Tar Heels Host 'Canes Saturday Looking For 9-1 ACC Start

GAME 23 NOTEBOOK
• The Tar Heels will aim for a 9-1 conference start when it hosts Miami on Saturday at noon in the Smith Center. Raycom will televise the game live regionally (list of Raycom stations).
• Carolina leads the nation in rebounds per game, is second in scoring (points per game) and rebound margin and third in assists.
• Carolina is 8-1 in ACC play for the third time in Roy Williams' 16-year tenure (2005, 2016 and 2019). A win over Miami would give Carolina its first 9-1 start in league play under Williams.
• Carolina beat Miami, 85-76, on 1/19 in Coral Gables. A UNC win would mark the third time Carolina has swept a home-and-home series with the Canes. The Tar Heels previously accomplished that in 2009 and 2012. This is the fifth season in which UNC and Miami have played a home-and-home. They split games in 2006, UNC won both in 2009 and 2012 and the Canes took both in 2013.
• In 2017 and 2018, Miami beat UNC in the regular season (2017 in Coral Gables, 2018 in Chapel Hill) and the Tar Heels triumphed when they played in Brooklyn in the ACC Tournament.
• Carolina scored better than 1.0 points per possession in both halves against NC State, the second consecutive home game (also against Virginia Tech) and the fifth time this season the Tar Heels accomplished that (also vs. Elon, Tennessee Tech and Saint Francis).
• Garrison Brooks was 4 for 4 from the floor against NC State, pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds, handed out a career-high and game-high six assists without a turnover and was Carolina's defensive player of the game. It was the third time in nine ACC games he led UNC in assists and the sixth time this season he graded out as Carolina's top defender.
• Carolina never trailed in the two games this season against NC State, leading for 39:21 in Raleigh (game was tied two times – at 47 and 53) and 38:41 in the Smith Center (game was tied once at 10).
• Carolina has shot 50 percent or better from the floor in the first half just two times in nine ACC games (at Miami and on 2/5 against NC State). However, the Tar Heels have shot 50 percent or better in the second half in four of the last five games, including 60 percent at Miami, 60.6 vs. Virginia Tech, 53.1 at Georgia Tech and 60.0 at home vs. the Wolfpack.

UNC-MIAMI SERIES
• Carolina leads the series, 23-8.
• The Tar Heels have won five of the last seven games, including 85-76 at Miami on 1/19.
• Carolina is 10-4 against the Canes in Chapel Hill (all in the Smith Center).
• Roy Williams is 19-8 against Miami, including 17-7 as UNC's head coach.
• Miami beat the Tar Heels in the Smith Center last season on Senior Night.

JAN. 19 IN CORAL GABLES
UNC 85, MIAMI 76
• Carolina shot 55.0 percent from the floor, its second-highest percentage in the first 18 games (highest to date in an ACC game). It was the highest since the Tennessee Tech game (.554).
• It was the first time in eight games UNC shot 50 percent from the floor (first time since Gonzaga).
• Carolina shot 60 percent from the floor in the second half.
• Carolina's first 10 field goals in the second half were two-pointers. The Tar Heels then made five of their next six baskets from three-point range – three by Cameron Johnson and two by Kenny Williams.
• Carolina had 26 assists, second most this season and most since UNC had 29 against Tennessee Tech.
• Johnson went 5 for 7 from three-point range and led all scorers with 22 points.
• White tied his season high with eight assists (also vs. UCLA). Maye also tied his season high with four assists and Robinson tied his career best with four.
• Kenny Williams scored 16 points, tied his season high with three three-pointers (also at Michigan) and had six assists and no turnovers.
• Miami made 7 of 14 three-pointers in the first half, but UNC held the Canes to 2 for 7 from three-point distance in the second half.

