University of North Carolina Athletics
Men's Basketball Game Notes
March 14, 2001 | Men's Basketball
March 14, 2001
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Date & Time: Friday, March 16, 2001, approx. 9:20 p.m. CT (10:20 ET)
Site: Superdome, New Orleans, La.
Records: Carolina 25-6 overall, 13-3 ACC, Princeton 16-10, 11-3 Ivy League
Rankings: Carolina 6th in Associated Press and 5th in ESPN/USA Today polls
Series Record vs. Princeton: Carolina leads 7-5
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: CBS (Jim Nantz, Billy Packer)
No. 2 SEED TAR HEELS TO FACE NO. 15 SEED PRINCETON IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
No. 2 seed North Carolina will play No. 15 seed and Ivy League champion Princeton at approximately 9:20 p.m. Central Time on Friday night in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament South Regional.
The winner of Friday's first-round game will play the winner of the game between No. 7 seed Penn State and No. 10 seed Providence on Sunday afternoon at approximately 3:50 p.m. CT.
The Tar Heels are 80-34 alltime in NCAA Tournament play. An extensive review of Carolina's history in the NCAA Tournament may be found on pages 268-275 of the UNC media guide and in the back of this media packet.
TAR HEELS AND THE TIGERS
The Tar Heels lead the series with Princeton, 7-5, in a series that dates to the 1928-29 season. Most recently, Carolina won, 69-60, at Princeton during the 1996-97 season and defeated the Tigers, 50-42, in Chapel Hill in 1997-98.
Carolina defeated Princeton in their only NCAA Tournament meeting, taking a 78-70 overtime victory on the way to the 1967 Final Four. Carolina was led by Larry Miller (16 points and 10 rebounds), Dick Grubar (16 points) and Bob Lewis (10 rebounds) in that UNC win.
Carolina and Princeton played only one common opponent during the 2000-2001 season -- Duke. The Tar Heels beat Duke in Durham before losing in Chapel Hill and in the ACC Tournament title game in Atlanta. Princeton lost its season-opener to Duke in Durham in the Preseason NIT, dropping an 87-50 decision.
DOHERTY AND THOMPSON HAVE ROOTS TO 1982 NCAA TITLE GAME IN NEW ORLEANS
North Carolina head coach Matt Doherty and Princeton head coach John Thompson III both have a connection to Carolina's 63-62 win over Georgetown in the 1982 NCAA championship game in the Superdome in New Orleans. Doherty was a sophomore on that Tar Heel team, which beat the Hoyas on freshman Michael Jordan's jumper with 17 seconds left. Thompson's father, John Thompson, was the head coach of the Hoyas in that game.
CAROLINA EARNS RECORD 27TH STRAIGHT NCAA TOURNAMENT BID
North Carolina received an at-large bid to the 2001 NCAA Tournament and will play Princeton at approximately 9:20 p.m. Central Time on Friday in the South Regional.
Carolina is making its NCAA-record 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and is playing in the postseason for the 35th straight year. The Tar Heels have earned an NCAA bid every year since the tournament field expanded to accept more than one team from each conference in 1975. Carolina is 80-34 alltime in the NCAA Tournament and has advanced to the Final Four an NCAA-record 15 times.
CAROLINA'S NCAA TOURNEY HISTORY
Carolina is making a record 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and 35th overall. Only Kentucky (42) has been in the NCAA field more than UNC (UCLA also has been 35 times).
The current streak of 27 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament began in 1975. That is the longest streak in NCAA history, 10 more than Arizona's current 17-year streak.
Carolina has appeared in 114 NCAA Tournament games prior to its first-round game with Princeton. Only Kentucky (121) has played in more NCAA Tournament games entering this year's Tournament.
The Tar Heels are 80-34 in NCAA Tournament games. Kentucky is first alltime in NCAA wins with 85, Carolina is second with 80, UCLA is third with 76, Duke is fourth with 67 and Kansas is fifth with 59.
Carolina has advanced to the Regional Semifinal (Sweet 16) an amazing 17 times in the last 20 years. The only years UNC did not reach the Sweet 16 were in 1994 (lost to Boston College in the second round), 1996 (lost to Texas Tech in the second round) and 1999 (lost to Weber State in the first round).
The Tar Heels have won at least one game in the NCAA Tournament in 19 of the last 20 years (Carolina lost in the first round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament to Weber State).
UNC has reached an NCAA-record 15 Final Fours, including at least one in each of the last seven decades.
CAROLINA'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
UNC won the NCAA Tournament in 1957, 1982 and 1993 and finished second in 1946, 1968, 1977 and 1981.
SIX FINAL FOURS IN THE LAST 10 YEARS
Carolina has played in six Final Fours in the last 10 seasons. Last year, the Tar Heels defeated Tulsa in the South Regional championship game in Austin, Texas, to advance to the Final Four in Indianapolis.
In 1993, George Lynch, Eric Montross, Derrick Phelps and Donald Williams led Carolina to the NCAA title with a 77-71 victory over Michigan in New Orleans. The Tar Heels defeated Cincinnati in the East Regional final in the Meadowlands to reach the Final Four.
The Tar Heels also reached the Final Four in 1991 by defeating Temple in the Meadowlands, in 1995 by defeating Kentucky in the Southeast Regional final in Birmingham, Ala., in 1997 by defeating Louisville in Syracuse, N.Y., and in 1998 by defeating Connecticut in Greensboro, N.C.
CAROLINA AS A NO. 2 SEED
Carolina is the No. 2 seed in the South Regional in New Orleans, La. The No. 2 seed is the seventh in school history and first since 1995. Carolina has posted a record of 18-6 as a No. 2 seed.
