#13 Tar Heels Shoot for Seventh Straight Victory On the Road in Rematch with #10 Louisville

Matchup:     #13 North Carolina (17-4, 7-1 ACC)
                                              vs
                      #10 Louisville Cardinals (17-3, 5-2 ACC)

Date/Time:   Saturday, January 31, 2015 @ 4:00pm EST
Location:      KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY
TV/Radio:    ESPN or ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Network


#13 North Carolina finishes out the month of January by traveling to battle the #10 Louisville Cardinals Saturday afternoon in a rematch of an outstanding, scintillating 72-71 Tar Heels victory in Chapel Hill three weeks ago.  Carolina (17-4, 7-1 ACC) comes into play on a hot streak winning six consecutive ACC contests and hungry for more.  Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks have been quite the tandem downlow for UNC helping the Heels to a stellar shooting percentage of 50.8 during the winning streak.  The Cardinals are 3-1 in conference action since the loss to Carolina and the offensive production has stepped up recently from Rick Pitino's squad.  Louisville (17-3, 5-2 ACC) leads the league shooting 53% from 2-pt range.  Marcus Paige was the hero in the first game between the two teams as Paige's running scoop layup with 8.5 seconds remaining gave the Heels the win.

Carolina has been getting plenty of energy and superior play on the court from Johnson during this most recent stretch.  Making 21 of his last 26 shots, Johnson has almost been perfect from the field and has raised his game significantly during ACC play.  Always considered a true talent for the Heels, it has not been until lately that Johnson has gripped his mind around consistently producing on the offensive and defensive ends.  Brice has four double-doubles in his last six games.  His work with Meeks in the paint has been extraordinary.  Meeks has two double-doubles in ACC play and comes in shooting a blistering 57.8% from the field.  The way this dynamic duo works the high-low game is special to watch.

Assistant Coach Hubert Davis spoke about this during the Monday radio show saying, "They have really good chemistry.  Both of them can shoot the ball really well from 15 feet.  And one thing they're really improving on is chemistry defensively."  "They're better more consistently, particular on ball screens," Davis added.

The North Carolina guards have become accustomed to seeing the big men run the court and get in position downlow early and often so that they can deliver the pass inside quickly allowing Johnson and Meeks to score at will against the defense.  Today, versus Louisville, look for the big men to make a statement right from the get-go and take the Louisville crowd out of the game (It's a scheduled "White Out" in the KFC Yum! Center today).  The Heels, on paper, have some distinct advantages when it comes to action in the lane.

Rebounding is the biggest statistical advantage that Carolina enters the game with on Saturday.  The Heels own a +10.1 rebounding margin against its opponents this season averaging 43.4 rebounds/game.  Meeks leads the Heels with 8.3 rpg while Johnson is a close second with 7.9 rpg. Offensive rebounding has flourished for Carolina; however, on the defensive end, the Heels have shown a slight weakness by giving up 12.7 offensive boards a game to its opponent.  With that said, the Cardinals have struggled significantly this year rebounding the ball on both ends of the court.  Offensive rebounding has been poor for the Cardinals, sitting ninth in the ACC averaging just 30.7% as well as eleventh in the conference on the defensive boards (opponents snatch 33.7% of their missed shots against Louisville).  Expect Carolina to be all over the glass Saturday working the numbers to their favor and taking control of the game on the backboards.  Carolina has been shooting the ball so well lately, if the Heels are able to also corral its misses at a high percentage, that would give the Heels another offensive source by adding second-chance points to the scoring output.

Louisville brings a wealth of talent as the Heels know very well.  During the last meeting, it was the Louisville defense that came in so highly touted.  Since Jan. 10, the Cardinals have flashed quite a bit of offense against the ACC.  Over the past two games, Louisville is shooting a combined 61.5% from the field and has buried half of its three-pointers (12-of-24).  Out of its 20 games, the Cardinals have shot above 47% in half of them (six times in the last eight games).  Terry Rozier has been spectacular this season scoring at a 18.1 ppg clip.  Even more eye-popping is his 20 points per game in ACC games which ranks as second in the league.  The sophomore guard is sure to test the Carolina defense early as the Heels have given up back-to-back huge games from opposing guards.  Florida State's Xavier Mathan-Rayes and Syracuse's Trevor Cooney scored a combined 63 points on the Tar Heels over the course of the last two games, so look for Louisville to utilize Rozier on many of its offensive possessions.  He is their bread and butter right now.  The Cardinals offer more scoring down the lineup as well.  Montrezl Harrell averages 14.9 ppg while Chris Jones and Wayne Blackshear are the other Cardinals averaging in double figures with 13.4 and 11.8, respectively.  Jones was red-hot in Louisville's last game versus Boston College netting a career-high 28 points to go along with six rebounds.  Jones' quickness and defensive prowess (3rd in ACC in steals with 2.0 per game) could be quite a handful for the Heels, especially if Carolina is looking at another 20-turnover game.

The Heels need to become more consistent handling the basketball as they followed up a season-low (shoot, a Roy Williams-era low) five turnovers versus Florida State with a season-high 20 cough-ups against Syracuse.  Being smart with the ball and not trying to make the highlight reel pass has really been the issue.  Opponents usually don't aggressively take the ball away from the Heels, it is poor decision-making and careless passing that costs the Heels points.  The Heels have almost as many total turnovers as its opponents (270 TO's versus 277 TO's from the opposition).  And, against a top-ten team in Louisville, there is no margin for error.  The Cardinals average 9.3 steals a game and are always getting their hands into the passing lanes and causing as much chaos on defense as possible.  Possessions are like gold and the Heels must protect the ball at all costs if they are to leave the KFC Yum! Center with a "W".

Protecting the ball could be all the Heels need to gain the upper-hand Saturday against the Cardinals, specifically since Carolina is shooting the ball at such a high rate right now.  With the 50.8 percent mark from the field during the current six-game winning streak I mentioned earlier, Carolina has started to string multiple games of good shooting together.  That's called a habit, folks.  Meeks and Johnson have been delivering solid performances inside while Marcus Paige leads Carolina in scoring at 14.1 ppg.  Paige is also scorching the nets from long range, draining 52-of-133 three-pointers  (39.1%) and has employed more of an effort to get to the rim in recent weeks.  Nate Britt showcased his shooting talents against Syracuse, nailing four 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 17 points.

The offensive efficiency has led the Heels to average a solid 80.0 points per game as a team and Carolina will once again look to speed up the pace on the Cardinals.  The quality shots the Heels have been getting all season long, and definitely during ACC games, can be credited to good passing.  Yes, the Heels make dumb mistakes here and there, but they generally are able to get good shots for themselves based solely off of a firm understanding of where and how to get teammates the ball effectively.  Carolina boasts 372 total assists, an average of 17.7 per game which is 5.2 assists per game more than the Cardinals bring to the court.  J.P. Tokoto and Paige have definitely been the catalysts behind this effort leading the Heels in assists with a combined 175 dimes.  If the Heels can continue to dish the ball as exceptionally as they have been doing throughout the season, it will be hard for the Cardinals to avoid another great shooting performance from the Heels.

Carolina is searching for its first 8-1 ACC start since the 2004-2005 National Championship squad started out to such a fast start in the conference..  North Carolina holds the all-time series lead over Louisville, winning 10 of 13 over the Cardinals.  Today's game will be only the third time UNC has played the Cardinals in Louisville, both of the other occasions were Tar Heel losses (27-19 in January 1929 and 97-80 in December 1999).  Carolina will be looking to turn its luck around in Louisville as the Heels have not fared well in this city over time.  Including NCAA Tournament and neutral site games, the Heels are 4-7 overall in Louisville.  However, on the other side of things, Rick Pitino has never beaten Carolina in his career.  Both teams will be competing hard for another ACC win which could firmly plant either team in the Top-4 of the conference coming down the stretch.

Tar Heels Pull Away and Beat Syracuse 93-83 Behind Strong Second Half

The 13th-ranked Tar Heels unleashed a ferocious second half attack against the Syracuse Orange, Monday night, pulling away late to win a hard fought battle 93-83.  Carolina (17-4, 7-1 ACC) secured its sixth conference win in a row by overcoming a season-high 20 turnovers and handing the Orange (14-7, 5-3 ACC) its third loss in four games.  Marcus Paige paced the Heels with an all-around game of 22 points, six rebounds, and eight assists to go with no turnovers. Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks, and Nate Britt all pitched in 17 points apiece.  The Heels would trail by five at halftime only to answer with 58 points in the second half on 62.1% shooting.  Syracuse was led by an outstanding 28-point performance from Trevor Cooney and a solid 22 point, 12 rebound showing by its star Rakeem Christmas.

