanimous selection to the ACC's All-Freshman team.
It was the third consecutive year in which Cota earned second team All-ACC honors. This season, he was the seventh-leading vote-getter for All-ACC, receiving more first-place votes than any other second-team honoree. In 1998, Cota received the seventh-most votes and in 1999 he received the eighth-most votes.
It was the fourth year in a row that no ACC point guard was named first-team All-ACC.
Forte tied with Chris Williams of Virginia for the final spot on the second team and was the only freshman named to the first or second team. He also was a unanimous selection to the All-Freshman team. Joining Forte as a unanimous choice to the All-Freshman team was Duke's Jason Williams.
Haywood earned third-team All-ACC honors as the third-leading vote-getter on the Third Team.
Junior forward Jason Capel was an Honorable Mention choice.
Carolina did not have a player on the first team for the first time since 1994.
FORTE NAMED ACC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK FOR FOURTH TIME
For the second straight week, the third time in the last four weeks and the fourth time this season, UNC freshman guard Joseph Forte was named the ACC Rookie of the Week after leading the Tar Heels in scoring in both of their games this past week.
The Greenbelt, Md. product netted 43 points on the week, and his top outing came on Saturday as he hit on 11-of-20 shots from the floor in scoring 24 points against Duke. That performance was the seventh 20-point outing for the rookie this season.
Earlier in the week, Forte had 19 points, including the game-winning field goal in overtime to lift North Carolina to a 74-72 win over Georgia Tech. Also in that game, he added a career-high six steals, all in the first half.
On the season, Forte ranks sixth in the ACC in scoring, tops among freshmen, and also ranks among the top ten in field goal percentage (.470), three-point field goal percentage (.377) and steals per game (1.6).
Forte has been named ACC Rookie of the Week four times ? on Nov. 30, Feb. 14, Feb. 28 and March 6.
BERSTICKER UNDERGOES SECOND SURGERY
Junior forward/center Brian Bersticker underwent surgery on March 6 to repair a re-fracture of his fifth left metatarsal. The Virginia Beach, Va., native suffered the original fracture in Carolina's win over the College of Charleston on December 3rd and had surgery three days later.
He returned to practice in early February on a limited basis, but experienced pain in the same area a week later. X-rays at the time did not show a second fracture, but last week team doctors discovered a slight break and opted for surgery. The surgery was performed by Dr. Tim Taft, UNC's Director of Sports Medicine.
"The surgery went as planned and was successful," says athletic trainer Marc Davis. "Brian should be able to fully return to competition next season."
Bersticker is not the first student-athlete to suffer a similar re-fracture. Tisha Venturini had a similar injury in 1993 and returned to earn National Soccer Player-of-the-Year honors in 1994. World champion sprinter Marion Jones broke the fifth metatarsal on two occasions in 1995-96, three years before she won the 100 meters at the world championships.
Bersticker averaged 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in Carolina's first five games. He scored 12 points against Purdue in the Maui Invitational championship game and grabbed seven rebounds in the season opener against Southern California. Bersticker made 12 of 17 field goal attempts this year.
He announced on February 20th that he would not return to action this season and would be requesting a medical redshirt.
ACC STREAKS CONTINUE
Carolina finished 9-7 in the ACC this season, tying Virginia for third place in the final conference regular-season standings. That marks the 36th season in a row Carolina has finished in the top three of the ACC. Carolina has finished first 17 times, second 12 times and third seven times.
Carolina's 9-7 conference mark this year is its 36th consecutive winning record in the ACC.
Carolina went 4-4 on the road in ACC play this season, marking the eighth straight season the Heels have won at least half of their ACC road games.
HAYWOOD HEATING UP
Junior center Brendan Haywood has been dominant at times in the second half of this season, earning third-team All-ACC honors.
