University of North Carolina Athletics
Know Your Opponent: CBE Hall Of Fame Classic
November 22, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Northwestern (NUSports.com)
Location: Evanston, Ill.
Rankings: No. 74 KenPom, NR AP
Record: 3-0
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 3-1 (Carolina 97, Northwestern 67, Nov. 29, 1978, Evanston, Ill.)
Chris Collins' third team at Northwestern should be his best, with all five starters returning from a team that finished 15-17 but was competitive in a deep Big Ten. The Wildcats won five of seven to close the regular season, including home wins over Iowa, Indiana and Michgian, but lost to the Hoosiers in the Big Ten tournament opening round. Seven-footer Alex Olah and fellow senior Tre Demps both earned honorable mention all-conference honors in 2015, but guard Bryant McIntosh has been the best Wildcat so far. The 6-3 sophomore has made 56 percent of both his 2s and 3s and is 7 of 8 from the foul line.
Kansas State (KStateSports.com)
Location: Manhattan, Kan.
Rankings: No. 97 KenPom, NR AP
Record: 3-0
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 4-1 (Carolina 79, Kansas State 63, Dec. 23, 1989, Charlotte)
Bruce Weber's third season at K-State was undone by an inconsistent offense that couldn't hold on to the ball. Despite a handful of top-shelf wins, including consecutive late-season triumphs over Kansas and Iowa State, the Wildcats crashed out of the Big 12 tournament against TCU and were ineligible for the postseason due to a sub-.500 record. Weber welcomed a whopping 10 newcomers this season, including seven freshmen, and they have taken care of business against three inferior opponents thus far. Gone are the top three scorers from last season, including guard Marcus Foster, who transferred to Creighton after being dismissed from the program. Senior Justin Edwards has made 72 percent of his 2s so far and leads the team in both scoring and rebounding.
Missouri (MUTigers.com)
Location: Columbia, Mo.
Rankings: KenPom No. 148, NR AP
Record: 2-1
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 5-4 (Carolina 84, Missouri 70, March 17, 2000, Birmingham, Ala.)
Carolina and Missouri last met as UNC was on its way to an improbable appearance at the 2000 Final Four. Since then, the Tigers peaked in 2008-09 with 31 wins and a run to the regional final under Mike Anderson before bottoming out in 2014-15 with just nine victories under first-year head coach Kim Anderson. Missouri won just four times after Christmas and suffered a number of unexpected departures this offseason, as leading scorers Johnathan Williams III and Montaque Gill-Caesar both opted to transfer. Freshman Kevin Puryear looks to be a fixture in the starting lineup already, and he leads Mizzou is in scoring early on.
