University of North Carolina Athletics

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Tar Heels Take Winning Streak To Louisville For Tuesday Tilt
January 31, 2022 | Men's Basketball
GAME 22
• The calendar turns to February as Carolina takes its three-game winning streak to Louisville to play the Cardinals on Tuesday, February 1, at 8 p.m. (ACC Network).
• The game was originally scheduled for January 31 but was moved back a day due to other re-scheduled ACC games following previous Covid-related postponements.
• The Tar Heels are 15-6 overall, 7-3 in the ACC. Louisville is 11-10, 5-6 in league play. The Cardinals, playing under interim head coach Mike Pegues, are coming off a 74-65 home loss to Duke, a game that was tied at 60 with just over eight minutes to play.
• UNC finished a sweep of a three-game homestand on Saturday with a 100-80 win over NC State. The Tar Heels made 10 first-half threes to build a 25-point lead at the half and finished with season highs in points (100), field goals (34), three-pointers (15) and fastbreak points (25) in beating the Wolfpack for the fourth straight time at the Smith Center and 51st time in the last 63 games.
• Caleb Love (21 points, five assists), Armando Bacot (18 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks), Brady Manek (17 points, five threes) and RJ Davis (17 points, four assists) led the Tar Heels over the Pack. Carolina was 15 for 27 from three for the game and shot 62.5% from the floor in the opening half when it built a 56-31 lead.
• Carolina's last seven games have been decided by 10 or more points, the first time that has occurred since a 10-game stretch of double-digit outcomes to start the 2017-18 season.
• Since a five-point loss at Notre Dame, Carolina has defeated Virginia by 16 and Georgia Tech by 23, lost to Miami by 28 and Wake Forest by 22, and beat Virginia Tech by 10, Boston College by 11 and NC State by 20.
• Carolina's wins over Virginia Tech (1/24), Boston College (1/26) and NC State (1/29) mark the first time UNC followed consecutive losses by 10 or points with at least three straight wins by double figures since the 2000-01 season. In that season, the Tar Heels lost to Michigan State by 13 and Kentucky by 17 then defeated Miami by 22, Texas A&M by 22, Buffalo by 21, UCLA by 10 and UMass by 31.Â
• UNC is 12-0 at the Smith Center this season and 22-1 over the last two seasons.Â
• UNC is 3-6 away from the Smith Center this season, 3-3 in true road games and 0-3 on neutral courts.
• The Tar Heels have road wins this season at the College of Charleston, Georgia Tech and Boston College and losses at Notre Dame, Miami and Wake Forest. Five of the six games have been decided by 11 or more points (three by 20 or more).
• Despite an 11-point win at Charleston, a 17-point victory in Atlanta and a 26-point win at BC the Tar Heels have been outscored by one point (471-470) in their six road games.
• Armando Bacot leads UNC in scoring (17.5) and rebounding (12.8) in the six road games.
• The Tar Heels are out-shooting their hosts from the floor (45.5% to 43.0%) and out-rebounding them (43.0 to 32.7) on the road, but the home teams have a higher three-point percentage than UNC (38.4% for the home teams, 34.3% for the Tar Heels).
• RJ Davis, Caleb Love and Kerwin Walton are making 42.6% of their threes on the road, but the rest of the team is shooting 26.4% from beyond the arc.Â
• The big statistical difference on the road is assist-turnovers. Carolina has 89 assists and 79 turnovers in the six games, while the home teams have 75 assists and only 49 turnovers. That's 30 fewer turnovers (5.0 per game) by the home teams.
• At home, UNC has 1.4 assists per turnover; on the road, the ratio is 1.1.
• Carolina has scored 61 points off those turnovers and the opponents have scored 103. That's a margin of 7.0 points per game for the home teams and includes a 19-15 advantage by Notre Dame, 30-5 for Miami and 21-7 for Wake Forest. Carolina outscored Georgia Tech, 13-4, in the Tar Heels' win in Atlanta.Â
• In Carolina's 15 wins this season, UNC is scoring 12.7 points off turnovers, while the opponents are scoring 12.9 per game, a margin of just 0.2 points per game.
BACOT ADDS TO NCAA RECORD
• Junior forward/center Armando Bacot (Richmond, Va.) scored 18 points against NC State to become the 79th player to score 1,000 points as a Tar Heel. UNC has more 1,000-point scorers than any other school in NCAA history (Louisville is second with 69).Â
• Bacot became the first Tar Heel to score 1,000 points in three seasons since Joel Berry II and Justin Jackson, who both hit the 1,000-point mark as juniors in 2017.
DEFENSE, MISCELLANEOUSÂ
• Carolina is 73rd in the country in KenPom's defensive efficiency, the fourth highest in the ACC. UNC is allowing 97.3 points per 100 possessions. Duke (23rd), Wake Forest (52nd) and Florida State (71st) are the only ACC schools rated higher in defensive efficiency this season.
• Even with NC State scoring 80 points (33 of which came in the final 10 minutes after UNC built a 33-point lead) the Tar Heels are allowing only 62.5 points per game at the Smith Center this season. Carolina has outscored the opposition by an average of 16.1 points per game in 12 games at home.
• Carolina has held five opponents to fewer than 60 points at home, including a season-low 47 byÂ
Boston College.
• The 62.5 points are on pace to match the fewest scored by the opponents at home in the shot clock era.
