University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC-Asheville Game Guide
November 29, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 29, 2008
By Lauren Brownlow
The Basics
No. 1/1 North Carolina (6-0) will return home victorious from the Maui Invitational win to face UNC-Asheville (3-2). Carolina beat Chaminade, Oregon and No. 8 Notre Dame to win the Tournament. Carolina won the three games by an average of 29.7 points. The Bulldogs began their season 3-0 against Belmont Abbey, Montreat and Liberty. But they have lost their last two games against Campbell and Wofford. The Bulldogs are beginning a tough stretch of seven games that includes Carolina, Tennessee, VMI, Ohio State and Duke.
Carolina has a 5-0 edge in the series between the two teams, winning four of the five at home. This game will mark the fourth time in the last five seasons the two teams have played. Carolina has been ranked No. 1 twice and won by an average of 15.0 points; in the three games when the Tar Heels were not No. 1, they won by an average of 29.3 points.
Game Time: UNC-Asheville at North Carolina, 6:30 PM.
Last Time: Carolina beat UNC-Asheville 93-81 on January 9, 2008. UNC-Asheville shot 53.2% from the floor compared to 42.9% shooting by Carolina, largely due to the constant disruptions in the paint by the 7-9 Kenny George, whose basketball career was ended prematurely by a partial amputation of his foot. Carolina led 53-40 at halftime despite shooting 43.5% from the floor compared to 58.6% by UNC-Asheville. The Bulldogs out-scored Carolina 41-40 in the second half and the Tar Heels shot just 41.9% (UNC-Asheville shot 48.5%). Carolina out-rebounded UNC-Asheville 45-34 (including a 19-8 edge on the offensive boards) and had 20 assists to just nine turnovers.
Tyler Hansbrough led the way with his memorable dunk on George accounting for two of his 23 points. He also had eight rebounds and two steals. Wayne Ellington had 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting (3-of-6 from beyond the arc). Ty Lawson had seven assists and 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, adding three steals. Danny Green was the fourth Tar Heel in double figures with 14 points on 6-of-14 shooting, adding seven assists and three steals.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage begins at 5:30 PM.
Injury Report: Tyler Zeller broke his wrist against Kentucky. He had surgery and will likely miss the rest of the season. Marcus Ginyard will be out until mid-December after undergoing surgery on October 8th to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. Michael Copeland tore his ACL in a pickup game in May and had surgery in June. He will be out until sometime midseason.
Storylines
Turnovers: Carolina has taken excellent care of the ball so far this season, turning it over just 71 times compared to 111 by opponents; 63 of those turnovers have been Carolina steals. Of Carolina's 71 turnovers, 45 have been steals by opponents. But after averaging 12.5 steals in the first four games, Carolina has averaged 6.5 in its last two games. After the first four opponents had 59 assists to 89 turnovers (0.66 assist-to-turnover ratio), the last two Tar Heel opponents have dished out 34 assists to 22 turnovers (1.5 ratio) and the 22.3 opponent turnover average dropped to 11.0. One night after Oregon turned in a season-low 14 turnovers against Carolina, Notre Dame only had eight turnovers. It was the fewest turnovers forced by Carolina since Florida State had just eight on Senior Night in Chapel Hill last season. Carolina's opponents turned it over fewer than ten times only three times last season. Carolina turned it over 15 or more times just twice this season and once was against Oregon when the Tar Heels had a season-high 18 turnovers (14 of which were Oregon steals). Only 14 of Carolina's 39 opponents last season had double-digit steals against Carolina and three opponents this year already have ten or more.
In the three games this season in which Carolina has forced 20 or more turnovers (24.3 per game), the opponents shot 41.7% or better from the floor. But Carolina has held opponents to the fewest, second-fewest and fourth-fewest points of the season in those games (65.0 points per game). In the other three games, Carolina held opponents to 41% or below for the game and forced just 38 turnovers (12.7 per game). Carolina's opponents scored 75.7 points per game in those games despite shooting a lower percentage. So if the Tar Heels can get it clicking in terms of forcing turnovers and a low field-goal percentage, they will be on track to becoming the kind of defensive team they want to be.