Haywood is now shooting 157 for 216 from the floor this year, a percentage of .727. That is an alltime ACC single-season best and would be the second-highest percentage in NCAA single-season history. Steve Johnson of Oregon State shot 74.6 (235 for 315) in 1980-81. Dwayne Davis of Florida shot 72.2 (179 for 248) in 1988-89 and would rank third behind Johnson and Haywood.
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 20 games since, he has averaged 14.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest and hit 73.5 percent of his shots.
Has hit 60 of 88 free throws (68.2 percent) in the last 20 games as compared to 63.4 percent overall.
He has made 62 of 82 field goal attempts in the last 11 games (.756).
In ACC games, Haywood has improved his field goal percentage (73.3 to 72.7) scoring average (14.0 vs. 13.3), rebounding average (8.4 vs. 7.3) and free throw percentage (64.9 vs. 62.0) compared to his overall averages. Ranks fourth in the conference in rebounding in ACC games only.
Haywood grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds at Maryland on Feb. 26.
CAROLINA'S STRONG SECOND HALF PERFORMANCES
In Carolina's 18 wins this season, the Tar Heels have shot 58.3 percent in the second half and 52.4 percent overall. In the Tar Heels' 12 losses, they have shot 46.5 percent in the second half and 47.5 percent overall.
The Tar Heels have shot 50 percent or better from the field in the second half in 19 of their 30 games this season (60 percent eight times and at least 70 percent three times).
Carolina is 15-4 in games in which it shoots 50 percent or better >from the floor in the second half. The losses were at Virginia (UNC made 55 percent from the floor but committed nine second-half turnovers), vs. Duke at home (UNC forced overtime after trailing by 19 in the second half), at Maryland (UNC made 55.9 percent in the second half but the Terps shot 53.6 percent after the break) and at Duke.
Carolina in the Second Half (Last 11 games)
| 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) |
| 2/9 - @ NC State | 42-36 | .552 (16-29) |
| 2/12 - Wake Forest | 54-32 | .654 (17-26) |
| 2/20 - Virginia | 43-44 | .400 (14-35) |
| 2/23 - @ Fla. State | 38-38 | .583 (14-24) |
| 2/26 - @ Maryland | 46-44 | .559 (19-34) |
| 3/1 - Georgia Tech | 34-32 | .457 (16-35) |
| 3/4 - @ Duke | 49-48 | .690 (20-29) |
| Totals | 476-383 | .537 (180-335) |
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 15 of 30 games this season, including six of the last 11 games.
Carolina has won 14 of 15 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 has allowed its opponents to shoot 45.0 percent or better in just nine games this season.
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.
DUKE BEATS CAROLINA IN REGULAR SEASON FINALE
Duke forced a season-high 23 Carolina turnovers, including 16 in the first half, and defeated the Tar Heels, 90-76, on March 4 in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The game was the final regular-season game of the year for each team.
Carolina lost despite shooting 69.0 percent from the floor in the second half (20 of 29) and 58.2 percent for the game.
Ed Cota missed an eight-minute stretch of the first half after banging heads with teammate Jason Capel and receiving five stitches to his left eyelid. Duke, which led 15-10 at the time of Cota's injury, went on a 21-8 run during his absence.
Joseph Forte scored 24 points on 11 of 20 shooting to lead Carolina.
Despite missing eight minutes while receiving stitches to his eyelid, Cota finished with 11 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds. It was the 10th game this season in which Cota has dished out 10 or more assists.
Shane Battier hit 6 of 9 three-pointers for Duke and led all scorers with 30 points. Chris Carrawell added 21 for the Blue Devils.
CAROLINA OUTLASTS GEORGIA TECH IN OVERTIME
Carolina shot just 42.9 percent from the floor but limited its turnovers to nine and outlasted Georgia Tech, 74-72, in overtime on March 1 in the Smith Center. The game marked the final regular season home game for UNC seniors Ed Cota, Matt Laczkowski and Terrence Newby. With the win, the Tar Heels clinched clinched its 36th consecutive winning record in the ACC.
