University of North Carolina Athletics
Men's Basketball Opens ACC Play Sunday against Georgia Tech
November 30, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 30, 2001
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format
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Date: Sunday, December 2, 2001, 6 p.m.
Site (capacity): Dean E. Smith Center (21,750)
Series Record vs. Georgia Tech: Tar Heels lead, 52-14
Television: Fox Sports Net (Thom Brennaman and Kenny Smith)
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network, a division of Learfield Communications. Woody Durham (play-by-play), Mick Mixon (color) and Phil Ford (analysis) provide the call. A live broadcast also is available on the University of North Carolina's official athletic website, TarHeelBlue.com
Websites: North Carolina (TarHeelBlue.com), Georgia Tech (RamblinWreck.com)
Tar Heels Open ACC Season Looking for First Win
North Carolina hopes to avoid the first 0-4 in school history as the Tar Heels meet the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first Atlantic Coast Conference game of the season for each school. The game also will be the first-ever broadcast in Fox Sports Net's new Sunday night ACC television package.
Carolina is 0-3, with all three losses coming at the Smith Center. The 77-69 loss to Hampton and the 58-54 defeat by Davidson marked the first time in UNC history the Tar Heels had opened the season by losing its first two games at home. The Tar Heels also lost in the Smith Center to Indiana on Nov. 28, starting the season 0-3 at home for the first time ever.
Georgia Tech (3-3) is coming off a dramatic, comeback win at home over Wisconsin on Nov. 28 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Jackets trailed by 20 with 16 minutes left, but defeated the Badgers, 62-61.
Carolina is playing with one of its most inexperienced lineups in its history. Seniors Jason Capel and Kris Lang have started for three previous seasons, but they are the only returning players who averaged at least 10 minutes per game last year. Two true freshmen - guard Melvin Scott and swingman Jackie Manuel - were in the starting lineup against Indiana and could be again Sunday evening. Fellow freshman Jawad Williams also will likely see playing time against the Yellow Jackets.
Should Manuel, Scott and Williams all start any game this season, it would be the first time Carolina started three freshmen in a game since freshmen became eligible in 1972-73.
The Tar Heels are without their first, second, fifth, sixth and seventh leading scorers and top two assist men from a year ago when they went 26-7 and won a share of the ACC regular-season championship.
Carolina vs. Georgia Tech Series Notes
Carolina leads the series, 52-14, including three wins last season. UNC has beaten Georgia Tech in seven consecutive games. The last time UNC lost to the Yellow Jackets was on December 22, 1998, at Alexander Memorial Coliseum. UNC has won 11 of the last 12 matchups with the Jackets. The seven-game win streak equals UNC's longest over Tech since Carolina won seven straight from 1985-86 to 1988-89. Carolina beat Tech 20 times in a row from 1970-71 to 1983-84.
The Tar Heels lead the series over the Yellow Jackets in games played in Chapel Hill, 18-4, including five straight wins. Carolina's last loss to Tech in Chapel Hill was during the 1995-96 season. The Tar Heels lead the series in games played in the Smith Center, 13-3.
Last Year Against Georgia Tech
Carolina swept three games from Georgia Tech in 2000-01, including a 70-63 decision in the ACC Tournament semifinals in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. In that contest, Joseph Forte scored 27 points and Brendan Haywood held first-team All-ACC center Alvin Jones to 3 of 16 shooting from the floor. Carolina held Tech to 27.3 percent shooting from the floor in the first half and 32.4 percent for the game.
The Tar Heels beat the Yellow Jackets, 84-70, in Atlanta on January 2 in the ACC opener for Matt Doherty and UNC. Tech led by 12 at the half, 44-32, but Joseph Forte scored eight quick points to start the second half. Forte finished with a team-high 20 points. Kris Lang added a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds, Max Owens had 17 points and Jason Capel added 14. Brendan Haywood did not score for the first time since his freshman year, but had seven rebounds and played solid defense. The Tar Heels held Tech to 32.8 percent shooting from the floor. The 12-point deficit was the largest UNC has overcome to win this year.