It was a tale of two halves for Johnson as he dumped in 15 of his 17 in the second half and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.  That was Johnson's fourth double-double in six games and he was perfect from the field, shooting 6 for 6 (Johnson is 21-26 over his last three games).

"We were a lot more aggressive," said Johnson after the game.  "Me and Kennedy were moving a lot better in the middle and we were able to get in there and we stopped turning the ball over for one..that was the biggest thing for us."

After a sloppy half of 13 turnovers and an inability to convert in the paint, Coach Roy Williams felt his team was out-competed in the first half and would need a shot in the behind to turn the tide.  And, boy, did the Heels respond...by making shots!  UNC post players showed an aggressiveness that was needed to propel the team to victory.  Carolina become more assertive on offense right out of the gate in the second half as the Heels found Johnson for six quick points in the span of 90 seconds, including a nasty alley-oop jam.

Britt came off the bench and erupted for his career-high 17, drilling four three pointers and forcing the stifling 2-3 zone of the Orange to extend a little further than it would like. Britt's contribution off the pine was the key difference in this one as he was able to help Paige on the perimeter (Paige hit four threes as well) and keep the Syracuse defenders from clogging the lane which opened up a large amount of shots for Johnson and Meeks inside.

"I felt like I kept getting open looks and my teammates kept looking for me," said Britt.  "And when you have those guys telling you to shoot it, I felt like I kind of had no choice, and so I was able to knock a few down."

Coach Williams showed his pleasure by saying, "Nate was awesome.  I feel so good for him.  He's been battling, battling, battling."

And, battle was exactly what the Heels did in that second half.  Carolina outscored Syracuse 25-0 in bench points as Syracuse's lack of depth continues to be a major concern.  UNC just kept coming Monday night with an unrelenting toughness and grit that has surfaced throughout the Heels six-game winning streak.  Along with Johnson's 15, both Meeks and Paige scored double-digits in the second half (Meeks-11, Paige-16).  Once the Heels stopped turning the ball over, the offense ran much more smoothly and shots just started falling left and right.

"Everything looks better, guys, when the ball goes in the basket," Coach Williams remarked to the media.

With Carolina trailing with eight minutes to play, Britt splashed back-to-back 3's and Justin Jackson hit a free throw and Carolina never looked back.  Strong free throw shooting down the stretch (9 of 12 in second half and 73.3% for the game) allowed Carolina to seal the deal in Chapel Hill.  The work that Meeks, Johnson, and Joel James did on Christmas throughout the contest has to be applauded.  In the first half, Carolina was able to push Christmas, who came into the game averaging over 18 points and eight rebounds a game, away from the basket and harassed his shot time and time again.  Of course, Christmas would eventually stake his claim inside.  But, by that time, Cooney had cooled down from the outside and North Carolina was answering every bucket by making one of its own on the other end.  Coach Williams believed going into the game that the Orange would be one of the biggest challenges for his team due to Christmas' size and ability to score along with the 2-3 zone.  Both of those challenges were met head-on and conquered by the Heels.

Another dominant night on the backboards as Carolina outrebounded the Orange 42-27 and led the points in the paint battle 36-24.  The Heels have made it a habit to come up big on the glass and this stat remains a constant throughout the course of the first half of ACC play.  Also, the Heels superb shooting from the field will always give UNC a chance to win.  55.4% from the field including a eye-popping 56.3% (9 of 16) from 3-point range are incredible stats. The 93 points scored and 55.4% field-goal percentage were the highest totals allowed by Syracuse all season long. And, even more importantly, the Heels have been stringing out this type of scoring accuracy on a very consistent basis.  Ruling the glass and shooting with such efficiency has made Carolina even more of a force to be reckoned with inside the conference.

With the win tonight, Carolina now holds an all-time 5-4 advantage against the 'Cuse.  Roy Williams moved into a tie with legendary Temple coach John Chaney as the 16th winningest coach in NCAA History with 741 victories.


Next Game:     #13 North Carolina (17-4, 7-1 ACC)
                                                  vs
                          #10 Louisville Cardinals (16-3, 4-2 ACC)

Date/Time:      Saturday, January 31, 2015 @ 4:00pm EST
Location:         KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY
TV/Radio:       ESPN or ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Radio

Johnson, Paige Help Heels Hold Off Charging Seminoles in 78-74 Win

Brice Johnson brought full-on intensity to the battle with Florida State on Saturday afternoon scoring 18 points and pulling down 14 rebounds in North Carolina's 78-74 win over the Seminoles.  In only 23 minutes of play, partly due to early foul trouble and partly due to a tight lower back and hip, Johnson flexed his muscles each and every minute he was on the floor and powered Carolina to its fifth consecutive conference victory.  The Heels (16-4, 6-1 ACC) were able to grab the win even in the midst of one of the best scoring performances by a freshman in ACC history.  Seminole freshman point guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes scorched the nets, dumping in 35 points to keep FSU (10-10, 2-5 ACC) within striking distance coming down the stretch.  Rathan-Mayes turned in the highest scoring output in the Dean Dome from a UNC opponent in nine years (J.J. Redick of Dook had 35 in 2006) and it was the fifth-best scoring mark by a freshman in ACC all-time.

Even with Rathan-Mayes burning up the nets, the Heels never lost the lead and seemed to always have the game in hand.  Marcus Paige poured in 19 points and Justin Jackson added 14, as the Heels went to 10-0 when Jackson scores in double-digits.  However, it was the dominance downlow, once again, that enabled Carolina to take control.  Johnson has been on quite a roll, lately.  His 7 of 9 shooting display coupled with his 8 of 11 tally against Wake Forest puts him at 15 for 20 from the field in his last two games.  That type of efficient scoring has powered the Heels to superb shooting percentages around the rim and has led the Heels to an overpowering advantage in points in the paint.  With a 42-24 edge in that category versus FSU, Carolina has now garnered a 92-50 margin of supremacy of points in the paint over its last two games.  Brice took a hard spill early in the first half that had everyone gasping for a second, but he bounced right back up and his game flourished from that moment.

"I'm proud of Brice," said Coach Roy Williams.  "Brice's back was bothering him during warm-ups; I told him I wish it was bothering him during warm ups all the time if his is going to get 18 and 14, but I was worried about him."

And, the UNC coaching staff, has enough to worry about when it comes to injuries.  Playing without Theo Pinson (broken left foot), Joel Berry II (groin injury), and three other backcourt players, Carolina was running very thin on the bench.  Add in an in-game knee injury to Joel James, and the Heels were depleted at best.  But, Nate Britt turned in solid minutes with 4 points and 3 rebounds in a game where he played with 15 stitches inside his upper lip.

"I was really pleased.  He (Britt) showed some toughness today and he's a tough kid," Coach Williams added.  "I am very proud of him and he gave us some great minutes."

Paige was extremely active all game long, knocking down a couple of threes and, more effectively, driving to the rim and making the backdoor cuts that caught FSU defenders off-guard. He and Brice set the tone for the Heels and served as the catalysts behind the "W".

The Tar Heels took much better care of the ball, only turning it over five times against the 'Noles.  That has been a point of emphasis for Coach Williams and his staff, so the Heels come away happy about that.  Forcing 10 turnovers and scoring 13 points off those turnovers is a key indication of the defensive savvy Carolina was exhibiting.  Kennedy Meeks and J.P. Tokoto were solid contributors for Carolina as Meeks scored 12 points and snagged seven rebounds.  Tokoto was all over the court, defending, shooting the rock, making the spectacular play as we have come accustomed to seeing.  There was one defensive play where the Heels had just had a bad offensive possession and FSU got out on the break.  Tokoto sprinted back down the court on defense and almost jumped out of the building, swatting the opponent's layup attempt with his off-hand (left).

Tokoto's ability to affect a game on both the defensive and offensive ends of the court has brought quite a versatile ingredient to this Carolina team and it is paying off in the recent winning streak.  J.P. is one of those players that you like seeing on the floor as much as possible.  He caused havoc for most of the Florida State shooters all game long and it was only Rathan-Mayes that would defy any defensive effort with his splendid offensive display.