UNC held the Yellow Jackets to 39.7 shooting, the 15th time the Heels have held their opponents to 40 percent-or-less shooting this season.
Senior Ed Cota dished out 11 assists, 10 of which came after halftime, and grabbed seven rebounds in his final home game as a Tar Heel. Cota also scored six points.
Freshman Joseph Forte led Carolina with 19 points and tallied a career-high six steals, all in the first half. He scored four of UNC's 10 overtime points to help ice the win.
Redshirt freshman walkon Julius Peppers picked up the slack after starting power forward Kris Lang was hampered by a strained left quadricep. Peppers scored a career-high 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and also grabbed four rebounds.
Bill Guthridge is now 7-2 in overtime games as Carolina's head coach.
MARYLAND TOPS HEELS IN COLLEGE PARK
Maryland forced 17 Carolina turnovers, including 12 in the first half, and defeated the Tar Heels, 81-73, on Feb. 26 in College Park, Md. The Terrapins scored 20 points off those UNC turnovers, compared to just six points off turnovers for Carolina.
UNC led, 27-25, with 3:13 left in the first half before the Terps went on a 12-0 run and took a 37-27 lead into halftime.
Brendan Haywood had a career-high 17 rebounds for the Heels.
Playing minutes from his home in Greenbelt, Md., hit 11 of 16 field goals to lead all scorers with 26 points. Forte had 14 in the first half.
Ed Cota finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
Kris Lang fouled out with 14:27 still to play in the second half, scoring six points and grabbing one rebound in 14 minutes of action.
Juan Dixon hit five three-pointers and led Maryland with 23 points.
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 |
| Feb. 14 | NR | NR |
| Feb. 21 | NR | NR |
| Feb. 28 | NR | NR |
| March 6 | 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 624.
COTA'S CAREER NUMBERS IN EXCLUSIVE COMPANY
Senior point guard Ed Cota has 1,213 points, 992 assists and 483 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.
He needs just eight assists and 17 rebounds to become the only 1,000-point, 1,000-assist and 500-rebound player in ACC history.
Cota ranks third in ACC and NCAA history with 992 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.
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 was 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 MARCH 6)
Brendan Haywood led the nation in individual field goal percentage (.727) and is 27th in blocked shots (2.5 per game).
Ed Cota ranked third nationally in assists (8.5 per game).
Carolina led the nation in field goal percentage (.503).
NCAA Field Goal Percentage Leaders (as of March 6)
| Team | FG Pct. |
| 1. North Carolina | .503 |
| 2. Samford | .503 |
| 3. Bowling Green | .498 |
| 4. Long Beach State | .496 |
| 5. Austin Peay | .493 |
SCORING IS UP
Carolina is averaging 77.6 points per game in 1999-2000 and has scored more than 80 12 times. 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.
CAROLINA'S TOUGH SCHEDULE
The Tar Heels have played one of the most difficult schedules in the nation this season. Nine of the 10 schools that have defeated Carolina this season have at least 16 wins and five of the 10 have 20 or more victories.
Carolina's top regular-season non-conference wins include: at Miami (19 wins, co-Big East champions), Purdue (21-8, third in the Big 10), College of Charleston (22-5, 2nd in the Southern Conference) and UNLV (20-7, second in the Mountain West).
UNC is 32nd in the latest RPI ratings and have played the 11th-toughest schedule in the country.
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.
JAMISON'S NO. 33 RETIRED
Former Tar Heel and current Golden State Warrior Antawn Jamison returned to Chapel Hill on March 1 to have his jersey hung in the Smith Center rafters at halftime of the Georgia Tech game. As the unanimous National Player of the Year in 1998, Jamison's number was retired.
"It's a very special moment, not only for me, but for my family and friends and especially for the University," Jamison said prior to the ceremony. "I'm definitely grateful that this happened to me. When you think about whose numbers are up there, that's something special. I'm just very fortunate."
