University of North Carolina Athletics
Men's Basketball Game Notes
March 2, 2001 | Men's Basketball
March 2, 2001
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Date & Time: Sunday, March 4, 2001, 3:30 p.m.
Site: Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Records: Carolina 23-4 overall, 13-2 ACC, Duke 25-4 overall, 12-3 ACC
Rankings: Carolina 4th in Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls, Duke 2nd in Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls
Series Record vs. Duke: Carolina leads 122-85 overall, 10-5 in the Smith Center, 55-26 overall in Chapel Hill
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: ABC (Brent Musberger, Dick Vitale, Michelle Tafoya)
TAR HEELS FACE DUKE IN REGULAR-SEASON FINALE
No. 4 Carolina has clinched the first seed in next week's ACC Tournament in Atlanta, but shoots for its first outright ACC regular-season championship since 1993 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. against No. 2 Duke.
The contest marks the final home game for Tar Heel seniors Michael Brooker, Jim Everett, Brendan Haywood and Max Owens and senior managers Anthony Robbins and Chad Webb.
The game will be televised by ABC. Carolina is 23-4 overall. The Tar Heels beat NC State, 76-63, on February 28.
Carolina has clinched the top seed in the ACC Tournament for the 18th time overall and first time since 1993. A win on Sunday over Duke would give Carolina sweeps in the season series against the Blue Devils, NC State and Wake Forest in the same season for the first time since going a perfect 14-0 in the ACC in 1986-87.
This is the first time in Carolina basketball history the Tar Heels have closed out regular-season play with consecutive home games against NC State and Duke. It is the first time Carolina has played the Wolfpack and Blue Devils in the final two games prior to the ACC Tournament since 1980.
UNC has now won at least 21 games for the 31st straight season, extending its own NCAA record for consecutive 20-win seasons.
This game is worth 1.5 points to the winning team in the Carlyle Cup standings. The Carlyle Cup is an all-sports competition between Carolina and Duke sponsored by Carlyle Company in Greensboro. Carolina currently leads the competition, 18.5 to 5.0.
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 top seed in the conference tournament since 1993.
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.
With a victory over Duke on Sunday afternoon, the Tar Heels will clinch their first outright regular season ACC title since 1993 and break Duke's string of four straight outright ACC regular season championships.
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.
FORTE & HAYWOOD NAMED USBWA NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
Joseph Forte and Brendan Haywood have been named among the 16 finalists for the United States Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Year award. Both Forte and Haywood also are finalists for the Naismith Award.
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).
13 ACC WINS FOR THE SIXTH TIME
The Tar Heels are 13-2 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.
TAR HEELS SEEK 100TH ACC WIN IN THE SMITH CENTER
Carolina enters Sunday's game with Duke with an alltime record of 99-21 in the Smith Center against ACC teams. That translates into a winning percentage of 82.5.
DOHERTY NAMED NAISMITH NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR FINALIST
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. Other finalists coaching at ACC schools are Paul Hewitt (Georgia Tech), Pete Gillen (Virginia) and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke).
Other finalists include Rod Barnes (Mississippi), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Mike Brey (Notre Dame), Billy Donovan (Florida), Lefty Driesell (Georgia State), Craig Esherick (Georgetown), Larry Eustashy (Iowa State), Mark Gottfried (Alabama), Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Phil Martelli (St. Joseph's), Mike Montgomery (Stanford), Lute Olson (Arizona), Kelvin Sampson (Oklahoma), Bill Self (Illinois), Al Skinner (Boston College) and Roy Williams (Kansas).
The winner will be announced in Atlanta on April 7.
FORTE LIGHTING IT UP IN ACC PLAY
Joseph Forte is averaging 23.9 points in 15 ACC games this season. He leads all players in scoring in all games (by 1.3 points per game) and in ACC games (by 3.0 ppg). Duke's Jason Williams is second in all games and Duke's Shane Battier is second in ACC games only.
Forte's margin of 3.0 points per game would be 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 23.9 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).
The 23-4 Tar Heels have exceeded their win total from the 1999-2000 season. Carolina entered the 2000 NCAA Tournament with a record of 18-13 and finished the year 22-14.
