University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Head To Virginia Tech
January 24, 2016 | Men's Basketball
THE MATCHUP
♦ North Carolina (17-2, 6-0 ACC) will look to stay atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings and win its 11th consecutive game when it visits Virginia Tech (12-7, 4-2) on Sunday in Blacksburg, Va.
♦ The Tar Heels and Hokies will tip off at 3:01 p.m. in Cassell Coliseum. Virginia Tech is 3-0 at home vs. ACC foes this season.
♦ Anish Shroff (play-by-play) and Cory Alexander (analyst) will call the game for an ESPNU national television audience. Watch online with WatchESPN.
WILLIAMS GOING FOR #350
♦ The Tar Heels are 349-103 under Roy Williams. With UNC's next win, Williams will become the first coach in NCAA history to win 350 games at two Division I schools.
♦ Williams won 418 games at Kansas. He is one of 10 coaches to win at least 200 at two schools and is already the only coach with at least 300 at two schools.
TAR HEEL STORYLINES
♦ Four of the next five Carolina games will be on the road. The stretch includes trips to Virginia Tech, Louisville, Notre Dame and Boston College and a home matchup with BC.
♦ Carolina is the only remaining undefeated team in the ACC.
♦ The Tar Heels, off to their first 6-0 ACC start under Roy Williams, are trying for their 11th win in a row, their 15th win in 16 games and their 18th victory of the season.
♦ The last time UNC had a better ACC start than 6-0 was in 2000-01, when it started 11-0.
♦ UNC is ranked No. 2 in this week's Associated Press and coaches polls, up three spots in both from last week.
UP NEXT
♦ After the game in Blacksburg on Sunday, Carolina will host Boston College on Saturday Jan. 30 at 4 p.m. in the Smith Center.
♦ Following that home game with the Eagles, the Tar Heels will embark on a stretch of three consecutive road dates at Louisville, Notre Dame and BC.
A TAR HEEL WIN WOULD ...
♦ Improve UNC to 18-2, 7-0 ACC in 2015-16.
♦ Make UNC 3-2 on the road this season, including 3-0 in ACC play.
♦ Improve Roy Williams's record on the road in ACC play to 66-35.
♦ Extend Carolina's winning streak to 11 games since losing on a buzzer-beater at Texas on Dec. 12.
♦ Continue the Tar Heels' best ACC start in 13 seasons under Roy Williams at 7-0.
♦ Give Carolina its sixth win in a row over Virginia Tech and its 11th in the last 12 meetings in the series.
♦ Make Carolina 21-4 against the Hokies in Blacksburg, including 6-2 in Cassell Coliseum.
♦ Improve Roy Williams' career record as a head coach to 768-204 overall.
♦ Make Williams 350-103 at Carolina.
A TAR HEEL LOSS WOULD ...
♦ Drop UNC to 2-3 on the road in 2015-16, including 2-1 in ACC play.
♦ Drop Carolina to 17-3, 6-1 ACC.
♦ Be Virginia Tech's first win over Carolina since Feb. 4, 2010, in Blacksburg.
♦ Snap Carolina's 10-game winning streak.
♦ Drop Roy Williams' career record to 767-205 overall.
♦ Make Williams 349-104 at Carolina.
TAR HEEL TIDBITS
TEAM NOTES
♦ Carolina is 6-0 in ACC play for the first time under Roy Williams. The last time UNC began ACC action better was 2000-01 (an 11-0 ACC start under head coach Matt Doherty).
♦ UNC has won 10 games in a row, the ninth time in Roy Williams's 13-year tenure as UNC's head coach the Tar Heels have won at least 10 games in a row.
♦ Under 40 Percent: In its last two games, Carolina shot a season-low 37.9 percent from the floor against N.C. State and followed that by shooting 38.4 percent against Wake Forest.
♦ The last time UNC won back-to-back games while shooting under 40 percent in each game was in 2011-12 (.333 vs. Virginia and .394 vs. Maryland in consecutive wins).
♦ Carolina is 26-48 under Williams when shooting under 40 percent.
♦ Carolina has had seven different players lead the team in scoring in games this season.
