Tar Heels Return Home To Host Alabama In ACC-SEC Challenge

• Carolina returns to the Dean E. Smith Center for the first time in nearly three weeks when the Tar Heels host Alabama in the ACC-SEC Challenge on Wednesday night at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN.
• The Tar Heels are 4-3 after splitting four games in Hawai'i between November 22-27, winning at Hawai'i in Honolulu and going 1-2 in the Maui Invitational.
• Alabama is 6-2 after an 83-81 loss to Oregon in Las Vegas on Saturday.
• Carolina is 8-6 all-time against the Crimson Tide, including 2-0 in Chapel Hill. That includes home wins in Woollen Gym on 12/14/1955 and the Smith Center on 12/15/1990.
• This is the third straight season the Tar Heels are playing Alabama. The Crimson Tide won 103-101 in four overtimes in Portland, Ore., on 11/27/2022, and 89-87 in the 2024 NCAA Sweet 16 (West Regional) in Los Angeles last March 28.
• Carolina lost to Auburn, 85-72, in Maui on November 26. This is the first time the Tar Heels have played Alabama and Auburn in the same season, let alone a span of eight days.
• Carolina fell eight spots to No. 20 in this week's Associated Press poll. Alabama is ranked 10th. This is the seventh time in the last nine UNC-Alabama games that both teams are ranked in the AP poll.
• Alabama is the third-top 10 opponent for the Tar Heels in their first eight games (also No. 1 Kansas and No. 4 Auburn). It is the first time since 1967-68 UNC has played at least three top-10 teams in its first eight games (played four in 1967-68 and three in 1955-56 and 1958-59).

ACC-SEC CHALLENGE
• Carolina defeated 10th-ranked Tennessee, 100-92, in Chapel Hill on 11/29/2023, in the inaugural ACC-SEC Challenge.
• The Tar Heels went 11-13 in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge, which was played from 1999-2023, and 2-1 in the ACC-Big East Challenge from 1989-91.
• In 29 seasons of ACC vs. Big East/Big 10/SEC Challenges, this is the 16th time the Tar Heels are playing a top-10 opponent. Carolina is 7-8 in its previous top-10 matchups (1-1 vs. Big East, 5-7 vs. Big 10 and 1-0 vs. SEC).
• UNC is 43-27 all-time against top-10 opponents in the Smith Center.
• Overall, Carolina is 479-87 in the Smith Center, including 230-18 against non-conference opponents.
• The Tar Heels have won 19 straight home games against non-ACC opponents.

RECAPPING FOUR GAMES IN HAWAI'I
• This was the 15th season the Tar Heels have played in Hawai'i, including the eighth time UNC has played in Maui in the Maui Invitational.
• The Tar Heels committed only five turnovers and out-scored the Rainbow Warriors, 19-1, in fastbreak points as UNC began the trip with an 87-69 win in Honolulu. RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble combined for 48 points and 12 assists to offset Hawai'i's 40-27 edge on the boards.
• Carolina began play in the 2024 Maui Invitational by overcoming a 21-point, second-half deficit in its win over Dayton. Davis (30) and Trimble (career-high 27) combined for 57 points, and Drake Powell hit a go-ahead three with 1:13 to play. The victory equaled the largest second-half comeback in UNC history and was one point shy of its largest comeback in any game ever.
• In the semifinal, Carolina again fell behind early as Auburn made eight of its first 11 shots, including three 3FGs, in racing out to a 19-6 lead. The Tar Heels pulled with two at 23-21 and trailed 36-32 late in the first half. But the Tigers scored the final four points of the half and opened the second on a 12-2 run to lead by 18.
• Trimble led five Tar Heels in double figures vs. the Tigers with 17 points. Ven-Allen Lubin came off the bench for 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
• The third-place game against Michigan State saw UNC trail by as many as 14 points in the first half before the Tar Heels took their only lead of the game at 58-57 with 13:25 to play. Three-pointers by Cadeau and Trimble (the latter with less than five seconds to play) sent the game to overtime, where UNC made 2 of 8 shots from the floor to fall, 94-91. Powell (18) and Ian Jackson (14) were a combined 12 of 17 from the floor and made six three-pointers (four by Powell).
• Michigan State out-scored UNC, 50-30, in the paint. It was the second time this season (Kansas) an opponent scored 50 paint points, something only two opponents managed to do in the previous two seasons.
• Trimble was named to the Maui All-Tournament team, averaging 17.7 points and making 6 of 13 three-pointers, including the one that sent the Michigan State game to overtime.
• Davis led UNC in scoring in the three games with 19.3 points per game.
• Carolina was out-rebounded, 114-102, in the three games in Maui and 154-129 over the four-game trip.
• The Tar Heels had 35 assists on 87 field goals in Maui (40.2%), while the opponents had 50 assists on 95 baskets (52.6%).