Finishing off opponents: It might sound cheesy, or even picky, to suggest that Carolina is not finishing off teams when its margin of victory this season has been 23.3 points per game. But Carolina's opponents are averaging 29.7 points in the first half of games and 40.7 points in the second half. If Carolina were the same team defensively that has played in the first half of its last three games in Maui, it would be one of the best teams in Tar Heel history. This team is showing the capability to be that good. All season, Carolina has held four of six opponents to 40 percent or less shooting in the first half; it has held all six opponents to less than 40 percent shooting in one half. The Tar Heels allowed an average of 27.7 points and 31.6% shooting from the field. Notre Dame had the best first-half performance of a Tar Heel opponent in Maui at 35.9 percent. In the second half in Maui, Carolina's opponents shot 49-of-106 (46.2%) and averaged 47.6 points.
Before Maui, Carolina held opponents to 10-of-34 shooting from the three-point line in the first half (29.4%) and 11-of-30 in the second half (36.7%). That's not a big difference, but in Maui Carolina held opponents to 7-of-40 from beyond the arc in the first half (17.5%) and allowed 25-of-48 in the second half (52.1%). Taking away Notre Dame's 11-of-21 performance in the second half, Carolina's other two Maui opponents still shot 14-of-27 from beyond the arc in the second half. Of course, when teams are trying to come back they are bombing away with three-pointers but with the way the Tar Heels would like to play, they would like to have sufficiently worn down opponents enough so that they don't have the legs to make those three's. Even if Carolina can't do that, it would certainly like to play consistent defense from one half to the next.
"We can get a lot better by being more intelligent," Williams said. "We loaf back down the court and give up a six-footer. We piddle around in the backcourt and don't get picked up and (Kyle) McAlarney makes a three. It's silly things. I almost broke my dadgum hand on the scorer's table because I was just mad for guys jogging back. So we can maintain our intensity a lot better. ... But the game of basketball is a game of many opportunities to do good things and many opportunities to make mistakes. We made a lot of mistakes and I think we can get a lot better."
A hot-shooting opponent might begin to gain confidence against Carolina if it can go on a three-point shooting barrage earlier in the second half and attempt to mount a comeback. Carolina fortunately has been able to answer, shooting at least 50 percent in the second half of its last four games. But if Carolina's shots stop falling, a team like Penn can climb back to within ten points late in a game at home against Carolina or Kentucky can make a run when Carolina goes through field-goal droughts. Carolina shot 33.3% and 38.2% in the second half of both games, respectively. At The Game
Listening to the Tar Heel Sports Network at the game: The in-stadium frequency in the Smith Center will be FM 92.7. That station will have a non-delayed feed of WCHL 1360, the local affiliate.
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.
Fox Sports Net coverage: The game will be available on Fox Sports Net.
Names To Know
Deon Thompson: With the emergence of a dominant Ty Lawson, a healthy Tyler Hansbrough and a point-dropping Danny Green, Deon Thompson quietly had a very good Maui Invitational, particularly in the finale. He began the tournament shooting 11-of-18 from the floor and averaging 12 points and four rebounds. In the championship, he had his second double-double of the year with 19 points in 8-of-12 shooting and a career-high 13 rebounds (five offensive).
After Notre Dame cut the lead to 11 with 5:15 to go, Thompson assisted on a Danny Green dunk, then made a jumper after the Irish cut it to 13. When the lead was 12 with 1:57 to go, Thompson rebounded a missed Ty Lawson lay-up and converted a three-point play to give Carolina a 14-point cushion. He had all five of his second-half shot attempts (5-of-5). "Deon with 19 and 13, he had some big offensive rebounds for us when we were trying to weather their storm in making all of those threes," Williams said.
In the whole tournament, he shot 19-of-30 from the floor and swatted six shots. The junior is second on the team in scoring at 15.3 points per game and first among those who have played all six games. He is also averaging 7.8 rebounds and leads the team in blocks with nine. He has seven steals and just six turnovers, two fewer than Ty Lawson and the same number as Wayne Ellington. He is also shooting a team-high 61.8% from the field.