2/27/18 IN CHAPEL HILL: MIAMI 91, UNC 88
• Miami's Ja'Quan Newton's hit a game-winning three at the buzzer.
• Miami shot 54.8 percent from the floor for the game and made 11 of 22 from three-point range. • It was the seventh time in 207 games under Roy Williams the Tar Heels lost a game when they shot 50 percent or better from the floor. UNC shot 54.4 percent vs. the Canes.
• Joel Berry II scored a season-high 31 points for the Tar Heels.
• Theo Pinson had 12 points and a career-high 11 assists. Luke Maye 14 points and 10 rebounds and Cameron Johnson scored 20 points.

ROY'S REMARKABLE ROAD SUCCESS
• Carolina is 5-0 on the road in ACC games this season, which clinches a winning record in ACC road play for the eighth time in nine seasons and the 12th time in Williams' 16 seasons as UNC's head coach.
• Carolina has posted winning road records in ACC play under Williams in: 2005 (6-2), 2006 (7-1), 2008 (8-0), 2009 (6-2), 2011 (6-2), 2012 (7-1), 2013 (5-4), 2014 (5-4), 2015 (6-3), 2016 (6-3), 2017 (5-4) and 2019 (5-0).
• Williams and Carolina have accounted for 12 of the ACC's 44 winning road records (27.2 percent) in conference play in the last 16 seasons.

WINNING ACC ROAD RECORDS
2003-04 to current
12 North Carolina (Roy Williams)
10 Duke
4 Virginia
3 Florida State
3 Miami
3 NC State
2 Notre Dame
1 Boston College, Louisville, Maryland, Pitt, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
• Williams is third all-time with 84 ACC road wins behind only Krzyzewski (179) and Smith (133).
• Williams is second in ACC history in road winning percentage in ACC play at 64.1 percent (84-47).

ACC Road Winning Percentage, All-Time
Vic Bubas, Duke .667 (46-23)
Roy Williams, UNC .641 (84-47)
Frank McGuire, UNC/South Carolina .618 (55-34)
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke .610 (180-115)
Dean Smith, UNC .591 (133-92)
through 2/6/19

MISCELLANEOUS
• Carolina leads the nation in rebounds per game, is second in scoring (points per game) and rebound margin and third in assists.
• Carolina has road wins at No. 15 NC State and No. 15 Louisville (both AP). This is the first time since 2012 UNC has two road wins in a season over AP-ranked teams (No. 25 Virginia and No. 4 Duke).
• This is the first time UNC has two road wins over top-15 teams since 2006 (three that season – No. 10 Kentucky, No. 15 NC State and No. 1 Duke).
• Carolina's 79-69 win at Louisville was the first time in UNC history the Tar Heels followed a 20-point home loss with a double-digit win on that same team's home floor.
• It was the first time since 1939 the Tar Heels followed a 20-point home loss with a win, regardless of the margin, later in the same season at that opponent's gym (against Wake Forest when the Deacons played in Wake Forest, N.C.).
• Roy Williams is 629 games over .500 in 31 seasons as a college head coach, including 312 games over .500 in 16 seasons at Carolina.
• Williams has more ACC road wins (84) than 12 of the league's other 14 head coaches have home ACC victories.
• Carolina is 7-1 on the road this year, including 5-0 in ACC play. UNC is the only team in the ACC with seven road wins. Virginia is second with six, Louisville and Syracuse have five and Duke has four. Eight ACC schools have won twice or fewer times on the road this year.
• Coming off a 113-point performance against NC State, Carolina is averaging 88.3 points, which is on pace for the third-highest figure in Roy Williams' 16 seasons as head coach and the highest since 2008-09.
Highest Scoring Average, 2003-present
89.8 in 2008-09
88.6 in 2007-08
88.3 in 2018-19
88.0 in 2004-05
85.7 in 2006-07

