University of North Carolina Athletics
Holiday Return Vs. UAB
December 27, 2014 | Men's Basketball
Essential Info: North Carolina vs. UAB
Saturday Dec. 27, 2014 • 4 p.m. • Smith Center, Chapel Hill
Tickets: Available
Rankings: Carolina is No. 20 in the Associated Press poll and No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll. UAB is unranked.
TV: ESPN2. Mark Jones (play-by-play) and Shane Battier (analyst) will have the call.
Watch Online: WatchESPN
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (list of affiliates). Jones Angell (play-by-play), Eric Montross (analyst) and Dave Nathan (host) will have the call. GoHeels TV subscribers can listen online.
UNC 2014-15 Digital Game Program: Download Now
On The Web: GoHeels.com | UABSports.com | Live Stats
Twitter: @UNC_Basketball | @UAB_MBB
Smith Center Information: Tickets | Parking Information | Tar Heel Express | Smith Center Info (Directions, Policies, etc.)
CHAPEL HILL —North Carolina (8-3) will return from a weeklong holiday break when it hosts UAB (4-8) on Saturday afternoon in the Smith Center. Tipoff is slated for just after at 4 p.m. ESPN2 will televise the game nationally with Mark Jones (play-by-play) and Shane Battier (analyst) on the mic (also streaming online via WatchESPN/ESPN3.
The Tar Heels have had a week off at home for Christmas since last Saturday's win over Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic. The Carolina players journeyed home after the game in Chicago and are slated to return to Chapel Hill in time to practice on the afternoon of Friday Dec. 26.
The Blazers are coached by former Tar Heel assistant Jerod Haase, now in his third season as the UAB head coach after nine seasons on Roy Williams' staff at Carolina and 13 total years as a member of Williams' staff (including four years at Kansas).
The contest will be Carolina's first home game in nearly three weeks since its Dec. 7 win over East Carolina. Since that game against the Pirates, the team had a week off for fall semester final exams, played three consecutive games away from home (at Kentucky on Dec. 12, at UNCG on Dec. 16 and vs. Ohio State in Chicago on Dec. 20) and had a week off for Christmas.
UAB enters Saturday's game with a 2014-15 record of 4-8 after its loss on Monday at Chattanooga. The Blazers and Tar Heels haven't played each other this season yet, but they will be playing for the third year in a row and they both spent Thanksgiving in the Bahamas. Carolina beat both Florida and UCLA in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament there, while the Blazers lost to both the Gators and the Bruins.
Carolina leads the series with UAB, 3-1, and will be facing the Blazers for the third year in a row. Saturday's game marks the third in a three-game series between the Tar Heels and Blazers. Carolina beat the Blazers in Chapel Hill two years ago and lost to UAB in Birmingham last season. Williams is 3-1 as a head coach against UAB, going 2-1 at UNC and and 1-0 at Kansas.
After playing the Blazers, North Carolina will host William & Mary on Tuesday Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. in the Smith Center. The Tribe is coached by former Tar Heel Tony Shaver (UNC '74), who is in his 12th year as the head coach in Williamsburg. Former Carolina guard Jonathan Holmes (UNC '03) is Shaver's associate head coach.
