MBB Set To Host Cal Wednesday Night

• For the second straight home game the Tar Heels play a team for the first time as an ACC opponent when Carolina hosts Cal on Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ACC Network.
• This is the second of a three-game stretch at the Smith Center when UNC hosts one of the newest members of the ACC. On January 7, the Tar Heels defeated SMU, 82-67. Following Wednesday's game vs. Cal, the Tar Heels host Stanford on Saturday afternoon.
• The game features two of the top three scorers in ACC play in Cal's Andrej Stojakovic (first at 24.2 ppg) and UNC's Ian Jackson (third at 20.8 ppg).
• The Tar Heels are 11-6 overall, 4-1 in the ACC with wins in three straight games. Carolina has played seven of its 17 games at home and have won six of the seven in the Smith Center.
• Cal is 8-8. The Golden Bears are both 1-4 in the ACC and on the road.
• The Tar Heels defeated NC State in Raleigh, 63-61, on Saturday to improve to 3-2 on the road this season. Carolina improved to 20-6 against the Wolfpack in the newly-renamed Lenovo Center and avoided consecutive losses to NC State for the first time since 2003.
• It was Carolina's third ACC win by three or fewer points (three vs. Georgia Tech, two at NC State and one at Notre Dame).
• Ian Jackson scored a game-high 21 points, Elliot Cadeau dished out 11 assists and Jalen Washington scored the game-winning basket with 25 seconds to play, blocked a tying shot and secured the rebound as time expired. Washington had 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds for his first double-double as a Tar Heel.
• Hubert Davis improved to 47-18 (72.3%) in regular-season ACC play.
• KenPom ranks Carolina No. 1 in the country in strength of schedule.
• The Tar Heels have played three of the top 5, four of the top 10 and five of the top 12 teams in this week's Associated Press poll.
• Carolina has already played No. 1 Auburn, No. 4 Alabama, No. 5 Florida, No. 9 Kansas and No. 12 Michigan State and will play home-and-home games against No. 3 Duke.
• The Cal game is Carolina's eighth home game of the season. The Tar Heels have played the fewest home games of any team in the ACC (Florida State is next with eight). Ten different teams have already played 10 home games.
• KenPom ranks Carolina No. 29 in the country, while the Tar Heels are 35th in the NET.
• All six of UNC's losses are Quad 1 games and five are against teams in the top 15 in the NET (four in the top eight).

UNC-CAL
• Carolina is 4-1 against the Golden Bears, including 2-0 in Chapel Hill and 1-0 in the Smith Center.
• This is the first meeting since Cal beat UNC, 78-71, in Oakland on 12/29/1998. Geno Carlisle (29) and Thomas Kilgore (21) combined for 50 points to offset Brendan Haywood's double-double (24 points/12 rebounds) for the Tar Heels.
• UNC broke open a one-point game at the half to defeat Cal, 71-47, on 11/22/1997, in the only previous encounter in the Smith Center. The Tar Heels shot 70.8% from the floor in a 45-point second half. Antawn Jamison (17), Vince Carter (13) and Ademola Okulaja (13) combined for 43 points and Shammond Williams (9) and Ed Cota (7) had 16 assists.
• Carolina also has series wins in Cal's Harmon Gym (12/22/1972), Carmichael Auditorium (12/5/1973) and the Carrier Dome in Syracuse in the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1997.
• The 1997 NCAA Tournament game was the third-to-last in Dean Smith's 36-year Hall of Fame career as head coach of the Tar Heels. It also featured Naismith Hall of Famer Vince Carter and College Basketball Hall of Famer Antawn Jamison for UNC and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez, who was a two-sport star for the Bears.

