University of North Carolina Athletics
Arizona Game Guide
January 27, 2007 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2007
By Lauren Brownlow
The Basics
No. 4 Carolina (18-2, 5-1) will travel to Tucson on Saturday to face No. 17/19 Arizona (14-5). The Tar Heels are coming off an 88-60 win on the road against Wake Forest on Wednesday. Arizona began the season with a loss at Virginia, and went on a 12-game win streak. Since then, they have lost four of their last six games (the largest margin being seven points). They ended a three-game skid on Wednesday against Arizona State with a 71-47 win.
This is the first time Carolina and Arizona have played a game in Tucson. Last season's game in Chapel Hill marked the first time the two schools faced on one of the two schools' campuses instead of a neutral site. The series is tied at 3-3. Arizona has a 29-game non-conference homecourt win streak, the fourth-longest active streak in the country.
Game Time: North Carolina at Arizona, 1 p.m. EST.
Last Time: Arizona came to Chapel Hill for the first time on January 28, 2006, and the Tar Heels beat them soundly, 86-69. Carolina shot a then-season high 56.7% from the floor, made 9-of-17 three-pointers and out-rebounded the Wildcats 38-30. Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Danny Green scored 13 points and blocked two shots in 19 minutes on a 3-of-4 performance from the three-point line. Wes Miller hit 4-of-5 three-pointers for 14 points, and Reyshawn Terry added 13. Bobby Frasor had nine assists and zero turnovers; he and David Noel combined for 17 of Carolina's 23 assists.
Mustafa Shakur led the way for the Wildcats, scoring 18 points and adding four assists and two steals. Marcus Williams added 17 points, and Hassan Adams added 12.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 12 noon.
Injury Report: Bobby Frasor is limited again after tweaking his foot injury in the game against Virginia Tech. The x-rays were negative, but no timetable has been set for his return. He is not likely to play.
Storylines
Depth: Carolina goes 12-deep - everybody knows that - and the Tar Heels' second five could beat most teams' starting five. That is not the case against a talented team like Arizona, who has the No. 6 scoring offense in the country (83.4 points a game) and has the ability to run with the Tar Heels. Arizona's five starters average over 30 minutes a game, and only one other player (Daniel Dillon) averages double-figure minutes. In contrast, nine Tar Heels average double-figure minutes on the season (not counting Bobby Frasor).
Arizona has shown the ability to score a lot of points in a hurry, as the Wildcats have had a 15-0 run in 2:28 at Washington, a 25-0 run in 7:45 against New Mexico State at home, a 34-11 run in nine minutes against Northern Arizona, a 31-9 run in eight minutes against Cal, and a 18-3 run in 4:15 at Virginia.
Carolina has the No. 2 scoring offense in the country with 87.6 points a game. As with most running teams, both Carolina and Arizona's defense suffers in terms of points per game. Carolina is 110th in scoring defense, allowing 65.5 points per game. Arizona ranks 259th in the country in scoring defense, allowing 72.8 points per game. Carolina ranks 202nd in field goal percentage defense, allowing its opponents to shoot 39.9%, while Arizona is 169th, allowing 43.5%.
However, as Carolina fans are well aware, Carolina's defense has been experiencing a recent resurgence, allowing just three of its last 14 opponents to score more than 65 points and holding three of its last 14 opponents under 43% shooting from the field. Three of Carolina's last six opponents have shot less than 35% from the field. Carolina does not experience a significant drop-off in defensive performance or intensity when a new five comes into the game.
Despite Arizona's problems on the defensive end, in its last game against Arizona State at home, Arizona held the Sun Devils to just 47 points, their lowest of the season (both by an Arizona opponent and by Arizona State). Arizona held the Sun Devils to 34.7% from the floor, which is the lowest field-goal percentage allowed by the Wildcats in the last 11 games. In fact, seven of Arizona's last nine opponents have shot 45% or better from the field. Now, the Wildcats are coming into Saturday's game with some defensive momentum and will look to keep that going against the Tar Heels. Carolina will need to use its depth to wear Arizona down on both ends of the court.