Jamison is the seventh Tar Heel player to have his jersey retired, joining Jack Cobb, George Glamack (#20), Lennie Rosenbluth (#10), Phil Ford (#12), James Worthy (#52) and Michael Jordan (#23).
Jamison graduated from Carolina in December of 1999 with a BA in International Studies.
A three-time first-team All-ACC honoree, Jamison led Carolina to back-to-back Final Four appearances and ACC Tournament championships in 1997 and '98. Despite leaving Carolina after his junior season to be the fourth overall pick in the '98 NBA Draft, Jamison ranks fourth in school history in rebounding (1,027) and seventh in scoring (1,974). He was named the ACC's top male athlete in all sports in 1998.
Vince Carter, Jamison's teammate from 1996-98, will have his jersey honored at some point next season as his schedule permits. Scheduling conflicts have prevented the players from being honored this year. Jamison underwent knee surgery last week and is out for the remainder of the 1999-2000 NBA season.
HEAD COACH BILL GUTHRIDGE
Guthridge is 76-26 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.
After the 74-72 overtime win over Georgia Tech on March 1, Guthridge is now 7-2 in overtime games as UNC's head coach.
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 66.5 percent of his shot attempts from the floor (352 for 529). Second-best is Rasheed Wallace at 63.5 percent.
UNC Career Field Goal Percentage
| 1. | Brendan Haywood (97-active) | .665 |
| 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 |
Is tied for fourth with Eric Montross in school history in career blocked shots with 169. Kevin Salvadori is third with 174 blocks.
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 |
| Brendan Haywood (97-active) | 169 |
Averaging 9.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in his 102-game career. Over the last two seasons as a starter, he is averaging 12.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.
Has scored in double figures 44 times in his career with a high of 24 at California on Dec. 27, 1998, and against Maryland on Jan. 27, 2000.
Has 14 career double-doubles (points and rebounds).
Has scored 20 or more points nine times, most recently vs. Wake Forest on Feb. 12.
Has made 50 percent or more of his field goal attempts in 56 of 64 games over the last two seasons as a starter.
Grabbed 10 rebounds against Wake Forest on Feb. 12 to pass 500 for his career (he now has 544).
HAYWOOD'S 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS
Earned third-team All-ACC honors.
Leads the nation in field goal percentage at .727. Has converted 157 of 216 field goal attempts. The single-season ACC record is .670 by Clemson's Dale Davis in 1988-89.
1999-2000 NCAA Field Goal Percentage Leaders (as of March 6)
| 1. | Brendan Haywood (North Carolina) | .727 |
| 2. | John Whorton (Kent) | .630 |
| 3. | Stromile Swift (LSU) | .618 |
| 4. | Joel Przybilla (Minnesota) | .613 |
| 5. | Melvin Ely (Frenso State) | .613 |
1999-2000 ACC Field Goal Percentage Leaders (as of March 6)
| 1. | Brendan Haywood (North Carolina) | .727 |
| 2. | Lonny Baxter (Maryland) | .536 |
| 2. | Damous Anderson (Florida State) | .527 |
| 3. | Chris Williams (Virginia) | .524 |
| 5. | Shane Battier (Duke) | .506 |
ACC Single-Season Field Goal Percentage Leaders
| 1. | Brendan Haywood, UNC (99-00) | .727 |
| 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 |
Second in the ACC in blocked shots with 2.5 per game. Has blocked 76 shots in 30 contests.
Leads the team and seventh in the ACC with 7.3 rebounds per game.
Has scored in double figures in 21 games with a high of 24 against Maryland on Jan. 27.
Blocked a career-high seven shots vs. the College of Charleston. Also blocked six at Duke on March 4.
Grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds at Maryland on Feb. 26.
Scored 10 of his 14 points against top-ranked Cincinnati in the second half.
Posted consecutive double-doubles against Louisville and Howard.
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.
