University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Hope to Sweep Wolfpack
February 27, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 27, 2004
North Carolina hopes to sweep the season series from NC State when it visits the Wolfpack on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at the RBC Center in Raleigh. The game will be televised nationally by Fox Sports Net. A month ago, UNC defeated the Wolfpack, 68-66 in Chapel Hill. That win broke a four-game losing streak to the Pack.
If the Tar Heels lose to NC State, it will mark the first time in 51 years of Atlantic Coast Conference play that Carolina has not swept at least one series from a conference foe.
UNC has split with Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Florida State and Virginia in 2003-04, with remaining games against Clemson and Duke (both of whom beat Carolina earlier this season) after the NC State game.
Carolina (ranked No. 12 by the Associated Press and No. 16 by the coaches) is 4-4 this season against ranked teams. NC State is ranked No. 14/19 this week.
Carolina is coming off a 74-72 loss at Virginia on Tuesday night. The Tar Heels have gone 8-7 in the 2004 calendar year after starting the 2003-04 season 8-1. UNC is 1-5 on the road in ACC play this season, with the lone win coming at Wake Forest on Feb. 7.
The Wolfpack is coming off a 79-69 win at Georgia Tech on Wednesday night. NC State is 14-0 at home this season, including a 6-0 home ACC mark.
Following Sunday's game, Carolina will close out its home schedule by hosting Clemson on Tuesday night at 9 p.m. in the Smith Center.
Broadcast Information
Sunday's game will be televised nationally by Fox Sports Net Thom Brennaman (play-by-play), Mike Gminski (analyst) and Dwayne Ballen (sideline) will have the call.
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 - Virginia 74, Carolina 72 (Feb. 24)
Trailing by one point, Todd Billet hit a three-pointer with 13.6 seconds left to give Virginia a 74-72 win over Carolina in Charlottesville on Feb. 24. The loss was Carolina's fifth in a row in Charlottesville.
The Cavaliers out-rebounded the Tar Heels, 41-35, and held a 20-12 edge in second-chance points. The Cavs also held a 32-16 advantage in bench points.
Sean May (20 points, nine rebounds) and Raymond Felton (16 points, six assists and four steals) led the Tar Heels in a losing effort.
Rashad McCants (eight points) was held to single-digits for just the second time in 2003-04. Melvin Scott hit just 2 of 11 shots (0-5 on three-pointers). Carolina led by as many as nine points in the second half.
The Series with NC State
The Tar Heels lead the series with NC State, 129-74. The Wolfpack have beaten Carolina in four of the last five meetings, but the Tar Heels defeated the Pack, 68-66, on Jan. 28 in Chapel Hill. UNC had won seven in a row and 11 of 12 in the series prior to the 2001-02 season.
Carolina is 50-43 against NC State all-time in Raleigh, including a 2-2 mark in the RBC Center and a 29-29 mark at Reynolds Coliseum.
Earlier this Season in Chapel Hill - Carolina 68, NC State 66 (Jan. 28)
Raymond Felton scored 14 points and Rashad McCants had 13 to lead Carolina past NC State, 68-66, on Jan. 28 in Chapel Hill. The win was UNC's first in the series since February 2001, breaking a four-game losing streak to the Wolfpack. Sean May had 11 points and 10 rebounds for Carolina.
The Tar Heels allowed NC State to shoot nearly 60 percent from the field in the first half but picked up the defensive pressure afterhalftime. NC State's shooting percentage dropped to 45.5 percent in the second half, and the Wolfpack committed 13 turnovers in the final 20 minutes.
The Tar Heels helped their cause by forcing turnovers and taking the ball to the basket in the second half, going 13-for-15 from the free throw line after the break.
Marcus Melvin led NC State with 15 points and nine rebounds. Julius Hodge was State's only other double-figure scorer, finishing with 12. Both Melvin and Hodge comitted six turnovers, and the Wolfpack finished with 20 turnovers overall.
Defensive Improvement for Tar Heels
Carolina has held its opponents to under 50 percent shooting from the floor in 10 of the last 11 halves (the exception was Georgia Tech in the second half). In seven of those 10 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.
Manuel Among ACC's Best Defenders
Junior guard Jackie Manuel has established a reputation as one of the ACC's best defenders. In early February, in the News & Observer's midseason conference report, the newspaper named Manuel to its "William H. Macy Team" (valuable players in supporting roles). The News & Observer also named Manuel to its "Floor-Slappers Team" (the hardest working defenders).
After Duke's overtime win over Carolina on Feb. 5, Blue Devil guard J.J. Redick said of Manuel: "He blocked a couple of my shots early, and, after that, it was in the back of my head. I started rushing things, and I never really caught the ball in rhythm. He is one of the quickest at recovering to my shot. He's probably the toughest defender I've faced."
Felton a Finalist for Bob Cousy Award
North Carolina sophomore Raymond Felton, Chris Hernandez of Stanford and Jameer Nelson of St. Joseph's are among 16 finalists for the inaugural Bob Cousy Collegiate Point Guard of the Year Award, sponsored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The award, which will recognize the best true point guard in all three NCAA Divisions (I, II, III), will be presented at a press conference at the Final Four in San Antonio on Monday, April 5, at 11:30 a.m. local time at the Marriott River Center.
The 16 finalists are: Timmy Bowers of Mississippi State, Tony Borghese of Otterbein, Antonio Burkes of Memphis, Michael Crotty of Williams, Travis Diener of Marquette, Eric Faber of Rollins, Felton, Marques Green of St. Bonaventure, Devin Harris of Wisconsin, Hernandez, Josh Mueller of South Dakota, Nelson, Kelvin Parker of Northwest Missouri State, Chris Paul of Wake Forest, Gabe Perez of Rochester, and Notre Dame's Chris Thomas.
"Mr. Cousy has a vision for this award," said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Hall of Fame. "He wants to recognize the vital importance of the point guard position and highlight its crucial role in achieving team success. This award will recognize core basketball skills such as passing, dribbling and creating team offense in addition to intangibles such as leadership, vision, selflessness and focus."
Felton a Naismith Finalist
The Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Feb. 17 that Raymond Felton is one of 20 finalists for the men's Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award.
Felton is one of four ACC Players among the 20 finalists - Julius Hodge (NC State), J.J. Redick (Duke) and Chris Duhon (Duke) are the others.
Previous Tar Heel winners of the Naismith Award are Michael Jordan (1984) and Antawn Jamison (1998).
The Naismith Board of Selectors, which includes some of the country's leading basketball coaches, journalists, and administrators, began the selection process earlier this year. They have reduced the number of finalists by balloting to the twenty top male and female players they feel most deserving of the award.
The winners of the Naismith Awards, the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball, will be honored in Atlanta on Friday, April 9, 2004.
Felton, May, McCants Earn NABC All-District Honors
The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) on Feb. 18 announced the NABC Division I All-District Teams recognizing the country's best men's collegiate basketball student-athletes. Tar Heel sophomores Raymond Felton (first team), Sean May (second-team) and Rashad McCants (second team) earned honors for District 5.
Selected and voted on by member coaches of the NABC, these student-athletes represent the finest basketball players across the country. The 150 student-athletes, from 15 districts, are now eligible for the NABC Division I All-American Team to be announced at the conclusion of the 2003-2004 NCAA men's basketball season.
First team: Felton, Julius Hodge (NC State), J.J. Redick (Duke), Chris Duhon (Duke), Sheldon Williams (Duke).
Second team: May, McCants, Kevin Martin (Western Carolina), Chris Paul (Wake Forest), B.J. Elder (Georgia Tech).
