University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 7 Tar Heels Head North To Face No. 1 Connecticut
January 8, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 8, 2010
STORRS, Conn. --- North Carolina (13-1) steps out of conference for a stiff test as the Tar Heels travel to Storrs, Conn., to face unbeaten and top-ranked Connecticut Saturday at 4 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion. UNC opened Atlantic Coast Conference play with its eighth win in a row Wednesday, topping No. 20 Georgia Tech, 89-78 in Chapel Hill. Connecticut (14-0) is coming off an 83-51 win over Cincinnati on Thursday, the Huskies' 53rd straight victory. Carolina is ranked No. 7 in both the AP poll and the coaches' poll. Connecticut is ranked No. 1 in both polls.
AT A GLANCE
Records: North Carolina 13-1, Connecticut 14-0
Rankings: North Carolina is ranked No. 7 in both the AP poll and the coaches' poll. Connecticut is ranked No. 1 in both polls.
TV: CBS. Don Criqui (play-by-play) and Rebecca Lobo (analyst) have the call.
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network, a division of Learfield Communications. Brad Heller (play-by-play) and Jan Boxill (analyst) have the call.
On The Web: TarHeelBlue.com (UNC), UConnHuskies.com (Connecticut)
CONNECTICUT SERIES NOTES
• North Carolina is 5-4 all-time against Connecticut, including a 1-2 mark in the state of Connecticut.
• After winning three straight in the series, UNC has dropped two in a row to Connecticut, including last year's 88-58 loss in Chapel Hill.
• Saturday's game will mark the sixth straight year in which the two teams have met in the regular season.
• UConn won the last meeting in Storrs, 82-71, during the 2007-08 season.
FACING THE NATION'S TOP-RANKED TEAM
• Carolina is 2-25 all-time against the No. 1 team in the AP poll.
• The Tar Heels have faced a top-ranked Connecticut team three times - a 97-74 loss in Storrs in 2001, an
82-71 loss in Storrs in 2008 and an 88-58 loss in Chapel Hill in 2009.
NOTING THE HUSKIES
• Connecticut is 14-0 on the season following an 83-51 home win over Cincinnati on Thursday.
• Junior forward Maya Moore leads the Huskies in scoring with 19.5 points per game.
• Senior center Tina Charles is tops on the team in rebounding and second in scoring, averaging 17.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest.
• The defending national champions, Connecticut has won 53 consecutive games overall and 49 in a row at home.
LAST TIME OUT
Jan. 6: No. 7 UNC 89, No. 20 Georgia Tech 78
CHAPEL HILL (AP) --- Italee Lucas scored 23 of her 28 points in the first half to help No. 7 North Carolina beat No. 20 Georgia Tech 89-78 on Wednesday night. Cetera DeGraffenreid and She'la White added 13 points apiece for the Tar Heels (13-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their league opener for the 15th time in the last 16 seasons.
CAROLINA INJURY UPDATES
• Freshman guard Tierra Ruffin-Pratt suffered a separated right shoulder in the first half of the Jan. 2 win over Winston-Salem State. She missed the Georgia Tech game on Wednesday and is day-to-day.
• Junior forward Chay Shegog suffered a concussion during the first half of UNC's win over Kennesaw State on Dec. 29, and the Stafford, Va., sophomore missed two games. She returned for the Georgia Tech win on Wednesday, scoring 10 points in 22 minutes.
• Freshman guard Krista Gross suffered a fracture of the third metacarpal in her left hand in practice Nov. 24 and missed three games. She has played with tape and padding on the hand since, appearing in eight games.
UNC-UCONN SERIES IN RECENT YEARS
North Carolina and Connecticut began their current home-and-home series during the 2004-05 season and it has quickly become one of the nation's top annual non-conference matchups. UNC opened the renewal of the rivalry with three wins in a row before UConn grabbed the last two. In addition, Saturday's game will mark the sixth consecutive time the two teams have faced off while both ranked in the top nine of the AP poll.
- Nov. 21, 2004 - #9 UNC 71, #4 UConn 65 (Raleigh, N.C.)
- Dec. 5, 2005 - #7 UNC 77, #8 UConn 54 (Hartford, Conn.)
- Jan. 15, 2007 - #2 UNC 82, #6 UConn 76 (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
- Jan. 21, 2008 - #1 UConn 82, #3 UNC 71 (Storrs, Conn.)
- Jan. 19, 2009 - #1 UConn 88, #2 UNC 58 (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
TAR HEELS TOUGH TO BEAT AT HOME
Carolina's overall home record since the beginning of the 2004-05 season is 95-3. The Tar Heels have won 49 of 50 in Chapel Hill, including their last 17 home conference games. In addition, UNC has won 88 of its last 89 non-conference home games.
CAROLINA IN CARMICHAEL
• Carolina returned to Carmichael Dec. 29 after a year and a half absence, during which the Tar Heels won 25 of 26 games at the Dean E. Smith Center.
• UNC is 377-83 (.820) all-time in Carmichael, its primary home since the first varsity season of 1974-75.
• Prior to the most recent renovation, the Tar Heels were on quite a roll in the historic gym. Beginning with the 2001-02 season, Carolina posted a 103-6 home record in Carmichael.
DeGRAFFENREID JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB
With seven points in the win over Kennesaw State on Dec. 29, junior Cetera DeGraffenreid became the 31st player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. She currently stands 30th overall with 1,045 points.
LUCAS MOVES INTO THREE-POINT TOP 10 LIST
With three made three-pointers Dec. 13 against Gardner-Webb, junior guard Italee Lucas took over sole possession of 10th place in the all-time UNC career threes list. The Las Vegas, Nev., product has made 119 career threes in 84 games, and is also in the top 10 in career three-point percentage with a 36.6 (119-325) percent mark.