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 AMONG NAISMITH FINALISTS
Joseph Forte and Brendan Haywood are among the 15 finalists for the 2001 Naismith Collegiate Player of the Year award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Feb. 12.
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).
Selection for the award is based on a nationwide poll of the Naismith Selection Committee, consisting of Atlanta Tipoff Club National Advisory Board members, NCAA Division I coaches, former Naismith Award winners, NCAA Division I conference commissioners and selected media representatives. The winner of the award will be announced in Atlanta on April 7.
CAROLINA AND THE BLUE DEVILS
The Tar Heels lead the series, 122-85, including a 55-26 edge at home and a 10-5 advantage in the Smith Center. Carolina holds a 29-20 edge against Mike Krzyzewski's Duke teams.
Earlier this season, Carolina won, 85-83, at Duke when Brendan Haywood hit two free throws with 1.2 seconds left in the second half to provide the winning margin. Prior to that Tar Heel win, Duke had won five straight in the series.
The Blue Devils have won their last two games in the Smith Center -- 81-61 in 1998-99 and 90-86 in overtime in 1999-2000. The last time Carolina beat Duke in Chapel Hill was during the 1997-98 season.
With a win over Duke Sunday, Carolina will sweep the season series with the Blue Devils for the first time since 1995-96. Since the beginning of ACC play in 1953-54, the Tar Heels have swept the season from Duke 19 times, compared to seven times that Duke has swept UNC.
This is the 10th time in history both teams are ranked in the top five in the nation in the Associated Press poll. Carolina has won six of the previous nine Top-5 matchups, including the 85-83 win earlier this season in Durham.
Here is a list of UNC vs. Duke, Top-5 Meetings:
Feb. 4, 1961 - #4 Duke 81, #5 Carolina 77 in Durham
Jan. 18, 1986 - #1 Carolina 95, #3 Duke 92 in Chapel Hill (first game in Smith Center)
March 2, 1986 - #1 Duke 82, #3 Carolina 74 in Durham
Feb. 3, 1994 - #2 Carolina 89, #1 Duke 78 in Chapel Hill
March 5, 1994 - #5 Carolina 87, #2 Duke 77 in Durham
Feb. 5, 1998 - #2 Carolina 97, #1 Duke 73 in Chapel Hill
Feb. 28, 1998 - #1 Duke 77, #3 Carolina 75 in Durham
March 8, 1998 - #4 Carolina 83, #1 Duke 68 in Greensboro (ACC title game)
Feb. 1, 2001 - #4 Carolina 85, #2 Duke 83 in Durham
March 2, 2001 - #2 Duke vs. #4 Carolina in Chapel Hill
In addition to this being the 10th Top-5 matchup between Carolina and Duke, please note the following: * this is the 108th consecutive meeting in which at least one school has been ranked in the AP Top 20 or AP Top 25
* this is the 128th meeting between the two schools since the ACC began play in 1953-54 and the 125th time at least one of the teams was ranked in the AP Top 20 or AP Top 25 (the only games in which both teams were not ranked were in 1955 and 1960)
* this is the 34th meeting in which both teams were ranked in the AP Top 10 (Carolina leads 17-16 in Top-10 battles)
* the higher-ranked team had won five games in a row (all won by Duke) before No. 4 Carolina won at No. 2 Duke earlier this season
EARLIER THIS SEASON IN DURHAM
No. 4 Carolina topped No. 2 Duke, 85-83 in Durham in the ninth top-five matchup between the two schools. It was the first-ever game between the Tar Heels and Blue Devils when both teams were 7-0 in the ACC. Joseph Forte led UNC in scoring (24), rebounding (16), assists (six) and steals (three). Forte's 16 rebounds were a career high and the most ever by a Carolina guard.
Brendan Haywood recorded 14 points and 10 rebounds and went 6 for 8 from the free throw line. Haywood, who entered the game hitting 48.6 percent from the line, connected on 2 of 2 big free throws with 1.2 seconds left and the game tied at 83-83.
Jason Capel scored a season-high 20 points and also finished with six rebounds and five assists as Carolina ended its five-game losing streak to Duke. The win was the Tar Heels' first in Cameron Indoor Stadium since the 1995-96 season.
