University of North Carolina Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Virginia Wednesday
January 23, 2001 | Men's Basketball
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North Carolina Tar Heels
Date & Time: Wednesday, January 24, 2001, 7 p.m.
Site: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Records: Carolina 15-2 overall, 5-0 ACC, Virginia 13-3 overall, 2-3 ACC
Rankings: Carolina No. 5 Associated Press, No. 6 ESPN/USA Today, Virginia No. 12 ESPN/USA Today, No. 13 Associated Press
Series Record vs. Virginia: Carolina leads, 113-42 overall, 56-4 in Chapel Hill, 14-1 in the Smith Center
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Radio Network, a division of Learfield Communications. Woody Durham (play-by-play) and Mick Mixon (color) provide the call. A live broadcast also is available on the University of North Carolina's official athletic website, TarHeelBlue.com
Television: ESPN (Mike Patrick and Dick Vitale)
Tar Heels and Cavaliers Renew Rivalry
One of college basketball's best rivalries resumes on Wednesday as the North Carolina Tar Heels play host to the Virginia Cavaliers. Gametime is 7:05 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by ESPN. This is the first of three straight UNC games that will be nationally televised.
Carolina is 15-2 overall and tied for first place in the ACC standings with a 5-0 league record. The Tar Heels are coming off an 80-70 win at Florida State.
Virginia defeated Missouri, 85-72, in its latest action. The Cavaliers are 13-3 overall and 2-3 in the ACC.
Carolina has won 12 games in a row since losing back-to-back decisions to Michigan State and Kentucky. The 12-game winning streak is UNC's longest since beginning the `97-'98 season 17-0. UNC's five-game ACC winning streak is its longest since winning eight in a row in the ACC during the 1997-98 season.
Carolina's 12-game winning streak is currently tied for the second-longest streak in the nation. Stanford is the only school in the country with a longer current win streak than the Tar Heels. The Cardinal has won 17 in a row. Fresno State has also won 12 in a row.
UNC returns to action on Super Bowl Sunday when it travels to Raleigh to play NC State at the Entertainment and Sports Arena. Gametime for the UNC-NC State game is now 1 p.m. Please note the change in time for that game. The game was originally scheduled for 1:30 p.m., but has been moved to 1 p.m.
Carolina and the Cavaliers
The Tar Heels lead the series, 113-42, and hold a commanding 56-4 lead in games played in Chapel Hill. Last year, Virginia won for the first time ever in the Smith Center and the first time in Chapel Hill since 1981. The Tar Heels have won 14 of 15 matchups in the Smith Center. Virginia's wins in Chapel Hill have come in 1911, 1973, 1981 and 2000.
Overall, the Tar Heels have won six of the last eight meetings with the Cavaliers.
Virginia's two-game win-streak is its first in the series since the Cavaliers won the second and third meetings in 1989-90. UNC has not dropped three in a row to Virginia since individual losses in the 1940, 1943 and 1944 seasons. All three of those games were played in the state of Virginia.
This is the first time Carolina has played Virginia with the Cavaliers ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 since February 19, 1995, when 16th-ranked Virginia defeated the Tar Heels, 73-71, in Charlottesville.
Carolina is 13-5 against Virginia in games in which the Cavaliers are ranked in the AP poll.
Virginia 87, Carolina 85 - January 18, 2000
Chris Williams and Travis Watson combined to score 41 points to lead the Virginia Cavaliers to an 87-85 win over the Tar Heels in University Hall. Joseph Forte posted his first collegiate double-double as he scored a then-career-high 27 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to pace Carolina. Brendan Haywood also had a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds and Ed Cota added nine points, five rebounds and 10 assists.
Carolina led 43-38 at the half behind a dozen points from both Forte and Haywood and 62.1 percent shooting from the floor by the Tar Heels. However, Virginia tied the score at 53 with 13:47 to play and took the lead for good a minute later. The Cavaliers led by as many as 12 with 5:38 to play, but Carolina fought back to within 81-80 with 1:14 remaining after back-to-back three-pointers and a reverse layup by Forte. Donald Hand hit a 13-footer and was fouled (made the free throw) with 42 seconds left and made one of two free throws with 18 seconds to play to seal the win.
