University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Visit Louisville Monday
February 1, 2016 | Men's Basketball
THE MATCHUP
♦ North Carolina (19-2, 8-0 ACC) will play the first of three consecutive road games on Monday when it visits Louisville (17-4, 6-2). It will be a matchup of the top two teams in the ACC standings.
♦ The Tar Heels and Cardinals will tip off at 7:01 p.m. on Monday night in the KFC Yum! Center.
♦ Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Doris Burke (analyst) and Kaylee Hartung (reporter) will call the game for an ESPN Big Monday national television audience. Click here to watch online with WatchESPN.
TAR HEEL STORYLINES
♦ Carolina is embarking a stretch of three consecutive road games. The run also will include trips to Notre Dame on Saturday and Boston College on Tuesday Feb. 9.
♦ Carolina is the only remaining undefeated team in the ACC and has a two-game lead in the conference standings over Louisville (6-2) entering Monday's contest.
♦ Arriving in Louisville with a 19-2 overall record, UNC's next win will mark the 57th 20-win season in Tar Heel history.
♦ The Tar Heels, off to their first 8-0 ACC start under Roy Williams, are trying for their 13th win in a row, their 17th win in 18 games and their 20th victory of the season.
♦ The last time UNC had a better ACC start than 8-0 was in 2000-01, when it started 11-0.
♦ UNC was ranked No. 2 in last week's Associated Press poll and No. 1 in the coaches' poll. The new polls will be released on Monday.
UP NEXT
♦ After the trip to Louisville, Carolina will visit Notre Dame on Saturday before playing at Boston College on Tuesday Feb. 9.
♦ The Tar Heels will return to the Smith Center to play on Feb. 14 vs. Pitt.
A TAR HEEL WIN WOULD ...
♦ Improve UNC to 20-2, 9-0 ACC in 2015-16.
♦ Give Carolina its 57th 20-win season, including its 12th in 13 seasons under Roy Williams.
♦ Make UNC 4-2 on the road this season, including 4-0 in ACC play.
♦ Improve Roy Williams's record on the road in ACC play to 68-35.
♦ Extend Carolina's winning streak to 13 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 9-0.
♦ Give Carolina its fifth win in the last six meetings with Louisville and its third in four meetings since the Cardinals joined the ACC prior to the 2014-15 season.
♦ Give UNC its first road win at Louisville after losing their first three games against the Cards in Louisville (in 1929, 1999 and 2015).
♦ Improve Roy Williams' career record as a head coach to 770-204 overall.
♦ Make Williams 352-103 at Carolina.
A TAR HEEL LOSS WOULD ...
♦ Drop Carolina to 19-3, 8-1 ACC.
♦ Snap Carolina's 12-game winning streak.
♦ Drop UNC to 3-3 on the road in 2015-16, including 3-1 in ACC play.
♦ Drop Roy Williams' career record to 769-205 overall.
♦ Make Williams 351-104 at Carolina.
A WIN AWAY FROM 20
♦ Carolina needs one win to clinch its 57th 20-win season in 106 seasons as a varsity program.
♦ UNC has won at least 20 games 42 times in the last 45 years (every season since 1970-71 except 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04).
♦ The 2014-15 season marked Carolina's 11th 20-win season in a row under head coach Roy Williams, who has won at least 20 games 25 times in 27 seasons as a head coach (and won 19 in each of the other two years).
♦ Carolina won at least 20 games for an NCAA-record 31 consecutive seasons from 1970-71 to 2000-01.
TAR HEEL TIDBITS
TEAM NOTES
♦ Carolina leads the ACC in points per game. Five of Carolina's next six games will be against the teams ranked second through sixth in the conference in scoring (No. 2 Duke, No. 3 Pittsburgh, No. 4 Louisville, No. 5 Miami and No. 6 Notre Dame).
♦ Carolina is 2-0 vs. ranked opponents this season (wins over Maryland and UCLA). The Tar Heels are 65-51 against ranked foes under Roy Williams.
♦ UNC has 10 or more steals in each of the last three games (15 vs. Wake Forest, 11 at Virginia Tech and 12 vs. BC).
♦ Cutting Down on Turnovers: UNC is averaging 10.5 turnovers per game, the lowest figure of any Carolina team since turnovers were first recorded in 1981-82. Last year, the Tar Heels averaged nearly 13 turnovers per contest.
♦ There have been seven seasons in which UNC has committed fewer than 13 turnovers per game. The current record was set in 2013-14 (11.94 per game). The other seasons below 13 are 2011-12 (11.95), 2012-13 (12.3), 2008-09 (12.4), 1994-95 (12.9) and 1981-82 (12.9).
♦ Carolina's assist-to-turnover ratio (1.79) ranks second in the nation and would be the best of any Tar Heel team since turnovers were first recorded in 1981-82. The second-best figure is 1.53 in 1985-86. Other top-five seasons include 1.45 (2008-09), 1.45 (2011-12) and 1.42 (1997-98).
♦ UNC's three-point percentage of 30.8 would be the lowest in school history if the season were to end today. The current low is 32.8 percent, set in 2010-11.