Fewest Opponent Scoring Average in theÂ
Smith Center (points per game)Â
2021-22 62.5
1996-97 62.5
1998-99 62.7
2006-07 63.8
2011-12 64.1
• Prior to NC State scoring 80 in Carolina's 100-80 victory the Tar Heels had held the opponents under 70 points in 11 consecutive wins for the first time since 2006-07, when it did that in 15 straight wins.
• Carolina has won five times this season when it allowed fewer than 60 points (53 by UNC Asheville, 51 by Michigan, 50 by App State, 58 by Virginia and 47 by Boston College).
• The Tar Heels shot 62.5% from the floor in building a 56-31 halftime lead over NC State. That was the first time in 10 halves UNC shot at least 50% from the floor (since shooting 50.0% in the first half vs. Georgia Tech on January 15).Â
• Carolina finished the NC State game making 54.8% from the floor, the seventh time this season the Tar Heels made at least half their shots from the floor. Carolina is 7-0 this season when shooting 50% (under Roy Williams UNC was 220-9 when shooting 50% from the floor).
• Carolina came into the NC State game shooting 33.3% from the floor over its previous four games, its lowest percentage over a four-game stretch since 1955-56.Â
• The Tar Heels are 25th nationally in KenPom's offensive efficiency, scoring 113.1 points per 100 possessions. That is second in the ACC behind Duke (12th).
• Carolina improved 17 spots to 19th in the country in three-point percentage (.381) following a 15 for 27 (.556) three-point performance against NC State. UNC leads the ACC and is 40th in the country free throws (.758) and 179th in two-point percentage (.495).
• Most of the attention went to Carolina making 15 three-pointers against NC State, but the Tar Heels also scored a season-high 25 fastbreak points against the Wolfpack. The 25 points were six more than any previous game this season (19 vs. Elon) and were five more than UNC had scored in transition in its five previous games combined. UNC is 6-2 when it has scored 10 or more fastbreak points this season.
• Five Tar Heels played 34 or more minutes against Virginia Tech and Boston College. Prior to the January 24 win over the Hokies UNC had not played a regulation-length game in which five players played at least 34 minutes since a 60-45 win for the top-ranked Tar Heels at Virginia on 2/11/1998. Vince Carter played 39 and Ed Cota, Antawn Jamison, Makhtar Ndiaye and Ademola Okulaja each played 38.
UNC-LOUISVILLE ALL-TIME
• The Tar Heels lead the series, 16-7, including 7-4 since the Cardinals entered the ACC.
• UNC is 2-5 against the Cardinals in Louisville, including 2-3 at the KFC Yum! Center.
• Carolina is 2-1 in Louisville against the University of Kentucky and is 0-4 in Louisville in NCAA Tournament action.
• The Tar Heels won back-to-back games at the Yum! Center in 2018 and 2019, but lost, 72-55, in their most recent visit on 2/22/2020.
• Carolina won the only matchup last season, 99-54, in the Smith Center on 2/20/2021. The 45-point win was UNC's largest ever against UL and equaled the fourth-largest by UNC in an ACC game.
• The Tar Heels shot a season-high 60.9% from the floor, delivered a season-high 29 assists and got a school-record 73 points from freshmen. Day'Ron Sharpe led UNC with 21 points and 11 boards and Kerwin Walton made five threes and scored a season-best 19 points.
BACOT AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
• Armando Bacot is second in the country in double-doubles with 16, third in rebounding at 12.1 per game and sixth in offensive rebounding (3.7).
• He leads the ACC in double-doubles, rebounding and offensive rebounds and is sixth in blocks and seventh in scoring.
• Bacot leads Carolina in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage (.574) and blocks. He also led UNC in those categories last season. No Tar Heel has ever led in those four categories in consecutive seasons.
• Bacot leads the ACC in rebounding by more than three per game. Bacot is averaging 12.1, while NC State's Dereon Seabron is second with 9.0. Louisville's Malik Williams is third at 8.7.
• Bacot has double-digit rebounds in 12 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in UNC history.
Consecutive Games/10 OR MORE REBOUNDS
41 Billy Cunningham, 1962-64Â
15 John Henson, 2010-11
12 Armando Bacot, 2021-22
11 Doug Moe, 1959-61Â
11 Doug Moe, 1960-61
• Bacot has 126 rebounds in the last eight games. The only Tar Heel in history with more over eight games is Cunningham, who holds the UNC record for eight straight games at 149 in 1963-64. Cunningham's nine-game high was 171 and Doug Moe had 137 over nine games.
• Bacot grabbed 22 rebounds against Virginia on January 8 and 20 against Virginia Tech on January 24. Those were just the fourth and fifth times in Smith Center history a player had 20 or more rebounds (Sean May did it three times).
• Bacot has the fifth-highest career offensive rebounding average by a Tar Heel since offensive rebounds were recorded beginning in 1986-87.
MOST OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS per game/CAREER (since 1986-87)
3.61 Antawn Jamison, 1995-98
3.47 Sean May, 2002-05
3.39 Tyler Hansbrough, 2005-09
3.34 Day'Ron Sharpe, 2020-21
3.13 Armando Bacot (257 in 82 games)
3.06 George Lynch, 1989-93
• Bacot is averaging 12.1 rebounds per game, on pace for the fifth-highest average by a Tar Heel and the highest since Cunningham averaged 14.3 in 1964-65.
• Only one player in the ACC has averaged that many rebounds in the last 24 seasons. Notre Dame's John Mooney led the league with 12.7 per game in 2019-20.