Rebounding: Carolina is the No. 1 team in rebounding margin, but the Tar Heels struggled for the first time on the boards in the first half against Wake Forest. The Tar Heels ended the first half with a 20-17 rebounding deficit. The 10 offensive rebounds pulled down by Wake Forest were the most allowed in a first half this season by Carolina. Wake Forest's 20 first-half rebounds in a half were the most allowed by Carolina in the first half since Kentucky pulled down 24 in the first half. The seven offensive rebounds pulled down by Carolina were the fewest of the season so far. The 37 defensive rebounds were the highest Carolina tally since the Gardner-Webb game.
"We've got to rebound the basketball. We've rebounded it very, very well all year. The first half tonight wasn't very good, but we ended up with a margin of six. I think Wake was more determined than we were, and then the other thing is long shots, long rebounds, and they kept getting all the loose balls on the long rebounds. That's one thing about the three-point shot, even though the defense is on the inside, when the ball bounces out a little longer sometimes it does favor the offensive team," Coach Williams said.
"They picked up more of the long rebounds and they even picked up one rebound off the floor that we didn't get to. I told our kids at one of the timeouts in the first half that the biggest problem we had was that Wake was playing harder than we were and I really believed it at that point. I told them that we should never say that to him and never should have it to be true. I think it was more determination and more the fact that we were getting long rebounds."
Arizona is No. 36 in rebounding margin in the country at +5.9, and they have four players in the top 25 of the conference in rebounding and three inside the top 15. They also have five inside the top 30, with the lowest man averaging 4.1 a game.
Tyler Hansbrough is averaging 8.1 rebounds; Brandan Wright 6.4, and Reyshawn Terry is averaging 5.8. All three players are inside the top 17 in the conference in rebounding. Danny Green is 46th with 3.4 and Marcus Ginyard is 57th with 3.1. No one else averages more than 3.0. Alex Stepheson has shown some potential to be a great rebounder, pulling down eight boards in just nine minutes on Wednesday. His board work could be important, especially if one of the starters gets into foul trouble. Marcus Ginyard is one of the more natural offensive rebounders on the team, as 30 of his 62 total rebounds are offensive boards. Everyone will have to work hard on the glass against Arizona on Saturday, and as Roy Williams saw many times in the Virginia Tech game, no one can simply fail to box out their man.
On the road again: Carolina's trip to Tucson will be the farthest west the Tar Heels have ever traveled this far into the regular season. Carolina traveled to played UCLA on January 2, 1988 and Pepperdine on January 3, 1989. The Tar Heels are 3-1 on the road so far this year. Two years in a row, the Tar Heels have lost west coast road games (Santa Clara and USC) and seemed affected by the travel.
"We're going out there Thursday night, get in late and then we'll have Friday to sort of get acclimated to everything. I have coached one team that played at Arizona and it's a great crowd - 17,000, and they're extremely loud and extremely enthusiastic. It will be a great challenge for us," Coach Williams said.
Arizona is 10-1 at home, and 9-0 overall when shooting 50% or better from the field. Arizona ranks 10th in the country and 1st in the Pac-10 in FG% with 49.9%. Four of Arizona's five starters shoot more than 50% from the field. The lowest percentage Arizona has shot at home is 44.8%, and the Wildcats won 79-71 against Memphis in that game. At home, the Wildcats have shot higher than 60% twice and better than 50% seven times.
In the last two games played on the road, Carolina has shot above 50% and held their opponents to below 40%. Carolina has already held the No. 6 team in the country (Georgia Tech) who shoots 50.6% from the field to 41.7% and their lowest scoring output of the season to that point.
Arizona is No. 5 in the country in fewest fouls per game with 13.9. Carolina is 24th with 16.0. Arizona is No. 10 in the country in free-throw percentage at 75.2%. Arizona leads the conference in free throws made per game (19.3) and free throws attempted per game (25.6). They rank 2nd in the conference in free-throw percentage (366-of-487) at 75.2%. Three Arizona players rank in the top 10 in the conference in free-throw percentage. Three Arizona starters shoot 80% or better from the free-throw line. Mustafa Shakur and Ivan Radenovic both rank 1st and 2nd, respectively, in the conference in free-throws attempted per game.