In the 23 years since the NCAA began seeding teams in the Tournament, UNC has been either a No. 1 or a No. 2 seed a remarkable 16 times. Carolina has been a No. 1 seed nine times and a No. 2 seed seven times.
The last time the Tar Heels were a No. 2 seed was in 1995. There are a number of similarities between that team and this year's Carolina squad -- both teams tied for the ACC regular-season championship and both lost in the ACC Tournament finals. In 1995, led by current NBA stars Rasheed Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse and Jeff McInnis, the Tar Heels defeated top-seeded Kentucky in the finals of the Southeast Regional in Birmingham, Ala., to reach the Final Four.
CAROLINA IN NEW ORLEANS
Carolina has gone 4-0 in four previous NCAA Tournament games at The Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, winning the NCAA championship in that building in both 1982 and 1993.
In 1982, Carolina defeated Houston (led by Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler) and Georgetown (led by Patrick Ewing) to win the national championship. UNC's Sam Perkins had a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds in the semfinals against Houston. In the championship game versus Georgetown, freshman Michael Jordan hit a jumper with 17 seconds remaining to give head coach Dean Smith his first NCAA title. Current Tar Heel head coach Matt Doherty started at small forward as a sophomore on that team.
Carolina also won the 1993 national championship in the Superdome. That year, Donald Williams was named Most Oustanding Player of the Final Four, scoring 25 points against Kansas in the semis and Michigan in the championship game. That season, Doherty was in his first year as an assistant coach at Kansas under former UNC assistant Roy Willams.
The last time Carolina played a game in the Superdome was during the 1993-94 season, when it defeated Louisiana State, 88-65.
UNC VS. THE 2000 NCAA FIELD
Carolina went 11-5 this season versus teams in the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
The Tar Heels defeated Winthrop (play-in round), UCLA (No. 4 seed in the East), Georgia Tech three times (No. 8 West), Wake Forest twice (No. 7 Midwest), Maryland twice (No. 3 West), Virginia (No. 5 South) and Duke (No. 1 East).
Carolina lost to Michigan State (No. 1 South), Kentucky (No. 2 East), Virginia (No. 5 South) and twice to Duke (No. 1 East)
DOHERTY AND THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Carolina head coach Matt Doherty played in four NCAA Tournaments as a player and was a member of the 1982 NCAA championship team.
The Tar Heels were 12-3 in Doherty's 15 NCAA Tournament games as a player, advancing to the NCAA title game in 1981 (before losing to Indiana), defeating Georgetown for the 1982 national championship, reaching the Final 8 in 1983 and the Sweet 16 in 1984.
Doherty averaged 9.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 15 NCAA Tournament games. He had highs of 16 points (vs. Kansas State in the 1981 Final 8 and vs. Alabama in the 1982 Sweet 16) and seven rebounds (against Indiana in the 1984 Sweet 16 - his final college game).
Doherty scored five points and had five assists in the 1982 semifinals against Houston and had four points and three rebounds in the title game against Georgetown.
Doherty was also an assistant coach at Kansas from 1993-99. During those seven seasons, the Jayhawks played in the 1993 Final Four (losing to Carolina in the semifinals), advanced to the Final Eight in 1996, the Sweet 16 in `94, -95 and `97 and to the second round in 1997 and `98.
CAROLINA'S REACHES ACC TOURNAMENT TITLE GAME
UNC was the top seed in the 2001 ACC Tournament in Atlanta, the 18th No. 1 seed in school history and first since 1993. The Tar Heels defeated No. 9 seed Clemson in the quarterfinals and No. 5 seed Georgia Tech in the semifinals before losing to No. 2 seed Duke in the finals. UNC played in the ACC Tournament finals for the 27th time in the last 48 seasons.
Quarterfinals: Carolina posted a 99-81 win over Clemson as UNC had five players in double figures led by Jason Capel's 23 points. The Tar Heels shot 54.7 percent from the floor and made 10 of 19 three-pointers. Jason Capel went six for six from three-point range in the game. The six three-pointers are his career high (previous four on two occasions) and are the most ever by a Tar Heel in 106 ACC Tournament contests. The previous record was five held by Matt Doherty (5 for 6 vs. NC State in 1983), by Joe Wolf (5 for 8 vs. Virginia in 1987) and Rick Fox (5 for 7 vs. Virginia in 1990).
Point guard Ronald Curry had a career-high 10 assists and just one turnover before he injured his left wrist when he was fouled in the second half. X-rays taken after the game were negative. He has a sore wrist but played in the semifinals and finals.
Joseph Forte scored 15 points and had a career-high tying seven assists but did not lead Carolina in scoring for the first time in seven games. The last time he did not lead UNC in scoring was on February 10 against Maryland when Jason Capel had 27 points. It was the first time Forte was not the first- or second-leading scorer for the Tar Heels since the Marquette game on January 13, 2001.
Semifinals: Joseph Forte scored 27 points and Brendan Haywood held first-team All-ACC center Alvin Jones to 3 of 16 shooting from the floor as Carolina defeated Georgia Tech, 70-63.
The 27-point game was the 20th 20-point game for Forte this season and the third in as many games against the Yellow Jackets. He also had a team-high 12 rebounds. Haywood made five of nine shots from the floor and finished with 13 points, four rebounds and three blocked shots.
Carolina held Tech to 27.3 percent shooting from the floor in the first half and 32.4 percent for the game. It was the 25th consecutive game and 46th time in the last 47 games in which the opponents have failed to shoot at least 50 percent from the floor against Carolina.
