University of North Carolina Athletics
Seeking Three In A Row
February 1, 2014 | Men's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL—North Carolina (13-7, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) will try to win its third consecutive game and even its ACC record when it hosts NC State (14-7, 4-4) on Saturday in the Smith Center.
The Tar Heels and Wolfpack will tip off just after 1 p.m. The game originally was scheduled for 2 p.m. but the ACC changed the start time earlier this season.
Carolina is coming off back-to-back wins over Clemson and at Georgia Tech, and will be playing its third game in seven days. UNC started 1-4 in ACC play this season but can even its conference mark with a win over the Wolfpack on Saturday.
On Wednesday night in icy Atlanta, the Tar Heels pulled away in the second half and weren't threatened down the stretch in a 78-65 win at Georgia Tech.
Three days earlier on Sunday night, Carolina had dominated Clemson in the Smith Center, posting its best effort of the ACC season and playing well on both ends of the floor.
The Tar Heels have won back-to-back games for the first time in a month (since Dec. 27 and 31 vs. Northern Kentucky and UNC Wilmington). Carolina can tie its longest winning streak of the season with a third consecutive win on Saturday.
The Wolfpack is on a hot streak and has won three games in a row over Maryland, Georgia Tech and Florida State during a three-game homestand in Raleigh.
ESPN2 will televise the game nationally with Dave O'Brien (play-by-play) and Doris Burke (analyst) on the call. The game will be available online via WatchESPN.
The contest also will be carried nationally on satellite radio by XM (channel 191) and Sirius (channel 108). GoHeels TV subscribers can listen to the game at GoHeels.com.
The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with NC State, 148-76. The teams split a pair of meetings last season with each winning at home. Carolina has won 14 of the last 15, 20 of the last 22 and 37 of the last 46 games against NC State.
Carolina is 72-22 all-time against NC State in Chapel Hill, including a 22-5 mark in the Smith Center.
UNC has won 18 of its last 21 games against the Wolfpack in Chapel Hill, losing in 2002-03, 2001-02 and 1997-98 since the 1991-92 season.
UNC is 20-2 against NCSU under head coach Roy Williams, winning 15 of those 20 games by double figures. Carolina is undefeated against NC State in Chapel Hill under Williams (10-0). Williams is 25-2 as a head coach against NC State, including a 5-0 record at Kansas and a 20-2 mark at Carolina.
After the contest vs. the Wolfpack, the Tar Heels will host Maryland on Tuesday night before visiting Notre Dame on Saturday Feb. 8. The following week, Carolina will host Duke (Feb. 12) and Pitt (Feb. 15) before playing four of its last six regular season games on the road.