Devon Bookert scored 11 points for the Seminoles but there was really no offensive production to speak of except from the talented freshman Rathan-Mayes.  Rathan-Mayes shot 14 of 26 from the field including 5 of 11 from long distance.  He just could not miss.  Carolina had pushed the lead to double digits with just over a minutes to play when Rathan-Mayes put the Seminoles on his back and began to drain threes.  He hit three 3's in the last 36 seconds to make the game much closer than it was and give the Carolina Faithful in the Smith Center a chance to "Oooooh and Ahhhhh" towards the end.

"(Xavier) Rathan-Mayes, we held him scoreless without a field goal for about four or five minutes, but all of a sudden in the last 30 seconds he made three or four of them in a row," said Williams.  "He was a difficult guy to guard."

FSU Head Coach Leonard Hamilton spoke about Rathan-Mayes play versus Carolina and what it meant for the Seminoles.  "He just sensed that he needed to step up because we were stuttering there.  He just took advantage of what the offense gave us."  Hamilton continued, "X is still a guy that his future is bright.  I think he's learning.  Today's just one of the days that I think it all came together for him.  We really needed every one of his points just to stay close."

It just wasn't enough to spring the upset against the Heels in Chapel Hill.  Carolina's power and domination of the paint proved too much to overcome for the Seminoles and Johnson's strong shooting performance and effectiveness around the rim continues to pay dividends for UNC.

The Tar Heels enter an extremely important and difficult stretch of games over the course of the next week.  There is not much rest for the weary as UNC will host Syracuse on Monday evening, which is a quick-turnaround for the banged-up Carolina squad.  After that comes a trip to #10 Louisville where the Cardinals will be looking to extract some revenge of their loss to UNC earlier this month.  Then, the Heels fall into another quick-turnaround with a Big Monday game at home versus the undefeated, #2 Virginia Cavaliers the night after the Super Bowl.  At this point in the ACC schedule, and sitting third in the conference, one would think that Carolina needs to win 2 out these 3 games to have a chance at taking the ACC Regular Season title.

There's a long ways to go, folks.  So, buckle in for the ride.  Things are about to get bumpy, but Carolina has grown as a team and shown its ability to build resiliency and toughness along the way.

Coach Williams touched on this by saying, "We've got 11 more ACC games this season, and if you're not going to grind it out in this league, you're going to get your tail beat.  But I have been impressed, they (his Heels) don't jabber at each other when somebody makes mistakes, they stick their hand back and say alright let's go, pick him up and at the same time, we keep trying."


Next Game:     #15 North Carolina (16-4, 6-1 ACC)
                                                 vs
                         Syracuse Orange (14-6, 5-2 ACC)

Date/Time:      Monday, January 26, 2015 @ 7:00pm EST
Location:         Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV/Radio:       ESPN or ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Network

UNC Moves Up Two Spots to #13 This Week in the AP Top 25; Kentucky & UVA Remain 1-2

Week 12 Rankings have been released and here is the rundown:

AP Top 25

ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

The latest polls are in and Carolina moves up two spots to #13 according to the AP Top 25.  Last week, the Heels won both outings, defeating Wake Forest 87-71 in Winston-Salem on Wednesday and beating Florida State 78-74 at home on Saturday.  A tough stretch of games over the next week begins Monday evening (1/26) with a home game versus Syracuse and then a huge battle with Louisville on the road Saturday afternoon (1/31).

ACC teams in this week's poll are:

#2    Virginia  (19-0)
#4    Dook  (17-2)
#8    Notre Dame (19-2)
#10  Louisville  (16-3)
#13  UNC (16-4)
#23  Miami (Fl) (14-5)

Kentucky and UVA remain the only undefeated teams in Division I basketball and are still ranked #1 & #2, respectively.  Iowa State's loss to Texas Tech dropped them from the Top 10 and Villanova's loss to Georgetown moved them from 4th to 7th.  Kansas is back into the Top 10 with its wins over Oklahoma and Texas last week.  The Top 10 in order are Kentucky, Virginia, Gonzaga, Dook, Wisconsin, Arizona, Villanova, Notre Dame, Kansas, Louisville.  Miami (Fl) joins the Top 25 at #23 and becomes the 6th ACC team in the poll.

Three Out
Dayton (was #22)
Seton Hall (was #24)
Iowa (was #25)

Three In
#21  Georgetown
#23  Miami (Fl)
#25  Butler

No other ACC teams received votes for the AP Top 25 this week.

Seminoles Ride Into Town as Carolina Strives for Fifth Consecutive Win

Matchup:     #15 North Carolina (15-4, 5-1 ACC)
                                              vs
                     Florida State Seminoles (10-9, 2-4 ACC)

Date/Time:  Saturday, January 24, 2015 @ 2:00pm EST
Location:     Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV/Radio:    ESPN or ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Network


#15 North Carolina welcomes the Florida State Seminoles to Chapel Hill Saturday afternoon seeking its fifth straight win and 10 wins out of its last 11 games.  Carolina (15-4, 5-1 ACC) comes in to the game red-hot off a commanding win in Winston-Salem, Wednesday, 87-71 and looks to up its record to 6-1 in the conference by defeating the 'Noles in the Dean Dome.  FSU (10-9, 2-4 ACC) last played on Monday night beating the Clemson Tigers 59-55 in Littlejohn Coliseum and Saturday's game versus UNC will already be its fifth road game in the conference this season.  No other team in the ACC has played more than four road games at this point.

The Heels will be playing with a depleted backcourt as Coach Roy Williams announced on Friday that the fiesty freshman perimeter defender, Theo Pinson, would be out of action indefinitely due to a broken left foot.  Pinson broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot during Wednesday's victory over Wake Forest.  As the injuries pile up for Carolina, Nate Britt, who suffered a nasty gash to his lip in the same game against Wake, received 15 stitches to sew up the wound and is listed as questionable for the FSU contest.  Already down four other backcourt players (Joel Berry II - groin injury, Stillman White - stress reaction in foot, Luke Davis - stress fracture in foot, and Sasha Seymore - torn ACL), Carolina will look to team leader Marcus Paige, rising star Justin Jackson, and Mr. Everything J.P. Tokoto to carry the heavy backcourt load.

"Yeah, we're going to get tired," Tokoto remarked.  "But it's something we go through in practice every day.  Guys have gone down during practice and haven't had subs, so it's not going to be a shock. ...We'll be fine if we can just play smart."

The Tar Heels definitely will need to muster as much physical and mental toughness that it can as the Boys in Baby Blue enter a demanding stretch of basketball in the upcoming week.  It all starts with handling the Seminoles at home on a rainy, Saturday afternoon because Carolina does not want to lose focus now with games against Syracuse, Louisville, and Virginia right around the corner.

Leonard Hamilton brings his Seminoles into town this year much weaker than many of his teams during his 13-year career at the helm of FSU.  Last year saw the departure of seniors Ian Miller, Okaro White, and Robert Gilchrist while the team also has benn extremely affected by the loss of its leading scorer, Aaron Thomas, who was declared ineligible for the rest of the season.  With all that said, it is clear that this year has been a struggle for the 'Noles.  Both offensively and defensively, FSU has had its problems.  The 'Noles are barely beating their opponents in scoring this year averaging 68.7 points/game to their opponents 68.1 pts/gm.  Even with four players averaging in double-figures, it's the inability of the bench to produce that has hampered FSU all year.  Juniors Montay Brandon and Devon Bookert are the leading scorers for the 'Noles netting 13.2 and 10.5 points per game, respectively.  Bookert is the team's only bright spot from three-point range, knocking down 38.7 percent from 3.  The rest of FSU from deep...not so good.  No other player shoots above 27 percent from long-range.  Carolina's backcourt may be thinner due to all the injuries, but Tokoto and Jackson can give UNC a tremendous opportunity to win if they can lock down Bookert from getting open shots and limit his effectiveness from the outside.

Coach Williams and his staff went to 2-3 zone on defense versus Wake Forest and, truthfully, the defensive switch worked pretty well.

"You have to get a little more creative and pray a little more," said Williams.