Highest Rebounding Average/season
16.1 Billy Cunningham, 1962-63
15.8 Billy Cunningham, 1963-64Â
14.3 Billy Cunningham, 1964-65
14.0 Doug Moe, 1960-61
12.1 Armando Bacot, 2021-22
BACOT DOUBLING DOWN
• Armando Bacot leads the ACC and is tied for second in the nation in double-doubles. Fardaws Aimaq of Utah Valley leads with 17 and Bacot is second with 16.
• Bacot is one of four players in the ACC, Big East Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC with 10 or more double-doubles this season.
• Bacot has double-doubles in 16 of UNC's 21 games, including a 10-game stretch from Furman on December 14 through Virginia Tech on January 22. That was the longest streak by a Tar Heel since Billy Cunningham in 1964-65. Bacot's 10-game streak equals the fourth-longest by a Tar Heel. Â
• Bacot has 34 double-doubles in 82 games over three seasons as a Tar Heel. His double-double rate (41.5%) is the 10th highest by a Tar Heel and the fourth highest in the last 50 years.
• Bacot's 34 career double-doubles place him 11th in UNC history.
Double-Doubles Games Pct.
Billy Cunningham, 1962-65 60 69 .870
Lennie Rosenbluth*, 1954-57 39 76 .513
Antawn Jamison, 1995-98 51 104 .490
Doug Moe, 1958-61 29 60 .483
Rusty Clark, 1966-69 43 91 .473
Larry Miller, 1965-68 42 91 .462
Robert McAdoo, 1971-72 14 31 .452
Pete Brennan*, 1955-58 35 81 .432
Sean May, 2002-05 33 77 .429
Armando Bacot, 2019-active 34 82 .415
Bobby Jones, 1971-74 35 92 .380
Mitch Kupchak, 1972-76 44 119 .370
* Rosenbluth and Brennan played numerous games where their rebound totals are unknown
Â
CALEB'S THREES
• Caleb Love has made 48 three-pointers through 21 games. Last year, Love finished his freshman season with 34 threes in 29 games. He was 34 for 128 last year. This year, Love has made 48 threes in 111 attempts.Â
• Love has improved his three-point percentage from 26.6% as a freshman to 43.2% this season. He is third in the ACC in three-point percentage.
• Love's 16.6% increase in three-point percentage is on pace for the largest one-year improvement by a Tar Heel. Dante Calabria improved his percentage by 14.9 points from 1993-94 to 1994-95.
FREE THROWS
• The Tar Heels lead the ACC in shooting 75.8% from the free throw line for the season, their best percentage since 1984-85, when they converted 76.1%. Last season, UNC shot 66.8%.
• Carolina has made 80% or better from the free throw line nine times this season, including a season-best 90.5% on 19 of 21 shooting at home vs. Georgia Tech. Armando Bacot made a career-best 9 for 9 in that win over the Yellow Jackets on January 15.
• Carolina is on pace to shoot the third-highest percentage in school history from the free throw line (.783 in 1983-84 and .761 in 1984-85).
• Sophomore guards Caleb Love (.833) and RJ Davis (.819) lead UNC at the stripe this season. Â
• The pair also have moved into the top 20 in UNC career free throw leaders. Love is 15th (.821) and Davis is 16th (.820).
• Bacot was 8 for 10 from the line in the 100-80 win over NC State.Â
SCORING
• Five Tar Heels have scored 20 or more points in a game this season. Armando Bacot has scored 20 or more seven times, Caleb Love has six 22-point games and scored 21 against NC State, and RJ Davis, Dawson Garcia and Brady Manek each have three 20-point games.
• Tar Heels have scored 20 or more points 23 times in 21 games, including five games in which two players scored 20 or more (Loyola, Brown, Charleston, Elon and home vs. Georgia Tech). Last season, UNC had only seven 20-point performances in 29 games. Freshman Day'Ron Sharpe became the first Tar Heel to score 20 or more when he had 25 against Notre Dame in the season's 10th game. UNC did not have any games last season when two players scored 20 or more points.
• This is the 11th Tar Heel team to have five players score 20 points at least twice: 1960, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1989, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2016, 2018 and 2022. Five of the other 10 teams to accomplish that played in Final Fours.
• Bacot has scored 20 or more points seven times this season. He did that five times in his first two seasons combined.
• Carolina is 9-0 over two seasons when Love scores 20 or more (7-0 this season) and 9-1 when he makes 50% of his field goal attempts (4-0 last season and 5-1 in 2021-22).
FROM THREE
• Carolina made a season-high 15 three-pointers against NC State and is averaging 8.24 per game, on pace to equal the fourth most in UNC history.
• Carolina is 19th in the country in three-point percentage at 38.1%.
• The Tar Heels have made 42.1% of their threes in their 15 wins compared to 29.7% in the six losses. The opponents have connected on 44.1% in their six wins over Carolina and just 28.7% in the Tar Heels' 15 wins. That included a 1 for 16 performance by Boston College on January 26.
UNC Three-Pointers Per Game, Last 10 Years
2021-22 8.24
2020-21 5.59
2019-20 5.48
2018-19 (UNC record) 8.67
2017-18 8.24
2016-17 7.08
2015-16 5.60
2014-15 4.84
2013-14 4.29
2012-13 7.56
UNC Three-Pointers Per Game, All-Time
2018-19 8.67
2002-03 8.29
1982-83 (experimental distance) 8.25
2017-18 8.24
2021-22 8.24
STILL EMPHASIZING THE BOARDS
• The Tar Heels lead the ACC and are eighth in the country in rebound margin at plus 9.0 per game. UNC also leads the league in rebounds per game (40.9).