Finals: Carolina shot a season-low 29.2 percent from the field and turned the ball over 20 times as Duke won the 2001 ACC Tournament, 79-53. The loss was Carolina's largest deficit of defeat since losing by 26 at Wake Forest on Jan. 30, 1993. The last time Carolina lost by more points was on Feb. 1, 1990 at Georgia Tech. Mike Dunleavy led Duke with 24 points and 13 rebounds, while ACC Tournament MVP had 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Joseph Forte was the only Tar Heel in double figures, posting his second consecutive double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Brendan Haywood (13) and Jason Capel (10) also had double figures in rebounds, the first time Carolina has had three double-digit rebounders in the same game since Mitch Kupchak (11), Tommy LaGarde (11) and Walter Davis (10) vs. East Tennessee State on Dec. 4, 1974.
Forte was named first-team All-ACC Tournament, while Capel and Haywood both were named to the second team.
CAROLINA'S NCAA TOURNAMENT BESTS
Senior center Brendan Haywood is UNC's most experienced NCAA Tournament player. Haywood has appeared in 11 NCAA Tournament games, scoring 86 points (7.8 per game) and grabbing 58 rebounds (5.3 per game). He had a career-high 28 rebounds and snared 15 rebounds in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament against Missouri. Haywood averaged 15.8 points, 9.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks in five 2000 NCAA Tournament games, including game highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds in the Final Four loss to Florida.
Senior swingman Max Owens has scored 17 points (2.1 per game) in eight NCAA Tournament games. He played sparingly on the 1998 Final Four team and scored an NCAA Tournament-high seven points in the 1999 first round against Weber State.
Junior forward Jason Capel has scored 48 points (8.0 per game) and grabbed 37 rebounds (6.2 per game) in six career NCAA Tournament games. He tallied his NCAA career highs with 14 points and 11 rebounds against Missouri in the 2000 NCAA Tournament first round. Capel also snared 10 rebounds and scored nine points in the 2000 Final Four against Florida. He was named to the 2000 South Regional all-tournament team after averaging 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the wins over Tennessee and Tulsa. He also played a key role defensively in 2000, limiting Casey Jacobsen of Stanford to 2 of 12 shooting in the second round and Vincent Yarbrough of Tennessee to 4 of 11 shooting in the Sweet 16. Capel missed most of the 1999 first-round game with Weber State due to injury.
Junior forward Kris Lang has scored 50 points (8.3 per game) and grabbed 27 rebounds (4.5 per contest) in six career NCAA Tournament games, scoring a high of 11 points against Weber State (1999 first round) and Missouri (2000 first round) and grabbing a high of seven rebounds against Missouri (2000 first round). Lang has scored in double figures in four of six career NCAA Tournament games.
Sophomore guard Ronald Curry played briefly in the 1999 first round against Weber State, recording one rebound and one assist without scoring. Curry missed the 2000 season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon.
Sophomore guard Joseph Forte was selected the Most Outstanding Player of the 2000 South Regional after tallying 22 points and five rebounds against Tennessee in the Sweet 16 and 28 points and eight rebounds against Tulsa in the Final 8. In 2000, Forte also scored 13 points against Missouri (first round), 17 against Stanford (second round) and 15 points against Florida (Final Four). He scored 95 points (19.0 per game) and grabbed 31 rebounds (6.2 per game) in five NCAA Tournament games in 2000.
Sophomore forward Julius Peppers has scored 29 points (5.8 per game) and grabbed 23 rebounds (4.6 per game) in five 2000 NCAA Tournament games, scoring a high of nine points against Missouri in the first round and grabbing a high of eight rebounds against Tulsa in the Final 8. Against Tennessee in the Sweet 16, Peppers dominated inside over the final eight minutes after Brendan Haywood fouled out, posting six points and six rebounds.
FORTE NAMED ALL-AMERICA BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Joseph Forte has been named a first-team All-America by the Associated Press, joining Shane Battier (Duke), Casey Jacobsen (Stanford), Troy Murphy (Notre Dame) and Jason Williams (Duke).
It is just the second time ever that three players from the same conference have been named to the AP first-team. The other was the Big East in 1996 -- Allen Iverson (Georgetown), Kerry Kittles (Villanova) and Ray Allen (Connecticut).
FORTE & BATTIER NAMED CO-ACC PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Joseph Forte and Duke's Shane Battier have been named co-Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, the conference announced on March 13. It is the first time in ACC history that two players have tied for the award. Both Forte and Battier received 32 of the 72 votes cast. Duke's Jason Williams received eight votes.
This season marks the 11th time that a Carolina player has been named ACC Player of the Year. UNC and Duke are tied for the most ACC Player of the Year award winners with 11 apiece.
Past Tar Heel winners are Lennie Rosenbluth (1957), Pete Brennan (1958), Lee Shaffer (1960), Billy Cunningham (1965), Larry Miller (1967 and 1968), Mitch Kupchak (1976), Phil Ford (1978), Michael Jordan (1984) and Antawn Jamison (1998).
FORTE, HAYWOOD NAMED ALL-AMERICAS BY THE SPORTING NEWS
Joseph Forte and Brendan Haywood have both been named All-Americas by The Sporting News, the magazine announced on March 13. Forte was named to the first team, joining Shane Battier (Duke), Casey Jacobsen (Stanford), Troy Murphy (Notre Dame) and Jason Williams (Duke).
attier was named TSN's national Player of the Year. Williams finished second in the voting, followed by Forte, Murphy and Jacobsen.
Haywood was named to the second team, joining Troy Bell (Boston College), Michael Bradley (Villanova), Jason Richardson (Michigan State) and Jamaal Tinsley (Iowa State).