Carolina was dealing with foul trouble and a limited bench, so dropping into zone saved some fouls and gave Carolina a new wrinkle to play with.  I would not be surprised at all for Coach Williams to go to this set more often on Saturday.  Since FSU struggles mightily from the outside, a 2-3 zone could control UNC's foul trouble and keep its key players on the court.  If the Heels can pull off the zone with the success it had against Wake, Carolina fans may start to see it more often, especially with the lineup running thin these days.  Important to playing the 2-3 zone is also keeping the opposing point guard from penetrating to the foul line with his dribble.

FSU sports a pretty gifted freshman point guard, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, and the 'Noles will look for Rathan-Mayes to continue his decent play versus the Heels.  Rathan-Mayes had a splendid game versus Clemson, arguably his best collegiate performance to date as he scored 17 points, dished out nine assists, pulled down five rebounds, and tallied four steals as he played all but one minute of action.  It is imperative for Paige, Tokoto, and Jackson to keep Rathan-Mayes from dribble penetration and breaking down the zone when implemented.  Keeping Rathan-Mayes at bay will go a long way in a Heels' march to victory.  The 'Noles catalyst will be searching for another monster game as he salivates over a thinner UNC backcourt.

With Britt's ability to play up-in-the-air and Berry II out,  Paige must handle most of the ball handling time for the Heels.  He has been absolutely sensational dishing the rock in the last three games.  His 19 assists over that time period has been wonderful to watch and has led to easy baskets for all of his teammates.  Reducing turnovers and being even more efficient with the ball in his hands should help Carolina score in abundance against the 'Noles and guide Carolina to victory.  Paige and the rest of the Heels will surely be trying to get the big men involved early.  Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson were spectacular against Wake combining for 35 points on 16 of 22 shooting and the Heels feel like there is no reason why this dynamic duo can't do the same to FSU.

The challenge of replicating that performance will be overcoming Florida State's size.  They are big boys and rank at #2 in the nation behind Kentucky in effective and average height.  Everyone knows how big Kentucky looks on the court, so this FSU team stacks up quite nicely to the Wildcat team in terms of size.  Skill level, not quite that much, but what FSU does have that could create some issues in the paint is three (yes...3!) 7-footers on the roster.  Sophomores Boris Bojanovsky (7'3") and Michael Ojo (7'1") along with graduate student Kiel Turpin (7'0") serve as the tall pines for FSU and will cause quite a battle for the Heels at the rim.  However, with this height advantage, shockingly, the 'Noles do not block shots at a high rate.  One would think blocking shots would be a niche for the 7-footers, but that is not the case.  Bojanovsky is the only FSU player averaging more than one block a game, so if the Carolina post players can get to the rim and get off their shots, don't expect FSU to be swatting too many of those shots back.

Offensively, with size in the post, when FSU can get the ball to the big men, the team usually does well.  The 'Noles rank 25th nationally in 2-point field goad percentage (Brandon, Bojanovsky, and Turpin all average plus-60% from 2-pt range) and rarely do they have their shots blocked.  Carolina must be physical, but not overly aggressive as staying out of foul trouble is key today.  Meeks, Johnson, Isaiah Hicks, and Joel James must fight for position downlow all game long and keep the trees from getting too close to the basket on offense.  If the Heels can do this, expect FSU to have a multitude of problems putting the ball in the hoop.

Freshman sensation Jackson will try to provide Carolina with another stellar outing.  Carolina is 9-0 when Jackson scores in double-digits and the Texas native is poised to continue his gunslinging way.  Coming off a 16-point and 17-point showing in back-to-back ACC games, look for Justin to take the game into his own hands and move another step in becoming a standout superstar for the Tar Heels.

Carolina leads the all-time series against the Seminoles, 46-12, winning 27 of the last 34 and 16 of the last 20.  Of the games played in Chapel Hill, UNC has a 18-4 record (15-4 in the Smith Center) and has won 9 of its last 10 in its friendly confines.  Roy Williams is 16-5 versus FSU as UNC head coach.  FSU has defeated nine UNC teams that were ranked at the time and those nine wins are the most the Seminoles have against any ranked team in the school's history.  Leonard Hamilton is the 11th all-time leader in ACC wins with 229 while Roy Williams is 7th all-time in ACC wins with 320.  Hamilton is eight wins shy of becoming the all-time leader in wins at Florida State.

Carolina Shoots Lights Out, Cruises Past Wake 87-71

#15 North Carolina used a healthy dose of points in the paint to separate themselves from Wake Forest, Wednesday night, and cruised to an 87-71 victory.  Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks completely wore out the Demon Deacons downlow on the offensive end combining for 35 points on 16 of 22 shooting.  Johnson (19 points) and Meeks (15 points) did whatever they wanted to in the post leaving Wake's big men flat-footed in the lane.  UNC (15-4, 5-1 ACC) dominated by outscoring Wake 50-26 inside.  It was almost too easy for the Heels as they outshined the Deacs (9-10, 1-5 ACC) and blistered the net by shooting 69.2% from the field in the second half and 60.2% for the game.

Justin Jackson contributed 17 points on 6 of 8 shooting and continues to come into his own, blossoming as a freshman and finding the right spots for offensive production.  Coming off a 16-point performance against Virginia Tech this past weekend, Jackson supplied a good chunk of offense once again for the Heels and is pouring in 59.7% of his shots in the last eight games.  Carolina is now 9-0 when Jackson racks up double-digits.  The back-to-back double-digit games for Jackson was a first for him in ACC action and is a sign that the McDonald's All-American from Texas is starting to figure the game out.

"At the beginning of the season, I thought too much," Jackson said after the game.  "I tried not to mess up.  Now, I'm just playing.  If the shot is open, I take it.  If not, I pass the ball or set a screen, whatever I need to do."

The Heels were doing it all by the time the game reached the midway point of the second half.  Wake had stuck around with Carolina in the first half as both teams pushed the tempo just as everyone had expected.  Carolina was shooting great (53.1% in first half), but what was keeping Wake in the game was the thorn that has hampered UNC all year; defensive rebounding.  The Deacs were snagging offensive boards left and right which was giving them extra chances to score and Wake was delivering.  Led by Codi Miller-McIntyre's 10 points in the first half, Wake had stuck around and was within two points with a minute to go.  However, it was Carolina that would roll off four quick points to finish the half and take a 40-34 lead into the locker room.

The Heels never looked back.

Right after halftime, the Heels returned to commanding the post as Meeks used great post position to drop in six super-quick points to push the Heels' lead to double-digits in less than two minutes of second half play.  When you find a honey-hole, keep going to it and that is what Carolina did.  Time and time again, UNC would get the ball in the paint and score on an easy layup or turnaround jumper off the glass.  So far this season, the Tar Heel big men have shown a knack of handling the load offensively when the outside shots will not drop.  The Heels still are struggling from the perimeter, shooting 3 of 9 from three point range versus Wake (although a perfect 3 of 3 in the second half).  However, netting 65.3% of its 2-point field goals for the entire contest is a staggering mark for Carolina and even more impressive of a showing on the road in an ACC game.

Entering the game, Coach Roy Williams knew he was lacking the depth in the backcourt due to recent injuries to Joel Berry, Stillman White, and Luke Davis.  He would need Marcus Paige, Nate Britt, and Theo Pinson to deliver some pivotal minutes.  And when Pinson left the game with 7:50 to go in the first half with a bruised foot, it was even more crucial that Paige eat up more minutes. Paige, fighting through plantar fasciitis for weeks now, did not have the best shooting game that he or his coaches would have liked, but he was able to aid the offensive flow by dishing out eight assists to go with his 12 points.  With those eight assists, Paige has 19 dimes in his last three games.

Not only did the Heels miss quite a bit of depth in the backcourt, but foul trouble to Meeks, Paige, and J.P. Tokoto led to Coach Williams pulling out a new wrinkle defensively that we do not usually see for a great length of time.  But, Williams ran the 2-3 zone for most of the second half to keep his guys out of foul trouble and it worked pretty darn good.  Wake hit a couple of threes against the zone but, overall, Carolina buckled down and thwarted any sort of offensive momentum builders from the Demon Deacons.  Paige, Johnson, and Meeks talked to reporters after the game in the video below.

Miller-McIntyre was the greatest source of offense for the Deacs.  Wake's leading scorer finished with 20 points and six rebounds while Devin Thomas attained his third consecutive double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds.  Carolina focused on stopping Thomas and, for the most part, the Heels accomplished that mission.  Thomas had been averaging 19.5 points/game in conference play until the Carolina game.