• Carolina has out-rebounded its opponents in 19 of the first 22 games this season and won 17 of those 19 games. UNC is 1-0 when rebounds are even (UCLA) and 0-2 (Kentucky and home vs. Louisville) when out-rebounded.
• Carolina leads the country in rebounds per game despite having no starter taller than 6'9" (guard Cameron Johnson).
• The Tar Heels have won 86 percent of the games in which they out-rebound the opponents in Roy Williams' 16 seasons as head coach.
• Carolina has finished in the top 10 in the nation in rebound margin in nine of Roy Williams' first 15 seasons at UNC, including No. 1 in the country in 2008, 2012 and 2017. The Tar Heels have finished ninth, ninth, first and third in the nation in the last four years.
• The Tar Heels are averaging 19.9 assists per game, third most in the nation, 10th most in UNC history and the most in a season since 1990-91 (20.0 per game).
• Carolina is 12-0 this season when it has 20 or more assists. The Tar Heels have averaged 22.8 assists in the last five games (26-25-21-16-26).
• The Tar Heels have finished in the top six in the country in assists per game 11 times under Williams, including second, fourth, fourth and tied for fourth in the last four seasons.
• Carolina is averaging a school-record 8.6 three-pointers per game. UNC has made 8.0 or more in only two previous seasons (a school-record 8.3 in 2002-03 and 8.2 in 2017-18).
• Cameron Johnson is second in the ACC in three-point percentage at .483. That is on pace for the third highest percentage in a season by a Tar Heel.

Highest Three-Point Percentage, UNC Season
.496 by Dante Calabria, 1994-95 (66 of 133)
.489 by Hubert Davis, 1990-91 (64 of 131)
.483 by Cameron Johnson, 2018-19 (56 of 116)
.472 by Ty Lawson, 2008-09 (51 of 108)
.464 by Jeff Lebo, 1987-88 (78 of 168)

• Johnson has the sixth-highest career percentage by a Tar Heel at 40.6 percent (among players with at least 100 made threes).
Three-Point Percentage, UNC Career (min. 100 3FGs)
.435 – Hubert Davis, 1988-92 (197)
.428 – Jeff Lebo, 1985-89 (211)
.419 – Reyshawn Terry, 2003-07 (103)
.415 – Rashad McCants, 2002-05 (221)
.412 – Dante Calabria, 1992-96 (193)
.406 – Cameron Johnson, 2017- (103)
.403 – Shammond Williams, 1994-98 (233)
.403 – Ty Lawson, 2006-09 (112)

• The Tar Heels have scored 570 of their 1,830 points from three-point range, which equals the second-largest percentage (.293) in the Roy Williams Era.
SCORING FROM THREE-POINT FGs
(UNC in the Roy Williams Era)
30.3 percent – 2017-18
29.3 percent – 2018-19
29.3 percent – 2012-13
26.2 percent – 2005-06
25.5 percent – 2004-05

• KenPom ranks the Tar Heels third in the nation behind Savannah State and FIU in shortest average length of offensive possessions (13.9 seconds) and fifth in tempo (possessions per game).
• Carolina is seventh in the country in KenPom's offensive efficiency and 16th in defensive efficiency (points per 100 possessions). The Tar Heels' 21 opponents to date have a combined offensive efficiency of No. 9 in the country and a combined defensive efficiency of the 11th-best in the country.
• Carolina has finished the season in the top 10 in KenPom's offensive efficiency in eight of the previous 15 seasons, including 10th in 2015, first in 2016, ninth in 2017 and sixth in 2018.

AP POLL NOTES
• Carolina is No. 8 this week in the AP poll.
• Carolina is ranked in the AP poll for the 910th time, more than any other school in college basketball history.
• It is the 94th consecutive AP poll in which the Tar Heels are ranked, dating back to mid-conference play in the 2013-14 season.
• UNC began the year No. 8 in the preseason AP poll. It was the 13th time in 16 seasons under Roy Williams UNC was ranked in the preseason Top 10.
• This season is the 56th time in 71 seasons the Tar Heels have been ranked in the top 10 in at least one week of the poll.
• UNC finished the year in the AP poll top 10 in 10 of Williams' first 15 seasons.
• Carolina has finished in the top 10 37 times, including 26 of the last 38 years. UNC has finished the season ranked in the AP poll 50 times.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Joel Berry II

Garrison Brooks

Cameron Johnson

Luke Maye

Theo Pinson

Kenny Williams

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics