Men's Basketball To Welcome Paladins On Tuesday Night

Tuesday, December 14

Chapel Hill

7 PM

North Carolina

Furman

Tickets

Armando Bacot

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

December 13, 2021 | Men's Basketball

Watch Live Stats UNC Notes Furman Notes Media Center Tickets Digital Program

GAME 10
• Carolina hosts Furman on Tuesday, December 14, at 7 p.m. at the Smith Center. ESPN2 will televise.
• The Tar Heels are 7-2 overall, 1-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• UNC has won its last four games, allowing an average of 57.3 points in that stretch.
• The Tar Heels are coming off an 80-63 home win over Elon on Saturday. The Phoenix were the fourth straight opponent to score 63 or fewer points. That's the first time UNC has accomplished that defensively since the first four games in 2012-13.
• Following the Furman game, the Tar Heels conclude the non-conference portion of the regular season with games against No. 4 UCLA in Las Vegas in the CBS Sports Classic on December 18 and a week from tonight (Dec. 21) at home vs. Appalachian State.
• After Christmas, Carolina returns to action on the 29th at home vs. Virginia Tech. That begins a 19-game stretch of games through the end of the regular season against only ACC competition.
• The Paladins are 7-3 after defeating Appalachian State, 73-65, on December 10.
• Carolina and Furman have one common opponent to date – the Tar Heels won, 94-83, at the College of Charleston on November 16, while the Paladins beat the Cougars, 91-88, in overtime in Greenville on December 3.
• Furman has already played four overtime games, including a double overtime win at High Point. The Paladins are 3-1 in OT games thus far this season.
• The Tar Heels are 5-0 at home this season and 442-81 all-time in the Smith Center. That includes a 216-18 record against non-ACC teams.
• The Tar Heels have won their last four games and are 31st in KenPom. Carolina is sixth in the country in three-point percentage, 13th in offensive efficiency and 26th in effective field goal percentage.
• The 79-62 win at Georgia Tech was No. 2,300 in Carolina history. UNC is the third team in college basketball history with 2,300 wins (with Kentucky and Kansas).
• The Tar Heels shot their lowest field goal and three-point percentages of the season, but got 22 points from both Caleb Love and Dawson Garcia, won the rebounding battle by 24 and made 27 of 35 from the free throw line in the 80-63 win over Elon.
• Carolina shot 29.4 percent from the floor in the first half but still built an eight-point lead at the break behind 13 of 14 conversions from the free throw line and a combined 20 points by Love (11) and Garcia (9).
• Carolina then shot 52.0 percent from the floor in the second half, the third straight game the Tar Heels made more than half of their shots in the second half.

CAROLINA ALL-TIME VS. FURMAN
• Carolina is 23-2 against Furman, although the teams have not played in men's basketball since Dec. 22, 1986, in Charlotte.
• Dave Popson led the Tar Heels with 16 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals in the most recent game between the schools. Kenny Smith and Ranzino Smith added 14 apiece. Current UNC assistant coach Jeff Lebo had nine points and two assists.
• The previous 14 games between the schools were played in Charlotte, 12 of them coming in the North-South Doubleheader.
• Carolina is 7-0 against Furman in Chapel Hill. This is the first time the teams are playing in Chapel Hill since Jan. 8, 1972.
• The Tar Heels were 2-0 against Furman in the Indoor Athletic Center, 4-0 in Woollen Gym and 1-0 in Carmichael Auditorium.
• Furman's two victories over the Tar Heels came in 1977-78 and 1978-79. The Paladins were led by head coach Eddie Holbrook, whose son, Chad, played baseball for the Tar Heels from 1990-93 and later served as an assistant coach at Carolina for 15 seasons. Chad is in his fifth season as head coach at the College of Charleston.

NOTABLE
• The Tar Heels are averaging 81.1 points in the first nine games, their highest average since scoring 85.8 per game in 2018-19. Carolina has averaged 80 or more points 21 times since the shot clock era began in 1985-86.
• The wins over UNC Asheville and Michigan marked the first time since December 2006 the Tar Heels held the opponents to 53 or fewer points in consecutive games.
• Caleb Love is sixth in the ACC in assists and eighth in scoring and three-point field goals. The sophomore guard leads UNC in scoring (16.9 ppg) and assists and has more assists than turnovers in eight of the first nine games.
• Love has made 19 three-pointers in the first nine games. Last year as a freshman, Love made his 19th three in the Tar Heels' 18th game.
• Armando Bacot is second in the ACC in field goal percentage (.624), third in rebounding (9.6) and fifth in blocks (16).
• Sophomore guard RJ Davis is tied for the team lead with 19 three-pointers. He is fourth in the ACC in three-point accuracy, converting 48.7 percent from beyond the arc (19 of 39).
• Five Tar Heels are averaging double figures in scoring this season. The last time five Tar Heels averaged 10 or more points was 2017-18.
• Five different Tar Heels also have scored 20 or more points in a game this season. Caleb Love has four 22-point games, Armando Bacot has three 20-point games, and Brady Manek, RJ Davis and Dawson Garcia each have two.
• Tar Heels have scored 20 or more points 13 times in nine games, including four games in which two players scored 20 or more (Loyola, Brown, Charleston and Elon). Last season, UNC had only seven 20-point performances in 29 games. Freshman Day'Ron Sharpe became the first Tar Heel to score 20 or more when he had 25 against Notre Dame in the season's 10th game. UNC did not have any games last season when two players scored 20 or more points.
• Love has scored 22 points four times in the first nine games – against Loyola Maryland, Charleston, Michigan and Elon. The sophomore guard scored 20 or more twice in 29 games last season.
• Carolina is 6-0 in two seasons when Love scores 20 or more and 7-0 when he makes 50 percent of his field goal attempts (4-0 last season and 3-0 in 2021-22).
• UNC is averaging 8.7 threes per game, which is on pace to equal the school record for a season (8.7 per game in 2018-19).
• Carolina made seven threes in Saturday's win over Elon and has made seven or more in all nine games this season. This is the first time since 2004-05 UNC has made seven or more 3FGs in nine consecutive games.
• The only time UNC ever made seven or more threes in a longer stretch of games was 2002-03, when UNC did that in 15 consecutive games.