FORTE NAMED ALL-AMERICA BY THE USBWA
Joseph Forte has been named a first-team All-America by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association, joining Shane Battier (Duke), Casey Jacobsen (Stanford), Troy Murphy (Notre Dame) and Jason Williams (Duke).
DOHERTY A FINALIST FOR THE HENRY IBA AWARD
UNC head coach Matt Doherty has been named a finalist for the USBWA's Henry Iba Award for the national coach of the year. The other finalists are Larry Eustachy (Iowa State), Mike Montgomery (Stanford) and Al Skinner (Boston College).
FORTE, HAYWOOD NOMINATED FOR ESPN AWARDS
Joseph Forte has been named a finalist for two of ESPN the Magazine's inaugural College Basketball Awards, the magazine announced on March 8. Forte is one of three nominees for Men's Player of the Year (joining Duke's Shane Battier and Jason Williams) and Men's Shooting Guard of the Year (joining Charlie Bell of Michigan State and Casey Jacobsen of Stanford).
Brendan Haywood has been named one of three finalists for Men's Center of the Year (joining Michael Bradley of Villanova and Troy Murphy of Notre Dame).
FORTE, HAYWOOD, CAPEL EARN ALL-ACC HONORS
Joseph Forte (first team), Brendan Haywood (second team) and Jason Capel (third team) were named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams in a vote of the Atlantic Coast Conference Sportswriters Association.
Forte was one of three players (joining Shane Battier and Jason Williams of Duke) to earn unanimous first-team selection. They were named to the first team on all 74 ballots, earning 222 of a possible 222 points.
Haywood was the second-leading vote-getter on the second team. He received 14 first-team votes and 134 points overall. Capel was the fourth-leading vote-getter on the third team.
Forte was a second-team selection a year ago as a freshman. Haywood was named third-team All-ACC in 1999-2000. Forte is the first Carolina player to earn first-team honors since Ademola Okulaja in 1998-99. He is the 13th Tar Heel to be a unanimous All-ACC selection. Other unanimous selections include Lennie Rosenbluth in 1956 and 1957, Pete Brennan in 1958, York Larese in 1961, Doug Moe in 1961, Billy Cunningham in 1963 and 1964, Larry Miller in 1968, Charlie Scott in 1970, Phil Ford in 1978, Michael Jordan in 1983 and 1984, Sam Perkins in 1984, J.R. Reid in 1988 and Antawn Jamison in 1998.
This is the first time since 1961 and only the second time in ACC history that at least three players were named unanimous selections in the same season. Four players were unanimous picks in 1961, including UNC's Larese and Moe.
FORTE & HAYWOOD ALL-DISTRICT SELECTIONS
Joseph Forte and Brendan Haywood were named first-team All-District 5 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches and first-team All-District 3 by the United States Basketball Writers Association. The UNC duo was joined on the coaches' first team by Shane Battier and Jason Williams of Duke and Juan Dixon of Maryland. Those five were joined on the 10-man writers' all-district team by Maryland's Lonny Baxter, Virginia's Travis Watson and Chris Williams, Clemson's Will Solomon and Wake Forest's Josh Howard.
HAYWOOD EARNS ALL-ACC DEFENSIVE TEAM HONOR
Senior center Brendan Haywood was named to the ACC's All-Defensive Team as voted on by the Atlantic Coast Sportswriters Association. Haywood, who leads the league with 105 blocked shots, was joined on the team by Duke forward Shane Battier, Georgia Tech center Alvin Jones, Maryland guard Juan Dixon and Virginia forward Adam Hall.
Honorable mention vote-getters included UNC guard Joseph Forte, Duke forward Nate James, Wake Forest guard Josh Howard and NC State guard Anthony Grundy.
TAR HEELS WIN 23RD REGULAR-SEASON ACC TITLE
With Carolina's 76-63 win over NC State on Feb. 28, the Tar Heels clinched the No. 1 seed in the 2001 ACC Tournament. This year marks Carolina's first appearance as the top seed in the conference tournament since 1993. The Tar Heels lost in the championship game that season to Georgia Tech, but was forced to play that final without starting point guard Derrick Phelps, who injured in the previous day's semifinal win over Virginia.
Carolina has clinched at least a share of the ACC regular-season championship for the 23rd time. This season marks the Tar Heels' first shared ACC regular-season crown since 1995. UNC last won an outright ACC regular-season title in 1993.
Carolina leads the ACC with 23 regular-season titles. Duke is second with 16.
DOHERTY FIRST COACH TO WIN SHARE OF ACC TITLE IN FIRST YEAR
Carolina head coach Matt Doherty is the first coach in ACC history to win at least a share of the ACC regular-season championship in his first season as an ACC head coach.
13 ACC WINS FOR THE SIXTH TIME
The Tar Heels went 13-3 in ACC action this season. This is the sixth time Carolina has won at least 13 ACC games in a season and the first time UNC has won at least 13 ACC games since going 13-3 in 1997-98. The Tar Heels also won at least 13 ACC games in 1957, 1984, 1987, 1993 and 1998. UNC appeared in the ACC Tournament final in four of the previous five seasons in which they won at least 13 conference games.
DOHERTY NAMED NAISMITH NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR FINALIST, NAMED USBWA DISTRICT COACH OF THE YEAR
Carolina head coach Matt Doherty has been named a finalist for the Naismith Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year Award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Feb. 22.
Doherty is one of 20 finalists. The winner will be announced in Atlanta on April 7.
Doherty was named the Coach of the Year in District 3 (Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia) by the United States Basketball Writers Association. He is a finalist for the USBWA National Coach of the Year Award.