♦ Carolina is 8-0 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 12 games in a row, the seventh time in Roy Williams's 13-year tenure as UNC's head coach the Tar Heels have won at least 12 in a row. The 2007-08 team has the two longest streaks under Williams (18 games and 15 games).
♦ 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 17 of 21 games and is averaging 85.8 ppg this season.
♦ The Tar Heels are 229-28 in 13 seasons under Roy Williams when they score at least 80 points (16-1 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: UNC is 49-1 under Williams when it scores 100 points or more.
♦ Carolina has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in 14 of 21 games this year. The Tar Heels are shooting .485 as a team.
♦ Against Boston College on Saturday, the Tar Heels shot 53.3 percent in the first half and 54.1 percent in the second. That's the sixth time this year, the second time in ACC play and the first time since the Clemson game UNC shot 50 percent or better in both halves.
♦ The Tar Heels have shot 50 percent or better in the second half of 23 of their last 31 games (including 14 of 21 games in 2015-16).
♦ Roy Williams is 769-204 as a head coach, including 351-103 at Carolina, 149-57 in ACC regular-season games and 180-26 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 already 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).
♦ In the NCAA stats: The Tar Heels are fourth in the nation in scoring at 85.8 points per game, ninth in scoring margin at 15.6, second with an assist-turnover ratio of 1.79, fifth with 18.8 assists per game, 14th in rebounding margin (9.4) and 20th in field goal percentage (48.5).
♦ KenPom Ratings: Carolina is ranked No. 4 in the nation in the KenPom.com statistical rankings. UNC is third in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency (120.9) and is 41st in adjusted defensive efficiency (95.9).
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
♦ Roy Williams has 351 wins at Carolina, three behind Bobby Cremins for fourth place in ACC history.
♦ Brice Johnson has led UNC in scoring nine times this season (most on the team) and in rebounding 13 times (most on the team).
♦ Johnson is 10th in the ACC in scoring (16.8 ppg), second in rebounding (10.2 rpg) and first in field goal percentage (62.3). He also leads the conference in defensive rebounding (7.81 per game).
♦ Johnson has been named the ACC Player of the Week three times and is the 10th Tar Heel to win the award at least three times in one season.
♦ Johnson had 10 double-doubles in 108 games in his first three seasons and has 12 in 21 games as a senior.
♦ Johnson has three double-doubles in a row, matching the longest streak of his career
♦ Johnson is averaging 19.3 points and 11.0 rebounds per game in his last 12 outings. Those figures come despite a three-point performance vs. Clemson and six points and two rebounds vs. N.C. State during the stretch.
♦ 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 enters the Boston College game with 833 career rebounds, 16th in Carolina history. Larry Miller is 15th with 834 and Brendan Haywood is 14th with 839.
♦ Johnson is averaging a team-high 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season. His previous career highs were 12.9 ppg and 7.8 rpg last season.
♦ Joel Berry II hasn't committed a turnover in three consecutive games (vs. Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Boston College). He's played turnover-free in five of Carolina's first eight ACC games.
♦ Berry has the third-highest scoring increase in the ACC this season (+8.4 ppg) behind Duke's Grayson Allen and N.C. State's Cat Barber.
♦ Berry has stepped into a starting role this season and improved across the board statistically, including scoring (4.2 to 12.6 ppg), field goal percentage (40.4 to 43.4), three-point percentage (35.4 to 38.1) and assists (1.5 to 4.3 per game).
♦ Berry is the only Tar Heel to score in double figures in each of the last 12 games.
♦ Berry has scored in double figures in 18 of 21 games this season. As a freshman he scored in double figures one time.
♦ Berry had three steals vs. Boston College, the fourth time this season he made at least three steals (third time in the last five games). Berry leads UNC with 34 steals and is tied for fourth in the ACC at 1.62 per game.
♦ 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 11 games.
♦ Hicks has 243 career rebounds – 110 on the offensive glass and 133 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 13 games and is shooting 51 for 74 (.689) from the floor in that span.
♦ Marcus Paige has scored 1,606 points entering the Louisville game, 24th in Carolina history. Mitch Kupchak is 23rd with 1,611, Hubert Davis is 22nd with 1,615, Jawad Williams is 21st with 1,626, Eric Montross is 20th with 1,627 and Kenny Smith is 19th with 1,636.
♦ Paige is the ACC's top active career scorer with 1,606 points and Brice Johnson is fourth with 1,391.
♦Paige scored 12 points vs. Boston College, matching his output from the three previous games (12 points total vs. N.C. State, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech).
♦ Paige enters the Louisville game with 533 assists, 10th in school history. Jeff Lebo is ninth with 580.
♦ Paige is the only Tar Heel and one of four players in ACC history with at least 1,500 points, 500 assists, 350 rebounds, 250 three-pointers and 175 steals. The other ACC plaeyrs to reach those threshholds are Travis Best of Georgia Tech, Malcolm Delaney of Virginia Tech and Jason Williams of Duke.
♦ 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 three three-pointers vs. Boston College to extend his career school record to 253.
♦ Paige has 59 assists and 13 turnovers in his 15 games this year (an assist/turnover ratio of 4.54).