NOTABLE
• RJ Davis is one of three players in the top 10 in the ACC in both scoring and assists (with Duke's Cooper Flagg and Pitt's Jaland Lowe).
• Davis has played in 155 games over five seasons. He is tied with Leaky Black for second in games by a Tar Heel behind Armando Bacot's ACC-record 169. Davis, Black and Bacot all played a fifth year as a result of Covid-19.
• Davis leads Carolina and is sixth in the ACC in scoring at 17.8 points per game and is eighth in the league in assists at 4.0 per game.
• Davis led the ACC in scoring last season at 21.2 points per game.
• Davis scored 26 points in the Tar Heels' 82-67 win over SMU. It was his 40th career game scoring 20 or more and his 18th with 25 or more. The Tar Heels are 31-9 when he scores at least 20 and 13-5 when he drops 25 or more.
• Davis is Carolina's all-time leader and is 13th in ACC history with 308 three-pointers. Syracuse's Buddy Boeheim is 12th with 309.
• Davis had two assists at NC State and became the 13th Tar Heel with 500 or more assists. Davis has 501, an average of 3.2 per game. Steve Hale is 12th with 503.
• Davis is averaging 14.9 field goal attempts per game. Last year, he averaged 16.4. He is attempting 7.1 threes per game (7.7 per game last season).
• Davis has made 34 three-pointers through 17 games. Last season, he made 52 through 17 games.
• In 14 of the 17 games this season, either UNC or its opponent has led by at least 10 points in the opening half.
• Carolina has established double-digit first-half leads seven times and won all seven games (Elon, American, at Hawai'i, La Salle, Campbell, at Notre Dame and SMU). Twice (Elon and Notre Dame), the Tar Heels lost the lead but went on to win the game.
• Seven times UNC has fallen behind by 10 more points in the first half. The Tar Heels rallied to beat Dayton and UCLA, took the lead but eventually lost to Kansas, Michigan State and Florida and lost to Auburn and Alabama.
• In all games, Carolina has scored 165 more points in the second half than in the first (9.7 more per game). That includes the win at NC State, when the Tar Heels scored 37 points in the second after a 26-point opening half.
• In the five ACC games, UNC is averaging 5.0 more points in the second half than it scores in the first.
• The Tar Heels have scored more points in the second half in 15 of the 17 games (all except Elon and Notre Dame).
• The Tar Heels are averaging 36.5 first-half points (the exact same as the opponents average) and 46.8 in the second half (opponents average 40.2).
• Carolina has scored 40 or more second-half points 12 times (including 50 or more six times) and allowed 40 or more in the second half nine times (including each of the last five and seven of the last eight games).
• Carolina outscored the opponents in the second half in 10 of the first 13 games but has not outscored an opponent in the second half since the Campbell game.
• Carolina has shot a higher field goal percentage in the second half than it did in the first in 16 of the first 17 games (only against Georgia Tech did UNC shoot better in the first half).
• Carolina has shot 50% from the floor four times in the first half (vs. American, Michigan State, La Salle and Campbell) and 12 times in the second half (vs. Kansas, American, Hawai'i, Dayton, Michigan State, La Salle, Florida, UCLA, Campbell, at Louisville, at Notre Dame and SMU). That includes three second-half performances when UNC shot better than 62% from the floor (vs. American, Florida and Campbell).
• The Tar Heels have shot a combined 56.6% from the floor in the second halves of their last eight games (La Salle through NC State). UNC has made 129 of 228 field goal attempts in the second half in those eight games.
• The Tar Heels are 31st in the country in scoring at 83.2 points per game and 311th in scoring defense (77.4). However, factoring in pace of play and the number of possessions, Carolina is 34th in the country in offensive efficiency and 41st in defensive efficiency.
• In Carolina's 11 wins the Tar Heels are shooting 10.1% higher from the floor than their opponents (49.2 to 39.1%). The opponents have made two more three-pointers, but Carolina has made one more free throws (196) than the opponents have attempted (195).
• Carolina is plus 4.8 rebounds per game in its 11 wins and minus 4.5 per game on the boards in the six losses.
• Carolina is shooting 35% from three in its wins and 28.4% in the losses.
• Carolina is shooting 55.8% from two-point range, its highest two-point percentage since the 1997-98 ACC champions and NCAA East Regional champion Tar Heels shot 56.5% from two-point range.
• Ian Jackson is the only player to make a three in every game in which he has played (did not play vs. American).
• Jackson has made multiple threes in each of the last six games. He made 14 threes through his first 10 games and has combined to make 18 in the last six games.
• He is the first UNC freshman to make multiple threes in six straight games sinde Kerwin Walton's nine-game stretch in 2020-21.
• Jackson attempted 19 free throws in his first 10 games (1.9 per game) and 37 in the last six games (6.2 per game). Not coincidentally, Jackson averaged 10.8 points in his first 10 games and has averaged 23.2 points in the last six.
• Jackson was a combined minus 46 in his first eight games. In his last eight games, he is a plus 49.
• Drake Powell has scored in double figures four times this season, including three times in the last five games. He scored 18 vs. Michigan State in November then totaled 23 points in the next five games. However, over the last five games, Powell has scored 12 vs. Campbell, 14 at Louisville, eight at Notre Dame, 17 vs. SMU and eight at NC State.
• Powell has made four three-pointers twice this season (Michigan State and SMU). The 14 points he scored in the first half vs. the Mustangs were the most he scored in any half this season.
• Powell is shooting 52.2% from the floor in the last six games (24 for 46).
• Jalen Washington leads UNC with 21 blocks, 12 of which came in the last three games (five at Notre Dame, four vs. SMU and three at NC State, including one with a second to play that secured Carolina's 63-61 victory).
• Washington's 12 blocks are the most by a Tar Heel in a three-game span since Brice Johnson had 13 against Florida Gulf Coast, Providence and Indiana in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
• Washington had his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-best 12 rebounds at NC State. He became the eighth different current Tar Heel to record a double-double at the collegiate level (fourth this season with Elliot Cadeau, Seth Trimble and Jae'Lyn Withers).
• Washington is averaging 7.2 points and 6.4 rebounds and shooting 68.2% from the floor in the last five games.