The Tar Heels shot 58.6 percent from the floor for the game (34 of 58), but committed 21 turnovers that led to 29 Cavalier points. Virginia committed only seven turnovers.
Virginia 90, Carolina 76 - February 20, 2000
The Cavlaiers won for the first time in 15 games at the Smith Center behind 18 points and 11 rebounds from Travis Watson and 11 points, including three three-pointers, from reserve guard Keith Friel. Carolina never led and the game was tied just once, at 8-8. The Cavaliers led by as many as 18 points in the first half and had a 13-point lead at the break. Virginia made 21 of 39 shots from the floor in the first half and forced the Tar Heels into a dozen turnovers. Chris Williams and Donald Hand each had five first-half assists for the Cavaliers.
Carolina pulled within eight at 52-44 with 12:07 to play, but Friel hit a trio of three-pointers in a span of 1:08 to push the lead back to 15.
Jason Capel led five Tar Heels in double figures with 17 points and he added nine rebounds, two assists and two steals. Carolina committed 16 turnovers. Ten of the 12 Tar Heels who saw action committed at least one turnover, including Ed Cota, who had six. Joseph Forte had four assists and turned the ball over just one time in addition to scoring 13 points.
CAROLINA MOVES UP TO NO. 5 IN ASSOCIATED PRESS POLL
Wins over Clemson and Florida State and a 12-game win streak has helped Carolina climb once again in the national rankings to No. 5 in The Associated Press poll for January 22. The Tar Heels remained No. 6 in the country in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll.
UNC's No. 5 ranking is its highest of the season and its highest in the AP poll since being ranked No. 2 in the nation last season. The Tar Heels were No. 2 in the fourth poll of the season, but lost to Michigan State and fell to No. 7 the following week.
This week marks the 497th alltime appearance in the AP Top 10 for the Tar Heels. That is the second-highest figure in NCAA basketball history (Kentucky is first with 520 Top 10s). Carolina has appeared in the AP poll 640 times, more than any other school in history.
HAYWOOD NOW CAROLINA'S ALLTIME LEADING SHOT BLOCKER
Senior center Brendan Haywood is in the midst of his greatest shot-blocking streak and became the University of North Carolina's alltime leader when he swatted away seven Florida State shot attempts in UNC's 80-70 win on January 20 in Tallahassee. Haywood moved one block ahead of former All-America Sam Perkins in the UNC record book. Perkins blocked 245 shots in his 135 games as a Tar Heel. Haywood has blocked 246 in 125 contests.
He also moved into the Top 10 in ACC history in blocks, passing Maryland's Cedric Lewis and Georgia Tech's John Salley in the game at Florida State. Lewis was tied with Haywood for 11th place with 239 and Salley was 10th with 243. Haywood is now ninth in ACC history. Clemson's Sharone Wright is eighth with 288. Only one other active ACC player has more blocked shots than Haywood. Yellow Jacket Alvin Jones is fourth alltime with 384.
The Greensboro, N.C., resident blocked 91 shots last year and 60 as a sophomore. He has 62 blocked shots in the first 17 games this season. He had five in the opener against Winthrop, a then-career-high eight in the win over Tulsa, a school-record 10 versus Miami, four against UMass, five at Maryland and against Marquette, six versus Clemson at home and seven at FSU.
Haywood twice this year set the Smith Center record for blocked shots in a game. The previous mark was seven by Clemson's Wright (February 17, 1993) and Rony Seikaly of Syracuse (March 17, 1988, in an NCAA Tournament game against North Carolina A&T).
HAYWOOD LEADS ACC, ON BLOCKED SHOT TEAR
Brendan Haywood leads the ACC with 62 blocked shots in 17 games, an average of 3.65 per game. Georgia Tech's Alvin Jones, fourth in league history in blocks, is second this year with an averag of 3.53 per game. Haywood and Jones are the only players in the league averaging more than 2.5 blocks per game this year.