BIG PICTURE
• This is the 115th season of Carolina Basketball.
• The Tar Heels have won seven national championships (six NCAA Tournament titles), played in a record 21 Final Fours, won a record 133 NCAA Tournament games, played in the NCAA Tournament 53 times, been a No. 1 seed a record 18 times, won a record 33 regular season ACC titles, won 18 ACC Tournament championships and have had 10 former players inducted in the Naismith Hall of Fame.
• Carolina has the second-highest winning percentage (.734) and third-most wins (2,376) in college basketball history.
• The Tar Heels are led by Hubert Davis, in his fourth season as head coach at his alma mater. The 2022 National Coach-of-the-Year winner and the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year has led UNC to a 82-34 record.
• Davis' 78 wins through 2023-24 were the second most by a Carolina head coach and fourth most ever at a Power 4 Conference program after three years as a head coach.
• Carolina is the only major program in the country whose six coaches all played at their alma mater. Davis played for Hall of Famer Dean Smith from 1988-92. Jeff Lebo (1985-89) and Pat Sullivan (1990-95) also played at UNC for Smith, Brad Frederick played for Smith and Bill Guthridge (1996-99) and Sean May (2002-05) and Marcus Paige (2012-16) played for Hall of Famer Roy Williams.
• The Tar Heels went 29-8 last year, winning the program's 33rd regular season ACC title with a 17-3 record and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA West Regional, where they advanced to the Sweet 16.

UNC-ALABAMA, LAST YEAR IN L.A.
• The Crimson Tide defeated the Tar Heels, 89-87, in the 2024 NCAA West Region semifinals in Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
• Carolina led, 54-46, at halftime. It was UNC's third-largest halftime lead in an NCAA Tournament loss.
• The game featured 13 ties and a dozen lead changes, including the final one, when Grant Nelson scored on a three-point play with 38 seconds left to give the Tide an 87-85 lead.
• Carolina tied its season high with 12 three-pointers. UNC was 10 for 16 from three in the first half and 2 for 16 in the second.
• UNC shot 52.6% from the floor in the first half and 25.0% in the second. The second half was UNC's lowest field goal percentage in a half all season.
• Armando Bacot led UNC with 19 points and 12 rebounds and was the co-leader with a block and two steals.
• RJ Davis scored 16 points and had a game-high seven assists but was 4 for 20 from the floor, including 0 for 9 from three. It was the first time in 42 games he did not make a three. The 41-game streak tied the second longest in UNC history.
• Cormac Ryan made four three-pointers in the first half and finished 5 for 8 from three with 17 points.

POLLING
• The Tar Heels are No. 20 in the December 2 Associated Press poll.
• Carolina is ranked in the AP top 25 for the 26th straight poll.
• UNC was ninth in the AP's preseason poll. This is the 46th season UNC entered the season or was ranked in the top 10 in the first AP poll (in some seasons in the 1950s there were no preseason polls). In the previous 45 instances when UNC began the year in the top 10 in the first AP poll, the Tar Heels also finished the season in the top 10 on 32 occasions.
• Carolina finished the 2023-24 season No. 6 in the coaches' poll and No. 7 in the AP poll.
• Last year was the 39th time Carolina was ranked in the top 10 in the final AP poll (out of 76 seasons), the third most in college basketball history.
• This week's poll is the 962nd in which the Tar Heels are ranked, second most all-time.
• This is the 68th season UNC is ranked at least once in the AP poll (in 77 seasons) and the 60th season UNC has been ranked at least once in the top 10.
• Alabama is the third-top 10 opponent for the Tar Heels in their first eight games (also No. 1 Kansas and No. 4 Auburn). It is the first time since 1967-68 UNC has played at least three top-10 teams in its first eight games (played four in 1967-68 and three in 1955-56 and 1958-59).
• Other opponents on this year's schedule in the current poll include No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Auburn, No. 9 Duke (twice), No. 13 Florida and No. 18 Pitt (twice).
• KenPom ranks Carolina's schedule 10th hardest in the country.