The Tar Heels also won on February 3 in Chapel Hill, two days after an emotional win over Duke in Durham. The Yellow Jackets led early, but Carolina went on a 23-0 run in a span of 6:52 in the first half. The Tar Heels led 44-29 at the half. Forte led all scorers with 23. Jason Capel added 11 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Julius Peppers came off the bench for 14 points, four rebounds and two assists. Lang had 15 points and seven boards.
Indiana Tops Heels in ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Carolina turned the ball over 18 times and shot just 36.7 percent from the floor in a 79-66 home loss to Indiana on Nov. 28 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Tar Heels are now 0-3 in the event, having lost to Michigan State in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
A.J. Moye led the Hoosiers with 20 points. Indiana hit 9 of 17 first-half three-pointers and held Carolina to just 5-for-19 shooting from behind the arc for the game.
Kris Lang scored a career-high 27 points and added eight rebounds and four blocks in a losing effort for UNC. Jason Capel scored 16 points and had nine rebounds despite shooting just 4-for-15 from the floor and 0-7 from three-point land.
Offensive Woes in First Three Games
Carolina has allowed 71.3 points in the first three games and has a field goal percentage defense of 40.7 percent. Typically, those numbers would point the way for Carolina victories. Unfortunately, the Tar Heels have averaged only 63.0 points and shot 35.3 percent from the floor in the first three contests. UNC is 17 of 73 from three-point range, 23.3 percent. Inside of the arc, the Tar Heels are 49 for 114 (43.0 percent).
The Tar Heels have committed 54 turnovers in the three games, including 20 against Davidson and 18 against Indiana.
Carolina attempted a school-record 34 three-point goals against Hampton, but made just six. The previous record for three-point tries was 31 against Florida State on Feb. 24, 1996. UNC made 14 threes in that game.
Only two Tar Heels who have made more than one field goal are shooting at least 50 percent from the floor, point guards Adam Boone (3 for 6) and center Kris Lang (21 for 42, .500). Senior Jason Capel (12 for 42, .340) has shot well below his career average.
Davidson Shocks Tar Heels
Chris Pearson's dunk with 31 seconds to play lifted Davidson to a 58-54 win over the Tar Heels on November 20th. The loss marked the first time Carolina had lost consecutive non-conference games in the Smith Center.
The Wildcats led by 12 early in the first half, but UNC went ahead 25-23 late in the half. The game was even at 27 at intermission. The Tar Heels led just one time in the second half - 30-29 with 15:48 to play - and trailed by as many as eight points with 2:30 remaining. Kris Lang, who made only 4 of 14 shots from the floor against 7-2 center Martin Ides, scored and converted a three-point play and then added an offensive rebound and putback to cut the margin to three. Jason Capel drilled a three-pointer with 55 seconds left to tie the game.
After Pearson scored to give Davidson the lead, Carolina committed its 20th turnover of the game with 10 seconds to play.
Carolina shot only 30.0 percent from the floor (18 of 60). Davidson made 38.8 percent of its shots from the field (19 of 49).
Freshman Melvin Scott led the Tar Heels with 15 points. He hit 5 of 9 from the floor, including 3 of 5 from three-point range. Lang added 12 points and Capel had nine points and 11 rebounds. The last a freshman led the Tar Heels in scoring was in the 2000-01 season opener when Brian Morrison shared team honors with 14 points against Winthrop.
Guard Peter Anderer led all scorers with 18 points. Anderer was 4 for 7 from beyond the three-point line.
Tar Heels Drop Home Opener to Hampton, 77-69
Hampton issued Carolina just its second loss in a home opener since 1929, a 77-69 Pirate win on Nov. 16 in the Smith Center. The Tar Heels took a school-record 34 three-pointers, hitting just six of them (17.6 percent). Entering the game, Carolina had won 71 of its previous 72 home openers. The Tar Heels' two losses in home openers since the 1928-29 season were to Michigan State two seasons ago in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and in the 2001-02 opener to Hampton.
Jason Capel had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Carolina in the loss.
Overall, UNC has a record of 85-7 in home openers. The sevevn losses came during the following seasons: 1911-12, 1912-13, 1913-14, 1918-19, 1928-29, 1999-2000 and 2001-02.