• The Tar Heels are on pace to average 40 or more rebounds for the eighth consecutive season and 15th time in 17 seasons.Â
• Carolina has led the ACC in rebound margin in each of the previous six seasons and in 13 of 18 seasons under Roy Williams.
• UNC has won the battle of the boards 19 times in 21 games this season. The Tar Heels are 15-4 when out-rebounding their opponents and 0-2 when getting out-rebounded (Tennessee and Kentucky).
• Under Roy Williams the Tar Heels won 82.3% of the games they out-rebounded their opponents. The Tar Heels were victorious in only 46.8% of the games they were out-rebounded under Williams.
HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
• Carolina scored 100 points for the first time this season when it beat NC State, 100-80, on January 29.
• It was the 209th time the Tar Heels scored 100 or more points in a game. Carolina is 207-2 when scoring 100 points.
ESPN'S GAMEDAY RETURNING TO CHAPEL HILL
• Carolina returns to the Smith Center on Saturday, February 5, to host Duke at 6 p.m. (ESPN).
• ESPN's GameDay will once again be broadcast live from the Smith Center.
• This will be the ninth time GameDay will originate from Chapel Hill and the 22nd time the Tar Heels play in a game featured on GameDay.
• GameDay has broadcast from the site of the Carolina-Duke game 13 times, more than any other matchup in college basketball.
• Host Rece Davis and analysts Jay Bilas, LaPhonso Ellis and Seth Greenberg will be live from the for the show, which will begin at 11 a.m. Bilas will call the game that evening with Dan Shulman and Holly Rowe.
• Fans are welcome to attend GameDay. Admission is free. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m.Â
HUBERT
• Hubert Davis was named Carolina's 20th head coach, and first Black head coach, on April 5, 2021.
• Davis is the fourth Tar Heel head coach who also played at UNC, joining Reynolds Cuthbertson, Monk McDonald and Matt Doherty.
• Davis played for Dean Smith from 1988-92, was selected by the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA Draft and played a dozen seasons in the NBA. He was a college basketball analyst at ESPN for seven years and an assistant coach on Roy Williams' Tar Heel staff from 2012-21.
SHAVER JOINS ROSTER
• Will Shaver signed with UNC in November and has joined the team this semester, although he will not play this season.
• The Birmingham, Ala., native began practicing with the team in January.
• Shaver led Oak Mountain High School to back-to-back appearances in the state finals and the 2021 Class 7A title. He averaged 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds and was named second-team all-state.
TAR HEEL STAFF
• Head coach Hubert Davis is a Tar Heel alum, and so are each of his assistant coaches and members of the basketball staff.
• Assistant coaches Brad Frederick (1996-99), Jeff Lebo (1985-89) and Sean May (2002-05), Director of Recruiting Pat Sullivan (1990-93, 1994-95) and Director of Team and Player Development Jackie Manuel (2001-05) all played for the Tar Heels. Director of Operations Eric Hoots has been on staff for 18 seasons.
• Frederick played on Final Four teams that won ACC championships in 1997 and 1998.
• Lebo is a 20-year head coaching veteran who set 10 UNC records in his playing career.
• May was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2005 NCAA Final Four, scoring 26 points in the national championship game vs. Illinois.
• Manuel was twice named Carolina's defensive player of the year and was a starter on the 2005 NCAA champions.
• Sullivan was a key contributor on the 1993 national champions and is one of seven Tar Heels who have played in three Final Fours.
• Davis, Lebo, May and Frederick combined to score 4,441 points as Tar Heels. Syracuse is the only school whose coaches scored more points at their alma mater than UNC (Gerry McNamara, Adrian Autry, Allen Griffin and Jim Boeheim scored 5,189 for the Orange).
PRO HEELS
NBA
Cole Anthony, Orlando
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento
Tony Bradley, Chicago
Reggie Bullock, Dallas
Ed Davis, Cleveland
Wayne Ellington, Los Angeles Lakers
Danny Green, Philadelphia
Justin Jackson, Phoenix
Cameron Johnson, Phoenix
Nassir Little, Portland
Theo Pinson, Dallas
Day'Ron Sharpe, New Jersey
Coby White, Chicago
International source: TarHeelInternational.com
Nate Britt, Yoast United, The Netherlands
Isaiah Hicks, Seoul Samsung Thunders, South Korea
Desmond Hubert, Al Arabi, Kuwait
Brice Johnson, Toyama Grouses, Japan
Christian Keeling, BC Rustavi, Georgia
Justin Knox, Neo-Phoenix, Japan
Ty Lawson, US Monastir, Tunisia
Sterling Manley, Sichuan Blue Whales, China
Luke Maye, BAXI Manresa, Spain
James Michael McAdoo, Hitachi Sun Rockers, Japan
Kennedy Meeks, Cholet Basket, France
Marcus Paige, Orleans Loiret, France
Justin Pierce, VfL Kircheim Knights, Germany
Reyshawn Terry, Plateros de Fresnillo, Mexico
Deon Thompson, Leones des Ponce, Puerto Rico
J.P. Tokoto, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel
Jawad Williams, Yamagata Wyverns, Japan
Kenny Williams, Kolossos Rhodes, Greece
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• The calendar turns to February as Carolina takes its three-game winning streak to Louisville to play the Cardinals on Tuesday, February 1, at 8 p.m. (ACC Network).
