Tar Heels Hit The Road At FSU

Jan. 13, 2012

TAR HEELS HIT THE ROAD AT FLORIDA STATE SATURDAY

North Carolina (15-2, 2-0 ACC) will play its first Atlantic Coast Conference road game of the season and its first overall in 42 days when it plays at Florida State (10-6, 1-1 ACC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday in the Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Fla. ESPN will televise the game nationally. Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Dick Vitale (analyst) will have the call.

The Tar Heels won every game in their nine-game homestand that began on Dec. 6 against Evansville and concluded with the victory over Miami on Tuesday night. Carolina played five of its first eight games this season away from Chapel Hill, then played nine in a row in the Smith Center heading into Saturday's game.

Carolina opened ACC play with home wins over Boston College last Saturday and Miami on Tuesday night. The Tar Heels have won 18 of their last 21 ACC games, closing 2009-10 by winning two of three conference contests, going 14-2 in 2010-11 and starting this season 2-0.

Florida State enters Saturday's game with a record of 10-6 overall and is 1-1 in the ACC. The Seminoles lost at Clemson last Saturday and won at Virginia Tech on Tuesday night.

Against FSU, Carolina will begin a six-game stretch that will include four ACC road games. During this span, UNC will play at Florida State and Virginia Tech on the road, then host home games against NC State and Georgia Tech before playing at Wake Forest and Maryland.

Carolina is ranked No. 3 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches polls this week. Florida State is unranked.

UPCOMING: After Saturday's game, the Tar Heels will play at Virginia Tech on Thursday Jan. 19 before hosting NC State (Jan. 26) and Georgia Tech (Jan. 29) in back-to-back home games.

ESPN'S COLLEGE GAMEDAY SHOW IN TALLAHASSEE SATURDAY

ESPN'S College GameDay show will originate from Tallahassee prior to Saturday's UNC-FSU game. Saturday marks the season premiere of the popular pregame show, which travels each week to originate from the site of one of the day's big games nationally. This week's show will air from 10 a.m. to noon on ESPN2.

Host Rece Davis and analysts Hubert Davis, Jay Bilas and Digger Phelps be be on hand in Tallahassee on Saturday.

THE SERIES VS. FLORIDA STATE

Carolina leads the series with Florida State, 42-10, including a 32-9 advantage since the Seminoles joined the ACC prior to the 1991-92 season. The Tar Heels have won 23 of the last 28 in the series, including 12 in the last 14 meetings.

Carolina currently has a five-game winning streak in Tallahassee, the longest Tar Heel winning streak at FSU (UNC won four in a row in Tallahassee from 1993-96 and 1998-2001).

The last four UNC appearances in Tallahassee have been thrillers and Tar Heel wins. Last season, Harrison Barnes' three-pointer with 0:03 on the clock gave Carolina a 72-70 win. In 2009, Ty Lawson's running three-pointer at the buzzer gave UNC an 80-77 victory. In 2008, the Tar Heels beat FSU in overtime, 84-73. In 2006, The Tar Heels beat FSU 81-80.

Carolina is 14-4 against FSU in the Donald L. Tucker Center with losses in 2003-04, 2001-02, 1996-97 and 1991-92.

Roy Williams is 12-3 vs. FSU as the UNC head coach with the losses coming in the 2004 regular season in Tallahassee, the 2009 ACC Tournament semifinals in Atlanta and the 2010 regular season in Chapel Hill.

ON THE ROAD IN ACC PLAY

Carolina has proven to be among the Atlantic Coast Conference's top road teams under head coach Roy Williams.

Williams is 41-23 on the road in ACC play as the UNC head coach.

Last season, the Tar Heels went 6-2 on the road in ACC play, posting their 34th winning (above .500) road record in 58 ACC seasons.

It was also the 45th time in 58 ACC seasons UNC has gone at least .500 on the road in conference action.

Carolina has an above-.500 ACC road record in five of Roy Williams' eight previous seasons as the head coach in Chapel Hill and has been at least .500 in six of Williams' eight seasons.

Under Williams, UNC went 6-2 on the road in the ACC in 2004-05, 7-1 in 2005-06, 8-0 in 2007-08, 6-2 in 2008-09 and 6-2 in 2010-11.

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