University of North Carolina Athletics
Know Your Opponent: 2015-16 Non-Conference (Part One)
July 16, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Last week Carolina men's basketball released its 2015-16 non-conference schedule. Today and tomorrow, GoHeels.com will take a closer look at those non-league opponents and what the Tar Heels can expect this winter.
Temple (OwlSports.com) - Nov. 13 (Annapolis, Md.)
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
2014-15 Final Rankings: No. 54 KenPom, NR AP
2014-15 Record: 26-11, 13-5 AAC
2014-15 Postseason: Lost to Miami in NIT semifinals
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Series tied 3-3 (Carolina 75, Temple 72), March 24, 1991, Meadowlands)
Carolina kicks of the 2015-16 season in Annapolis, Maryland, for the Veterans Classic, where the Tar Heels will face Fran Dunphy's Temple Owls. Temple has won at least 20 games in seven of Dunphy's nine seasons since moving across town from Penn, and his 2014-15 club was probably unlucky to miss out on the NCAA tournament, officially earning a Last Four Out designation from the committee. The Owls were a top-20 defense last season according to KenPom.com and they lost just two key contributors in point guard Will Cummings and top outside threat Jesse Morgan. Senior forward Jaylen Bond, a transfer from Texas, should continue to emerge as an elite rebounder.
Fairfield (FairfieldStags.com) - Nov. 15 (Smith Center)
Location: Fairfield, Conn.
2014-15 Final Rankings: No. 293 KenPom, NR AP
2014-15 Record: 7-24, 5-15 MAAC
2014-15 Postseason: n/a
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 1-0 (Carolina 82, Fairfield 74), March 13, 1997, Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum)
Dean Smith tied Adolph Rupp with 876 career victories in a closer-than-expected NCAA first round win over Fairfield in 1997, the only prior meeting between the two schools. The present-day Stags are in the midst of some lean times, coming off back-to-back 7-win seasons under fourth-year head coach Sydney Johnson. But Fairfield returns its entire starting five and will be led by 6-6 senior Marcus Gilbert, who earned third-team all-conference honors and made 55.4 percent of his 2s in 2014-15.
Wofford (WoffordTerriers.com) - Nov. 18 (Smith Center)
Location: Spartanburg, S.C.
2014-15 Final Rankings: No. 86 KenPom, NR AP
2014-15 Record: 28-7, 16-2 SoCon
2014-15 Postseason: Lost to Arkansas in NCAA round of 64
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): Carolina leads 2-0 (Carolina 41, Wofford 23), Jan. 14, 1926, Chapel Hill)
Carolina and Wofford will resume a series that has been dormant for close to 90 years when the two teams meet in Chapel Hill on Nov. 18. The Terriers are coming off the best season in school history - Wofford dominated the Southern Conference before earning its fourth NCAA bid in six years. The departure of volume shooter Karl Cochran will require 14th-year head coach Mike Young to find someone else to carry the offensive load. Off the court, the program was dealt a major blow this offseason when rising junior reserve Jeremiah Tate died in a drowning accident while working as a camp counselor.
Northern Iowa (UNIPanthers.com) - Nov. 21 (Cedar Falls, Iowa)
Location: Cedar Falls, Iowa
2014-15 Final Rankings: No. 12 KenPom, No. 11 AP
2014-15 Record: 31-4, 16-2 MVC
2014-15 Postseason: Lost to Louisville in NCAA round of 32
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): First meeting
The unofficial Marcus Paige homecoming game figures to be one of the toughest non-conference road games for any Power 5 conference team in 2015-16. Northern Iowa has established itself as one of the top mid-major programs in the country under coach Ben Jacobson, albeit somewhat under the radar due to the success of fellow Valley power Wichita State. Jacobson will have a big task ahead of him, however, as he faces major personnel losses following last year's 31-win campaign. Departed big man Seth Tuttle was a second-team All-America performer and the MVC Player of the Year in 2015 after shooting 63 percent from 2 and 43 percent from 3 as a senior. Sharpshooter Matt Bohannon, who figures to be a bigger part of the offense as a senior, was a high school teammate of Paige at Linn-Mar.
Kansas State (KStateSports.com) - Nov. 23 or 24 (Kansas City)
Location: Manhattan, Kan.
2014-15 Final Rankings: No. 88 KenPom, NR AP
2014-15 Record: 15-17, 8-10 Big 12
2014-15 Postseason: n/a
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. What to expect from the 2015-16 version is anyone's guess, however, as Weber welcomes a whopping 10 newcomers, including seven freshmen. Gone are the top three scorers from last season, including guard Marcus Foster, who transferred to Creighton after being dismissed from the program.
Missouri (MUTigers.com) - Nov. 23 or 24 (Kansas City)
Location: Columbia, Mo.
2014-15 Final Rankings: No. 214 KenPom, NR AP
2014-15 Record: 9-23, 3-15 SEC
2014-15 Postseason: n/a
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. MU will get Wes Adams back after the point guard missed the final month of the season due to an elbow injury, but leading scorers Johnathan Williams III and Montaque Gill-Caesar both opted to transfer.
Northwestern (NUSports.com) - Nov. 23 or 24 (Kansas City)
Location: Evanston, Ill.
2014-15 Final Rankings: No. 118 KenPom, NR AP
2014-15 Record: 15-17, 6-12 Big Ten
2014-15 Postseason: n/a
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 and should lead a team that struggled mightily at both getting to the line (No. 342 in FTA%) and rebounding on either end.