• The game was originally scheduled for January 31 but was moved back a day due to other re-scheduled ACC games following previous Covid-related postponements.
• The Tar Heels are 15-6 overall, 7-3 in the ACC. Louisville is 11-10, 5-6 in league play. The Cardinals, playing under interim head coach Mike Pegues, are coming off a 74-65 home loss to Duke, a game that was tied at 60 with just over eight minutes to play.
• UNC finished a sweep of a three-game homestand on Saturday with a 100-80 win over NC State. The Tar Heels made 10 first-half threes to build a 25-point lead at the half and finished with season highs in points (100), field goals (34), three-pointers (15) and fastbreak points (25) in beating the Wolfpack for the fourth straight time at the Smith Center and 51st time in the last 63 games.
• Caleb Love (21 points, five assists), Armando Bacot (18 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks), Brady Manek (17 points, five threes) and RJ Davis (17 points, four assists) led the Tar Heels over the Pack. Carolina was 15 for 27 from three for the game and shot 62.5% from the floor in the opening half when it built a 56-31 lead.
• Carolina's last seven games have been decided by 10 or more points, the first time that has occurred since a 10-game stretch of double-digit outcomes to start the 2017-18 season.
• Since a five-point loss at Notre Dame, Carolina has defeated Virginia by 16 and Georgia Tech by 23, lost to Miami by 28 and Wake Forest by 22, and beat Virginia Tech by 10, Boston College by 11 and NC State by 20.
• Carolina's wins over Virginia Tech (1/24), Boston College (1/26) and NC State (1/29) mark the first time UNC followed consecutive losses by 10 or points with at least three straight wins by double figures since the 2000-01 season. In that season, the Tar Heels lost to Michigan State by 13 and Kentucky by 17 then defeated Miami by 22, Texas A&M by 22, Buffalo by 21, UCLA by 10 and UMass by 31.Â
• UNC is 12-0 at the Smith Center this season and 22-1 over the last two seasons.Â
• UNC is 3-6 away from the Smith Center this season, 3-3 in true road games and 0-3 on neutral courts.
• The Tar Heels have road wins this season at the College of Charleston, Georgia Tech and Boston College and losses at Notre Dame, Miami and Wake Forest. Five of the six games have been decided by 11 or more points (three by 20 or more).
• Despite an 11-point win at Charleston, a 17-point victory in Atlanta and a 26-point win at BC the Tar Heels have been outscored by one point (471-470) in their six road games.
• Armando Bacot leads UNC in scoring (17.5) and rebounding (12.8) in the six road games.
• The Tar Heels are out-shooting their hosts from the floor (45.5% to 43.0%) and out-rebounding them (43.0 to 32.7) on the road, but the home teams have a higher three-point percentage than UNC (38.4% for the home teams, 34.3% for the Tar Heels).
• RJ Davis, Caleb Love and Kerwin Walton are making 42.6% of their threes on the road, but the rest of the team is shooting 26.4% from beyond the arc.Â
• The big statistical difference on the road is assist-turnovers. Carolina has 89 assists and 79 turnovers in the six games, while the home teams have 75 assists and only 49 turnovers. That's 30 fewer turnovers (5.0 per game) by the home teams.
• At home, UNC has 1.4 assists per turnover; on the road, the ratio is 1.1.
• Carolina has scored 61 points off those turnovers and the opponents have scored 103. That's a margin of 7.0 points per game for the home teams and includes a 19-15 advantage by Notre Dame, 30-5 for Miami and 21-7 for Wake Forest. Carolina outscored Georgia Tech, 13-4, in the Tar Heels' win in Atlanta.Â
• In Carolina's 15 wins this season, UNC is scoring 12.7 points off turnovers, while the opponents are scoring 12.9 per game, a margin of just 0.2 points per game.
BACOT ADDS TO NCAA RECORD
• Junior forward/center Armando Bacot (Richmond, Va.) scored 18 points against NC State to become the 79th player to score 1,000 points as a Tar Heel. UNC has more 1,000-point scorers than any other school in NCAA history (Louisville is second with 69).Â
• Bacot became the first Tar Heel to score 1,000 points in three seasons since Joel Berry II and Justin Jackson, who both hit the 1,000-point mark as juniors in 2017.
DEFENSE, MISCELLANEOUSÂ
• Carolina is 73rd in the country in KenPom's defensive efficiency, the fourth highest in the ACC. UNC is allowing 97.3 points per 100 possessions. Duke (23rd), Wake Forest (52nd) and Florida State (71st) are the only ACC schools rated higher in defensive efficiency this season.
• Even with NC State scoring 80 points (33 of which came in the final 10 minutes after UNC built a 33-point lead) the Tar Heels are allowing only 62.5 points per game at the Smith Center this season. Carolina has outscored the opposition by an average of 16.1 points per game in 12 games at home.
• Carolina has held five opponents to fewer than 60 points at home, including a season-low 47 byÂ
Boston College.
• The 62.5 points are on pace to match the fewest scored by the opponents at home in the shot clock era.
Fewest Opponent Scoring Average in theÂ
Smith Center (points per game)Â
2021-22 62.5
1996-97 62.5
1998-99 62.7
2006-07 63.8
2011-12 64.1
• Prior to NC State scoring 80 in Carolina's 100-80 victory the Tar Heels had held the opponents under 70 points in 11 consecutive wins for the first time since 2006-07, when it did that in 15 straight wins.