FORTE LIT IT UP IN ACC PLAY THIS SEASON
Joseph Forte averaged 23.7 points in 16 regular-season ACC games this season. He led all players in scoring in all games (by 0.9 points per game) and in ACC games (by 2.4 ppg). Duke's Jason Williams is second in both categories.
Forte's margin of 2.4 points per game was the largest margin in ACC games since 1996-97 when Wake Forest's Tim Duncan led Georgia Tech's Matt Harpring by 3.1 points a game.
Forte's average of 23.7 points per ACC game is the most by any ACC player since Walt Williams of Maryland averaged 29.6 points per ACC game in 1991-92.
18-GAME WIN STREAK WAS SECOND LONGEST THIS SEASON
Carolina won 18 games in a row from December 4 (vs, Miami) to February 10 (vs. Maryland). The streak was snapped with a loss at Clemson on February 18. The 18-game winning streak was UNC's longest since 1985-86, when the Tar Heels started the season 21-0. It also was the second-longest in the nation this year. Stanford had a 20-game streak snapped on February 3 by UCLA.
UNC's 11-game ACC winning streak was its longest since winning 16 consecutive ACC contests over a two-year period in 1987-88 (Carolina went 14-0 in 1986-87 and won its first two ACC games in 1987-88).
ANOTHER WINNING ACC ROAD RECORD
Carolina went 6-2 on the road in ACC play this season. This season marks the 29th time that UNC has had a record of BETTER THAN .500 on the road in conference play and the 39th time that the Tar Heels have a record of either .500 OR BETTER. UNC has had a losing road record in ACC play only nine times in 48 years of ACC competition.
The 2000-01 season is Carolina's ninth straight with a record of .500 or better on the road in ACC play.
FORTE & HAYWOOD NAMED WOODEN AWARD FINALISTS
Joseph Forte and Brendan Haywood are among the 20 finalists for the 2001 John Wooden Award. Former Tar Heel winners of the Wooden Award include Phil Ford (1978), Michael Jordan (1984) and Antawn Jamison (1998).
Carolina is one of five schools to have two Naismith Award finalists this season. Stanford's Jarron Collins and Casey Jacobson, Michigan State's Charlie Bell and Jason Richardson, Illinois' Cory Bradford and Frank Williams and Duke's Shane Battier and Jason Williams are also finalists.
Other finalists include: Michael Bradley (Villanova), Casey Calvary (Gonzaga), Reggie Evans (Iowa), Udonis Haslem (Florida), Jason Kapono (UCLA), Mike Kelley (Wisconsin), Troy Murphy (Notre Dame), Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky), Preston Shumpert (Syracuse) and Michael Wright (Arizona). The winner will be announced on Apr. 6.
FORTE & HAYWOOD USBWA NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Joseph Forte and Brendan Haywood are among the 16 finalists for the United States Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Year award. Forte and Haywood also are finalists for the Naismith and Wooden awards.
Other ACC finalists include Shane Battier and Jason Williams of Duke. The other finalists are Troy Bell (Boston College), Michael Bradley (Villanova), Rod Grizzard (Alabama), Kirk Haston (Indiana), Casey Jacobsen (Stanford), Troy Murphy (Notre Dame), Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky), Jason Richardson (Michigan State), Jamaal Tinsley (Iowa State), David Webber (Central Michigan), David West (Xavier) and Michael Wright (Arizona).
FORTE, HAYWOOD AMONG NAISMITH FINALISTS
Joseph Forte and Brendan Haywood are among the 15 finalists for the 2001 Naismith Collegiate Player of the Year award. Former Tar Heel winners of the Naismith Award include Michael Jordan (1984) and Antawn Jamison (1998).
Carolina is one of four schools to have two Naismith Award finalists this season. Stanford's Jarron Collins and Casey Jacobson, Michigan State's Charlie Bell and Jason Richardson and Duke's Shane Battier and Jason Williams are also finalists.
Other finalists include: Troy Bell (Boston College), Michael Bradley (Villanova), Eddie Griffin (Seton Hall), Terence Morris (Maryland), Troy Murphy (Notre Dame), Jamaal Tinsley (Iowa State) and Michael Wright (Arizona).
21 WINS, AGAIN
Carolina's 96-82 victory over Maryland on Feb. 10 guaranteed its 31st 21-win season in a row and extended its own NCAA record for consecutive 20-win seasons. The next-longest consecutive 20-win season streak in the ACC is five (by Maryland and Duke, including this season).
The last time UNC did not win at least 20 games was in 1969-70, when the Tar Heels went 18-9.
ROAD WINS OVER DUKE, WAKE FOREST AND NC STATE IN THE SAME SEASON
Carolina defeated Duke, Wake Forest and NC State on the road this year for the first time since the 1989-90 season. This is the 10th time the Tar Heels have accomplished this feat since the beginning of ACC play in the 1953-54 season -- 1956-57, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1966-67, 1975-76, 1981-82, 1983-84, 1986-87, 1989-90 and 2000-01.
IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Carolina is ranked No. 6 in the nation in the Associated Press poll and No. 5 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. The Tar Heels were ranked No. 1 in both polls on Feb. 5 and Feb. 12. Those were Carolina's first times atop either poll since March 8, 1998.
UNC has been ranked in the AP poll all 19 times this season, including 14 Top-10 rankings and six in the Top 5. The Tar Heels have been in the Top 5 in the media poll in seven of the last eight polls. Carolina has been in the Top 5 in each of the most recent eight coaches polls.