Against Wake Forest on Feb. 12, Brendan Haywood matched his career-highs for made field goals and assists for the second consecutive game. He was 9 for 12 from the floor and had 4 assists at NC State on Feb. 9 and was 9 for 10 from the floor and had 4 assists on Feb. 12 against Wake Forest. He previously had made nine field goals in a game one other time (at Cal last year) and had four assists just one other time (Appalachian State last year).
At Florida State, he hit all seven of his field goal attempts and finished with 19 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots.
At Maryland on Feb. 26, grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds.
Haywood is now shooting 157 for 216 from the floor this year, a percentage of .727. That is an alltime ACC single-season best and would be the second-highest percentage in NCAA single-season history. Steve Johnson of Oregon State shot 74.6 (235 for 315) in 1980-81. Dwayne Davis of Florida shot 72.2 (179 for 248) in 1988-89 and would rank third behind Johnson and Haywood.
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 20 games since, he has averaged 14.1 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest and hit 73.5 percent of his shots.
Has hit 60 of 88 free throws (68.2 percent) in the last 20 games as compared to 63.4 percent overall.
He has made 62 of 82 field goal attempts in the last 11 games (.756).
In ACC games, Haywood has improved his field goal percentage (73.3 to 72.7) scoring average (14.0 vs. 13.3), rebounding average (8.4 vs. 7.3) and free throw percentage (64.9 vs. 62.0) compared to his overall averages. Ranks fourth in the conference in rebounding in ACC games only.
Haywood has five double-doubles this season. He has recorded double figures in rebounds in four of the last eight games, including a career-high 17 at Maryland on Feb. 26.
Blocked six shots at Duke and finished with 10 points, six rebounds, six blocks and three assists.
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 992. Is third in NCAA and ACC history in assists.
Is third in ACC history with 7.52 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 30 career double-digit assist games, a UNC record. Ranks third in ACC history in 10-assist games.
Sixth in UNC history with 186 steals. Dudley Bradley is fifth with 190.
Has scored in double figures 58 times. Career scoring high is 23 points against NC State on Jan. 8, 2000.
Has 14 career double-doubles (13 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) | 992 |
| 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. | Ed Cota, North Carolina | 992 |
| 4. | Keith Jennings, East Tennessee State | 983 |
| 5. | Sherman Douglas, Syracuse | 960 |
| 6. | Tony Miller, Marquette | 956 |
| 7. | Greg Anthony, Portland/UNLV | 950 |
| 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 | 992 |
| 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 | 7.52 |
| 4. | Grayson Marshall, Clemson | 7.02 |
| 5. | Kenny Anderson, Georgia Tech | 6.98 |
ACC Career 10-Assist Games
| 1. | Chris Corchiani, NC State | 49 |
| 2. | Bobby Hurley, Duke | 33 |
| 3. | Ed Cota, North Carolina | 30 |
| 4. | Tyrone Bogues, Wake Forest | 28 |
| 5. | Sidney Lowe, NC State | 26 |
COTA'S 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS
Named second-team All-ACC for the third consecutive year.
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 6.5 per game.
Enters the ACC Tournament with 246 assists, his second-highest single-season total. He had a career-high 274 assists in 1998 and recorded 234 in 1997 and 238 in 1999.
1999-2000 NCAA Assist Leaders (as of March 6)
| 1. | Mark Dickel (UNLV) | 8.9 |
| 2. | Doug Gottlieb (Oklahoma St.) | 8.7 |
| 3. | Ed Cota (North Carolina) | 8.5 |
| 4. | Chico Fletcher (Arkansas St.) | 8.3 |
| 5. | Brandon Granville (Southern California) | 8.3 |
Has an assist-turnover ratio this year of 2.59 to 1 (246 assists/95 turnovers). That is the best ratio in the ACC.
Leading the ACC in minutes played at over 36 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.
Has scored in double figures in 15 games and had double-doubles in four 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.
Second on the team behind Jason Capel with a three-point percentage of 40.5 (32 of 79).
