Matchup: #20 North Carolina (8-3, 0-0 ACC)
vs
UAB Blazers (4-8, 0-0 C-USA)
Date/Time: Saturday, December 27, 2014 @ 4:00pm EST
Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV/Radio: ESPN2 or ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Network
Christmas presents have been unwrapped and stockings were emptied so now it's time to return to the hardwood as North Carolina plays host to the UAB Blazers Saturday in the Dean E. Smith Center. After a week-long stretch of no basketball games, Carolina gets back into action this afternoon in hopes of continuing its momentum leading into conference play. Last time out, UNC defeated Ohio State in a matchup of Top 25 teams that was held at the CBS Sports Classic in Chicago. The Heels enjoyed Christmas week with family and friends and come together in Chapel Hill for a clash with the Blazers of Alabama-Birmingham.
UAB is no stranger to the Tar Heels, recently. The two teams will be competing in their third tilt in as many years with each team holding one victory apiece. Carolina handled the Blazers in 2012, 102-84, but UAB surprised #16 Carolina last year with a 63-59 victory in Birmingham. UNC holds a 3-1 lead in the series' history. You can say that today's game is the rubber match; however, on paper, the Heels (8-3, 0-0 ACC) hold an enormous upper-hand going into this one. The Blazers (4-8, 0-0 C-USA) have had their issues so far and come into the game versus the Tar Heels losing 3 of its last 4 games. Jerod Haase, in his third year as UAB coach, has had his hands full trying to overcome offensive struggles and a plethora of youth (10 underclassmen). Haase is very recognizable in Chapel Hill. He was part of Roy Williams' UNC coaching staff from 2003-2012. Haase also served on Williams' staff at Kansas from 1999-2003 and was coached by Williams during a four-year basketball career with Kansas. The return of Haase to Chapel Hill and his familiarity with Coach Williams' system does not seem to be a factor in the game today as the Tar Heels come into the matchup with many distinct advantages.
Carolina hasn't had too much trouble this season scoring points, averaging a robust 80.2 points per game. Three of its five starters are maintaining double-digit scoring averages, led by Marcus Paige's 13.4 ppg. Meeks follows closely with 13.3 ppg and Brice Johnson is the other double-digit scorer netting 11.9 ppg. Even the other two starters, Justin Jackson and J.P. Tokoto, are right on the cusp of double digits pouring in 9.5 and 9.1 ppg, respectively. In contrast, UAB is sorely in need of some offensive production. Only averaging 66.8 ppg, the Blazers are being outscored by their opponents and can only boast of one player consistently scoring in double digits. Robert Brown, transfer from Virginia Tech, has been the only consistent scorer for UAB, dumping in 13.6 ppg. He has scored double digits in four straight contests and led his team in scoring seven of the 12 total UAB games. C.J. Washington is close behind Brown with 9.8 ppg. With the Tar Heels averaging almost 14 points more per contest than the Blazers, it is clear to see that Carolina's athleticism and talent rises above those of their counterparts this afternoon. Youth lives large among the Blazers as 64.6% of its offense comes from the underclassmen. That youthfulness must bring toughness in its last non-conference game of the season as UAB will have to throw its heart and soul and everything it can muster offensively at the Tar Heels to have any chance of up-ending Carolina on the road.
Another glaring statistic when comparing these two opponents is the fact that Carolina dominates the rebounding aspect of the game. UNC boasts a 45.1 rebounds/game average which is over 10 rebounds a game more than the 35.1 reb/gm average the Blazers tout. Carolina is much bigger downlow and its length is going to affect UAB on both ends of the court. No one on the Blazers team averages five rebounds a contest, whereas UNC has three players in that category (Meeks-9.5, Johnson-7.0. Tokoto-5.1). Also, UAB ranks in the bottom 30 of the country in defensive rebounding (only 23.1 per game) which makes the Tar Heel board-bangers salivate since Carolina pulls down 44.9 percent of its misses (17.4 offensive rebounds/gm), ranking third nationally.
Defense has surely blossomed this year for the Heels. Carolina has caused its opponent to turn the ball over 14.5 times a game and is a sign that the Heels have begun to master its defensive pressure much earlier than recent seasons. Look for Carolina's defense to make a positive impact on the game versus UAB and moving forward throughout the season. Today, Carolina will need to stifle freshman point guard Nick Norton who has dished out 51 assists so far for the Blazers. Norton is a huge threat from the outside, shooting 44% from 3-pt range and is making 81% of his free throws. It seems, though, that if you can guard him on the perimeter and force him to turn the ball over, you can completely take Norton out of the game. Norton has strictly been a 3-pt shooter and rarely shoots 2-pointers, and when he does he isn't that successful (only 4 of 10 from 2-pt range all season!).
The Heels have shared the ball incredibly well so far this campaign. With 17.8 assists per game and a blistering field-goal percentage of 45.2%, these numbers have been able to hide the fact that perimeter offense has been stagnant at best. Paige seemed to find his outside touch just a bit against the Buckeyes in Chicago, but the Heels have still been unable to find any consistency from the outside. As long as Carolina can dish out the assists and score at a high percentage from inside the arc, the 3-point shot isn't as necessary as some believe. However, making the three could add a whole other dimension to our team's game and really identify the Tar Heels as a major player in the National Championship picture.
Carolina hopefully gained some major confidence with its win over Ohio State last Saturday and can build upon that success with these final two non-conference matchups at home (William & Mary being the other) before ACC play begins. UAB may still be reeling from its 16-point loss to Chattanooga Monday night and if they do not give an A+ performance in Chapel Hill, expect Carolina to have little trouble disposing of the Blazers.
Carolina, earlier this week, accepted UAB's Committed To A Cure Challenge for pediatric cancer research. In an effort created by UAB Coach, Haase, and staff to raise awareness for pediatric cancer research, during today's game, each player on both teams will sport opposite-colored shoes. To build on this initiative, UNC has challenged its fans to wear two different colored shoes to the Dean Dome for today's game. So, when viewing the game today, there should be an assortment of colors on the court at all times (maybe we'll get One White, One Carolina Blue shoe for each of our Heels!).
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