"(Thomas) is the guy that we try to concentrate on," Coach Williams said.  "You're supposed to try to emphasize cutting back on the advantages that their best scorer has.  So we tried, but we were fortunate that he missed a couple of easy ones too."

In his first year at Wake Forest, Greensboro, NC native and NCAA champion Danny Manning (won a title as a player with Kansas in 1988) has turned around the thinking and the playing style of the Demon Deacons.  With close losses to Dook and Louisville at home, Wake seemed to be primed for the upset Wednesday night.  But, with an inability to stop Carolina's big men from scoring and failure to gain that extra energy on its home court, WFU may have regressed a bit in this game.  The Deacs were beaten thoroughly in the paint where they had not given up more than 40 points to an opponent all season long, only to give up 50 to the Heels.  Manning knows his team has a lot more growing to do and it will first start with fundamentals.

"We have to do a much better job of guarding and that's not just post players, that's everybody," Manning exclaimed.  "There isn't a science to it.  Guard your damn man."

Frustration abounds for Wake as the loss puts the team from Winston-Salem at 1-5 in conference play and searching for a signature win.  As for the Heels, a 5-1 start in the ACC is the sixth time the Heels have had such a good start during the Roy Williams era.  And, it's only the second time in the Williams era that the Heels have started 5-1 with three of the victories coming on the road.  Carolina has won 9 of its last 10 games since losing to Kentucky in early December, and its only loss during this stretch was by one to now-#8 Notre Dame.  The win over Wake was Roy Williams' 150th combined ACC regular season and ACC Tournament win moving him to fifth in ACC history in that category.


Next Game:     #15 North Carolina (15-4, 5-1 ACC)
                                                 vs
                         Florida State Seminoles (10-9, 2-4 ACC)

Date/Time:      Saturday, January 24, 2015 @ 2:00pm EST
Location:         Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV/Radio:       ESPN or ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Network

#15 Tar Heels Slide West on I-40 to Visit the Demon Deacons

Matchup:     #15 North Carolina (14-4, 4-1 ACC)
                                               vs
                     Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9-9, 1-4 ACC)

Date/Time:  Wednesday, January 21, 2015 @ 7:00pm EST
Location:     Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, NC
TV/Radio:   ESPN2 or ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Network


#15 North Carolina looks to continue its winning ways on Wednesday night in Winston-Salem as Carolina faces off with the Demon Deacons for the only time this season.  The Tar Heels, behind their best ACC start (4-1) in three years, are searching for their fourth conference win in a row and definitely hoping to shake off the sloppy performance of the victory over Virginia Tech Sunday evening.  Wake Forest (9-9, 1-4 ACC) has battled tough all year long under the guidance of first-year coach and NCAA Champion Danny Manning, but the Black & Gold does not have much to show for it in the win column.  The Deacs played Dook, Louisville, State, and Syracuse wire-to-wire only to come up short in all those games.  Holding a 1-4 ACC record (only win was versus lowly Georgia Tech) and having not played since January 13th, Wake Forest figures to bring all its high-octane energy inside Lawrence Joel versus the Tar Heels as it desperately longs for a signature win.

Carolina (14-4, 4-1 ACC) has won its first two conference road games (vs Clemson and NC State) and would love to move that record to 3-0 with a solid win over the Deacs.  It has been awhile since the Heels have tallied a record such as that this early in conference play.  In fact, the last time it happened was during the 2007-2008 Final Four season with the likes of Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, and Wayne Ellington.  Even with the success in ACC action so far, UNC Head Coach Roy Williams believes the team "regressed" in its 68-53 win over the Hokies.  Williams was extremely ticked off with the lackluster effort in controlling possessions as the Heels reverted back to early season turnover woes by coughing the rock up 17 times.  Roy pointed to his team's lack of practice as the catalyst for the careless basketball shown on the court in that VA Tech game.

"I've never worked a team as lightly as this year," Williams said during an interview following the game versus the Hokies.

In order to prepare for a stiff road challenge in Winston-Salem, Coach Williams knew his team needed a swift kick in the butt.  That is why he planned a brutal Monday night practice for the guys to send a message that uninspired play will not be tolerated and it is especially not the type of basketball that North Carolina wants to engage in.  Hopefully, the vigorous practices and workouts tuned the Carolina squad back in and will lead to more crisp and sound offensive production on the court Wednesday night against the Demon Deacons and beyond.

One player that fared much better on the offensive end last time out was freshman standout Justin Jackson.  The 6'8" swingman from Tomball, Texas delivered an outstanding showing versus the Hokies with 16 points, seven rebounds, and four assists and extended his good play as of late.  The Heels would love for Jackson to become that consistent cog in the machine that produces double-digit points and solid minutes each and every game.  Coach Williams does not believe it is asking too much of Jackson to be that guy this early in his career and, as a matter of fact, Roy is awaiting that true, Grade A breakout game that JJ was close to generating Sunday night.

"Just a little bit more effort, a little bit more strength, and he could have had an even better game," Roy said of Jackson.  "He was really close to a big-time game."

The other Carolina stars must shine bright tonight, as well.  Marcus Paige, still dealing with a rough case of plantar fasciitis, will have to once again carry the minutes along with Nate Britt in the backcourt.  Joel Berry II will be out for another two weeks recovering from a groin injury that has kept him out of the last two contest.  Stillman White is three weeks away from returning and Luke Davis is probably done for the season.  Paige must find a way to battle through his annoying injury and lift the Heels on the perimeter.  After an incredible performance at NC State, Paige only scored eight points on 3 of 10 shooting versus the Hokies.  Carolina will look to its top scorer (13.6 ppg) for immediate results in a demanding road conference game.

As has been well-documented, Carolina has destroyed most of their opponents on the backboards, especially offensive rebounding.  Tonight, versus the Demon Deacons, the Heels go into the game with only a slight advantage in total rebounds (Carolina averages 44.3 reb/game and WFU snags 40.1 boards/game); however, UNC gets the slight nod by averaging 16.5 offensive reb/gm to WFU's 12.4 per game.  Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson both amass more than 7.4 rebounds/game for the Heels and it is imperative to control the glass against the Deacs.  That will be no small task, though, as Wake Forest is led by junior big man Devin Thomas down in the paint.  Thomas has owned the glass so far this year, pulling down 9.7 rebounds per game for the Deacs and collecting seven double doubles along the way.  He is no slouch downlow and does not shy away from contact as he averages 6.2 free throw attempts a game.  The Carolina frontcourt will have its hands full boxing out Mr. Thomas and keeping him from winning the rebounding battle of the bigs.

Wake Forest relies so heavily on its rebounding because the Demon Deacons have really not performed well offensively.  Thomas and Codi Miller-McIntyre provide most of the point production as they both average double figures (Miller McIntyre leads the way with 13.3 pts/gm and Thomas is a close second with 12.9 pts/game).  Miller-McIntyre is coming off an excellent game of 24 points, six rebounds, and six assists in the overtime loss to Syracuse last Tuesday.  Off the bench, Dinos Mitoglou has contributed significantly averaging 8.6 pts/game including a remarkable career-best game against Syracuse.  The Heels will need to bring a strong bench effort versus the Demon Deacons, because WFU has been known to have an advantage in bench scoring.  For example, against the Orange, Wake's bench outscored Syracuse 31-3.  Isaiah Hicks, Britt, and Theo Pinson will need to turn it up a notch on both ends of the court to completely take Wake's bench production out of the game.

Overall this year, WFU has had its problems putting the ball in the basket.  Based on KenPom's statistics, Wake is ranked 158th nationally in offensive efficiency (average amount of points scored by the team per shot taken, including missed field goals as well as free throws) and ranks sub-150 nationally in 2-point and 3-point field goal percentage.  Speaking of free throws, The Deacs get to the free throw line an average of 26 times a game, but they are only making 64.5% of those free throws (16.7 makes a game).  What is even worse is that their leading scorers, Miller-McIntyre and Thomas, average sub-60% free throw percentages.  Not a good sign for WFU.  If the game gets tight late against the Heels, free throws could have a major impact on the way things play out.  All five of Carolina's starters average above 63% from the line with Jackson connecting on 78.9% and Paige shooting 81.4%.  Britt leads the team with a 92.3% free throw percentage and has only missed three free throws in his career during ACC play.

