University of North Carolina Athletics
Lipscomb Game Guide
November 12, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2010
By Lauren Brownlow
The Basics
No. 8/9 North Carolina will open the 2010-11 season against Lipscomb, last year's Atlantic Sun regular-season champions. The Tar Heels went 20-17 last season and lost in the NIT Championship game. Lipscomb went 17-13 and 14-6 in conference, but lost in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Sun Tournament. The Bisons are a heavy favorite to repeat as they return all five starters. Carolina is 93-7 all-time in home openers and has won 77 of the last 79, losing just twice since 1928-29. The last loss came to Hampton in 2001-02. Carolina is 88-12 overall in openers and has won 75 of the last 80, including five straight with the last loss coming in 2005 at Santa Clara.
Game Time: Lipscomb at North Carolina, 7:00 PM, Fox Sports South
Last Time: This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
Radio Coverage: Tar Heel Sports Network coverage will begin at 6:00 PM.
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 the game 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 South coverage: The game will be available on Fox Sports South. Bob Rathbun and Mike Gminski will have the call.
Storylines
Starting over again: This game will be the 101st Carolina basketball opener, but it feels different. It's against a team that certainly Carolina will be favored against, but it's the type of team that if Carolina isn't careful, it could beat them. The Bisons took Arizona to overtime last year on the road in the non-conference and return five starters from a team that won the Atlantic Sun last year. It's the type of pesky non-conference team that has given Carolina fits in the past; Lipscomb loves to shoot 3's and made 243-of-667 (36.4%) last year. It's a team that shares the ball; over 66% of their field goals were assisted last season and it's the type of veteran club that won't hurt itself. Carolina will need to be the aggressor in this game, come out and take charge early, something Larry Drew II said the team didn't do as often as it should have last year. "We've just got to go out there every game and just bury people from the get. I feel like last year, we would kind of just let teams hang around," Drew II said. "I feel it's going to be different this year. ... Last year, guys just used to talk. We just used to talk about what we were going to do or what we didn't do after the game or what we should have done as opposed to now, I think guys are just going out there and getting the job done."
Roy Williams likes to schedule tough teams in the non-conference so that his team gets a chance to see realistically where it stands. Even he admitted that last year's non-conference slate was perhaps a bit too ambitious for last year's team, and this year's has similar challenges on it. But this team so desperately needs - and wants - to start off this season on a good note that he would take any type of confidence right now. "I'm not so sure right now that I wouldn't want them to have some confidence, whether it's false or not," Williams said. "Sometimes it's harmful to not have confidence, even if it is conning them into it or whatever it is." Drew II says that this team was able to gain more confidence than it had all season during last year's NIT run, and they just need to carry over that momentum. "We were given a second chance in the NIT, I feel. For the most part, we stepped up and we capitalized off of that opportunity," Drew II said. "We're just going to try to build off of where we left off in the NIT and try to go forward from there."
Names To Know
Harrison Barnes: The hype surrounding this freshman seems unprecedented, not only nationally but also certainly in Carolina history. Still, many observers insist that he is well worth it, including his head coach. But after a disappointing performance that most freshmen would get a free pass for, he is determined to do better. In Carolina's exhibition win over Barton, Barnes had seven points on 2-of-9 shooting (0-of-4 from three), one assist, six turnovers and four fouls in 24 minutes. "I think it bothered him," Williams said. "I asked him if he was a little nervous because he appeared that way to me or was it just a bad night. His reaction more was it was just a bad night. He's worked hard in practice. He had one of his best practices yesterday and I think he'll play well."
Larry Drew II: Just like the quarterback, a point guard gets too much praise and too much blame. He struggled as a sophomore starter last year on a team without a lot of offensive weapons, and like the rest of his inexperienced teammates, he had his ups and downs. After putting up 15 points against NC State on 6-of-9 shooting, it seemed Drew II was back on track. But in the next seven games, he shot 27% from the floor and 38% from the foul line, averaging six points and adding an assist-turnover ratio of 1.58. But in the NIT, Drew seemed to find his way again, increasing his shooting percentage to 39% and hitting 8-of-12 free throws, averaging 9.3 points and increasing his assist-turnover ratio to 1.72. But what was more important is that he found his groove late in games, hitting the clutch free throws and shots he had missed prior to that. Drew II is now a junior and his increased experience, combined with hard work in the off-season on his jump shot and his defense, has caused the game to slow down for him. "To me, the game just seems a lot ... slower. That's definitely a big indication of me just being comfortable out there, just playing," Drew II said. In Carolina's exhibition win over Barton, Drew II had eight points on 3-of-3 shooting (2-of-2 from three), adding four assists to just one turnover in 16 minutes (he was limited due to foul trouble).
Adrian Hodzic: The 6-8 senior forward is likely one of the best players that not many people have heard of; an Honorable Mention All-American last year and Atlantic Sun Player of the Year, the Bosnia native seems poised for a huge season. He averaged 22.7 points and started in all 30 games last year, adding 9.1 rebounds (3.4 offensive boards). He also shot 60.4% from the floor and 67% from the foul line. He has hit double figures for 57 straight games, the longest streak in the nation, and he had 20 or more points in 22 of the Bisons' 30 games. In the exhibition game earlier this November, he had 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting and added fie rebounds in 17 minutes. The talented senior will certainly test Carolina's post depth.
Jordan Burgason: The 6-3 junior forward from Ames, Iowa became a full-time starter last season (20 starts in 29 games) and was the third-leading scorer on the team, averaging 12.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists. He also had 70 assists to just 35 turnovers. But what makes him scary is that he was sixth in the nation in three-point percentage last season, hitting 96-of-219 (43.8%) and over 80% of his field-goal attempts are three's. His 96 three's were a school record, shattering the previous mark of 64, and he had at least four made 3's in 13 games and 5 or more in six games. In the exhibition win earlier this month, Burgason had 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting (3-of-7 from three) to go with five rebounds, six assists and a steal in 23 minutes.
Lauren Brownlow is the executive editor of Tar Heel Monthly.
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