University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Set for Final Road Game of Season at Wake Forest
March 4, 2003 | Men's Basketball
March 4, 2003
CHAPEL HILL -- Carolina will play its last road game of the 2002-03 regular season and try to keep its post-season hopes alive when it visits No. 9/10 Wake Forest on Wednesday at 9 p.m. at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The game will be televised regionally by Raycom/Jefferson-Pilot.
"We played pretty well against Wake Forest at home, and they may not have played their best game," Tar Heel head coach Matt Doherty said on Tuesday. "They're 12th in the country. They have a chance to win the league regular-season championship for the first time since 1962. We're going into their building. We've talked a lot about playing on the road. We've got to go in there and perform very well to have a chance to win."
Carolina (15-13, 5-9 ACC) broke a two-game losing streak last Saturday when it came from behind to beat Georgia Tech 67-66 in the Smith Center. That Tar Heel win forced a four-way tie for fifth place in the ACC at 5-9 with Georgia Tech, Clemson and Virginia.
Wake Forest (21-4, 11-3 ACC) is coming off an 80-68 home win over Clemson last Saturday afternoon. Earlier this season, the Demon Deacons beat the Tar Heels 79-75 in Chapel Hill.
Carolina leads the all-time series against Wake Forest, 146-60. Wake beat UNC 79-75 in Chapel Hill on Feb. 2. The Demon Deacons beat the Tar Heels twice last season - 84-62 in Chapel Hill and 90-66 in Winston-Salem.
Carolina leads the series 51-27 in Winston-Salem and 7-6 at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. UNC has won more games against Wake Forest than any other opponent. The Tar Heels have won nine of the last 14 meetings with the Deacons but have lost their last three against Wake.
Earlier this season in Chapel Hill, Josh Howard scored 32 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds as Wake outlasted Carolina, 79-75 in the Smith Center on Feb. 2. The Demon Deacons out-rebounded the Tar Heels, 47-30 and won despite turning the ball over 21 times. Jawad Williams had his second straight 20-point performance, finishing with a team-high 22 to lead five Tar Heel double-figure scorers. David Noel got the start and had 14 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.
