University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Up For A Challenge
December 4, 2013 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
For the first time in the 15-season history of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, Carolina will hit the road for a second straight true road game in the event when the Tar Heels travel to East Lansing to face Michigan State tonight.
The scheduling quirk is a bit of a concession by Roy Williams to even out his program's schedule, both in this year and subsequent years. After traveling to Bloomington last year, the Tar Heels were due a game a little closer to home this year. But Carolina already had home games slated against Kentucky and Texas, with return games at those two schools next year.
"This year we went on the road because I told them if it helped the league, we would go on the road," Williams said last week. "We were willing to go ahead and go on the road this year so we could get a home game next year. Next year we're supposed to play (Kentucky and Texas) on their court, so I thought it would balance out our schedule a little better."
Here's a look at the previous 14 games for the Tar Heels in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge:
Dec. 1, 1999: No. 8 Michigan State 86, No. 2 Carolina 76 in Chapel Hill
Morris Peterson scored 31 points as the Spartans--playing without the injured Mateen Cleaves--stopped Carolina's 55-game Smith Center win streak against nonconference opponents. The Tar Heels, who were coming off an impressive Maui Invitational championship, were outrebounded 43-28 and trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half before cutting the deficit to 71-65 and had the ball with 4:18 remaining. But the Spartans forced a turnover and scored four quick points to seal the win.
Nov. 29, 2000: No. 3 Michigan State 77, No. 6 Carolina 64 in East Lansing
The defending champion Spartans went on a 14-2 run late in the first half and were never in serious danger after that, as Carolina never got closer than seven the rest of the way. Kris Lang had a then-career high 22 points to keep the Tar Heels in the game, but Michigan State's Charlie Bell did a solid defensive job on the high-scoring Joseph Forte (11 points).
Nov. 28, 2001: No. 24 Indiana 79, Carolina 66 in Chapel Hill
The dismal season ahead seemed like more of a reality after this one, as Indiana solidly outplayed Carolina at the Smith Center. Kris Lang was again the highlight, as he contributed a then-career high 27 points, but Indiana's A.J. Moye and Tom Coverdale combined to go 7-for-8 from three-point range against Carolina's zone defense. The loss sent the Tar Heels to the program's first 0-3 start since the 1928-29 season.
Dec. 3, 2002: No. 25 Illinois 92, No. 12 Carolina 65 in Champaign
In one of the low points of the Matt Doherty era, a Carolina team that had showed some promise in the Preseason NIT was throttled at Illinois. The Illini led just 40-36 at halftime, but closed the game on a 28-8 run. Freshman Sean May had a team-high 21 points, and Jawad Williams added 15.
"We didn't exhibit the poise we had previously," Doherty said.
Dec. 2, 2003: No. 10 Carolina 88, No. 11 Illinois 81 in Greensboro
In Roy Williams' first game in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, he directed the Tar Heels to their first victory in the event. In a pulsating game in front of a friendly Greensboro crowd, Carolina showed exactly why Williams had been brought to Chapel Hill. May posted career highs of 23 points and 14 rebounds, while Raymond Felton played terrific defense on Illinois star guard Dee Brown. Rashad McCants hit a late free throw and then rebounded a missed charity toss to preserve the win.
"Right now is one of those high moments in coaching that you really enjoy," Williams said. "If we play like this, we've got a chance."
Dec. 1, 2004: No. 9 Carolina 70, Indiana 63 in Bloomington
Roy Williams took his Tar Heels into an extremely hostile Bloomington--probably one of the top five most heated environments the program has played in during the last decade--and emerged with a solid road win.
The Hoosier crowd was incensed because former favorite son Sean May had the temerity to attend college at Carolina, and they howled at him throughout the game. McCants and May helped start a 12-2 run midway through the second half, and then the duo combined on back-to-back three-point plays (McCants' was of the perimeter variety, while May did his the old-fashioned way) to clinch the win.
Nov. 29, 2005: No. 12 Illinois 68, Carolina 64 in Chapel Hill
This game provided the first inkling that the freshman class of Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Marcus Ginyard and Bobby Frasor might be something special. The Tar Heels clawed for 40 minutes against an Illinois team desperate for "revenge" after losing in the national title game the season before. The freshman quartet scored all 29 of Carolina's second-half points, but Brian Randle picked up a key offensive rebound late to help snap a 21-game Smith Center winning streak.
Nov. 29, 2006: No. 7 Carolina 98, No. 3 Ohio State 89 in Chapel Hill
In what was probably the best-played game by two teams of Carolina's ACC/Big Ten Challenge history, the Tar Heels defeated a Buckeye team playing without Greg Oden. Ohio State built a 48-44 halftime lead, but Tyler Hansbrough finished with 21 points and 14 rebounds and helped key a 17-2 second-half burst. The Tar Heels had to weather a 13-for-26 three-point performance by Ohio State.
Nov. 28, 2007: No. 1 Carolina 66, Ohio State 55 in Columbus
This was perhaps the artistic mirror image of the previous season's matchup. Carolina still emerged with the win, but this time they did it with defense--Ohio State missed 17 straight field goals during an 11-minute second-half drought. During that stretch, the Tar Heels turned a 39-39 tie into a 57-43 advantage. Wayne Ellington scored 23 points, as Carolina played without Ty Lawson, who was nursing an ankle injury.
Dec. 3, 2008: No. 1 Carolina 98, No. 13 Michigan State 63 in Detroit
This should sound familiar: the 2009 Tar Heels demolished Michigan State at Ford Field. This time, it wasn't with a national title on the line, and it wasn't quite as decisive early, as Carolina led by "only" 14 points at halftime. But the lead would quickly balloon to 30 as Lawson had an impressive 17-point, eight-assist, seven-steal performance.
Ford Field was set up in its postseason format for the game, making it a perfect preview of the national title game four months later. "See you in April," someone told Williams after the game. "I'll be back, and I hope my team is with me," the coach replied.
Dec. 1, 2009: No. 10 Carolina 89, No. 9 Michigan State 82 in Chapel Hill
By this point, the Spartans were probably wondering if they'd ever be able to beat North Carolina. Even without most of the members of the 2009 national champions, the Tar Heels still had enough to beat Tom Izzo's team. Carolina shot 58 percent and led by as many as 19 points in the second half. Ed Davis had a then-career high 22 points.
"It's getting pretty sickening," Michigan State's Draymond Green said of losing to the Tar Heels. "They're a top program in the nation, but so are we."
Nov. 30, 2010: No. 20 Illinois 79, Carolina 67 in Champaign
Assembly Hall continued to be an inhospitable host for Carolina in this event, as Demetri McCamey had 17 points and eight assists. Tyler Zeller started fast but was soon hit by foul trouble (three in the first half, forcing him to miss nearly half the first 20 minutes), and John Henson eventually led the Tar Heels with 16 points.
Nov. 30, 2011: No. 5 Carolina 60, No. 9 Wisconsin 57 in Chapel Hill
The slow-paced Badgers played a gritty game at the Smith Center, but an 18-5 second-half run was too potent for Wisconsin to overcome. Henson had a whopping 17 rebounds and five blocks, and Harrison Barnes scored 20. Carolina won the game with perimeter defense, as the Badgers hit just eight of their 28 three-point attempts.
Nov. 27, 2012: No. 1 Indiana 83, Carolina 59 in Bloomington
This was probably the biggest mismatch in this event's history for the Tar Heels, as Indiana was plainly better than the visitors, and set about proving it for a full 40 minutes. Carolina started the second half 1-for-20 from the field and eventually trailed by as many as 32 points.
Adam Lucas is the editor of CAROLINA.