♦ The Tar Heels had five different leading scorers in their first five ACC games. Marcus Paige led with 18 points vs. Clemson, Joel Berry II had 19 vs. Georgia Tech, Brice Johnson had 39 at Florida State, Isaiah Hicks had 21 at Syracuse and Kennedy Meeks had 23 vs. N.C. State.
♦ 80 or More: Carolina has scored 80 or more points in 16 of 19 games and is averaging 86.2 ppg this season.
♦ The Tar Heels are 228-28 in 13 seasons under Roy Williams when they score at least 80 points (15-1 this season).
♦ 90 or More: The Tar Heels have scored 90 or more points seven times his season after doing so five times all of last year.
♦ 100 or More: NC is 49-1 under Williams when it scores 100 points or more.
♦ Carolina has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in 13 of 19 games this year. The Tar Heels are shooting .488 as a team.
♦ The Tar Heels have shot 50 percent or better in the second half of 22 of their last 29 games (including 13 of 19 games in 2015-16).
♦ Roy Williams is 767-204 as a head coach, including 349-103 at Carolina, 147-57 in ACC regular-season games and 179-26 in the Smith Center.
♦ 25-Point Games: No Tar Heel player scored 25 points in a game last season, but the team has had seven 25-point performances this year by four different players: Justin Jackson (25 vs. Northern Iowa), Kennedy Meeks (25 vs. Temple), Marcus Paige (30 at Florida State) and Brice Johnson four times (25 vs. Tulane, 27 vs. UCLA, 39 at Florida State and 27 vs. Wake Forest).
♦ Cutting Down on Turnovers: Carolina is averaging 10.7 turnovers per game in 2015-16. Last year, the Tar Heels averaged nearly 13 turnovers per contest.
♦ In the NCAA Stats: The Tar Heels are second in the nation in scoring at 86.2 points per game, 11th in scoring margin at 15.6, third with an assist-turnover ratio of 1.77, eighth with 18.9 assists per game, 18th in rebounding margin (9.0) and 20th in field goal percentage (48.8).
♦ KenPom Ratings: Carolina is ranked No. 5 in the nation in the KenPom.com statistical rankings. UNC is second in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency (121.9) and is 52nd in adjusted defensive efficiency (96.6).
♦ Virginia Tech is No. 107 in the KenPom rankings, including 120th in offensive efficiency (106.8) and 137th in defensive efficiency (101.1).
PLAYER NOTES
♦ Joel James missed the game vs. Wake Forest on Wednesday due to a sore right achilles tendon. His playing status at Virginia Tech is to be determined.
♦ Brice Johnson had 10 double-doubles in his first 108 career games over three seasons. This year as a senior, he had 10 double-doubles in his first 19 games.
♦ Johnson is averaging 19.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game in his last 10 outings. Those figures come despite a three-point performance vs. Clemson and six points and two rebounds vs. N.C. State.
♦ Johnson has scored 25 or more points four times this season (39 vs. Florida State, 27 vs. Wake Forest, 27 vs. UCLA and 25 vs. Tulane). That's the most 25-point games in a season since Marcus Paige had five in 2013-14.
♦ Johnson has led UNC in scoring seven times this year, most on the team.
♦ Johnson grabbed his 800th career rebound vs. Wake Forest on Jan. 20. He enters the Virginia Tech game with 805 career rebounds, 19th in Carolina history. Jason Capel is 18th with 807 and Mike O'Koren is 17th with 815.
♦ Johnson is averaging a team-high 16.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game this season. His previous career highs were 12.9 ppg and 7.8 rpg last season.
♦ Johnson leads the ACC in field goal percentage (64.1) and defensive rebounding (7.63 per game). He is ninth in scoring at 16.7 ppg and and fifth in rebounding (9.8 per game).
♦ Kennedy Meeks returned to game action on Jan. 9 at Syracuse after missing seven games with a bruised bone in his left knee. He came off the bench to score eight points in 14 minutes vs. the Orange.
♦ A game later, Meeks scored a game-high 23 points on 10 of 16 shooting with a team-high six rebounds in the win over N.C. State.
♦ Isaiah Hicks became the seventh different player to lead Carolina in scoring this season when he scored 21 points at Syracuse.