• Carolina has won five times this season when it allowed fewer than 60 points (53 by UNC Asheville, 51 by Michigan, 50 by App State, 58 by Virginia and 47 by Boston College).
• The Tar Heels shot 62.5% from the floor in building a 56-31 halftime lead over NC State. That was the first time in 10 halves UNC shot at least 50% from the floor (since shooting 50.0% in the first half vs. Georgia Tech on January 15).Â
• Carolina finished the NC State game making 54.8% from the floor, the seventh time this season the Tar Heels made at least half their shots from the floor. Carolina is 7-0 this season when shooting 50% (under Roy Williams UNC was 220-9 when shooting 50% from the floor).
• Carolina came into the NC State game shooting 33.3% from the floor over its previous four games, its lowest percentage over a four-game stretch since 1955-56.Â
• The Tar Heels are 25th nationally in KenPom's offensive efficiency, scoring 113.1 points per 100 possessions. That is second in the ACC behind Duke (12th).
• Carolina improved 17 spots to 19th in the country in three-point percentage (.381) following a 15 for 27 (.556) three-point performance against NC State. UNC leads the ACC and is 40th in the country free throws (.758) and 179th in two-point percentage (.495).
• Most of the attention went to Carolina making 15 three-pointers against NC State, but the Tar Heels also scored a season-high 25 fastbreak points against the Wolfpack. The 25 points were six more than any previous game this season (19 vs. Elon) and were five more than UNC had scored in transition in its five previous games combined. UNC is 6-2 when it has scored 10 or more fastbreak points this season.
• Five Tar Heels played 34 or more minutes against Virginia Tech and Boston College. Prior to the January 24 win over the Hokies UNC had not played a regulation-length game in which five players played at least 34 minutes since a 60-45 win for the top-ranked Tar Heels at Virginia on 2/11/1998. Vince Carter played 39 and Ed Cota, Antawn Jamison, Makhtar Ndiaye and Ademola Okulaja each played 38.
UNC-LOUISVILLE ALL-TIME
• The Tar Heels lead the series, 16-7, including 7-4 since the Cardinals entered the ACC.
• UNC is 2-5 against the Cardinals in Louisville, including 2-3 at the KFC Yum! Center.
• Carolina is 2-1 in Louisville against the University of Kentucky and is 0-4 in Louisville in NCAA Tournament action.
• The Tar Heels won back-to-back games at the Yum! Center in 2018 and 2019, but lost, 72-55, in their most recent visit on 2/22/2020.
• Carolina won the only matchup last season, 99-54, in the Smith Center on 2/20/2021. The 45-point win was UNC's largest ever against UL and equaled the fourth-largest by UNC in an ACC game.
• The Tar Heels shot a season-high 60.9% from the floor, delivered a season-high 29 assists and got a school-record 73 points from freshmen. Day'Ron Sharpe led UNC with 21 points and 11 boards and Kerwin Walton made five threes and scored a season-best 19 points.
BACOT AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
• Armando Bacot is second in the country in double-doubles with 16, third in rebounding at 12.1 per game and sixth in offensive rebounding (3.7).
• He leads the ACC in double-doubles, rebounding and offensive rebounds and is sixth in blocks and seventh in scoring.
• Bacot leads Carolina in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage (.574) and blocks. He also led UNC in those categories last season. No Tar Heel has ever led in those four categories in consecutive seasons.
• Bacot leads the ACC in rebounding by more than three per game. Bacot is averaging 12.1, while NC State's Dereon Seabron is second with 9.0. Louisville's Malik Williams is third at 8.7.
• Bacot has double-digit rebounds in 12 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in UNC history.
Consecutive Games/10 OR MORE REBOUNDS
41 Billy Cunningham, 1962-64Â
15 John Henson, 2010-11
12 Armando Bacot, 2021-22
11 Doug Moe, 1959-61Â
11 Doug Moe, 1960-61
• Bacot has 126 rebounds in the last eight games. The only Tar Heel in history with more over eight games is Cunningham, who holds the UNC record for eight straight games at 149 in 1963-64. Cunningham's nine-game high was 171 and Doug Moe had 137 over nine games.
• Bacot grabbed 22 rebounds against Virginia on January 8 and 20 against Virginia Tech on January 24. Those were just the fourth and fifth times in Smith Center history a player had 20 or more rebounds (Sean May did it three times).
• Bacot has the fifth-highest career offensive rebounding average by a Tar Heel since offensive rebounds were recorded beginning in 1986-87.
MOST OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS per game/CAREER (since 1986-87)
3.61 Antawn Jamison, 1995-98
3.47 Sean May, 2002-05
3.39 Tyler Hansbrough, 2005-09
3.34 Day'Ron Sharpe, 2020-21
3.13 Armando Bacot (257 in 82 games)
3.06 George Lynch, 1989-93
• Bacot is averaging 12.1 rebounds per game, on pace for the fifth-highest average by a Tar Heel and the highest since Cunningham averaged 14.3 in 1964-65.
• Only one player in the ACC has averaged that many rebounds in the last 24 seasons. Notre Dame's John Mooney led the league with 12.7 per game in 2019-20.
Highest Rebounding Average/season
16.1 Billy Cunningham, 1962-63
15.8 Billy Cunningham, 1963-64Â
14.3 Billy Cunningham, 1964-65
14.0 Doug Moe, 1960-61
12.1 Armando Bacot, 2021-22
BACOT DOUBLING DOWN
• Armando Bacot leads the ACC and is tied for second in the nation in double-doubles. Fardaws Aimaq of Utah Valley leads with 17 and Bacot is second with 16.