To say that Thompson struggled last season against the 7-9 Kenny George would be an understatement. He wasn't the only one but he shot just 3-of-14 (21.4%), his worst shooting performance of last season when attempting at least eight field goals. Of his 39 games last season, he shot below 40 percent from the floor in 12 of games. He did work hard on the boards and managed a team-high nine rebounds, pulling down six of Carolina's 19 offensive rebounds.
Will Graves: Just as one Tar Heel starts to break out of a shooting slump (Bobby Frasor), another Tar Heel gets in a bit of one. The sophomore sharp-shooter has been a bit off to begin the season, shooting 8-of-20 from the field for a respectable 40%. But he has shot 3-of-13 from beyond the arc (23.1%) after leading the Tar Heels in three-point percentage last season at 44.2 percent (19-of-43). He averaged 5.3 minutes per game last season but in the postseason (counting ACC Tournament games), that went up to 6.0 minutes per game and he saw action in six of the seven games. Williams is clearly showing that he trusts Graves because he is averaging 11.8 minutes per game this season. Even though he has been in a bit of a slump, as he gets adjusted to more playing time the shots should begin to fall. The only other negative with Graves, who has worked hard on his defense in the off-season, is that he is second on the team in fouls. Despite playing 71 minutes in six games, he is averaging 0.2 fouls per minute and 2.3 fouls per game. Against UNC-Asheville last season, Graves played just two minutes but hit 1-of-2 three-pointers.
Reid Augst: The 6-6 senior forward is the leading returning scorer for the Bulldogs and after a hot start to the season, he has struggled in recent games. The Bulldogs - and Augst - began the season hot on the strength of Reid averaging 14.3 points and shooting 17-of-29 from the floor (58.6%) and 7-of-9 from the foul line. He also had seven assists, seven steals and just two turnovers. In the last two games (both losses), he has shot 7-of-20 from the floor (35%) and 4-of-9 from the foul line (44.4%), averaging 9.0 points. He has improved some of his other stats, averaging 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals.
Even though he set a school record for consecutive free throws made last season, he hit just 3-of-7 in the last outing against Wofford, a loss. He leads the team in free throws attempted with 18 but has hit just 11. Despite the recent struggles, he does lead the team in scoring with 12.2 points per game, averaging 4.0 rebounds and has a team-high ten steals. He is also shooting 49% from the floor and averaging 27.4 minutes per game. After notching just three points in a loss against Campbell, he had 15 points against Wofford but shot just 6-of-14 (0-of-4 from beyond the arc). Last season against the Tar Heels, Augst had four points on 1-of-6 shooting and added three rebounds and two steals.
John Williams: The redshirt sophomore is already in the top ten in UNC-Asheville's career blocked shots list with 51 and he has had a strong start to this season. With the absence of Kenny George, Williams has had to step in as the primary post defender, shot-blocker and rebounder. The 6-4 forward might not have the height that other forwards do but he has dominated the backboards this season, averaging a team-high 6.0 rebounds. He is third on the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game and has also had eight assists, four steals and a team-high ten blocks. He is shooting 53.3% from the floor.
He has been fairly consistent this season so far, notching one double-double and scoring in double-digits in all but one game (the loss to Campbell). In the loss to Wofford, he had 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting. He has at least one block in every game. After starting off the season averaging 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds in the first three games (all wins), he has averaged 8.5 points and 1.5 rebounds in the last two games, both losses. Last season against Carolina, Williams had six points on 3-of-5 shooting and added a team-high five rebounds. He also had an assist, a steal and two blocks.
Quotables
"If he (Tyler Hansbrough) had said he thought he could play and might want to try it, I was not going to let him play. He had to be very positive and said, `Yeah, I'm ready to play,' or I wasn't going to let him out there. Steve (Kirschner) said he was worried about me out there if I told him I wasn't going to play." -Roy Williams
"The way it is in college basketball, people usually only talk about the way you finish. But I'm one of those guys, I like to enjoy the journey. ... I love coming here - three wins, I feel good. I'm going frickin' parasailing or something tomorrow and having a good time. I'm going to enjoy my life. I'm trying to get our fans to do that and stop thinking about what might happen in Detroit in the middle of April." -Roy Williams
Lauren Brownlow is the managing editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