Arizona is averaging twelve points a game at the free-throw line, while its opponents are averaging just four. The Wildcats have made 133 more free throws than their opponents have attempted, or an average of 7.0 more a game. At home, the disparity is worse as in 11 games, Arizona has attempted 108 more free throws than its opponents, or an average of 9.8 more free-throws a game. At home, Arizona averages 19.8 made free-throws to 27.4 attempted free throws, and its opponents average 6.5 made free-throws to 10 attempts.
Carolina is No. 8 in the conference and 160th in the country in free-throw percentage at 69%. The Tar Heels have made 57 more free throws (354) than their opponents have attempted (297). A big part of Carolina's offense involves attacking the basket and drawing fouls, but a more important consideration here is that going up against a very skilled and tall front line, Carolina's big men have to avoid foul trouble.
"We've just got to go in and get the crowd out of the game, because that's a tough place to play. We want to get the crowd out of the game and spread the defense and get Tyler the ball. That'll be the main key for us to win up there," Ty Lawson said.
At The Game
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The in-stadium frequency in the McKale Center will be FM 94.3.
Watching At Home
Turn down the sound: If you're watching at home while listening to the radio or over the computer via Carolina All-Access, there will inevitably be some delay. For the reason - and a possible solution - click here.
A full list of THSN affiliates can be found here.
CBS coverage: The game will be available nationally on CBS.
Names To Know
Ty Lawson: Wake Forest was hanging around at halftime, down by a score of 44-37. Ty Lawson had been plagued by foul trouble much of the first half, but he scored all 15 of his points in the second half on 5-of-7 shooting. He scored six consecutive points in a 28-5 Carolina run that would take Carolina's lead from 44-41 to 50-41 in just under two minutes.
He ranks No. 5 in the conference and 51st in the country in assists per game with 5.1. He has struggled a bit in ACC play with 25 assists to 22 turnovers (1.1 ratio). On the season, Lawson has 101 assists to 49 turnovers (2.1). Lawson is tied fourth on the team in scoring with 9.0 points per game and he ranks 16th in the conference in field-goal percentage with 52.5%, just behind Tyler Hansbrough.
He leads Carolina in steals and ranks 8th in the conference with 37, or 1.9 a game. He leads the team with 15 steals in ACC games and is averaging 9.0 points a game in conference play. He is shooting a team-leading 50% (6-of-12) from the three-point line in conference play and is also shooting 50% from the field. A third of both his made and attempted field goals have been three-pointers in ACC games, and Lawson's newfound willingness to pull the trigger from beyond the arc has been a welcome addition to the Tar Heel offense.
"I've been talking to him a little more recently about ignoring his shot because he can shoot the basketball. Sometimes he looks past that, which is great to have a point guard that looks pass first, but don't ignore your open shots," Roy Williams said. "I did tell him that we needed a big half out of him. If that's what it took, I'll tell him that every game from now on, I promise you."
He leads the team in fouls in conference play with 20. Next-closest is Tyler Hansbrough with 12. His 63.2% from the free-throw line in conference play is last behind all starters except Brandan Wright (43.3%). Lawson's free-throw attempts are third highest in conference play, and he needs to continue to penetrate, get to the line and convert. UCLA's Darren Collison penetrated through Arizona's zone defense very well in a 73-69 UCLA win, scoring 14 points and dishing out seven assists. Four of his points came at the free-throw line. Lawson will have to play smart, as he is going up against one of the most experienced guards in the country. Lawson has guarded two quick point guards - Ishmael Smith and Javaris Crittenton - very well in the last two games, and his good defense will need to continue. But his offensive involvement, not only in dishing out assists but also in knocking down open shots, will help to keep Arizona's zone defense honest.
"We just told him to keep attacking. We told him not to let their point guard control the tempo of the game," Danny Green said. "He kept attacking him and got him in foul trouble, which helped the team a lot because when he's out of the game they don't have a real penetrating threat because when he's in the game, he does a good job of getting in the lane, getting us in foul trouble and getting the ball to their big men. Ty kept attacking him, got some easy points, played some good defense and pretty much got him out of the game and that's when we went on a run."