• Bacot is one of four players in the ACC, Big East Big Ten, Big 12, Pac 12 and SEC with 10 or more double-doubles this season.
• Bacot has double-doubles in 16 of UNC's 21 games, including a 10-game stretch from Furman on December 14 through Virginia Tech on January 22. That was the longest streak by a Tar Heel since Billy Cunningham in 1964-65. Bacot's 10-game streak equals the fourth-longest by a Tar Heel. Â
• Bacot has 34 double-doubles in 82 games over three seasons as a Tar Heel. His double-double rate (41.5%) is the 10th highest by a Tar Heel and the fourth highest in the last 50 years.
• Bacot's 34 career double-doubles place him 11th in UNC history.
Double-Doubles Games Pct.
Billy Cunningham, 1962-65 60 69 .870
Lennie Rosenbluth*, 1954-57 39 76 .513
Antawn Jamison, 1995-98 51 104 .490
Doug Moe, 1958-61 29 60 .483
Rusty Clark, 1966-69 43 91 .473
Larry Miller, 1965-68 42 91 .462
Robert McAdoo, 1971-72 14 31 .452
Pete Brennan*, 1955-58 35 81 .432
Sean May, 2002-05 33 77 .429
Armando Bacot, 2019-active 34 82 .415
Bobby Jones, 1971-74 35 92 .380
Mitch Kupchak, 1972-76 44 119 .370
* Rosenbluth and Brennan played numerous games where their rebound totals are unknown
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CALEB'S THREES
• Caleb Love has made 48 three-pointers through 21 games. Last year, Love finished his freshman season with 34 threes in 29 games. He was 34 for 128 last year. This year, Love has made 48 threes in 111 attempts.Â
• Love has improved his three-point percentage from 26.6% as a freshman to 43.2% this season. He is third in the ACC in three-point percentage.
• Love's 16.6% increase in three-point percentage is on pace for the largest one-year improvement by a Tar Heel. Dante Calabria improved his percentage by 14.9 points from 1993-94 to 1994-95.
FREE THROWS
• The Tar Heels lead the ACC in shooting 75.8% from the free throw line for the season, their best percentage since 1984-85, when they converted 76.1%. Last season, UNC shot 66.8%.
• Carolina has made 80% or better from the free throw line nine times this season, including a season-best 90.5% on 19 of 21 shooting at home vs. Georgia Tech. Armando Bacot made a career-best 9 for 9 in that win over the Yellow Jackets on January 15.
• Carolina is on pace to shoot the third-highest percentage in school history from the free throw line (.783 in 1983-84 and .761 in 1984-85).
• Sophomore guards Caleb Love (.833) and RJ Davis (.819) lead UNC at the stripe this season. Â
• The pair also have moved into the top 20 in UNC career free throw leaders. Love is 15th (.821) and Davis is 16th (.820).
• Bacot was 8 for 10 from the line in the 100-80 win over NC State.Â
SCORING
• Five Tar Heels have scored 20 or more points in a game this season. Armando Bacot has scored 20 or more seven times, Caleb Love has six 22-point games and scored 21 against NC State, and RJ Davis, Dawson Garcia and Brady Manek each have three 20-point games.
• Tar Heels have scored 20 or more points 23 times in 21 games, including five games in which two players scored 20 or more (Loyola, Brown, Charleston, Elon and home vs. Georgia Tech). Last season, UNC had only seven 20-point performances in 29 games. Freshman Day'Ron Sharpe became the first Tar Heel to score 20 or more when he had 25 against Notre Dame in the season's 10th game. UNC did not have any games last season when two players scored 20 or more points.
• This is the 11th Tar Heel team to have five players score 20 points at least twice: 1960, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1989, 2000, 2005, 2009, 2016, 2018 and 2022. Five of the other 10 teams to accomplish that played in Final Fours.
• Bacot has scored 20 or more points seven times this season. He did that five times in his first two seasons combined.
• Carolina is 9-0 over two seasons when Love scores 20 or more (7-0 this season) and 9-1 when he makes 50% of his field goal attempts (4-0 last season and 5-1 in 2021-22).
FROM THREE
• Carolina made a season-high 15 three-pointers against NC State and is averaging 8.24 per game, on pace to equal the fourth most in UNC history.
• Carolina is 19th in the country in three-point percentage at 38.1%.
• The Tar Heels have made 42.1% of their threes in their 15 wins compared to 29.7% in the six losses. The opponents have connected on 44.1% in their six wins over Carolina and just 28.7% in the Tar Heels' 15 wins. That included a 1 for 16 performance by Boston College on January 26.
UNC Three-Pointers Per Game, Last 10 Years
2021-22 8.24
2020-21 5.59
2019-20 5.48
2018-19 (UNC record) 8.67
2017-18 8.24
2016-17 7.08
2015-16 5.60
2014-15 4.84
2013-14 4.29
2012-13 7.56
UNC Three-Pointers Per Game, All-Time
2018-19 8.67
2002-03 8.29
1982-83 (experimental distance) 8.25
2017-18 8.24
2021-22 8.24
STILL EMPHASIZING THE BOARDS
• The Tar Heels lead the ACC and are eighth in the country in rebound margin at plus 9.0 per game. UNC also leads the league in rebounds per game (40.9).
• The Tar Heels are on pace to average 40 or more rebounds for the eighth consecutive season and 15th time in 17 seasons.Â
• Carolina has led the ACC in rebound margin in each of the previous six seasons and in 13 of 18 seasons under Roy Williams.