The loss was Carolina's first in a season-opener since the 1996-97 season, when Arizona beat UNC, 83-72, in the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic in Springfield, Mass.
Home Losses
This season marks the first time in school history the Tar Heels have opened the year 0-3 at home. Carolina has not started a season 0-3 overall since 1928-29. The Tar Heels rallied to post a 17-8 record that season. UNC has never started a season 0-4 in its 92-year basketball history.
Carolina has lost four straight games at home for the third time in school history, equalling the longest streak in school history (set previously in 1930 and 1943-44). The current losing streak at home began with a 95-81 loss to Duke on March 4, 2001. The four-game losing streak is UNC's longest ever in the Smith Center.
Tar Heels in the Rankings
Carolina enters the Georgia Tech game unranked in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and the Associated Press poll. UNC was No. 19 in the AP poll and 20th in the coaches poll before its season-opening loss to Hampton.
The last time Carolina was unranked was during the 1999-2000 season. UNC was unranked in both polls for the last eight weeks of the season entering the NCAA Tournament. After reaching the 2000 Final Four, the Tar Heels finished the season ranked No. 11 in the coaches' poll.
Carolina in the Preseason Rankings
Carolina was No. 19 in the preseason AP poll, marking the 17th consecutive season the Tar Heels have been ranked in the Top 20 or Top 25 in the preseason AP poll. The last time UNC was not ranked to start the year was 1984-85, but the Tar Heels joined the Top 20 at No. 19 in the second week and remained ranked the rest of the year. The Tar Heels have been ranked in the Top 10 in the country in the preseason Associated Press poll 27 times in the last 36 years.
UNC has been ranked in the preseason Top 10 17 times in the last 21 years. The only exceptions were 1984-85 (not ranked), 1995-96 (ranked No. 20 after Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace left early for the NBA), 1998-99 (ranked No. 11 after Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter left early for the NBA) and this season.
Johnson Makes First Career Start
Junior Will Johnson is averaging 6.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game over the first three contests. The Hickory, N.C., native attends Carolina on a Morehead Scholarship, one of the most prestigious academic and service grants a Carolina student can receive. He is technically a non-recruited walk-on, although he did receive offers to attend Princeton and Davidson.
Johnson had six points and four rebounds against Hampton and five points and eight rebounds against Davidson. His previous career high for rebounds was five last year against Appalachian State and Miami (Fla.). Johnson had six offensive rebounds against Davidson.
He made his first career start against Indiana and played well, scoring nine points on 3-for-4 shooting (3-for-3 three-pointers).
Capel Among National Candidates
Senior forward Jason Capel is one of 50 preseason candidates for the Wooden Award, presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club to the National Player of the Year. He is one of eight preseason candidates from the ACC, joining Lonny Baxter (Maryland), Carlos Boozer (Duke), Juan Dixon (Maryland), Chris Duhon (Duke), Mike Dunleavy (Duke), Roger Mason (Virginia) and Jason Williams (Duke).
Capel was named a 2001-02 preseason second-team All-ACC selection, joining Duhon, Mason, Josh Howard (Wake Forest) and Travis Watson (Virginia).
Capel Moves Past Three in Career Scoring
Jason Capel has scored 42 points in the first three games this year to increase his career scoring total to 1,100 points. He is 45th alltime at Carolina. He has passed Jerry Stackhouse (1,080), Bill Bunting (1,069) and Dante Calabria (1,098) this season. Next up are Brian Reese (1,113) and Jeff McInnis (1,128).
Kris Lang has 1,078 points and is 48th alltime at Carolina. He is two points behind Jerry Stackhouse for 47th place.
Capel on the Boards
Jason Capel played power forward in the first three games and has averaged 10.3 rebounds. He had 11 rebounds against Hampton and Davidson, the 16th and 17th times in his career that Capel has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in a game. Last year, he was in double figures in rebounding eight times.
Fifteen of Capel's 31 rebounds have come on the offensive glass. He shared team rebounding honors last year with 7-0 center Brendan Haywood with 7.3 boards per contest.