Haywood has blocked 23 shots in the last four games. He had seven at Florida State, six against Clemson and five against both Marquette and Maryland. He has 21 blocks in the five ACC games this season.
Haywood's previous best four-game stretches of blocked shots were 18 earlier this year and 15 last season.
Sam Perkins, who held the UNC record before Haywood, blocked 16 shots in his best four-game stretch as a Tar Heel. He accomplished that early in his sophomore year in 1981-82.
HAYWOOD HOLDS UNC RECORDS ON BOTH ENDS OF THE COURT,
ONLY ACC PLAYER TO ACCOMPLISH THIS FEAT
Brendan Haywood is the only player in ACC history to lead his school in both career field goal percentage and blocked shots. He currently is the alltime ACC leader in field goal percentage at 64.3 percent and has 246 career blocked shots, a UNC record.
No other school in the ACC has one career leader in both of those categories.
FORTE SIZZLES DOWN THE STRETCH IN WIN AT FLORIDA STATE
Joseph Forte scored 14 straight UNC points, including 12 in a row in a span of 4:08 late in the game, as the Tar Heels held on to defeat Florida State, 80-70.
The Tar Heels played brilliantly in the opening half, building a 49-30 lead as they shot 52.8 percent from the floor (6 of 11 from three-point range) and committed only three turnovers. Five different players scored at least six points in the first half, led by Forte's 12 and 10 by Jason Capel. In the second half, however, the Seminoles scored the first seven points and cut the lead to single digits with 12 minutes to play. Florida State closed to within three points at 60-57 with 7:44 remaining after a steal and layup by Delvon Arrington.
Forte then outscored the Seminoles, 12-4, over the next four minutes. He hit an off-balance, running bank shot across the lane, rebounded a blocked shot by Brendan Haywood, drove the court and pulled up for a 15-footer for a seven-point lead, and answered a Seminole basket with back-to-back three-pointers. He capped his spectacular run with a dunk.
Forte was 10 for 15 and made four of seven from three-point range. He scored 28 points, his fourth-highest career performance. He also had eight boards and two assists.
Haywood blocked seven shots and became Carolina's alltime shot block leader. Julius Peppers added eight points, four rebounds and two assists in 25 minutes.
The Tar Heels held Florida State to 43.1 percent from the floor, the 12th straight game in which the opponents shot under 50 percent. The Seminoles did shoot 50 percent in the second half, however, ending a streak of 17 consecutive halves in which the opponents shot less than 50 percent.
Defense Holds 11 Straight Under 50 Percent
Carolina's 12-game win streak coincides with the fact that the Tar Heels have not allowed a team to shoot at least 50 percent from the floor in the last 12 games.
Over the last dozen games, UNC's opponents have made just 35.6 percent of their shots from the floor (275 of 773). By comparison, the Tar Heels have shot 48.0 percent from the floor in those 12 games.
Carolina is tied for eighth in the nation in field goal percentage defense (as of Jan. 23). The Tar Heels have held their opponents to 37.9 percent from the field this season.
Dating back to last season, Carolina has held its opponents to under 50 percent shooting for the game in 33 of the last 34 games (the only exception since last January was Kentucky).
The Tar Heels have held two teams under 30 percent in that time. Miami shot just 23.4 percent to set a Smith Center record for lowest field goal percentage, and Marquette made only 29.5 percent.
In the 84-70 win at Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets went 7 of 30 in the second half, a percentage of .233.
Carolina held Wake Forest to 37.1 percent shooting from the floor in its 70-69 win. That was the Deacons' lowest shooting performance of the season. The Tar Heels followed that effort by holding Maryland to 36.4 percent shooting in an 86-83 victory.
The Tigers shot 37 percent in the first half and made just four of their first 20 shots in the second half.
Only three teams - Michigan State, Kentucky and Charleston - have shot better than 45 percent against the Tar Heels. Kentucky shot a season-high 50.7 percent in its win over UNC and the Spartans made 46.6 percent from the floor in their win at East Lansing, Mich. Charleston led the Tar Heels by a point at the half and had the game tied with less than a minute to play before Carolina pulled out the victory.
