MBB Heads To NC State Wednesday

• Seventh-ranked Carolina concludes its three-game road trip to begin 2024 and plays away from home for the sixth time in seven games when the Tar Heels travel to Raleigh to face NC State on Wednesday, Jan. 10, at PNC Arena.
• Both UNC and NC State are 11-3 overall and 3-0 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
• This is the first time in 50 years and third time ever the Tar Heels and Wolfpack are playing an ACC game when both teams are 3-0 or better in league play.
• On 1/22/1974, 3-0 NC State defeated 4-0 UNC, 83-80, in Chapel Hill. On 1/14/1959, 4-0 Carolina beat 5-0 NC State, 72-68, in overtime in Raleigh.
• UNC is 3-0 to begin ACC play for the first time under head coach Hubert Davis. UNC last started 3-0 in the ACC in 2015-16 (won its first eight ACC games that season).
• The Tar Heels have won four straight games beginning with an 81-69 win over Oklahoma prior to Christmas, a 45-point home win on December 29 over Charleston Southern and consecutive road wins over Pitt and Clemson.
• Armando Bacot and RJ Davis both scored 14 points, Bacot added 16 rebounds and the Tar Heel defense held Clemson to a season-low 55 points in handing the Tigers their first home loss of the season on January 6.
• UNC has won its last two games on the road despite season-low point totals in each game, beating Pitt, 70-57, and Clemson, 65-55.
• The Tar Heels allowed fewer than 60 points in consecutive road wins for the first time since 2014-15.
• Carolina is ranked No. 7 in this week's Associated Press poll, the third straight week and fifth time in the last six polls the Tar Heels are ranked in the top 10. It's the latest in a season the Tar Heels are ranked in the top 10 since the final four weeks of the season in 2018-19.
• The Tar Heels are No. 8 in Ken Pom and No. 10 in the NET. The Tar Heels have four Quad 1 wins and are one of five teams in the country with four or more (only Purdue and Arizona have more).
• The Tar Heels are 4-2 against AP-ranked opponents this season with wins over No. 20 Arkansas, No. 10 Tennessee, No. 7 Oklahoma and No. 16 Clemson (rankings when UNC played those teams).
• KenPom ranks Carolina's schedule the sixth most difficult in the country. The next highest-rated ACC strength of schedules are Clemson (17th) and Syracuse (26th), who the Tar Heels play Saturday in the Smith Center.
• Only Purdue and Arizona have played harder schedules among power conference teams.
• The Tar Heels are No. 11 in the country in offensive efficiency and No. 16 in defensive efficiency. They are one of five teams in the top 16 in both offense and defense with Arizona, Auburn, Houston and Purdue.

GAME 15 NOTEBOOK
UNC-NC STATE
• Carolina is 164-80 all-time against NC State.
• The 164 wins are tied for the most wins by UNC against an opponent with Wake Forest.
• Last season, each team won on its home court with UNC winning, 80-69, in Chapel Hill, and losing, 77-69, in Raleigh. The Wolfpack's win ended a four-game win series win streak by the Tar Heels.
• Carolina is 36-6 in the last 42 games and 53-13 over the last 31 seasons.
• The Tar Heels are 68-48 on the road vs. NC State, including 18-6 at PNC Arena.
• UNC's winning percentage vs. NC State at PNC Arena is the Tar Heels' highest (.750) vs. any ACC team in its home arena.
• Carolina is 22-6 in all games in PNC Arena (2-0 in NCAA Tournament play in both 2008 and 2016).
• The NC State game is the third of UNC's six ACC road games in January. It is the first time UNC has played six road games in a month since it played seven in January 1952, the Tar Heels' final season as a member of the Southern Conference.
• Bacot has averaged 16.5 points and 11.4 rebounds in eight previous games against NC State. Over the past four games he averaged 21.3 points and 15.8 rebounds. That included 18 points and 13 rebounds on 1/29/22, 28 and 18 in Raleigh on 2/26/22, 23 and 18 on 1/21/23 and 16 and 14 in Raleigh on 2/19/23.
• Bacot has two 18-rebound games, which ties the record set by Billy Cunningham for most rebounds by a Tar Heel vs. the Wolfpack.
• RJ Davis has scored in double figures in four of his previous six games against NC State. He scored 11 and 10 points as a freshman in 2020-21, 17 in a home win as a sophomore and a game-high 26 in the Smith Center last season.
• Cormac Ryan played four games against the Wolfpack while at Notre Dame. He made 5 of 6 three-pointers and scored 19 points in an 85-82 NC State in Raleigh last January.