DOHERTY AND CREMINS ONLY PLAYER-COACH NO. 1s IN ACC HISTORY
Matt Doherty is just the second person in Atlantic Coast Conference history to play for a No. 1 ranked team and be the head coach of a No. 1 ranked team. Bobby Cremins also accomplished the feat. In 1969-70, South Carolina was No. 1 in the preseason poll, but fell out of the top spot the next week. In 1985-86, Georgia Tech was No. 1 in the preseason poll, but fell out of the top spot the next week.
503 TOP 10 ASSOCIATED PRESS RANKINGS FOR CAROLINA
This week's poll marks Carolina's 504th appearance in the Associated Press Top 10. That is the second-highest figure in NCAA basketball history (Kentucky is first with 521 Top 10s). Carolina has appeared in the AP poll 647 times, more than any other school in history.
CAROLINA AND THE NO. 1 RANKING BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
This is the 15th different season in which the University of North Carolina has been ranked No. 1 in the nation since the Associated Press began its rankings in 1948-49. The previous seasons include 1957, 1958, 1959, 1978, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1998.
Matt Doherty spent 29 weeks as a Tar Heel player ranked No. 1 in the nation. Carolina was 52-5 with Doherty in the lineup as the No. 1 team in the country, winning the NCAA title in 1982 and finishing No. 1 in the final poll in 1982 and 1984.
CAROLINA AND THE COACHES POLL
This is the 13th season in which the Tar Heels have been ranked No. 1 in the nation by the coaches (UPI, CNN/USA Today or ESPN/USA Today). Those seasons include 1957 (eight weeks), 1958 (two weeks), 1959 (one week), 1982 (nine weeks), 1983 (two weeks), 1984 (nine weeks), 1986 (12 weeks), 1987 (three weeks), 1993 (three weeks), 1994 (two weeks), 1995 (six weeks), 1998 (eight weeks) and 2001 (two weeks).
FORTE CONTENDING FOR NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Sophomore guard Joseph Forte is being considered among the favorites for the National Player of the Year and All-America awards along with Duke's Jason Williams and Shane Battier, Notre Dame's Troy Murphy and Stanford's Casey Jacobsen.
Forte scored 36 points at home vs. Florida State, scored 33 points at home in the win over Virginia, had 24 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and three steals in one of the great all-around performances in Carolina history in the 85-83 win over Duke, had 23 points and nine rebounds as UNC defeated Georgia Tech on Feb. 3 and had 27 points and four steals on Feb. 28 vs. NC State. He shot just 7 of 17 from the field but had a team-high 24 points, four three-pointers, six rebounds and five steals at Wake Forest on Feb. 6.
Forte has scored 20 or more points 20 times this season, including 18 times in the last 25 contests. Forte has made 50 percent or more of his shots from the floor in 13 of his 20 20-point scoring games this season.
Forte also is second among Tar Heels this season with 109 assists behind Ronald Curry (111). The last Carolina player to lead the team in scoring and assists in the same season was current L.A. Clipper point guard Jeff McInnis, who accomplished the feat in 1995-96.
WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT FORTE
Joseph Forte is drawing raves from college basketball observers, opposing players and coaches for his play this season. Below is a sampling of the praise being heaped upon the UNC sophomore:
"Forte is a sensational player," John Kresse, College of Charleston's head coach. "He is very opportunistic. I would pay admission to see him play. He's a ballerina. He makes the game look easy. He's so smooth, he's poetry in motion. He has a mid-range game and a go-to-the-hoop game."
Said Virginia coach Pete Gillen: "Forte is an unbelievable player, a tremendous two guard, the best I have seen in college in a long time ... He reminds me of [Wayne] Gretzky on ice. He just flows."
Said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: "Forte is one of the premier players in the country. He steps forward when they need him. I like the fact he doesn't need to have the ball all the time, nor does he have to take shots all the time. He just plays the game, and all of a sudden he hits you with flurries. I really love the way he plays."
Said Florida State guard Delvon Arrington: ``Great players sprout when their team needs them. He does it often. He's one of those players who can't wait for the big play. He's waiting always for the big play and he comes out on top. We were trying to keep the ball out of his hands. We wanted the other players to take the shots to give us more of a chance. He made that 3 and got his game going and after that it turned the game around. He quieted the crowd and got the crowd out of it and Carolina went from there.''
CBS Sportsline's Dan Wetzel wrote after Forte scored 23 points against Georgia Tech that Forte had become "the best overall player in the game."
ESPN's Jay Bilas says Forte is "the best two-guard in college basketball."
Forte was named midseason National Player of the Year by Frank Burlison of FOXSports.com and on February 16 was Burlison's No. 1 choice for National Player of the Year.
Said Florida State head coach Steve Robinson: "[Forte] is probably as good as I've seen in terms of any player this year. We didn't have any kind of answer for him."
FORTE FASTEST TO 1,000 POINTS SINCE CHARLIE SCOTT
Joseph Forte scored his 1,000 point in his 56th career game when he scored 24 at Duke on February 1. He became the 51st player in Tar Heel history to score 1,000 career points.
Forte reached 1,000 points faster than any Tar Heel player since freshmen became eligible in 1972-73, surpassing the former record held by Phil Ford (57 games). The last Tar Heel to reach 1,000 points faster was Charlie Scott (52 games) in 1968-69.
Lennie Rosenbluth (40 games) reached 1,000 points faster than any player in Carolina history, followed by Billy Cunningham (41), Bob Lewis (42), Larry Miller (46), Scott (52) and Forte (56).
Forte has 1,271 points, 33rd in UNC history. York Larese is 32nd with 1,287, George Karl is 31st with 1,293 and Kevin Madden is 30th with 1,296.
