University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels to Host Kentucky Saturday at 2 p.m.
December 6, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2002
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CHAPEL HILL - The two winningest teams in college basketball history will face off on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. when North Carolina (5-1) plays host to Kentucky (3-1) in the Smith Center.
"We're excited about playing a very outstanding Kentucky team tomorrow," UNC head coach Matt Doherty said at a press conference at the Smith Center on Friday afternoon. "I don't think there are two better programs in the country than Kentucky and Carolina, and it's always special when these two teams meet."
Kentucky and Carolina are the two winningest programs in Division I history. The Wildcats are 1,820-569 (.762). The Tar Heels are 1,794-651 (.734). The schools are 1-2 in the country in both total wins and winning percentage. Only one other school - Kansas - has won at least 1,700 games.
Carolina returns to the Smith Center after playing its last four games away from Chapel Hill. In those four games away from home, the Tar Heels won at Old Dominion, beat No. 2 Kansas and Stanford in New York City to win the Preseason NIT and lost at Illlinois in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday night.
Gametime is 2 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN (Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale and Jay Bilas will have the call). This is the sixth national telecast in the first seven games for UNC.
The Tar Heels are coming off a 92-65 loss at Illinois on Tuesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The game was close most of the way, with Illinois ahead by four at halftime and leading 67-59 with 6:50 left in the second half. The Fighting Illini closed the game on 25-6 run in the final 6:50 of play.
The Tar Heels are third in the ACC in field goal percentage defense and scoring defense, third in field goal percentage, and ninth in scoring offense, rebound margin and turnover margin.
Carolina leads the series, 16-8, and has won six of the last eight meetings against the Wildcats. Kentucky has beaten Carolina in each of the last two seasons, including a 79-59 win in Lexington last year.
The Tar Heels are 1-1 against the Wildcats in Chapel Hill, with a win in 1990-91 and a loss in 2000-01.
This is the third of a six-game home-and-home series between the Tar Heels and Wildcats. Two years ago, Kentucky handed UNC a 93-76 loss in Chapel Hill. That was the last game before the Tar Heels went on an 18-game win streak that vaulted them into the No. 1 ranking in the country.