Coach Williams has cringed a good chunk of the season when Carolina turns the ball over at a high rate (12.9 turnovers/game) but not as much cringing as Coach Manning has done in WFU's games.  The Deacs have turned the ball over on average 14.7 times a game.  For both UNC and Wake Forest, cutting their own turnovers down into the single digits could definitely be the key to coming away the victor Wednesday night.

Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum has been a conundrum for the Heels since its opening.  The Heels are only 12-10 historically in the facility.  Remember, Wake beat Carolina 73-67 last year in Winston-Salem and the 2005 and 2009 UNC National Championship teams both lost there, as well.  Carolina leads the all-time series by a 156-66 margin and have won 9 of the last 12 contests.  The 156 wins over Wake is the most wins UNC has against any opponent.  Wake is 7-5 at home this season (1-2 at home in ACC games).  Coach Williams is 12-6 as coach versus the Demon Deacons (10-5 at Carolina, 2-1 as head coach of Kansas).

Heels Stay Put at #15 in this week's AP Top 25; Kentucky and UVA Remain Undefeated #1 & #2

Week 11 Rankings have been released and here is the rundown:

AP Top 25

ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

The latest polls are in and Carolina stays put in the #15 slot according to the AP Top 25.  Last week, Carolina hung on for a tough road win Wednesday night against NC State, 81-79, and then defeated VA Tech 68-53 in a very sloppy game Sunday evening.  This week Carolina will go on the road to play in-state rival Wake Forest on Wed 1/21, who is playing much better basketball under the reins of new head coach Danny Manning and then the Heels will welcome the Seminoles of Florida State to Chapel Hill on Sat 1/24.

ACC teams in this week's poll are:

#2    Virginia  (17-0)
#5    Dook  (15-2)
#8    Notre Dame (17-2)
#10  Louisville  (15-3)
#15  UNC (14-4)

Kentucky and UVA remain the only undefeated teams in Division I basketball and are ranked #1 & #2, respectively.  With Kansas, Utah, and Louisville losing games last week, the Top 10 has shaken up a bit.  Notre Dame and Iowa State are new to the Top 10 as they kicked Kansas and Utah out.  Villanova and Dook flip-flopped spots due to Dook's loss to Miami (FL) early last week.  The Top 10 in order are Kentucky, Virginia, Gonzaga, Villanova, Dook, Wisconsin, Arizona, Notre Dame, Iowa State, Louisville.

Three Out
Arkansas (was #19)
Oklahoma St. (was #24)
Wyoming (was #25)

Three In
#22  Dayton
#23  Indiana
#25  Iowa

Miami (FL) was the only other ACC team that received votes (41), but not enough to make it into the Top 25 this week.

#15 UNC Edges Rival NC State 81-79, Paige Comes Up Big in Raleigh (Again)

Marcus Paige delivered once again for #15 North Carolina, scoring a season-high 23 points and dishing out nine assists, leading the Heels to a nail-biting road victory over its long-time rival NC State, 81-79.  After pushing the lead to double-digits midway through the second half, Carolina (13-4, 3-1 ACC) shook off an intense Wolfpack comeback in the waning moments to squeak by and secure another win over its familiar foes from Raleigh.  Paige placed the Heels on his back down the stretch, hitting big-time shots from the perimeter, finding open teammates for easy baskets, and diving on loose balls in a crowd of giants.  NC State (12-6, 3-2 ACC) turned up the heat in the PNC Arena late in the game, battling and clawing its way to within a point of Carolina on two different occasions.  Nonetheless, it was North Carolina's ability to make foul shots that finally sealed the deal and gave UNC its 23rd win over State in the last 25 meetings, remarkably all under Head Coach Roy Williams.

Paige logged 36 minutes, his most of the season, on a night where he was still dealing with his plantar fasciitis issue and the fact that the Heels were limited on the bench by Joel Berry II's absence due to a groin injury.  But, the heart of this southpaw would not let the pain deter him as he continued his spectacular play against the Wolfpack.

"Sometimes when people go down, you gotta step up," said Paige after the game.  "I really didn't want to come out in the second half.  And I felt good despite my foot and stuff.  I just wanted to play through it."

And, boy, did the Carolina Captain play!!

Marcus calmly drained five of five threes, with 15 of his 23 points coming in the second half.  Another statistic that raises the eyebrows is his nine assists (another season-high) to zero turnovers.  In his last two trips to the state's capital, Paige has tallied 58 points against NC State.  You have to admit, Paige loves playing in Raleigh.

Coach Williams opened his post-game press conference by saying, "I love the Smith Center, but I think Marcus is ready for me to see if we can rent this place.  He was sensational."  Roy praised Paige stating, "He's just been so effective for us in every phase of the game.   He's the leader out there...There's nothing in the game that he doesn't do very well."

Nate Britt sank the two biggest free throws with 3.1 seconds to go when the lead was at one and Paige tightened the Tar Heel grip by making two free throws with one second left.  Coach Williams installed an outstanding strategy in the final seconds with a three-point lead, choosing to foul the Pack before they had a chance to shoot the ball.  This, in turn, kept Carolina just out of arms reach and helped hold the Tar Heel lead.  NC State had one last chance at tying the game, though, as Abdul-Malik Abu was fouled on a full-court inbounds pass with 0.2 seconds remaining.  Abu made the first free throw pulling State to within a basket of the lead.  Abu intentionally missed the second and Carolina, as it had done all game, missed the box out and allowed freshman Cody Martin to get his fingers to the ball in the lane and attempt a tip-in.  However, the ball faded left on the tip and the horn sounded giving Carolina its second road win in the conference so far this season.

Kennedy Meeks used his mighty frame downlow on the offensive end to carve out space in the paint en route to adding 15 points and 10 rebounds to the UNC win.  Isaiah Hicks contributed a season-high impressive performance of 12 points and Brice Johnson netted 10 before he fouled out with just over five minutes to play.  Carolina's offensive prowess in the paint was another huge reason the Heels walked off the court victors Wednesday night.  With Meeks' strong, aggressive moves and Johnson and Hicks quick cuts to the rim, UNC ruled the rim on offense, outscoring the Wolfpack in the paint 38-24.  Carolina post players managed to balance out the Tar Heel offensive attack to where the "inside out" gameplan worked terrifically.

When asked if this was the best "inside out" performance to date by the Heels, Coach Williams responded, "I have a tough time remembering what I had for breakfast today right now.  I'd have to evaluate that on film, but you shoot 56 percent and you ought to feel pretty good."

Backed by Paige's superstar performance and post play dominance, the Heels were superbly efficient shooting the rock.  Carolina shot 55.6% for the game (30 for 54) and was over 50% in both halves for only the second time this season (vs. ECU the other).  The Heels scorched the nets in the first half shooting a blistering 58.3% from the floor, it's best output in a half so far this year, but only held a six-point advantage going into the break.  NC State had used extra effort, determination, and willpower to stay in this game during the first half.  The Wolfpack weren't making shots, but they sure were rebounding those misses.  NC State shot 11 for 33 (33%) in the first half but, time and time again, would grab the offensive board due to Carolina's inability to box out.State's leading scorer.  On one possession, State had five offensive rebounds to continue its possession which finally led to a basket.  In the game, State outrebounded the Heels 37-33 but it was on the offensive glass that State showed its grittiness beating the Heels 18-9 in that category.  Moving forward, Carolina must give more attention to its positioning for defensive rebounds, use fundamentals, and box out the offensive players who are attacking the rim.  Too many times, NC State kept a possession alive for a score when Carolina could have boxed out and secured a defensive rebound that would have probably given the Heels a larger lead at the half and end of the game.

One thing that worked wonders for the Heels was the defensive effort J.P. Tokoto put on State's leading scorer, Trevor Lacey.  Tokoto hawked Lacey on every single Wolfpack possession, seriously unnerving Lacey into a pretty awful first half of only two points.  Yes, Lacey was able to find his way to the foul line late in the game and was a perfect 10 for 10.  However, from the field (where Lacey has been hot lately), the State sharpshooter was only able to make 4 of 13 from the field and just 1 for 6 from 3-point land.  Credit Tokoto for using his height, length, and quickness to stay in front of Lacey and harass him throughout the contest.  Carolina also exhibited tremendous defense on State's point guard, Anthony "Cat" Barber, not allowing the speedster to dribble penetrate as he has often done to opponents this season.  Barber finished with just five points (well below his double-digit average) and four turnovers.  With Lacey's offense stymied, State looked to Ralston Turner for its point production.  Turner finished with 20 points on 7 of 17 shooting (5 of 14 from 3). The swingman started hot for the Pack, having a decent first half with eight points.  But, his foul trouble would land him on the State bench and, in effect, give UNC an advantage on the floor that ticked the Carolina lead to double-digits deep into the second half.