HAYWOOD ONE OF THE NATION'S BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYERS
Senior center Brendan Haywood should receive serious consideration as the best defensive player in college basketball.
He certainly is one of the most influential players in the game, as evidenced by his current shot-blocking tear. Haywood has blocked a UNC record 114 shots in 31 games this season (3.68 per game, 1st in the ACC, including five or more blocks in nine of the last 18 games.
Led by Haywood altering and blocking shots, rebounding misses and creating havoc for offenses in the paint, the Tar Heels are playing outstanding team defense. The Tar Heels have not allowed their opponents to shoot 50 percent in their last 26 games.
Haywood has set UNC's single-season record for blocked shots and did it with two games remaining in the regular season. He blocked five shots at Virginia, the first of which set the UNC single-season school record. Rasheed Wallace had the previous record with 93 in 34 games in 1994-95. Haywood has 114 blocks this year in 31 games.
With his five blocks on Feb. 28 versus NC State, he became the first Tar Heel and the ninth player in ACC history to block 100 shots in a season.
HAYWOOD CAROLINA'S ALLTIME LEADING SHOT BLOCKER
Senior center Brendan Haywood is in the midst of his most prolific shot-blocking streak. He 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 Jan. 20 in Tallahassee. Haywood moved past 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 298 in 139 contests.
He also has 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. Haywood is eighth in ACC history. Only one other active ACC player has more blocked shots than Haywood -- Georgia Tech's Alvin Jones.
Haywood had a then-career-high eight blocks in the win over Tulsa, then set the school-record 10 versus Miami. He has blocked five or more shots 12 times this year, including nine of the last 15 contests.
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 HOLDS 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 63.8 percent and has 298 career blocked shots, a UNC record.
No other school in the ACC has one career leader in both of those categories.
CAPEL DOUBLING UP
Junior forward Jason Capel has posted double-doubles in seven games this year. He is one of the most versatile players in the ACC and was named third-team All-ACC this season.
He scored a career-high 27 points on Feb. 10 against Maryland, and grabbed eight rebounds and matched his career high with four three-pointers. Prior to that effort, Capel posted back-to-back double-doubles against Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.
Against the Demon Deacons on Feb. 6, he had 13 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. That followed an 11-point, 11-rebound, five-assist effort in the 82-69 win over Georgia Tech on February 3 and a 20-point, six-rebound, five-assist performance at Duke.
Capel has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 15 games, grabbed 10 or more rebounds seven times this year, had five or more assists eight times, hit at least two three-point field goals 15 times this year, and is shooting 80.2 percent from the free throw line.
DOHERTY TIES GUTHRIDGE FOR BEST FIRST-YEAR COACHING EFFORT IN ACC HISTORY
Carolina head coach Matt Doherty went 13-3 this season in Atlantic Coast Conference competition. That 13-3 record equals the best season ever by a first-year ACC head coach. Ironically, Doherty shares the mark with his former coach, Bill Guthridge, whom Doherty succeeded as UNC head coach.
FORTE ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK FOUR TIMES
Joseph Forte was named the ACC Player of the Week on Feb. 5 after averaging 23.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in wins over No. 2 Duke and Georgia Tech.
Forte was named co-ACC Player of the Week honors with Alvin Jones for January 22-28. Forte earned the award for his play in Carolina's wins over Virginia and NC State. Forte scored 33 points on 13 of 23 shooting against the Cavaliers and had 21 points in the win at NC State.
That was the fourth time in seven weeks that Forte received ACC Player of the Week honors. He was also honored by the ACC on December 25 (following the UCLA game) and January 1 (following his MVP performance in the Tournament of Champions in Charlotte).
Forte is the only player to have won the award four times this season. Duke's Shane Battier is a three-time recipient. Last year, Clemson's Will Solomon was the only three-time recipient.
Forte is the first Carolina player to earn at least four ACC Player of the Week awards in one season since Antawn Jamison set the single-season record with seven honors in 1997-98.
CAROLINA AMONG NATION'S BEST IN FIELD GOAL DEFENSE
Carolina has not allowed a team to shoot 50 percent from the floor in the last 26 games. UNC's opponents have made just 39.0 percent of their shots from the floor this season.
Carolina leads the ACC in field goal percentage defense. No other ACC team has held its opponents under 40 percent from the floor this year. This is just the fourth season since 1961 that the Tar Heels have limited their opponents to less than 40 percent shooting.
Dating back to last season, Carolina has held its opponents to under 50 percent shooting in 47 of the last 48 games (the only exception since last January was Kentucky).
UNC opponents have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in eight of 62 halves played this year. In 62 halves, the opponents have shot 50 or better eight times, 40-49.9 percent 18 times, 30-39.9 percent 28 times and less than 30 percent eight times.
THREE TAR HEELS REPEAT AS NBA ALL-STARS
For the second consecutive year, Carolina was represented in the NBA All-Star game by a trio of former Tar Heel stars, Toronto's Vince Carter, Detroit's Jerry Stackhouse and Portland's Rasheed Wallace. Carolina was the only school in the country to have three alumni named to the original NBA All-Star teams. After the late addition of Dikembe Motumbo to the East roster due to an injury to Alonzo Mourning, Georgetown also has three selections.
"You look at the NBA and you look at Carter and Jamison, Stackhouse and Wallace, what they are doing at the NBA level. It just blows you away," said Dick Vitale on the February 3, 2001 ESPN telecast of the UNC-Duke game. "Their numbers have gotten so much better because at Carolina, they learned how to play the team concept, they learned how to be unselfish, they learned fundamentals and they transformed that into the NBA to where they are standouts."