PRESEASON ACCOLADES
• Carolina was picked to finish second, and RJ Davis was selected the ACC's preseason player of the year at the conference's media day.
• Davis is a National Player of the Year candidate (Naismith, NABC and Wooden), ranked the No. 2 player in the country (CBS and ESPN) and was tabbed a preseason All-America by numerous media, including the Associated Press, Sporting News, Blue Ribbon Yearbook, Field of 68, CBS, Fox, Sports Illustrated and ESPN's Jay Bilas.
• Davis won the Naismith Hall of Fame's Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year award in 2024. He is on the preseason watch list.
• Sophomore Elliott Cadeau (Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year), freshmen Ian Jackson and Drake Powell (Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year) and junior Cade Tyson (Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year) also are named on the Hall of Fame's preseason positional awards watch lists.
• Davis was the first Tar Heel and second ACC player to win the Jerry West Award.
• Carolina is the only team to win the Cousy Award three times (Raymond Felton in 2005, Ty Lawson in 2009 and Kendall Marshall in 2012).
• Davis and Seth Trimble are listed among the early season watch list for the Lute Olson National Player of the Year award.

RJ DAVIS
• Davis leads UNC in scoring at 18.4 points per game and three-pointers (14) and is second in assists with 31.
• Davis has scored the second-most points ever by a Tar Heel guard (2,217). He trails only 1978 Wooden Award winner Phil Ford. Davis has scored the fourth-most points among all players ever to play at Carolina.
• His 18-point game at Hawai'i on November 22 moved Davis past Sam Perkins for No. 4 in UNC history.
• Davis had seven rebounds and five assists in addition to 30 points vs. Dayton on November 25. It was the fourth instance in the last 40 years when a Tar Heel had at least 30 points, seven rebounds and five assists, joining Brad Daugherty vs. Wake Forest in 1985-86, Joseph Forte vs. Tulsa in 2000-01 and Cole Anthony vs. Notre Dame in 2019-20.
• Davis scored 784 points last season, the fourth most in Carolina history and the most since Tyler Hansbrough scored 882 in 2007-08.
• Davis' 784 points were the most in a season in Carolina history by a guard.
• Davis' career scoring average is 15.3, the eighth-highest by a Tar Heel guard.
• Davis has made 288 career three-pointers, second most all-time by a Tar Heel. Marcus Paige, currently an assistant coach at UNC, is first with 299.
• Davis is also Carolina's all-time leader in free throw percentage. He has made 35 of 40 this season and 457 of 532 in his career for 85.9%. Shammond Williams is second at 84.8%.
• Last year, Davis became the 19th Tar Heel to earn consensus first-team All-America honors. Those 19 players have won consensus first-team All-America honors a total of 28 times.
• Davis joined Lennie Rosenbluth in 1957, Phil Ford in 1978, Michael Jordan in 1983 and 1984, Kenny Smith in 1987, Jerry Stackhouse in 1995, Antawn Jamison in 1998, Joseph Forte in 2001 and Tyler Hansbrough in 2008 and 2009 as the only Tar Heels to make first-team All-America on each of the teams the NCAA recognizes to determine consensus first-team All-America.
• Davis was the 15th Tar Heel to win ACC Player-of-the-Year honors, the first since Justin Jackson in 2016-17. It is the 16th time a Tar Heel has won the award (Larry Miller won twice).

