University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Prepare For Akron
December 11, 2003 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 11, 2003
TAR HEELS HOST AKRON
Carolina will play the second of three consecutive games in the Smith Center when it hosts Akron of the Mid-American Conference on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in the Smith Center.
Sunday's game will be a short respite from fall semester final exams for the Tar Heels. UNC will have had just two team practices since last Sunday's win over George Mason. Exams end on Wednesday, Dec. 17. Following the Akron game, Carolina will return to action next Saturday when it hosts Wake Forest in the 2003-04 Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both schools. The Tar Heels have started the 2003-04 season 5-0 and are coming off of a 115-81 win over George Mason last Sunday.
Carolina is ranked No. 7 in the latest Associated Press poll and No. 8 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches polls. Akron is unranked.
Akron is 3-1 this season, coming off a 78-70 home win over James Madison on Dec. 6.
BROADCAST INFO
Sunday's game will be televised by Fox Sports South and the Sunshine Network. Mike Hogewood (play-by-play) and Bobby Cremins (analyst) will have the call.
This season, 26 of 27 regular-season Carolina games will be televised (the lone exception is the Dec. 30 game with Coastal Carolina). Fifteen UNC games will be nationally broadcast, not including ACC and NCAA Tournament contests.
The game also will be broadcast live on radio by the Tar Heel Sports Network, for which Woody Durham (play-by-play) and Mick Mixon (analyst) are in their 15th year together calling the action for Carolina Basketball. For the third straight season, former UNC All-America Phil Ford (analyst) joins Durham and Mixon on the broadcast team. All Carolina men's basketball games may be heard on the Internet at TarHeelBlue.com.
LAST TIME OUT - UNC 115, GEORGE MASON 81
Carolina got a career-high 26 points from Sean May and 21 points apiece from Jawad Williams and Rashad McCants in a 115-81 win over George Mason in the Smith Center on Dec. 7. Raymond Felton set a UNC record with 18 assists in the game, besting the old record of 17 assists, held by Jeff Lebo and Ed Cota. Felton had just three turnovers in the contest.
The 115 points are the most Carolina has scored in a game since scoring 129 vs. VMI on Dec. 17, 1994. The Patriots hit 8 of 15 first-half three-pointers and led, 49-47, at the break. The Tar Heels outscored GMU, 68-32, in the second half, hitting 64.9 percent of their second-half field goal attempts and 60.9 percent for the game. Carolina has topped 60 percent shooting twice this season (60.7 percent vs. Old Dominion). Prior to this season, UNC hadn't shot 60 percent since Jan. 8, 2000.
Reyshawn Terry had his first career double-figure scoring game vs. GMU with 10 points. Basketball walk-on and football wide receiver Jesse Holley made his hardwod debut, scoring four points in three minutes of action. Justin Bohlander had season highs with five points, five rebounds and two assists.
THE SERIES WITH AKRON
Sunday's game will be the first-ever meeting between North Carolina and Akron in men's basketball.
NOEL HAS CAST REMOVED, BEGINS PRACTICING
Sophomore forward David Noel had the cast removed from his injured right thumb on Tuesday, Dec. 9 and began practicing with the Tar Heels on a limited basis (wearing a heavy splint) on Dec. 10. UNC doctors will continue to monitor Noel's progress before determining when the Durham, N.C., native can return to game action.
Noel was expected to miss 6-8 weeks of action due to a torn ligament in his right thumb, an injury which occurred in practice on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Noel underwent surgery on Nov. 12 to repair the torn ligament. Last year, the Durham, N.C., native played in all 35 games and averaged 5.9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He had career-bests of 21 points and 12 rebounds against DePaul in the first round of the NIT.
"I am so disappointed for David and our team," said head coach Roy Williams at the time of the injury. "David worked hard in the off-season to develop his all-around game and that work had shown well in his play in the first weeks of practice. We look forward to his full recovery and expedient return to the lineup."
FELTON SETS SCHOOL ASSIST RECORD
Raymond Felton set a UNC record with 18 assists vs. George Mason on Dec. 7. The old UNC record of 17 assists in a game was held by Jeff Lebo and Ed Cota.
The 18 assists are the fourth-highest single-game total in ACC history.
MAY EARNS PLAYER-OF-THE-WEEK HONORS
North Carolina's Sean May led the Tar Heels to a perfect 2-0 week with wins over No. 11 Illinois in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and George Mason last week. For his efforts, May was named the ACC Player of the Week and the National Player of the Week by ESPN.com and FoxSports.com.
The 6-9 sophomore forward posted 23 points and a career-best 14 rebounds in the 88-81 victory over the Fighting Illini at the Greensboro Coliseum. May followed that performance with a career-high 26 point outing against George Mason after shooting 83 percent from the floor (10 for 12).
The Bloomington, Ind., native also added six rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks as the Tar Heels beat the Patriots, 115-81. In the two games, May went a combined 17 for 27 (63 percent) from the floor, while connecting on 15 of 18 foul shots. He also added five steals and four blocks.
UNC BASKETBALL HOLIDAY CLINIC
The Tar Heels will host their annual UNC Basketball Holiday Clinic on Wednesday, Dec. 31, from 9 a.m. to noon in the Smith Center. The clinic is open to all boys and girls in grades 1 through 8. The cost of the clinic is $40 per child and registration begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Smith Center's Entrance A.
UNC BASKETBALL CLINIC FOR SPECIAL OLYMPIANS
The Tar Heels will host a clinic for Special Olympians on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2004, from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Smith Center. The event is open to the media. Members of the media interested in covering the clinc should contact Steve Kirschner at (919) 962-7258.
