University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Look to Sweep Cavaliers
February 23, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2004
North Carolina (16-7, 6-6 ACC) hopes to sweep the season series from Virginia (14-10, 4-9 ACC) for the first time in five years when it visits the Cavaliers on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. in University Hall in Charlottesville. The game will be televised regionally by Raycom/Jefferson-Pilot.
The last time Carolina swept a season series from Virginia was in 1998-99. In the last four years, the two teams have split the series twice (2000-01 and 2002-03) and Virginia has swept the series twice (1999-2000 and 2001-02).
A month ago, UNC defeated the Cavaliers, 96-77, in Chapel Hill. In the game, the Tar Heels went on a 31-9 second-half run and Rashad McCants topped 25 points for the third consecutive time out. Carolina is coming off a 78-71 home win over Florida State on Saturday and has won back-to-back games for the first time nearly in a month. The Tar Heels have gone 8-6 in the 2004 calendar year after starting the 2003-04 season 8-1. UNC has won three of its last four games, losing only at Georgia Tech on Feb. 10.
The Cavaliers are coming off a 58-55 win at Clemson on Saturday.
Following Tuesday's game, Carolina will play at NC State on Sunday evening (Feb. 29) in the RBC Center in Raleigh.
Broadcast Information
Tuesday's game will be televised regionally by Raycom/Jefferson-Pilot. Steve Martin (play-by-play) and Dan Bonner (analyst) will call the action.
This season, 26 of 27 regular-season Carolina games will be televised (the lone exception was the Dec. 30 game vs. Coastal Carolina). Fifteen UNC games will be nationally broadcast, not including ACC and NCAA Tournament contests.
The game 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 (for a fee) at TarHeelBlue.com.
Last Time Out - Carolina 78, Florida State 71 (Feb. 21)
Carolina out-rebounded Florida State, 48-28 (tying its season-high for rebound margin), and defeated the Seminoles 78-71 on Feb. 21 in Chapel Hill. The game was the centerpiece of a UNC Basketball lettermen's reunion that drew over 220 former players, managers and coaches. A pair of banners were raised in the Smith Center rafters to commemorate former coaches Dean Smith and Bill Guthridge.
The Tar Heels won despite 18 turnovers in the contest and 36.0 percent shooting in the second half. Carolina shot just 56.8 percent from the free throw line. The Tar Heels made just 11 of their first 25 free throw attempts (42.3 percent) before making 10 of their last 12.
Rashad McCants (21 points, four three-pointers), Raymond Felton (17 points, a career-high 10 rebounds and seven assists) and Jawad Williams (13 points and eight rebounds) led UNC. Sean May (10 points and 10 rebounds) posted his fourth double-double in the last five games.
Tim Pickett had 25 points and nine rebounds and Andrew Wilson (who hit 7 of 10 three-pointers) had 24 points for FSU.
Carolina held the Seminoles to 33.3 percent shooting in the first half and led, 43-27, at the break. Several Tar Heel turnovers and FSU three-pointers allowed the 'Noles to get back in the game soon after intermission.
The Series with Virginia
The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with Virginia, 116-46. UNC leads the series, 22-16, in games played at University Hall and 39-29 in games played in Charlottesville.
Virginia has beaten Carolina in six of the last nine meetings in the series, including four straight wins in Charlottesville. The last time the Tar Heels won at University Hall was during the 1998-99 season.
Earlier this Season in Chapel Hill - Carolina 96, Virginia 77 (Jan. 24)
Rashad McCants scored 26 points, topping 25 points for the third consecutive game, to lead Carolina to a 96-77 win over Virginia in the Smith Center on Jan. 24. McCants is the first Tar Heel to score 25 or more points in three straight games since Joseph Forte in 2000-01.
Five other Tar Heels joined McCants in double figures: Sean May (17), Jawad Williams (14), Jackie Manuel (12 and 7 rebounds), Raymond Felton (11 and 8 assists) and Melvin Scott (10, five rebounds, four assists and four steals).
Virginia took a 49-48 lead with 17:52 left in the second half before Carolina went on a 31-9 run to take a 79-58 lead with 7:51 left to play.
The Tar Heels shot 63.0 percent from the floor in the second half, their sixth 60-percent half of the season to date. Carolina had twice as many assists as turnovers (22 to 11) while forcing 19 UVa turnovers, 12 of which came after halftime.
Last Season in Charlottesville - Virginia 79, Carolina 72 (Jan. 11, 2003)
Last season in Charlottesville, Carolina trailed by 18 at halftime but fought back and was within six points with 2:35 to play before losing at Virginia, 79-72. Todd Billet hit six three-pointers and scored a game-high 24 points and UVa shot 57.6 percent in the first half. Travis Watson had 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Jawad Williams (18 points, nine rebounds) and Rashad McCants (16 points, six rebounds) led the Tar Heels. Carolina outrebounded Virginia, 40-35, and grabbed 22 offensive boards.
Defensive Improvement for Tar Heels
Carolina has held its opponents to under 50 percent shooting from the floor in eight of the last nine halves (the exception was Georgia Tech in the second half). In five of those eight halves, Tar Heel opponents shot under 45 percent. In that string, UNC held Maryland to 30.0 percent in the first half, Duke to 33.3 percent in the second half and Wake Forest to 40.7 percent in the first half.