Has seven or more assists in 23 of his 29 games and more assists than turnovers in 26 of 29 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 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.
Had 10 points and 13 assists against Wake Forest on Feb. 12, his second double-figure assist game in a row. Combined to post 24 assists and four turnovers in the wins over NCSU and WFU. That is the first time this year and eighth in his career he posted 10-plus assists in back-to-back contests.
Blocked a Delvon Arrington three-pointer that could've tied the game with 0:54 left in the second half of a 70-67 win at Florida State on Feb. 23. Also grabbed two key defensive rebounds down the stretch to ice the win.
Tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and six assists at Maryland on Feb. 26.
Had 11 assists, including 10 after halftime, and seven rebounds in his final home game on March 1 vs. Georgia Tech.
Despite missing 13 minutes of first-half action after getting five stitches to his left eyelid, still recorded 11 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds on March 4 at Duke.
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 81.0 percent free throw shooter.
Has scored in double figures 18 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 531 points.
OWENS' 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS
Fifth on the team in scoring with 8.7 points per contest.
Has scored in double figures nine 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.
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.
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.
Scored 10 points against Wake Forest on Feb. 12, his first double-figure day since scoring 14 against Clemson on Jan. 2.
Scored in double figures in 9 of the first 14 games, but then scored a total of 45 points in the next nine games. However, in a three-game stretch Feb. 9-20, he scored eight (at NC State),10 (Wake Forest) and 10 (Virginia) points, averaging 9.3 ppg.
JASON CAPEL (6-8, SO., F/G, CHESAPEAKE, VA.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Carolina's most versatile player. Playing mainly at the small forward spot this year after playing mostly off guard as a freshman. Also played at power forward early this season.
Had off-season back surgery to repair two disks and is playing pain free for the first time in several years.
Has improved his points, rebounds and field goal percentage this season.
Has scored in double figures 33 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 83.8 percent from the free throw line in his career. Was second in the ACC in free throw percentage last season.
1999-2000 ACC Free Throw Pct. Leaders (As of March 6)
| 1. | Darius Songaila, Wake Forest | .833 |
| 2. | Jason Capel, UNC | .826 |
| 3. | Shane Battier, Duke | .823 |
| 4. | Juan Dixon, Maryland | .808 |
| 5. | Chris Carrawell, Duke | .771 |
CAPEL'S 1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS
Honorable mention All-ACC honoree.
Has scored in double figures in 23 contests, including 14 of the last 15 games. Has scored 20 or more points five times.
Averaging 13.8 points over the last 15 games.
Second on the team behind Brendan Haywood in rebounds at 6.7 per contest. Ranks ninth in the ACC in rebounding.
Is second in the ACC from the free throw line, shooting 82.6 percent. Has converted 86.8 percent from the free throw line in ACC action.
Has made 44 of his last 48 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.
Had 12 points and 13 rebounds and five assists against Wake Forest on Feb. 12. Recorded his fourth double-double against Wake, all coming this year (Buffalo 13 pts and 12 rebs, Miami 20 pts and 14 rebs, Maryland 11 pts and 12 rebs, Wake Forest 12 pts and 13 rebs).
Led Carolina with 17 points and nine rebounds before fouling out on Feb. 20 vs. Virginia.
Had 15 points and a career-high seven assists on Feb. 23 at Florida State.
JOSEPH FORTE (6-4, FR., G, GREENBELT, MD.)
1999-2000 HIGHLIGHTS
A second-team All-ACC honoree and unanimous selection to the ACC's All-Freshman team.
Carolina's leading scorer at 16.6 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.
Sixth in the ACC in scoring average and tops among freshmen. Eighth in the conference in field goal percentage.
On pace to become the first UNC freshman to lead the team in scoring since freshmen became eligible to play in 1972-73.
Has led Carolina in scoring or tied for the team lead in 11 games this season.