UNC won the rebounding battle, 47-40, including a 38-27 edge on the defensive boards. Carolina held Duke to 39.7 percent field goal shooting and just 12 of 35 three-pointers. Duke made just 13 of 27 free throws for a season-low 48.1 percent.
LAST YEAR IN CHAPEL HILL - DUKE 90, UNC 86 (OT) -- FEBRUARY 3, 2000
Carolina trailed by 17 points at halftime and by 19 with 14:41 to play in the second half but battled back to force overtime before losing, 90-86, to No. 3 Duke on Feb. 3.
The Tar Heels scored on 19 of their 22 second-half possesssions and shot 50.0 percent (25 for 50) while limiting Duke to 42.1 percent (16 for 38) after halftime.
Ed Cota took a career-high 23 shots from the floor and scored 21 points. Cota also finished with eight assists and seven rebounds. Cota scored 18 of his points after halftime.
Joseph Forte had 20 points, six rebounds and four assists in the game and hit a three-pointer with 0:05 remaining in regulation to tie the game and force overtime.
The Tar Heels outrebounded Duke, 53-38, in the game but committed 19 turnovers. However, just five of those turnovers occurred after halftime.
In the first half, Carolina committed 14 turnovers and shot 37.9 percent from the floor. Duke led, 41-24, at intermission. Carolina had a loss of ball percentage of 33 percent in the first half and six percent in the second half.
CURRY, FORTE LEAD WIN OVER NC STATE
Ronald Curry scored a career-high 14 points and Joseph Forte scored 27 points as Carolina defeated NC State, 76-63, on Feb. 28. The victory was UNC's 13th ACC win of the season and assured the Tar Heels of the No. 1 seed in the 2001 ACC Tournament.
Curry equalled his season high of 11 points in the first half against the Wolfpack.
Forte scored 27 points, the third game in a row and the ninth time this season he has scored 25 or more points in a contest. In the last three games, Forte is 37 of 71 from the field (52.1 percent).
Brendan Haywood blocked five shots to become the first Carolina player ever and the ninth ACC player to block 100 shots in a season.
Carolina held NC State to 37.3 percent shooting from the floor. That is the 22nd game in a row in which UNC has limited its opponents to less than 50 percent shooting from the floor. The Tar Heels held the Wolfpack to under 40 percent shooting in each half of the game, marking the 10th time this year UNC has held an opponent to less than 40 percent shooting in both halves.
Carolina shot 57.1 percent from the floor for the game and 61.5 percent in the second half. It was the sixth time in the last 10 games UNC shot at least 50 percent from the field.
UNC's four three-point attempts were its fewest of the season and fewest since a 97-73 win over Duke on Feb. 5, 1998.
21 WINS, AGAIN
Carolina's 96-82 victory over Maryland on Feb. 10 ensured 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 Duke, including this season). If Maryland wins 20 games this season, the Terps also would have five straight 20-win campaigns.
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 has 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.
The Tar Heels have not beaten those same three teams in the same season at the Smith Center since 1996-97.
NO. 4 IN THE NATION
Carolina is ranked No. 4 in the nation in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. 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 17 times this season, including 12 Top 10 rankings and six in the Top 5.
The Tar Heels have been in the Top 5 in the media poll in eacgh of the last six polls. Carolina has also been in the Top 5 in each of the most recent six 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.
502 TOP 10 ASSOCIATED PRESS RANKINGS FOR CAROLINA
This week's poll marks Carolina's 502nd appearance in the Associated Press Top 10. That is the second-highest figure in NCAA basketball history (Kentucky is first with 520 Top 10s). Carolina has appeared in the AP poll 645 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 CHALLENGING FOR NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Sophomore guard Joseph Forte has made a major move in the National Player of the Year chase in the last month with a string of extraordinary performances.
Forte is now being considered among the favorites for the National Player of the Year 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 18 times this season, including 16 times in the last 21 contests. Forte has made 50 percent or more of his shots from the floor in 13 of his 18 20-point scoring games this season.
He also leads the Tar Heels this season with 96 assists. 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 1,194 points, 38th in UNC history. He moved past Jerry Vayda (1,187) with his 27 points against NC State on Feb. 28. James Worthy is 37th with 1,219 points.