♦ 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.
♦Meeks was late to shootaround prior to the Boston College game and was not in the starting lineup as a result. He had eight points and four rebounds in 15 minutes vs. the Eagles.
ON THE ROAD IN ACC PLAY
♦Roy Williams' Tar Heel teams have been one of the nation's top road teams over the years.
♦ Williams's teams are 67-35 (.657) on the road in ACC play and have finished above .500 on the road nine times in 12 years under Williams.
♦ The Tar Heels are 3-0 on the ACC road this season (wins at Florida State, Syracuse and Virginia Tech).
♦ Williams' ACC road winning percentage of .657 is second-best in ACC history behind Vic Bubas of Duke (.667 from 1960-69). Frank McGuire of UNC and South Carolina is third at .618.
♦ UNC has 38 winning road records in 62 overall ACC seasons.
♦ Under Williams, UNC went 6-2 on the road in the ACC in 2004-05, 7-1 in 2005-06, 8-0 in 2007-08, 6-2 in 2008-09, 6-2 in 2010-11, 7-1 in 2011-12, 5-4 in 2012-13, 5-4 in 2013-14 and 6-3 in 2014-15.
SCHEDULE TOUGHENS IN FEBRUARY FOR TAR HEELS
♦ Carolina has 10 games remaining on its 2015-16 regular season schedule, and it's likely that challenging 10-game stretch will be good training for postseason play for the Tar Heels.
♦ UNC's final 10 games include a home-and-home with Duke, trips to Louisville, Virginia, Notre Dame, North Carolina State and Boston College and home games vs. Pitt, Miami and Syracuse.
♦ As of Jan. 31, those final 10 opponents include five foes ranked in the Associated Press poll (No. 11 Virginia, No. 15 Miami, No. 16 Louisville, No. 24 Duke and No. 25 Notre Dame)
♦ The final 10 Tar Heel opponents include six of the top 40 teams in the KenPom.com statistical rankings as of Jan. 31 (No. 5 Virginia, No. 8 Louisville, No. 16 Miami, No. 18 Duke, No. 34 Notre Dame and No. 35 Syracuse).
♦ The final 10 Carolina foes also included seven teams in the top 42 of the NCAA RPI rankings as of Jan. 31 (No. 10 Virginia, No. 13 Miami, No. 17 Louisville, No. 27 Duke, No. 35 Pitt, No. 39 Notre Dame and No. 42 Syracuse).
PREVIEWING THE CARDINALS
♦ Louisville enters Monday night's game with an overall record of 17-4, 6-2 in the ACC. The Cardinals are ranked No. 16 in the AP poll, No. 14 in the coaches' poll and No. 8 in the KenPom.com ratings.
♦ The Cardinals lost, 63-47, at home to Virginia on Saturday afternoon. Nevertheless, Louisville has won four of its last five outings and six of eight since losing at Kentucky in late December and starting ACC play.
♦ In the KenPom.com adjusted efficiency ratings, Louisville ranks No. 8 overall, including No. 34 in offensive efficiency (34th) and No. 5 in defensive efficiency (90.5).
♦ Monday's game will be a matchup of two of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country. Louisville is third in KenPom.com's rankings in offensive rebounding percentage at 42.2 percent, while Carolina is ninth at 39.2.
♦ Louisville has one of the nation's best defenses, ranking fifth in the KenPom rankings in effective field goal percentage defense (43.0 percent) and fifth in adjusted defensive efficiency (90.5). The Cardinals are also 24th nationally in defensive turnover percentage (21.6 percent).
SERIES HISTORY
♦ North Carolina leads the all-time series with Louisville, 11-4.
♦ Roy Williams is 5-2 against Louisville as a head coach, including 4-1 with Carolina (wins in 2007-08, 2013-14 and two in 2014-15) and 1-1 against the Cardinals while at Kansas.
♦ Last season, Carolina won two of three thrilling meetings between the two schools. In each game, the winning team rallied from a double-digit deficit:
Game #1: On January 10, Louisville led by 13 with 8:43 to play, but UNC won, 72-71, on a Marcus Paige basket with 8.5 seconds to play.
Game #2: On January 31, UNC led by 18 with 17:51 to play, but Louisville outscored UNC 53-25 the final 17:51 plus overtime to win 78-68.
Game #3: On March 12, the Cardinals led 30-20 with 5:01 to play in the first half. The Tar Heels closed to within five at the break, then took the lead for the first time in the second half. UNC ended the game on a 14-3 run.
♦ In 2013-14, the Tar Heels beat the Cardinals, 93-84, in the championship game of the Hall of Fame Tipoff in Uncasville, Conn.
♦ Prior to 2013-14, the teams had last met in the 2008 NCAA Tournament East Regional final in Charlotte, with the Tar Heels winning 83-73. Eventual National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough had 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels past Louisville and into the Final Four. Carolina led by 12 at halftime, then let the Cardinals back in the game before winning late.
♦ Ten of the 15 previous meetings between Carolina and Louisville have come at neutral sites, three were in Louisville and two have been in Chapel Hill.