Tyler Hansbrough: Hansbrough's play was key in Carolina's victory over Arizona last season, and it should be key again if the Tar Heels are to win. His matchup with Radenovic and Budinger down low will be competitive. Hansbrough ranks third in the ACC and 51st in the country with 18.5 points per game. His 52.8% from the field ranks 15th in the ACC and 66th in the country in field-goal percentage at 52.8%. He is second in the conference and 71st in the country in rebounds per game with 8.1. He leads the conference in free-throws attempted per game with 8.3 and ranks 16th in the conference in free-throw percentage (124-of-166, 74.7%).
He is the only Tar Heel to average over 30 minutes a game (30.7) in conference play, and he leads the team in conference scoring with 19.2 points a game and rebounding with 9.5 a game. He is shooting 51.5% from the field in ACC play (2nd on the team) and 47-59 from the free-throw line (79.7%). Hansbrough ranks second on the team in turnovers in conference play with 15 to only Lawson's 22. His 6 assists to 15 turnovers is a 0.40 ratio, which is worst among double-digit minute players. Hansbrough continues to take a beating in the paint every game, but his persistence is maddening to opponents, and it will be necessary on Saturday.
"He is such a fierce competitor that when he gets the ball inside he thinks he can score and he focuses on that goal, and that's a good thing. Tyler Hansbrough makes more baskets and gets fouled because he's not concerned about being fouled. So many guys go out and think about getting fouled or something and miss the dadgum easy shot," Coach Williams said. "That boy goes up and focuses on the basket and puts it in, and if he gets fouled, he says, `Oh, I get to go to the free throw line.' He's about as focused as anybody could ever be, and it's hard to correct him because you just love what he's doing. He's shooting more free throws with everybody in the ACC, and it's frustrating to see what happens to that kid during a game."
Wayne Ellington: Wayne Ellington appeared to be officially out of the slump on Wednesday against Wake Forest, as he scored a game-high 18 points and shot 8-of-12 from the field and 2-of-5 from the three-point line. Ellington has really blossomed in terms of the ability to create his own shot, and he has seemed much more comfortable taking two-point shots. In the Tar Heels' last two road games, he shot a combined 13-of-20 from the field and 3-of-7 from the three-point line. Ellington has not played fewer than 20 minutes since St. Louis, which marked the only time this season that has happened.
Ellington has also picked up other aspects of his game recently. Ellington has 18 assists to just six turnovers in conference play (3.0 ratio). During the last four games, the Tar Heels have had more turnovers than assists in each game, but Ellington has nine assists to five turnovers in that stretch. In his first two conference games, Ellington had nine assists to just one turnover. He ranks third on the team in conference scoring with 10.3 points a game. He also ranks third on the team in assists in conference play (3.0 a game). He has 4 offensive rebounds and 16 total rebounds in ACC play. He has just five fouls in ACC play, the fewest among all Carolina players averaging double-figure minutes.
Overall, he is 24th in the conference in scoring with 12.4 points per game and third on the team. He is 32nd in the conference in field-goal percentage with 47%, lowest among Carolina's starters.
Ellington has been feeling it on the road, and it is clear that if Carolina needs a go-to guy, Ellington may be him. Roy Williams wants his team to be a little better at the freelance offense, and Ellington's proven ability to create shots for himself and to help create for others fits right into that.
Marcus Williams: The 6-7 sophomore leads Arizona in scoring with 18.1 points per game, which also ranks 2nd in the Pac-10 and 63rd in the country. His 28 blocks (1.6 a game) lead the team and rank 9th in the Pac-10. He ranks second on the team just behind Chase Budinger in field-goal percentage with 52.4%, a figure that is 10th-best in the conference and 73rd in the country. He is second on the team and 8th in the conference in rebounding with 7.6 a game. His 1.2 steals per game ranks second on the team and 13th in the conference, and he also averages 1.7 assists a game.