Carolina has as many NBA All-Stars as does the rest of the ACC combined (Duke's Grant Hill, Georgia Tech's Stephon Marbury and Wake Forest's Tim Duncan). Carter received more votes than any other NBA player in fan balloting for the second consecutive year. Carter will start for the East. Stackhouse and Wallace were selected to the teams by the NBA.
Antawn Jamison, who was averaging 25.1 points per game for Golden State, was named by ESPN as one of the "Most Notable Ommisions" from the NBA All-Star teams. 76ers forward George Lynch was named to ESPN.com's All-Unsung All-Star Team.
SMITH CENTER VOTED NO. 1 ARENA IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL
In a published survey of Division I head coaches, The Sporting News ranked the Dean E. Smith Center as the No. 1 Game Venue in all of college basketball. The Smith Center beat out Kansas' Allen Fieldhouse and Madison Square Garden. The Sporting News wrote that "packing more than 21,000 people who bleed Tar Heel blue into the Smith Center is a sure thing for creating that warm glow that college sports fans flock to in the dead of winter."
Carolina also was selected by the coaches to have the best NBA Alumni Association of former players, the best two-sport athlete in the country in defensive end/forward Julius Peppers and the best rivalry in the country with Duke. Carolina's uniforms were voted the second-best in the country behind Cincinnati and UNC was tied with Duke for the third-best on-campus visit behind Pepperdine and UCLA.
FORTE IN THE ACC RANKINGS
Joseph Forte is on pace to become the first Tar Heel to average 20 points per game since Antawn Jamison averaged 22.2 en route to being named National Player of the Year in 1997-98. Forte is averaging 21.6 points a game, tops in the ACC.
Only five Carolina players have averaged 20 points a game in the last 30 years. (Phil Ford, 20.8 in 1978, Michael Jordan, 20.0 in 1983, Brad Daugherty, 20.2 in 1986, Hubert Davis, 21.4 in 1992, and Jamison, 22.2 in 1998).
Forte is first in the ACC in scoring, third in free throw percentage, fifth in steals, ninth in assists, ninth in field goal percentage, 13rd in assist-turnover ratio and 14th in rebounding. Forte is the leading rebounder in the ACC for guards at 6.0 per game.
ON THE GLASS
Carolina leads the ACC with 41.3 rebounds per game and is third in rebound margin (+3.4). Four different Tar Heels rank among the Top 20 rebounders in the ACC. UNC is the only team in the conference with four players ranked in the top 20 in rebounding.
Jason Capel is fifth with 7.5, Brendan Haywood is seventh with 7.4 per game, Joseph Forte is 14th with 6.0 and Kris Lang is 19th with 5.8.
Haywood is second in the league with 3.19 offensive rebounds per outing.
DOHERTY RETURNS TO LEAD ALMA MATER
Matt Doherty is the second former UNC player in history to serve as head coach of his alma mater. He is the only active Atlantic Coast Conference head coach who won a national championship as a player. Doherty, a 1984 UNC graduate, is in his first season as Carolina's head coach. He took over the program on July 11, 2000, following Bill Guthridge's resignation.
He has a 47-21 record as a head coach at Notre Dame and Carolina.
CAPEL AND LANG PASS 1,000 POINTS
Junior forwards Jason Capel and Kris Lang passed the 1,000-point plateau at the 2001 ACC Tournament. Capel has 1,034 points and Lang has scored 1,008. Capel passed the 1,000-point plateu in the ACC quarterfinals against Clemson, while Lang accomplished the feat in the semifinals against Georgia Tech.
Carolina has four 1,000-point scorers on the roster this season. Brendan Haywood (1,344) and Joseph Forte (1,215) previously joined the 1,000-point club. Carolina has 53 1,000-point scorers in its history.
FORTE THIRD AMONG ACC SOPHOMORE SCORERS
Joseph Forte has scored 1,271 points in his career at Carolina. That is third alltime in ACC history among freshmen and sophomore players.
ALEX WOLFF ON CAROLINA BASKETBALL
Sports Illustrated senior writer Alex Wolff penned a column on CNN/SI.com on February 8, 2001. The following are excerpts from that column: "North Carolina is, familiarly if unexpectedly, atop the polls once more. Check out the NBA scoring leaders, and among the top eight you'll find three erstwhile Heels: Jerry Stackhouse, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison.
I'm going to take the decidedly old-school position that you can trace the success of all four of these guys to some aspect of the Carolina way. Yes, Stackhouse and Carter are open-court colts, unfettered and alive, in the Joni Mitchell phrase. But there aren't many others in the NBA as adept at knowing where and when to bring their physical gifts to bear. (Dean) Smith's teachings linger, like faint thought balloons, over the heads of each. "Most of all, at Carolina all these guys learned the habit of winning. They developed the mental conditioning to face, and usually subdue, a succession of opponents determined to make their own season by taking out the princelings of the Piedmont. Imposing your will, night after night, is one of the most grueling demands the NBA makes on its players.
"Word out of Chapel Hill is that new coach Matt Doherty, with a side glance eight miles up the road at Duke's lean speed, will look to remake future North Carolina teams in that image. But right now he's doing awfully well with the Montross-ian Brendan Haywood, and the clunky Jason Capel, and Ronald Curry and Julius Peppers, who are playing only their second-best sport.
"None of those four will ascend to the heights of the NBA scoring list. But fundamentals are the game's required reading, its compulsory figures. If he refuses to learn them, an ordinary ballplayer won't become good. If he does learn them, who knows where someone blessed with talent will soar?
"Year after year, North Carolina gives us examples of both."
(For a complete version of the notes, please download the .pdf file)