♦ Hicks made five or more field goals three times in his first 84 career games (through the Tulane game) and has made five or more field goals in six of the last nine games.
♦ Hicks has 235 career rebounds – 106 on the offensive glass and 129 on the defensive (45 percent offensive rebounds, the highest percentage among active Tar Heels).
♦ Hicks has scored in double figures in nine of the last 11 games (scoring eight at Florida State and nine vs. Wake Forest in near-misses) and is shooting 45 for 64 (.703) from the floor in that span.
♦ Marcus Paige has scored 1,587 points entering the Virginia Tech game, 24th in Carolina history. Mitch Kupchak is 23rd with 1,611 and Hubert Davis is 22nd with 1,615.
♦ Paige is the ACC's top active career scorer with 1,587 points and Brice Johnson is fourth with 1,355.
♦ Paige has scored eight points in the last three games (three each vs. Syracuse and N.C. State and two vs. Wake Forest), the lowest three-game scoring output of his career.
♦ Paige is shooting 3 for 25 from the floor (including 1 for 17 from three-point range) in the last three games.
♦ Paige made a three-pointer in a school-record 41 consecutive games, a streak that ended on Jan. 16 vs. N.C. State. Paige's streak tied the eighth-longest streak in ACC history.
♦ Paige is the 12th Tar Heel to reach 500 career assists. He enters the Virginia Tech game with 524, 11th in school history. Jimmy Black is 10th with 525, and Jeff Lebo is ninth with 580.
♦ Paige is the only Tar Heel and one of seven players in ACC history with at least 1,500 points, 500 assists, 150 steals and 250 three-pointers.
♦ Paige is one of four Tar Heels with 1,500 career points and 500 career assists (joining Phil Ford, Jeff Lebo and Kenny Smith).
♦ Paige made one three-pointer vs. Syracuse to extend his career school record to 250.
♦ Paige has 50 assists and 10 turnovers in his 13 games this year (an assist/turnover ratio of 5.00).
♦ Joel Berry II has stepped into a starting role this season and improved across the board statistically, including scoring (4.2 to 12.5 ppg), field goal percentage (40.4 to 44.0), three-point percentage (35.4 to 39.5) and assists (1.5 to 4.3 per game).
♦ Berry has scored in double figures in 16 of 19 games this season. As a freshman he scored in double figures one time.
♦ Berry is the only Tar Heel to score in double figures in each of the last 10 games.
PREVIEWING THE HOKIES
♦ Virginia Tech enters Sunday evening's matchup with a 12-7 record. At 4-2 in ACC play entering the weekend, the Hokies are tied for fourth place in the conference standings with Pitt and Notre Dame.
♦ The Hokies have won four of their last six games and are 9-3 in Cassell Coliseum in 2015-16.
♦ Virginia Tech is 3-0 at home against ACC foes this season with wins over N.C. State, Virginia and Wake Forest.
♦ The Hokies also have a road win at Georgia Tech on their resume, and their road losses have come at Duke and Notre Dame.
♦ In the KenPom.com adjusted efficiency ratings, Virginia Tech ranks 107th overall, including 120th offensively (106.8) and 203rd defensively (104.2).
SERIES HISTORY
♦ The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with Virginia Tech, 65-13 overall and 12-3 since the Hokies joined the ACC prior to the 2004-05 season.
♦ Carolina is 20-4 against the Hokies in Blacksburg and 5-2 in Cassell Coliseum.
♦ The Tar Heels have won 10 of their last 11 meetings with the Hokies and 28 of the last 31 encounters.
♦ Virginia Tech beat UNC in Blacksburg in 2009-10 and swept two regular season meetings during the 2006-07 season for its only three wins in the series since Feb. 12, 1966.
♦ Prior to those Virginia Tech wins in 2006-07, UNC had beaten the Hokies 18 consecutive times.
♦ Only 18 of the 78 meetings in the series between Carolina and Virginia Tech have come since 1980, with the Tar Heels going 15-3 in those games.
♦ Roy Williams is 12-3 vs. Virginia Tech as a head coach. Williams is 5-2 in Blacksburg, 5-1 in Chapel Hill and 2-0 in the ACC Tournament against the Hokies as the UNC head coach.