• UNC has won the battle of the boards 19 times in 21 games this season. The Tar Heels are 15-4 when out-rebounding their opponents and 0-2 when getting out-rebounded (Tennessee and Kentucky).
• Under Roy Williams the Tar Heels won 82.3% of the games they out-rebounded their opponents. The Tar Heels were victorious in only 46.8% of the games they were out-rebounded under Williams.
HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
• Carolina scored 100 points for the first time this season when it beat NC State, 100-80, on January 29.
• It was the 209th time the Tar Heels scored 100 or more points in a game. Carolina is 207-2 when scoring 100 points.
ESPN'S GAMEDAY RETURNING TO CHAPEL HILL
• Carolina returns to the Smith Center on Saturday, February 5, to host Duke at 6 p.m. (ESPN).
• ESPN's GameDay will once again be broadcast live from the Smith Center.
• This will be the ninth time GameDay will originate from Chapel Hill and the 22nd time the Tar Heels play in a game featured on GameDay.
• GameDay has broadcast from the site of the Carolina-Duke game 13 times, more than any other matchup in college basketball.
• Host Rece Davis and analysts Jay Bilas, LaPhonso Ellis and Seth Greenberg will be live from the for the show, which will begin at 11 a.m. Bilas will call the game that evening with Dan Shulman and Holly Rowe.
• Fans are welcome to attend GameDay. Admission is free. Doors will open at 9:30 a.m.Â
HUBERT
• Hubert Davis was named Carolina's 20th head coach, and first Black head coach, on April 5, 2021.
• Davis is the fourth Tar Heel head coach who also played at UNC, joining Reynolds Cuthbertson, Monk McDonald and Matt Doherty.
• Davis played for Dean Smith from 1988-92, was selected by the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA Draft and played a dozen seasons in the NBA. He was a college basketball analyst at ESPN for seven years and an assistant coach on Roy Williams' Tar Heel staff from 2012-21.
SHAVER JOINS ROSTER
• Will Shaver signed with UNC in November and has joined the team this semester, although he will not play this season.
• The Birmingham, Ala., native began practicing with the team in January.
• Shaver led Oak Mountain High School to back-to-back appearances in the state finals and the 2021 Class 7A title. He averaged 14.3 points and 7.7 rebounds and was named second-team all-state.
TAR HEEL STAFF
• Head coach Hubert Davis is a Tar Heel alum, and so are each of his assistant coaches and members of the basketball staff.
• Assistant coaches Brad Frederick (1996-99), Jeff Lebo (1985-89) and Sean May (2002-05), Director of Recruiting Pat Sullivan (1990-93, 1994-95) and Director of Team and Player Development Jackie Manuel (2001-05) all played for the Tar Heels. Director of Operations Eric Hoots has been on staff for 18 seasons.
• Frederick played on Final Four teams that won ACC championships in 1997 and 1998.
• Lebo is a 20-year head coaching veteran who set 10 UNC records in his playing career.
• May was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2005 NCAA Final Four, scoring 26 points in the national championship game vs. Illinois.
• Manuel was twice named Carolina's defensive player of the year and was a starter on the 2005 NCAA champions.
• Sullivan was a key contributor on the 1993 national champions and is one of seven Tar Heels who have played in three Final Fours.
• Davis, Lebo, May and Frederick combined to score 4,441 points as Tar Heels. Syracuse is the only school whose coaches scored more points at their alma mater than UNC (Gerry McNamara, Adrian Autry, Allen Griffin and Jim Boeheim scored 5,189 for the Orange).
PRO HEELS
NBA
Cole Anthony, Orlando
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento
Tony Bradley, Chicago
Reggie Bullock, Dallas
Ed Davis, Cleveland
Wayne Ellington, Los Angeles Lakers
Danny Green, Philadelphia
Justin Jackson, Phoenix
Cameron Johnson, Phoenix
Nassir Little, Portland
Theo Pinson, Dallas
Day'Ron Sharpe, New Jersey
Coby White, Chicago
International source: TarHeelInternational.com
Nate Britt, Yoast United, The Netherlands
Isaiah Hicks, Seoul Samsung Thunders, South Korea
Desmond Hubert, Al Arabi, Kuwait
Brice Johnson, Toyama Grouses, Japan
Christian Keeling, BC Rustavi, Georgia
Justin Knox, Neo-Phoenix, Japan
Ty Lawson, US Monastir, Tunisia
Sterling Manley, Sichuan Blue Whales, China
Luke Maye, BAXI Manresa, Spain
James Michael McAdoo, Hitachi Sun Rockers, Japan
Kennedy Meeks, Cholet Basket, France
Marcus Paige, Orleans Loiret, France
Justin Pierce, VfL Kircheim Knights, Germany
Reyshawn Terry, Plateros de Fresnillo, Mexico
Deon Thompson, Leones des Ponce, Puerto Rico
J.P. Tokoto, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel
Jawad Williams, Yamagata Wyverns, Japan
Kenny Williams, Kolossos Rhodes, Greece
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Players Mentioned
UNC Women's Soccer: Big First Half Helps Heels Over Syracuse, 4-2
Sunday, October 26
FB: Players Post-Virginia
Saturday, October 25
FB: Belichick press conference post Virginia
Saturday, October 25
UNC Men's Basketball: Tar Heels Edged by #8 BYU in Exhibition, 78-76
Saturday, October 25




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