With Turner off the floor midway through the second half and Lacey struggling from the field, State went inside and had a couple of bad turnovers that immediately turned into two baskets and two free throws (the old-school 3-point plays) that pushed a six-point lead to 12, just like that.

J.P. Tokoto Steals, Goes Coast-to-Coast for the And-1 vs. NC State

The margin of score stayed pretty consistent from there as both teams traded baskets back and forth up until the 4-minute mark when State found its rhythm.  By this time, Turner had returned to the court and fueled the fire for the Wolfpack when he splashed a three from the corner and was fouled (he converted the free throw for the four-point play).  Sophomore Kyle Washington also contributed points from the outside and in the paint.  Washington finished with 17 points, hitting left-handed hooks, jumpshots, and even one from deep.  His energy permeated throughout the team and the PNC Arena, bringing State fans to their feet in a frenzy.  State's level of play from its stars turned up another notch and the Wolfpack seemed poised for the comeback win.

But, Carolina, would have none of that on this night as the Heels withstood the pressure and coolly made its very important free throws down the stretch.

This was Carolina's 17th win in 18 contests over NC State in this long-storied rivalry.  UNC is 12-4 when playing the Pack in the PNC Arena and has dominated the series over the last four decades going 58-20 since 1980.

Official Box Score: UNC 81 - NC State 79


Next Game:     #15 North Carolina (13-4, 3-1 ACC)
                                                 vs
                         Virginia Tech Hokies (8-8, 0-3 ACC)

Date/Time:      Sunday, January 18, 2015 @ 6:30pm EST
Location:         Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV/Radio:       ESPNU / Tar Heel Sports Network

Familiar Foes Clash for the 227th Time as #18 UNC Visits Rival NC State

Matchup:     #18 North Carolina (12-4, 2-1 ACC)
                                             vs
                     NC State Wolfpack (12-5, 3-1 ACC)

Date/Time:  Wednesday, January 14, 2015 @ 7:00pm EST
Location:     PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC
TV/Radio:   ESPN2 or ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Network


Tobacco Road was an icy one this morning, but #18 North Carolina and NC State will heat that baby up tonight.  In the 227th meeting of this intense rivalry and storied tradition, both teams come into the game riding high after its most recent victory.  Carolina erased a 13-point deficit Saturday afternoon in its upset of #5 Louisville 72-71 in the Dean E. Smith Center and the Wolfpack stunned the Dookies 87-75 Sunday night behind an incredible 55% FG shooting effort (including 10 of 16 from 3-pt range).  NC State finds itself up against another area code rival as it finishes off a tough three-game stretch versus ranked opponents (Virginia, Dook, and UNC) and tries to build upon its 3-1 start in ACC play.  The Tar Heels are seeking their seventh win in eight games and second straight road win in the conference.

Carolina (12-4, 2-1 ACC) enters enemy territory this evening a year after Marcus Paige and TJ Warren went back and forth in the PNC Arena all night until Paige and the Heels prevailed 85-84 in overtime.  Paige scored 35 points and Warren poured in 36 in a rousing game that defined what this rivalry is all about...players making plays.  Warren entered the NBA Draft after last season, so NC State has had to learn to rely on a different bag of tricks.  This season, Coach Mark Gottfried, has slowly begun to put the pieces together and the Wolfpack are playing its best ball of the year.  Led in scoring by junior Alabama-transfer, Trevor Lacey (16.9 ppg -4th in ACC), State may have found the offensive spark that they need moving forward.  Lacey used a 21-point and five 3's performance to end the Blue Devils undefeated streak.  However, NC State is not a one-man team at all.  Just like Carolina, the Pack can find points from multiple players down the roster.  Senior shooting guard Ralston Turner owns a double-digit scoring average (13.3 ppg) and he nailed four three-pointers versus Dook Sunday night in Raleigh.  Lacey and Turner serve as another dynamic duo on the perimeter, both players shooting over 41.7% from long-distance, that could give Carolina's perimeter defense fits.

"If you watched that game (Sunday) and didn't think they are a really good basketball team, then you're watching a different sport than I am," said UNC Coach Roy Williams during his Monday radio show.  "That's part of their game.  What they did defensively may have been more impressive than making 10 out of 16."

The Tar Heels remember the painful Notre Dame game last week in which the Irish drained 10 3-pointers, so there is no doubt that Roy Williams and the UNC coaching staff hves preached perimeter defense over and over the last couple of days.  Carolina did a much better job late against Louisville, defending the guards aggressively and not giving an inch of space.  Louisville, however, did not bring in a great long-range shooting team as Notre Dame did and the one that NC State will bring to the table Wednesday night.  Paige, Nate Britt, Theo Pinson, and J.P. Tokoto will need to bring a stellar defensive effort to the court against the Wolfpack perimeter shooters and limit that particular part of State's arsenal. Even though the Irish did hit 10 3's against the Heels, they shot a combined 10 of 23 and opponents this season are shooting a measly 26.4% from behind the arc.  That type of effort will be needed against State's sharpshooters.

Besides NC State's three-man perimeter attack, another place where the Wolfpack succeed is defending the low post by way of the blocked shot.  The Wolfpack do an incredible job of swatting shots, blocking a eye-popping 16% of its opponents 2-point attempts, an impressive 6.3 blocks per game.  Going up against Carolina big men Kennedy Meeks, Brice Johnson, and Joel James is no easy task.  The Tar Heels have shown throughout the season that they can get the job done in the paint time and time again.  Standing in Carolina's way tonight will be BeeJay Anya (slimmed down this year just like Meeks) who is tallying 3.1 blocks per outing in less than 20 minutes of play a game.  His teammate Kyle Washington is Anya's partner in crime downlow, not as efficient blocking shots as Anya but pretty daggone good in his own right.  The key for Carolina in the paint tonight is to be strong with the basketball and take it right to the chests of the State defenders.  Meeks has not shown the lift in his jump recently, so look for Kennedy to utilize more fundamentals and try to get the defenders off-balance and maybe in foul trouble since Meeks is starting to shoot free throws much better (68.7% on the season).  Many critics have spoken early in the season about Brice Johnson's tendency to go soft if he misses his first shot of the game.  Look for the Heels to try to get Brice an easy one, maybe an alley-oop as in the Louisville game, to jump-start his energy and effectiveness.

One way the Heels can counteract State's shot-blocking efforts is to continue its dominance on the offensive rebounding front.  Carolina has controlled the offensive boards all season long, averaging 17 offensive boards a game.  Usually, in order to block a shot, State will have to bring someone from the far side into the picture to attempt a block.  This would leave Carolina open and in position for an easy offensive rebound and put-back.  Crashing the boards and remaining physically tough when boxing out will go a long way in helping the Heels pick up a road victory this evening and it would eliminate any advantage the Wolfpack has coming in in the blocked shot category.

Pesky speed demon, Anthony "Cat" Barber, is NC State's third leading scorer (11.4 ppg) and the team's top assist man at 3.6/game.  Perimeter defense has been on the rise for the Tar Heels and, besides defending the three-point shot, Carolina must also keep Barber in front of them and not allow him to scoop to the hoop and open up jumpers for his teammates.  Paige, Britt, and Berry will have a tough task slowing down the "Cat", but it is imperative to slow down the State point guard because Gottfried's team feeds off of his energy in running the show.

Paige joked to his teammates after hitting the game-winning layup versus Louisville that he was "back."  The junior sensation has been known so far in his college career to get up for big, rivalry games.  Last year's 35 point performance in Raleigh was a prime example.  Look for Paige to break out in a big way tonight and contribute on both ends of the floor.  State is holding opponents to 31% from 3-point land and Paige leads the Heels in 3-pt average with 35.2% makes per game.  Paige has been suffering from plantar fasciitis over the past week so driving to the basket may be somewhat limited.  Nailing a few 3's early would do a lot to heal the Carolina 3-point shooting woes of late and could quite possibly open up lanes to the basket for the perimeter players to attack.  Britt has been shooting great as of late, knocking down two big 3's against Louisville and leading the Heels with a 91.4% free-throw percentage.  Successful Carolina perimeter offense is definitely needed to combat the inside presence of NC State, but to also keep State from packing the paint which could create space for dribble penetration from the Heels.

