Tar Heels To Host Buckeyes In ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Wednesday, December 4

Chapel Hill

9:30 PM

North Carolina

Ohio State

Brandon Robinson

Photo by: J.D. Lyon Jr.

December 3, 2019 | Men's Basketball

Watch Notebook UNC Notes (.pdf)OSU Notes (.pdf)Live Stats Listen Podcast Know Before You Go Toys For Tots

GAME 8 NOTEBOOK
• Seventh-ranked Carolina (6-1) plays host to No. 6 Ohio State (7-0) in the 2019 ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 4 at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill. ESPN will televise the contest.
• Carolina is in a stretch of games which includes now No. 4 Michigan (7-0), No. 13 Oregon (6-2), No. 6 Ohio State (7-0), No. 5 Virginia (7-0), Wofford (3-4) and No. 9 Gonzaga (8-1).
• UNC is scheduled to play eight games this season against teams in this week's AP top 10.
• The Tar Heels went 2-1 last week in The Bahamas in the Battle 4 Atlantis, beating Alabama and Oregon (in the third place game) and falling to eventual champion Michigan in the semifinal.
• Cole Anthony (54), Garrison Brooks (42) and Armando Bacot (41) led the Tar Heel scoring in the three games in the Bahamas. Bacot led in rebounds (33) and blocks (8) and Anthony and senior Brandon Robinson both had 10 assists.
• Carolina made 20 of 21 free throws against Oregon (.952). It was only the fourth time UNC ever shot at least 95 percent from the stripe when attempting 20 or more free throws.
• Carolina is 10-10 in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge (2-0 vs. Ohio State).
• This is the 10th time in 21 Challenges the Tar Heels have played a top-10 ranked opponent.
• Luke Maye (27 points in 2018 vs. Michigan) and Kris Lang (27 in 2001 vs. Indiana) share the UNC scoring record in the Challenge. Michigan State's Morris Peterson (31 in 1999) and Ohio State's Ron Lewis (30 in 2006) have the top two scoring efforts by Big 10 teams in the Challenge vs. UNC.
• Two Tar Heel coaches now rank in the top five in all-time wins by a Division I coach. Dean Smith is fourth (retired in the No. 1 spot) with 879; Roy Williams is fifth with 877.
• UNC has scored less than 80 points in each of the first seven games for the first time since 1949-50 (UNC scored less than 80 in all 29 of their games that season).
• Carolina has shot under 50 percent from the floor in the first seven games. That's the longest stretch to open a season since the 1959-60 team shot 53.6 percent against Duke in the 16th game of the season.

ACC-BIG TEN CHALLENGE
• The ACC is 12-5-3 against the Big Ten in the 20-year history of the Challenge.
• Carolina is 10-10 in the Challenge, including a 5-4 record at home, a 3-6 record on the road and 2-0 at neutral sites.
• UNC is 2-0 vs. Ohio State in the Challenge with a 98-89 win in Chapel Hill on 11/29/2006 and a 66-55 win in Columbus on 11/28/2007.
• Ohio State will be the 17th ranked opponent (AP) and the 10th top 10 opponent the Tar Heels will have played in the 21 years of Challenge.
• Carolina is 7-9 vs. ranked opponents and 5-4 vs. top-10 opponents in the Challenge.
• This is the seventh time the Tar Heels are playing a Challenge game in which both teams are ranked in the top 10 (UNC is 4-2 in the previous games involving two top 10 teams).
• The Tar Heels are 10-6 in the Challenge under Roy Williams.

Carolina in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge
Year Site Opponent (AP)
1999-00 H Michigan State (2/8) L 76-86
2000-01 A at Michigan State (6/3) L 64-77
2001-02 H Indiana (-/24) L 66-79
2002-03 A at Illinois (12/25) L 65-92
2003-04 GBO vs. Illinois (10/11) W 88-81
2004-05 A at Indiana (9/-) W 70-63
2005-06 H Illinois (-/12) L 64-68
2006-07 H Ohio State (7/3) W 98-89
2007-08 A Ohio State (1/-) W 66-55
2008-09 DET vs. Michigan State (1/13) W 98-63
2009-10 H Michigan State (10/9) W 89-82
2010-11 A at Illinois (-/20) L 67-79
2011-12 H Wisconsin (5/9) W 60-57
2012-13 A at Indiana (14/1) L 59-83
2013-14 A at Michigan State (-/1) W 79-65
2014-15 H Iowa (12/-) L 55-60
2015-16 H Maryland (9/2) W 89-81
2016-17 A Indiana (3/13) L 67-76
2017-18 H Michigan (13/-) W 86-71
2018-19 A Michigan (11/7) L 67-84
2019-20 H Ohio State (7/6)

UNC in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge
3-2 vs. Michigan State
2-0 vs. Ohio State
1-0 vs. Maryland and Wisconsin
1-1 vs. Michigan
1-3 vs. Illinois and Indiana
0-1 vs. Iowa

UNC-OHIO STATE SERIES
• Carolina is 12-2 against the Buckeyes, including seven wins in a row, and 5-0 in the Roy Williams Era.
• Carolina is 2-0 against Ohio State in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
• Carolina is 2-0 against the Buckeyes in Chapel Hill, an 81-68 win on 12/18/1993, and a 98-89 win in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on 11/29/2006.
• The last meeting was an 86-72 UNC win in New Orleans on 12/23/2017 in the CBS Sports Classic. Joel Berry II and Theo Pinson both scored 19 points for the Tar Heels. Brandon Robinson (5) and Garrison Brooks (4) were among six current Tar Heels who played in that game.
• The 2006 Challenge was one of the Smith Center's most memorable games. Tyler Hansbrough (21 points, 14 rebounds) and Wayne Ellington (19) led four Tar Heels in double figures, Ohio State's Ron Lewis had a game-high 30 and Mike Conley Jr. had eight assists. The Buckeyes led 48-44 at the half, but Carolina shot 65.5 percent from the floor and scored 54 second-half points for the win. Ohio State shot 52.3 percent for the game; UNC shot 53.1.