He has the lowest free-throw percentage among the starting five at 65.8%. His three-point percentage (33.3%) is also worst among the starters, but Williams can flat-out score. In Arizona's home loss to Oregon, Williams had 34 points on 11-of-20 shooting from the field and 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. He added 12 rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks in 39 minutes. He has struggled in his last two games, however, notching just four assists to ten turnovers. In his last game against UCLA, he played all 40 minutes, scored 11 points and pulled down 11 rebounds. In the loss as USC, he played 39 minutes and had 19 points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Williams did not play against Arizona State as he was serving a one-game suspension for an unspecified violation of team policy. He will be back on Saturday to face the Tar Heels. It was the first game he has missed in his career at Arizona.
Chase Budinger: The highly-touted 6-7 freshman has lived up to his billing so far this season. He is third on the team in scoring and 10th in the Pac-10 with 15.5 points a game, and his 52.7% field-goal percentage leads the team, ranks 7th in the conference and 70th in the country. His 108 made field goals are second-highest on the team, as are his 27 made three-pointers. He shoots 36.5% from beyond the arc. He also shoots free throws very well, as his 52-of-61 (85.2%) is second-highest on the team and No. 4 in the conference and 53rd in the country.
He is the third-leading rebounder as part of a front line that goes 6-10, 6-7 and 6-7, pulling down 5.9 rebounds a game, which ranks 13th in the Pac-10. His 22 steals are second-best on the team and 14th in the conference (1.2 a game). His 1.4 assist/turnover ratio (37 assists to 26 turnovers) is second-best on the team, and his 1.9 assists a game is tied for third-highest on the team and ranks 27th in the Pac-10.
Budinger is coming off of a 21-point, 10-rebound performance against Arizona State on Wednesday, which is his third of the season.
Ivan Radenovic: The 6-10 senior Radenovic is the type of player Carolina hasn't seen much of, if any, this season. He leads his team in both three-point percentage (17-of-38 for 44.7%) and free-throw percentage (89.9%). His 44.7% from beyond the arc is third in the Pac-10. His 89.9% from the line leads the Pac-10 and ranks 14th in the country. His 51.8% from the field is fourth on the team, 14th in the Pac-10 and 85th in the country. He is Arizona's second-leading scorer with 16 points a game and 8th in the conference. He leads his team in rebounding and is 7th in the conference with 7.8 rebounds per game, and he also leads his team in offensive rebounds with 52 (2.7 a game). His 2.1 assists per game ranks second on the team and 24th in the conference, and his 21 steals (1.1 a game) are tied for third-best on the team and rank 16th in the conference. He also ranks second on the team in minutes played behind fellow senior Mustafa Shakur with 34.1. Perhaps the only negative category he leads his team in is fouls (49), but this big man can do it all and will be a tough defensive assignment for the Tar Heels.
Quotables
"It was a big-time player. He ended up being a No. 1 draft choice in the NBA and an All-American. I did an in-home, and first of all he was late getting there. He had to come from the school which was six blocks away, and I had to come from Kansas. So he came in, and he had some food with him. While we were talking to him, his mother said something to him and he snapped at his mother. She said something else, he sort of snapped at her again. We put a tape on, and he got up and went in the kitchen to warm his food up. So I turned the tape off. She called him in there, and he said something snappy to her again. So I said, `This is not going to work. I don't like the way you're treating your mom. I don't like the way you respond. I don't like the fact that you're late. There's a great restaurant down the street and my assistant and I are going to go to that restaurant. You can go anywhere you want to go, but it ain't going to be Kansas.' I still get a Christmas card from the mom. She stood up and said, `No Coach, please. I want him to have this kind of guidance.' I said, `He can get it, but it's got to be from somebody else.' At least be good to your momma." -Roy Williams
Roy Williams: "I could shoot it like him, but I wouldn't dress like he did."
Woody Durham: "What in the world did he have on?"
Roy Williams: "I have no clue, and don't want to know."
-On the freshman who hit the halfcourt shot to win $13,000 on ESPN's College GameDay
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