Carolina leads the all-time series over the Wolfpack, 150-76 and have won three in a row in the series.  The Heels have won 16 of the last 17, 22 of the last 24, and 39 of their last 48 games against NC State.  Carolina's record all-time against NC State in Raleigh is 59-45, holding a 11-4 mark over the Pack in PNC Arena.  As mentioned earlier, Carolina won its only other road ACC game this year, against Clemson, and Roy Williams looks to continue those winning ways as he has an ACC road winning percentage of .649 (second best in ACC history behind Vic Bubas of Dook who had .667 percentage from 1960-69).

UNC Leaps 3 spots to #15; Kentucky Still #1 But No Longer Unanimous Choice

Week 10 Rankings have been released and here is the rundown:

AP Top 25

ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

The latest polls are in and Carolina jumps up three spots to #15 in the AP Top 25.  Last week, Carolina lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame 71-70 but then bounced back with a hard-fought comeback upset win over #5 Louisville,72-71.  This week Carolina will go on the road to play in-state rival NC State on Wed 1/14, who is fresh off its upset win over Dook and then the Heels will welcome the Hokies of VA Tech to Chapel Hill on Sun 1/18

ACC teams in this week's poll are:

#2    Virginia  (15-0)
#4    Dook  (14-1)
#6    Louisville  (14-2)
#12  Notre Dame (15-2)
#15  UNC (12-4)

Kentucky remains the #1-ranked team; however, the Wildcats are no longer the unanimous #1 choice.  UVA received two votes for the #1 slot as Kentucky had its hands full this week with very close wins over unranked Ole Miss and Texas A&M and UVA polished off NC State and #12 Notre Dame.  Five Top 10 teams lost this week which scrambled up the top portion of the rankings.  Dook, Louisville, Wisconsin, and Arizona all lost  but remained in the Top 10 as Gonzaga soared above them all.  The Top 10 in order are Kentucky, Virginia, Gonzaga, Dook, Villanova, Louisville, Wisconsin, Utah, Kansas, Arizona.

Three Out
Ohio State (was #22)
St. John's (was #24)
Old Dominion (was #25)

Three In
#23  Northern Iowa
#24  Oklahoma St.
#25  Wyoming

ACC teams that received votes, but not enough to make it into the Top 25 were NC State (6) and Syracuse (3).  State upset Dook on Sunday and Syracuse had a very solid week.

Paige's Layup Lifts UNC to 72-71 Upset Win over #5 Louisville

23.8 seconds remaining, down one to the #5 team in the nation, in front of a raucous home crowd, Carolina surprised no one by placing the ball in the hands of its leader.  That's when the magic happened.  Marcus Paige curled around the left edge of the defender, cupped the ball between his fingers and wrist, and scooped a left-handed shot high off the backboard that went through the hoop with 8.5 seconds left giving the Heels a 72-71 lead sending the Dean Dome and Tar Heel Nation into a celebratory, uncontrollable frenzy.

After Louisville misfired on its two final shots during the frantic ending to the game, Carolina and its fans exhaled in relief and excitement of coming out victors in a game versus an extremely well-coached, top notch program.  Paige's game-winner capped a gritty, impressive comeback for the Heels that trailed by as many as 13 with 8 1/2 minutes to go in the game.  Yes, Paige only scored 10 points and hit just 2 of 7 from long-range, but it was his intestinal fortitude, fighting spirit, and will to succeed that brought him through a turned ankle and plantar fasciitis to become the hero in a crucial game for the Heels early in ACC play.

"That's what I love, that's my favorite part of the game," Paige said with a smile after the game.  "I wanted to be out there and help, and I was able to." Paige continued with his response to critics, "I know I haven't been playing the way I'm capable of playing, you guys know that, it's pretty well documented at this point.  and I need to play better...But my teammates still have a lot of confidence in me and I still have a lot of confidence in myself."

Carolina (12-4, 2-1 ACC) found itself up against a wall halfway through the second half as the Cardinals (14-2, 2-1 ACC) had jumped out quickly from a 34-34 halftime tie to completely take the game over and build a double-digit lead.  Louisville converted off three early Tar Heel turnovers behind Terry Rozier's outstanding performance (25 points, 5 assists, 5 rebounds) and, suddenly, the Heels were facing a hard up-hill battle.  But, the Heels would only turn the ball over one more time in the game and that's when UNC head coach Roy Williams implemented a few defensive changes that would change the tempo of the game and slowly, but surely, bring the Heels back.  The Heels started to bring the heat on defense by running a fierce half-court trap that forced Louisville to turn it over a number of times in the final minutes.  Carolina would start to light it up on the offensive end, as a late surge would push Carolina to a 51.7% field goal percentage in the second stanza.  J.P. Tokoto nailed a couple of tough jumpers and freshman Joel Berry II drilled an outside trey that brought Carolina within striking distance.  Williams sent in Desmond Hubert after a timeout with around three minutes to play, and, boy, did Desmond respond.  He stopped Louisville's Preseason All-American Montrezl Harrell in the lane with his length and defensive aggressiveness and helped serve as the primer to Paige's heroics.  Carolina continued to buckle down on defense in the final possessions and the Cardinals' lead simply evaporated.

The Heels dominated once again on the boards, winning the rebounding battle 40-30 overall and 17-9 on the offensive glass.  Carolina converted 17 points off of those rebounds and was much more active in the paint.  UNC found double-digit scoring from Kennedy Meeks (13), Tokoto (10), Paige (10), and Brice Johnson placed bookends on his double-double effort of 11 points, 11 rebounds opening it with two gigantic alley-oop jams...

...and closing it by putting Carolina in front at 70-69 with his jump-hook in the lane.  Louisville quickly responded when Rozier drained a baseline jumper at the other end forcing the Heels to call timeout and setting the stage for Paige.

Rozier and Chris Jones provided the offense for the Cardinals with Jones adding 19 points.  However, UNC defended Louisville's top star, Harrell, and limited him to a disappointing 9 point, 5 rebound output.  Even with Rozier and Jones clicking on all cylinders, there just was not any contribution from the Cardinal bench.  In the most telling statistical takeaway from this game, UNC outscored the Louisvile bench 20-0 and, yes, you read it right, Twenty to zip!

Let me recap the UNC bench performances...Nate Britt helped out the perimeter offensive numbers by connecting on two big three-point shots and Isaiah Hicks brought the power inside by using his strength to muscle up a few rebounded shots in the lane.  Joel Berry II hit a tremendously huge three down the stretch and Joel James contributed an important three points when he was fouled and made a basket early in the second half.  Louisville's bench only played 30 minutes compared to the 71 minutes played by the Heels' reserves.  Carolina used its bench to fatigue the Cardinals and over the last 7 minutes or so, it was evident Louisville's energy had become much more stagnant.  A credit to the bench and the UNC coaching staff for utilizing substitutions perfectly, running down the Cardinals and giving the Heels every chance it needed to finish the comeback in winning fashion.

Louisville has now lost its only two games in Chapel Hill, the other in December 1998, and Carolina goes to 4-2 over ranked opponents this season.  After its 71-70 defeat to Notre Dame on Monday, Carolina had back-to-back one-point games for the first time since the 1981 ACC Tournament.  Fellow Naismith Hall of Famers Roy Williams and Rick Pitino entered the game with a combined 1,445 wins and surely the two coaches will have many more battles to come as the Cardinals are now an official member of the Atlantic Coast Conference,  Carolina is now 6-0 over a Rick Pitino-coached team (3-0 vs Kentucky, 3-0 vs Louisville) and Roy Williams holds a 4-1 advantage over Pitino (3-0 as UNC Head Coach).


Next Game:     #18 North Carolina (12-4, 2-1 ACC)
                                                vs
                         N.C. State Wolfpack (12-5, 3-1 ACC)

Date/Time:      Wednesday, January 11, 2015 @ 7:00pm EST
Location:         PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC
TV/Radio:       ESPN2 or ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Network

Last Year: UNC All-Access vs Louisville...Getting You Ready for Tomorrow vs the Cards

Tomorrow's big game versus #5 Louisville is on the Horizon...let's take a look back at last season's victory over the third-ranked Cardinals 93-84...

GO HEELS!!!