University of North Carolina Athletics
No. 19 Carolina Opens ACC Tournament Thursday With Clemson
March 2, 2011 | Women's Basketball
March 2, 2011
GREENSBORO, N.C. --- North Carolina begins its pursuit of a record 10th Atlantic Coast Conference title Thursday when the sixth-seeded Tar Heels face 11th-seeded Clemson Thursday at 8 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum. Carolina is 22-7 on the year after a 66-58 loss at Duke on Sunday. Clemson is 10-19 following a 67-50 loss to Florida State on Sunday. UNC is ranked No. 19 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the coaches' poll. Clemson is unranked.
AT A GLANCE
Records: North Carolina 22-7 (8-6 ACC), Clemson 10-19 (3-11 ACC)
Rankings: North Carolina is ranked No. 19 in the AP poll and No. 19 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. Clemson is unranked.
TV: ACC Network. Tonight's game is available live on TheACC.com. Dean Linke (play-by-play) and Christy Winters-Scott (analyst) have the call.
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network, a division of Learfield Communications. Dave Nathan (play-by-play) and Jan Boxill (analyst) have the call.
On The Web: TarHeelBlue.com (UNC), ClemsonTigers.com (Clemson)
CAROLINA IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT
• UNC has the best winning percentage (.680, 51-24) and the most wins (51) in ACC Tournament history.
• The Tar Heels have won nine ACC titles - 1984, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Maryland, which has also won the event nine times, is the only other school with more than six titles.
• Carolina has appeared in the final in 13 of the last 17 years, with 1996, 2001, 2009 and 2010 being the only years that did not feature the Tar Heels in the final.
• UNC has appeared in seven of the last nine finals, including four straight against Duke from 2002-05. After losing to the Blue Devils in three straight finals from 2002-04, the Tar Heels finally broke through with an 88-67 win over Duke in the 2005 final. Carolina followed that with championship wins over Maryland in 2006, NC State in 2007 and Duke in 2008.
• Of the previous 33 ACC Tournaments, 25 have seen Carolina advance to at least the semifinals.
• Thursday will mark Carolina's third appearance in the opening round. In 2001, the seventh-seeded Tar Heels defeated eighth-seeded Georgia Tech, 79-64. UNC lost as a No. 8 seed in 2010, falling to ninth-seeded Maryland, 83-77.
• UNC has been the tournament's No. 6 seed one other time. The 1988 Tar Heels lost to third-seeded Wake Forest, 61-53, in the quarterfinals.
CLEMSON SERIES NOTES
• North Carolina is 49-26 all-time against Clemson, including a 9-4 mark in the ACC Tournament.
• Carolina won the lone matchup in 2011, a 60-47 victory in Clemson.
• The Tar Heels have won 16 straight against the Lady Tigers, UNC's longest winning streak in the series.
• Clemson's last win in the series came in 2001, a 75-57 victory in the ACC Tournament.
• Thursday will mark the third postseason meeting in the last four years for UNC and Clemson. Fourth-seeded Carolina beat No. 12 Clemson, 74-55, in the 2009 quarterfinals, while No. 1 UNC topped ninth-seeded Clemson in the 2008 quarters.
FOUR TAR HEELS EARN ALL-ACC HONORS
Senior guard Italee Lucas led a quartet of North Carolina players named to the 2011 All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams, ACC Commissioner John Swofford announced Tuesday. Lucas was named to the second team for the second straight year, while seniors Jessica Breland and Cetera DeGraffenreid and junior Laura Broomfield were given honorable mention.
ROLLE NAMED TO ALL-ACC DEFENSIVE TEAM
Sophomore forward/center Waltiea Rolle was named to the All-ACC Defensive team as voted on by the league's 12 head coaches. The Nassau, Bahamas, product led the league in blocks per game for the second straight season and already ranks fifth in school history in career blocks with 139.