JACKSON'S RECORD-SETTING RUN
• Ian Jackson is third in the ACC in scoring in conference play, averaging a team-high 20.8 points per game. RJ Davis is second in scoring in ACC games at 14.6 per game.
• Jackson has scored 139 points in the last six games. Harrison Barnes (140 in 2010-11) is the only Tar Heel freshman to score more in any six-game stretch. The record for seven games is 160 by Tyler Hansbrough in 2005-06.
• Jackson previously became the first Tar Heel freshman ever to score 23 or more points in four straight games. He scored 24 vs. UCLA, 26 vs. Campbell, 23 at Louisville and 27 at Notre Dame.
• He followed that four-game run of 20-point games by tying his season highs with three 3FGs and seven rebounds and scoring 18 points in the win over SMU then making a season-high five 3FGs and scoring 21 at NC State.
• He was the first UNC freshman to score 20 or more in four games in a row since Tyler Hansbrough (2005-06) and the first to lead UNC in scoring in four straight since Cole Anthony (2019-20).
• Phil Ford is only Tar Heel freshman to score 20 or more in five consecutive (he scored 22 or more in all five).
• Jackson has averaged 23.2 points in the last five games and 19.3 over the last 10.
• Jackson has scored in double figures 12 times, including 10 of the last 11 games.
• Jackson leads the team with six 20-point games. Davis has five.
• Jackson was named ACC Rookie of the Week for his 26-point performance on December 29 against Campbell.
• Jackson's 24 points against UCLA were the second most ever by a Tar Heel freshman in Madison Square Garden (25 by Rashad McCants vs. Kansas in 2002).

TAR HEELS AND THE ACC
• Carolina is a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• This is the 72nd season of ACC men's basketball.
• UNC has won the regular-season championship 33 times, including the 2023-24 season, when the Tar Heels went 17-3 to win the title outright for the 22nd time. Duke is second with 20 regular-season titles.
• The Tar Heels are 762-314 all-time in ACC regular-season play. The 762 wins are the most by any team.
• RJ Davis was the 2024 ACC Player of the Year and Hubert Davis was the Coach of the Year.
• Davis is the first Player of the Year to return the following season since UNC's Tyler Hansbrough won the award in 2008 and came back for his senior season in 2009, when he led the Tar Heels to an NCAA title.

MORE MILESTONES FOR RJ
• RJ Davis is the second-leading scorer in Carolina's illustrious history with 2,390 points. He passed Armando Bacot, who also played in five seasons, for second place in the win at Notre Dame on January 4.
• He broke the UNC career record for three-pointers on December 29 (now has 308) and has the highest free throw percentage ever by a Tar Heel (85.8%).
• Davis' 29-point outing vs. Florida on December 17 made him the highest scoring guard in Carolina history, eclipsing the mark held by Phil Ford.
• Davis' career scoring average is 15.4, the eighth-highest by a Tar Heel guard.
• 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.

KUDOS FOR CADEAU
• West Orange, N.J., native Elliot Cadeau is being honored by his hometown on January 15, when the West Orange Human Relations Commission presents him with its 2025 Global Impact Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for his community and charitable contributions.
• The sophomore point guard has hosted free camps for underprivileged children in Chapel Hill and New Jersey, provided school supplies, backpacks and holiday gifts to children in Chapel Hill through the Hargraves Center, donated gear and basketballs to his elementary school and is working toward restoring basketball courts in lower-funded areas in Sweden, Haiti and New Jersey.
• Cadeau's father, James, is accepting the award on Elliot's behalf. James is a native of Haiti, while Elliot's mother, Michelle, hails from Sweden, where he is a member of the National Team.

SMITH CENTER
• This is the 40th season the Tar Heels are playing in the Dean E. Smith Center.
• Carolina is 6-1 in the Smith Center this season and 483-88 (.845) all-time.
• The Tar Heels are 251-69 against ACC opponents in the Smith Center.

NOVEMBER SIGNEES
• Carolina signed Isaiah Denis of Concord, N.C., and Derek Dixon of Vienna, Va.
• Denis is a 6-5 guard at Davidson Day High School in Davidson, N.C. His parents are Nancy Denis and Frantz Denis, and he plays AAU for CP3.
• Dixon, the son of John and Kari Dixon, is a 6-3 guard at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C. He also plays AAU for Team Takeover.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

Elliot Cadeau

RJ Davis

Ian Jackson

Drake Powell

Seth Trimble

Jalen Washington

Jae'Lyn Withers

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