Slow Start from Downtown
Carolina made just 17 of 73 three-point field goal attempts in the first three contests, a percentage of .233. Senior Jason Capel, a 40.2 percent career three-point shooter, was 2 for 22 in those games. Capel missed much of the latter part of preseason, including both exhibotion games, due to a hamstring injury. Last season, Capel made at least two three-point goals in 17 of the 33 games. He made 4 of 5 3FGs at home against Maryland and was 6 for 6 against Clemson in the ACC Tournament.
Junior forward Will Johnson (66.7 percent, 4-for-6) and freshman guard Jackie Manuel leads Carolina in field goal shooting (40.0 percent, 4-for-10).
The opponents haven't done too much better, either. Hampton, Davidson and Indiana were a combined 22 for 68, a percentage of .324. Indiana hit 9 of 17 threes in the first half but went 0-for-9 in the second half.
Williams Second in Preseason Rookie-of-the-Year Voting
Freshman forward Jawad Williams finished second in the voting for preseason ACC Rookie of the Year honors at ACC Operation Basketball on Oct. 28, 2001. Julius Hodge (NC State) received 40 of 74 possible votes to earn the honor, while Williams got 20 votes. Anthony Richardson (Florida State) was third with five votes.
Williams had 10 points and seven rebounds in the season opener against Hampton, was held scoreless in limited action against Davidson and scored one point against Indiana.
ACC Media Tabs Carolina Fourth
Seventy-four (74) members of the Atlantic Coast Sportswriters Association voted on the ACC finish on October 28th at Operation Basketball and the Tar Heels were selected fourth in the league behind Duke, Maryland and Virginia. Wake Forest was fifth, Georgia Tech was sixth, NC State was seventh, Florida State was eighth and Clemson ninth.
This season marks just the third time in the 33-year history of ACC Operation Basketball that the Tar Heels were picked lower than third in the preseason media poll (joining 1984-85 and 1995-96).
In all three of these instances, Carolina was picked to finish fourth. However, in the two previous instances UNC exceeded expectations. In 1984-85 the Tar Heels tied for first place in the final ACC standings and in 1995-96, UNC finished third in the ACC.
Carolina at Home
The Tar Heels enter the Georgia Tech game with a 176-30 overall record in the Smith Center and a 77-8 mark against non-ACC competition. The only non-ACC losses were to Temple (2/21/88), Iowa (1/7/89), Michigan State (12/1/99), UCLA (1/15/00), Kentucky (12/2/2000), Hampton (11/16/2001), Davidson (11/20/01) and Indiana (11/28/01).
The Tar Heels went 12-2 at the Smith Center last year.
Capel, Lang Join Elite List of Fourth-Year Starters
This season, Jason Capel and Kris Lang will become just the seventh and eighth Carolina players to be four-year starters at UNC since freshmen became eligible in 1972-73.
Prior to this season, just six players have started for four straight years in a Tar Heel uniform - Phil Ford (1975-78), Mike O'Koren (1976-80), Sam Perkins (1981-84), Brad Daugherty (1983-86), Kenny Smith (1984-87) and Ademola Okulaja (1996-99).
Williams is 17th Freshman Starter in Carolina History
Jawad Williams was in the starting lineup at small forward against Hampton on Nov. 16. With the start, he became the 17th Tar Heel to start in his first games as a freshmen since first-year players became eligible to play in 1972-73.
Other UNC players on this list include Phil Ford, Mike O'Koren, James Worthy, Michael Jordan, Kenny Smith, J.R. Reid, Pete Chilcutt, Rick Fox, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Ed Cota, Brendan Haywood, Jason Capel, Kris Lang, Joseph Forte and Adam Boone.
Three Walk-Ons Join the Tar Heel Squad
A trio of former UNC junior varsity players has joined the Carolina varsity squad as walk-ons for the 2001-02 season - senior forward Joe Everett, sophomore forward Phillip McLamb and sophomore guard Damien Price.
Everett is the younger brother of former Tar Heel Jim Everett, a walk-on who played for the 1999-2000 and 2000-01 UNC teams and earned a scholarship during his senior season. Joe Everett played on the Carolina JV team as a freshman and sophomore but did not play last year, while McLamb and Price both played on the JV team in 2000-01.