HAYWOOD THE NATION'S BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER
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 103 shots in 27 games this season (3.81 per game, 1st in the ACC, 6th in the NCAA), including five or more blocks in nine of the last 14 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 22 straight games.
Haywood has already set UNC's single-season record for blocked shots and he did it with two games remaining in the regular season. He had five blocked shots at Virginia, the first of which set the UNC single-season school record. Rasheed Wallace set the record with 93 in 1994-95. Wallace blocked 93 shots in 34 games. Haywood has 103 blocks this year in just 27 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 287 in 135 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 ninth in ACC history. Clemson's Sharone Wright is eighth with 288. 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 14 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 64.6 percent and has 287 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 points and rebounds in three of the last seven games, including a 16-point, 12-rebound outing at Clemson on Feb. 18. Capel has a team-high six double-doubles this year. He is tied for third in the ACC in double-doubles this year behind Virginia's Travis Watson and Georgia Tech's Alvin Jones.
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 11 of the last 14 games, grabbed 10 or more rebounds six times this year, had five or more assists eight times, hit at least two three-point field goals 14 times this year, and is shooting 81.0 percent from the free throw line.
Capel is averaging 11.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game this season. In the dozen ACC contests, his numbers improve to 12.3 points and 7.7 boards per game.
DOHERTY OFF TO FASTEST START IN ACC HISTORY
Carolina head coach Matt Doherty is 13-2 thus far in Atlantic Coast Conference competition. That 13-2 record equals the best start 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 two-time recipient. Eight other players have been named one time this year. 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 22 games. In that time, UNC's opponents have made just 37.6 percent of their shots from the floor (554 of 1,474).
Carolina leads the ACC and is tied for fifth nationally in field goal percentage defense. The Tar Heels have held their opponents to 38.7 percent overall from the field this season. 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 43 of the last 44 games (the only exception since last January was Kentucky).
Only four teams - Michigan State, Kentucky, Charleston and the second Virginia game - 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. Virginia shot 51.4 percent in the first half and 47.0 for the game in its 86-66 win at UVa on February 25.
UNC opponents have shot 50 percent or better from the floor in six of 54 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. Buffalo, Florida State and Virginia each shot at least 50 percent in a half in losses to UNC. The Cavaliers also shot 51.4 percent in the first half as they built a 56-42 lead in their win in Charlottesville.
In 54 halves, the opponents have shot 50 or better six times, 40-49.9 percent 16 times, 30-39.9 percent 26 times and less than 30 percent six times.
THREE TAR HEELS REPEAT AS NBA ALL-STARS
For the second consecutive year, Carolina will be 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 poinst 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 22.0 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, third in steals, ninth in assists, 10th in field goal percentage, 13th in assist-turnover ratio and 19th in rebounding. Forte is the leading rebounder in the ACC for guards at 5.7 per game.
Forte's scoring is up this year from 16.7 to 22.0, his field goal percentage is up from .459 to .476, his free throw shooting is up from .752 to .844 and his assists have increased from 2.6 to 3.6 per game. He is 14th in the NCAA in scoring average.
ON THE GLASS
Carolina leads the ACC with 41.2 rebounds per game and is third in rebound margin (+3.9). 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.
Brendan Haywood is seventh with 7.3 per game, Jason Capel is eighth with 7.1, Kris Lang is 13th with 6.1 and Joseph Forte is 19th with 5.7.
Haywood is second in the league with 3.1 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 45-19 record as a head coach at Notre Dame and Carolina.
CAPEL AND LANG NEARING 1,000 POINTS
Junior forwards Jason Capel and Kris Lang will soon pass the 1,000-point plateau. Capel has 982 points and Lang has scored 975. When they both reach 1,000 points, Carolina will have four 1,000-point scorers on the roster at the same time. Brendan Haywood (1,332) and Joseph Forte (1,194) previously joined the 1,000-point club.
Carolina has 51 1,000-point scorers in its history.
FORTE THIRD AMONG ACC SOPHOMORE SCORERS
Joseph Forte has scored 1,194 points in his career at Carolina. That is third alltime in ACC history among freshmen and sophomore players.
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 version)