Has 497 points on the season. Sam Perkins holds the UNC freshman scoring record with 550 points in 1980-81.
Alltime UNC Freshmen Scoring (by average)
| Player | Season | Scoring Average |
| 1. Joseph Forte | 1999-2000 | 16.6 |
| 2. Phil Ford | 1974-1975 | 16.4 |
| 3. Antawn Jamison | 1995-1996 | 15.1 |
| 4. Sam Perkins | 1980-1981 | 14.9 |
| 5. J.R. Reid | 1986-1987 | 14.7 |
Alltime UNC Freshmen Scoring (by total points)
| Player | Season | Points |
| 1. Sam Perkins | 1980-1981 | 550 |
| 2. J.R. Reid | 1986-1987 | 528 |
| 3. Phil Ford | 1974-1975 | 508 |
| 4. Joseph Forte | 1999-2000 | 497 |
Has scored in double figures in all but three games and topped 20 points seven times. Had 24 in his collegiate debut against Southern California, 21 in the Maui championship game vs. Purdue, a season-high 27 at Virginia, 20 vs. Duke, 24 at home vs. Wake Forest, 26 at Maryland and 24 at Duke.
Scored more points in his freshman debut than any Tar Heel in history.
Is third on the team in rebounds at 5.3 per game. Has six or more boards in 13 games with a season-high 11 at Virginia. Also had nine boards (five offensive) against Maryland on Jan. 27.
Ranks second on the team in assists with 82 and had a season-high six against top-ranked Cincinnati.
Has connected on at least one three-point field goal in 24 of the 30 games with a high of six at home vs. Wake Forest.
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.
Led all scorers with 24 points against Wake Forest on Feb. 12. Missed his first two three-point attempts but hit six in a row to finish 6 of 8. That was the first time a UNC player hit six three-pointers since Shammond Williams had six vs. UNC Charlotte in the 1998 NCAA Tournament second round.
Named the ACC's Rookie of the Week for the second time on Feb. 14. Forte averaged 20.0 points and 4.5 rebounds in the Tar Heels' victories over NC State and Wake Forest.
Had 13 points and six rebounds on Feb. 20 vs. Virginia.
Scored a game-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting on Feb. 26 at Maryland, playing just minutes from his hometown of Greenbelt, Md.
Named the ACC's Rookie of the Week for the second time in three weeks and third time overall on Feb. 28. He started the week by scoring 14 points and grabbing four rebounds in UNC's 70-67 win at Florida State on Feb. 23. He also tallied four assists, including one on Jason Capel's go-ahead three-point play with under a minute to play. Forte also scored 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting at Maryland on Feb. 26 in a game played just minutes from his hometown of Greenbelt, Md. Forte also recorded two blocks and two steals.
Led Carolina with 19 points and had a career-high six steals (all in the first half) on March 1 vs. Georgia Tech.
Led Carolina with 24 points on 11-of-20 shooting at Duke on March 4. Also recorded six rebounds and five assists.
KRIS LANG (6-11, SO., F/C, GASTONIA, N.C.)
CAREER HIGHLIGHTSAveraged 10.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game as a freshman and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.
Shooting 55.0 percent from the floor and averaging 9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in his career.
Has scored in double figures 30 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 of 1999 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.
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.
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.
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.
Scored 12 points against Georgia Tech on March 1 despite not playing in overtime after suffering a strained left quadricep late in the game.
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 4.3 points and 3.3 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.
Has made 17 of his last 23 field goal attempts (73.9 percent).
Scored a career-high 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting on March 1 vs. Georgia Tech. Played much of the second half and all of overtime after Kris Lang suffered a strained left quadricep.
Went 4-for-4 from the floor with eight points on March 4 at Duke.
FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS: Started all 11 football games in 1999 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. Had a similar fracture in the same bone in August.
Will seek a medical redshirt. Briefly resumed practice on Feb. 7 before soreness in the foot ended his hope of returning this season.
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).