The opponents have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in four of 34 halves played this year. Kentucky and Michigan State shot 54.5 and 52.9 percent in a half, respectively, in their wins over the Tar Heels.
Florida State's 50 percent effort in the second half ended a string of 17 consecutive halves played in which Carolina held the opposition under 50 percent. Buffalo was the last team to shoot 50 percent in a half.
In 34 halves, the opponents have shot 50 or better four times, 40-49.9 percent nine times, 30-39.9 percent 16 times and less than 30 percent five times.
PEPPERS GIVES BIG LIFT TO TWO SPORTS
Sophomore forward Julius Peppers joined the team at practice in time for the game at UCLA on December 23. Since then, the Tar Heels are 9-0, out-rebounded their opponents in six of those nine games (Massachusetts and Maryland out-rebounded Carolina by two and one, respectively, and Clemson tied UNC in rebounds) and the Tar Heels have allowed just three teams to shoot over 37.1 percent.
Peppers is averaging 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He had a season-high 13 points and nine rebounds in the 84-54 win over Marquette.
Peppers was voted the No. 1 Two-Sport Athlete in the country in a recent survey of Division I men's basketball head coaches by The Sporting News.
He nearly brought down the roof when slammed home an alley-oop pass from Ronald Curry against Wake Forest. The dunk tied the game at 55 with 8:19 to play and prompted the Deacs to call timeout. Peppers had five points and six rebounds against the Deacons and had an assist on a Brendan Haywood dunk.
In the win at Maryland, Peppers had six points, three rebounds and two assists in 16 minutes. He had seven rebounds in 19 minutes versus Clemson.
Peppers scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds in the win at Georgia Tech. Two of his points came on a spectacular, follow slam dunk after a Lang missed shot.
In football this year, Peppers led the nation in sacks (15) and had a school-record 24 tackles for loss. He was second in the nation in sacks per game and third in tackles for losses per game. Peppers was a first-team All-ACC selection and was named a first-team All-America by CNNSI.com and CollegeFootballNews.com. He earned second-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation, the Associated Press and Football News.
Peppers started every game in 2000 and finished with 64 tackles, 24 tackles for loss for 146 yards and 15 sacks for 117 yards. His 15 sacks were one shy of Lawrence Taylor's school-record of 16 set in 1980. He was twice named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his performances vs. Wake Forest and Virginia. He scored two touchdowns this year, including a 12-yard fumble return at Wake Forest and a 27-yard interception return at Duke.
FORTE HAVING A STELLAR SEASON
Sophomore guard Joseph Forte is scoring 19.9 points per game, grabbing 5.2 rebounds, shooting 47.3 percent from the floor and 82.5 percent from the free throw line and has an assist-turnover margin of 57-39.
The most exciting part of Forte's game may be his defensive improvement. He more than held his own against All-ACC guard Juan Dixon of Maryland and then shut down Marquette's leading scorer, holding Brian Wardle to 5 of 16 shooting from the field. In the victory over Clemson on Jan. 17, Forte combined with Ronald Curry and Brian Morrison to hold Will Solomon, the ACC's leading scorer, to just two second-half points and 17 overall (Solomon entered the game averaging nearly 22 ppg).
Forte was the MVP of the NABC Classic and the Hardee's Tournament of Champions, was ESPN's National Player of the Week after the NABC Classic and the ACC Player of the Week after he torched UCLA for 29 points.
Forte has scored 20 or more points in nine of UNC's 17 games (he had nine 20-point outings in 36 games last year), including seven of the last 11 games. Since an eight-point effort against Miami (which Matt Doherty called his best overall game as Forte had seven assists, six rebounds and three steals), Forte erupted for 23 points against both Texas A&M and Buffalo, 29 at UCLA, 29 against College of Charlestion, 20 at Georgia Tech, 26 at Maryland and 28 at Florida State.
Forte has made at least 50 percent of his shots from the floor in nine of the 17 games, including seven of the last 11.
(For a complete look at the UNC-UVa. Game Notes, download the complete release in PDF format)