ELLIOT CADEAU
• Elliot Cadeau is averaging 14.4 points and 5.9 assists. He has scored at least 17 points in four of the first seven games and double figures in all seven.
• He tied his career high with seven field goals in eight attempts at Hawai'i.
• He has 41 assists and only 19 turnovers for the season, although he had 14 assists and 12 miscues in the three games in Maui.
• He is 31 for 40 from the free throw line, an average of 5.7 attempts per game. Last year, he attempted 2.5 per game.
• Cadeau is tied for the team lead in free throw attempts with RJ Davis.

SETH TRIMBLE
• Junior guard Seth Trimble earned all-tournament honors in Maui after scoring 27, 17 and nine points, respectively. His three-pointer with 4.3 seconds to play sent the third-place game against Michigan State to overtime.
• Trimble set a career scoring high in each of the first two games this season (15 vs. Elon and 19 at Kansas) then surpassed those with a 27-point double-double in the comeback win over Dayton.
• He is shooting 52.1% from the floor, 52.2% from three and 83.3% from the free throw line. Last season he averaged 1.9 free throw attempts per game; through seven games he is 25 for 30 from the line (4.3 attempts per game).
• He leads UNC in plus/minus at plus 70.
• Trimble made a career-high 10 field goals in 14 attempts vs. Dayton, including a pair of threes, and went 5 from 5 from the free throw line.
• In one stretch in the second half, Trimble scored 13 of UNC's 23 points as the Tar Heels cut a 14-point deficit to three.
• Trimble has scored in double figures in six of the first seven games. He had six double-figure efforts in his first two seasons.
• At Kansas, Trimble became the first player on the roster to lead the Tar Heels in scoring other than RJ Davis.
• On October 15 in an exhibition game victory at Memphis, Trimble made 11 of 17 field goals and scored a game-high 33 points.

MISCELLANEOUS
• Junior forward Ven-Allen Lubin leads Carolina in offensive rebounds with 11 while averaging 14.4 minutes per game, eighth most on the team. Lubin had a season-high four against Elon and Auburn.
• Carolina has shot 50% or better from the floor twice in the first half (vs. American and Michigan State) and five times in the second half (Kansas, American, Hawai'i, Dayton and Michigan State).
• The Tar Heels made 14 of their final 18 field goal attempts vs. Dayton and shot 59.4% from the floor in the second half.
• The loss to Michigan State was Carolina's first when it shot 50% from the floor in a game since 2/15/2020 against Virginia. Prior to the 94-91 overtime loss to the Spartans, Carolina had won the previous 33 games in which it shot 50% or better from the floor.
• UNC had also won the previous 13 times it scored 90 or more points.
• Carolina has scored 75 more points in the second half than in the first (10.7 more per game).
• Drake Powell (18) and Ian Jackson (14) both scored in double figures against Michigan State, the first time two UNC freshmen scored in double figures in the same game since Caleb Love and Kerwin Walton vs. Florida State in the 2021 ACC Tournament.
• The Tar Heels are fourth in the country in free throws made per game and 20th in free throw percentage (79.4%).
• RJ Davis, Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble have combined for 110 of Carolina's 154 free throw attempts (71.4% of the attempts).
• Carolina is seventh nationally in scoring at 89.7 points per game but is also 332nd in scoring defense at 80.1 per game.
• The Tar Heels are fourth in the country in turnover percentage (one every 12.4 possessions).
• Both Alabama (third) and Carolina (fifth) rank in the top five in offensive efficiency. The Tide scores 122.2 points per 100 possessions, while the Tar Heels average 120.9.
• Tar Heel fans raised more than $70,000 for Hurricane Helene relief by attending the team's Blue-White scrimmage in the Smith Center on October 12. UNC Basketball contributed an additional $50,000 to the cause from its annual sale of autographed basketballs.
• Vince Carter and Water Davis were inducted in the Naismith Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in October. They are the 13th and 14th Tar Heels inducted, the second most among all college basketball programs (Kansas).
• They were the seventh and eighth inducted as players, which is more than any other college's alumni in the Hall's history.
• They were the ninth and 10th individuals who played collegiately for Dean Smith. No other coach has more former players inducted in the Naismith Hall of Fame.

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Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

Elliot Cadeau

RJ Davis

Ian Jackson

Ven-Allen Lubin

Drake Powell

Cormac Ryan

Seth Trimble

Cade Tyson

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