DECEMBER GAUNTLET
• Carolina concluded the month of November losing to Michigan, which is now No. 4 in the country in the AP poll, and beating Oregon, which was No. 11 when the Tar Heels beat the Ducks, 78-74, and is now 13th.
• Next up for Carolina is No. 6 Ohio State, at No. 5 Virginia, Wofford in Carmichael Arena and at No. 9 Gonzaga.
• This is the first time UNC has played back-to-back games against top-10 opponents since beating No. 5 Duke and losing to No. 1 Virginia in the semifinals and final, respectively, in the 2018 ACC Tournament in Brooklyn.
• It's the first time UNC has played back-to-back games in which both teams were top 10 since the 2017 Final Four (No. 5 UNC beat No. 9 Oregon and No.2 Gonzaga).
• It's the first time UNC has played consecutive games against top-10 teams in December since the 2009-10 season, when UNC beat No. 9 Michigan State in Chapel Hill on 12/1 and lost at No. 5 Kentucky on 12/5.
• It's the first time UNC could play three top-10 teams in December since 2009-10 when UNC played host to No. 9 Michigan State, played at No. 5 Kentucky and lost to No. 2 Texas in the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.

WILLIAMS NO. 5 IN ALL-TIME WINS
• The win over Oregon was Carolina head coach Roy Williams' 877th, moving him ahead of Kentucky's Adolph Rupp for fifth place all time in wins by a Division I head coach. Fellow Naismith Hall of Famer Dean Smith, under whom Williams spent 10 years as an assistant coach, is fourth with 879.
• Roy Williams has won 459 games as UNC's head coach, fourth most at an ACC school. He is three wins from passing Gary Williams, who won 461 games at Maryland.

Most Wins by a Division I Head Coach
1139 Mike Krzyzewski
950 Jim Boeheim
902 Bob Knight
879 Dean Smith
877 Roy Williams
876 Adolph Rupp

MOST WINS AS ACC HEAD COACH, ALL GAMES
1066 Mike Krzyzewski Duke
879 Dean Smith North Carolina
461 Gary Williams Maryland
459 Roy Williams North Carolina
354 Bobby Cremins Georgia Tech

KENPOM NOTABLES
• This season Ken Pomeroy began tracking 'minutes continuity,' which determines what percentage of a team's minutes are played by the same player from last season to this season. The national average is approximately 50 percent.
• Carolina is 327th in minutes continuity at 24.3 percent.
• Carolina is 67th in strength of schedule. Kansas (21) and Michigan State (40) are the only other two schools in KenPom's top 15 who have played a tougher strength of schedule to date.
• Carolina is 18th in offensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions) and 19th in defensive efficiency. The Tar Heels are one of four schools in the top 20 in both offensive and defensive efficiencies with Michigan State, Louisville and Kansas.
• Ohio State is second in the country in defensive efficiency at 84.8 (UNC's next opponent, Virginia, is first at 78.9).
• Carolina is 243rd in effective field goal percentage at .467. That is UNC's lowest since KenPom began tracking stats in 2001-02. The previous low was .480 in 2009-10. UNC has been above 50 percent in each of the last five seasons.
• Carolina is No. 3 nationally in offensive rebound percentage. The Tar Heels grab 40.5 percent of their own misses. UNC is also 15th best in the country at limiting the opposition's offensive rebounds to just 21.5 percent of their missed shots.

NCAA STATS
• Carolina leads the nation in rebounding (49.7 per game) and offensive rebounding (16.1) and is second in rebound margin (16.7) behind only Illinois (17.4).
• Freshman forward Armando Bacot is 16th in double-doubles with four.

POLLING
• Carolina dropped one spot to No. 7 in the country in the Dec. 2 Associated Press poll. UNC has remained in the top 10 in each of the first five weeks of the 2019-20 AP poll.
• This is the 105th consecutive week the Tar Heels are ranked in the AP poll.
• This is the 14th straight season UNC was ranked in the AP Top 25 in the preseason. Last season, the Tar Heels opened at No. 8 and ended the year ranked No. 3.
• UNC has finished the season in the top 10 in each of the last four seasons (3 in 2015-16, 5 in 2016-17, 10 in 2017-18 and 3 in 2018-19).
• This week's No. 7 ranking is Carolina's 921st appearance in the AP poll, the most rankings of any school in the country.
• It's the 57th time in 72 seasons the AP ranked the Tar Heels in the top 10 at some point in the season.
• It's the 46th time in 72 seasons the AP has ranked UNC in the top five at some point in the season.
• Carolina has been ranked in the Top 10 of the AP poll 686 times, most in ACC history and second-most all-time behind Kentucky (703). Carolina has been ranked in the Top 5 434 times, also second-most behind only Kentucky (462).
• Carolina has finished in the Top 10 of the AP poll 38 times, including 27 of the previous 39 years.