LAST SEASON UNC VS. NC STATE
• RJ Davis led UNC with 26 points and Armando Bacot scored 23 and tied his own UNC record vs. NC State with 18 rebounds in the victory in the Smith Center.
• The Tar Heels made 36 of 39 free throws (school-record 92.3% for 30 or more attempts).
• Davis was 14 for 14 from the line.
• In the rematch in Raleigh, Carolina led 54-48 with 10:00 to play but NC State went on a 21-6 run to pull away for the win.
• NC State grad transfers Jarkel Joiner and D.J. Burns combined to score 34 points in the second half and Joiner scored a game-high 29 points.
• The Wolfpack committed only two turnovers, which equaled the fewest by a Tar Heel opponent since 1978-79 season. NC State outscored the Tar Heels in points off turnovers, 16-3, and fastbreak points, 25-7.
• Caleb Love led UNC with 23 points and Bacot had 16 points and 14 rebounds.
• NC State shot 30% from the floor in the first half and 64.5% in the second half, while the Tar Heels made just 12 of 37 (.324) over the final 20 minutes.

MILESTONE WATCH
• Armando Bacot has scored 2,017 points, fifth most all-time by a Tar Heel ... needs 31 points to pass Lennie Rosenbluth (2,047) for fourth.
• Bacot has made 510 free throws...he is one of seven Tar Heels to make 500...needs three to pass Bobby Lewis (512) for fifth place.
• Bacot has blocked 187 shots ... needs four to pass Warren Martin (190) for fourth place.
• Bacot is sixth in games played by a Tar Heel with 146 ... Leaky Black holds the record (155) ... Brice Johnson is fifth (148).
• RJ Davis has made 201 three-pointers, eighth most all-time by a Tar Heel ... needs 10 to pass Jeff Lebo (211) for seventh.
• Davis has scored 1,592 points...needs 20 to pass Mitch Kupchak (1,611) for 28th place and 24 to pass Hubert Davis (1,615) for 27th.
• Davis needs eight points to become the 29th Tar Heel to score 1,600 or more points.
• Davis has 354 assists...needs 17 to pass John Kuester (370) for 22nd place in UNC history.
• Should Cormac Ryan be in the starting lineup against NC State it would be his 100th career start (17 at Stanford, 70 at Notre Dame and 13th as a Tar Heel).
• Harrison Ingram has made 98 career three-pointers...needs two for 100.
• Ingram grabbed his 500th career rebound in the win at Clemson.

POLLING
• Carolina is No. 7 in week 10 in the Associated Press poll.
• This is the 946th time the Tar Heels are ranked in the AP poll, the second most in college basketball history.
• This is the fifth time this season (all in the last six weeks) and 694th time (third most all-time) the AP has ranked the Tar Heels in the top 10.
• Carolina has already played the No. 4 (UConn), 5 (Tennessee), 6 (Kentucky), 9 (Oklahoma) and 21 (Clemson) teams in this week's AP poll.
• From November 24-December 20, 2023, UNC played five consecutive non-conference games against ranked opponents for the first time in UNC history. The Tar Heels played Arkansas (20th), Tennessee (10th), UConn (5th), Kentucky (14th) and Oklahoma (7th).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

Leaky Black

RJ Davis

Harrison Ingram

Caleb Love

Cormac Ryan

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University of North Carolina Athletics