MOST THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS MADE PER GAME
8.7 in 2021-22 (78 in 9 games)
8.7 in 2018-19 (312 in 36 games)
8.3 in 2002-03 (290 in 35 games)
8.3 in 1982-83 (132 in 16 games – ACC games only)
8.2 in 2017-18 (305 in 37 games)
7.8 in 1994-95 (266 in 34 games)

• Despite an off night from long range against Elon (season-worst 7 of 23), the Tar Heels are shooting 41.7 percent from three-point range over the first nine games. That is on pace for the fourth-best percentage by UNC and the highest since 1987-88.

HIGHEST THREE-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE
.437 in 1982-83 (132 of 302) ACC games only
.436 in 1986-87 (213 of 488)
.430 in 1987-88 (169 of 393)
.417 in 2021-22 (78 of 187)
.410 in 1994-95 (266 of 648)
.403 in 2004-05 (277 of 687)

• The Tar Heels are sixth in the country in three-point percentage. Last season, UNC was 262nd in the country (.318) and, in 2019-20, the Tar Heels ranked 306th in three-point accuracy (.304).

THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE, NCAA LEADERS
Colorado State .438
South Dakota State .435
Davidson .422
Clemson .419
Loyola Chicago .418
North Carolina .417
as of 12/13/21

• Carolina is 18th nationally in effective field goal percentage (which takes into account the added value of three-point shooting). The Tar Heels' effective FG percentage is 55.4%, an improvement from 46.4% in 2019-20 and 48.3% in 2020-21.
• By comparison, Carolina's effective FG percentage in its most recent NCAA championship seasons were 51.7% in 2016-17, 52.8% in 2008-09 and 56.0% in 2004-05.
• Carolina is eighth in the ACC in offensive rebounding but leads the conference in rebound margin at plus 9.8 per game.
• Bacot and senior Leaky Black rank one-two on the team in plus/minus through eight games. Bacot is +120 and Black is +110 (Black has played in one fewer game than Bacot).
• Black has a positive plus/minus in seven of his eight games this season (did not play due to illness vs. Purdue). In all seven games in which he had a positive plus/minus, Black was at least +11. His +29 against Michigan is the highest value by a Tar Heel in any game this season.
• Bacot is +83 over the last four games against UNC Asheville, Michigan, Georgia Tech and Elon. The junior from Richmond, Va., was +20 vs. UNCA, +27 vs. Michigan and +26 at Georgia Tech.

HUBERT
• Hubert Davis is 7-2 as Carolina's head coach. Davis was named Carolina's 20th head coach, and first Black head coach, on April 5, 2021.
• Davis is the fourth Tar Heel head coach who also played at UNC, joining Reynolds Cuthbertson, Monk McDonald and Matt Doherty.
• Davis played for Dean Smith from 1988-92, was selected by the New York Knicks in the first round of the NBA Draft and played a dozen seasons in the NBA. He was a college basketball analyst at ESPN for seven years and an assistant coach on Roy Williams' Tar Heel staff from 2012-21.

TEAM CAPTAINS
Junior forward/center Armando Bacot and sophomore guards RJ Davis and Caleb Love were selected team captains.
• Davis and Love are UNC's first sophomore captains since Marcus Paige in 2013-14.
• The players were selected captains by a vote of their teammates.

2021-22 ROSTER NOTES
• The Tar Heels welcome seven new players to the roster, including three transfers, two freshmen and two former junior varsity players.
• Graduate student Brady Manek made 235 threes and scored 1,459 points in four seasons at Oklahoma. Sophomore Dawson Garcia averaged 13.0 points and 6.6 rebounds an earned Freshman All-Big East Conference honors last season at Marquette. Junior Justin McKoy, a Raleigh native who attended Panther Creek High School in Cary, returns to his home state after two seasons at Virginia.
• Manek's 235 three-pointers for the Sooners were more than all but two Tar Heels – Marcus Paige (299) and Joel Berry II (266).
• Manek earned his degree from OU in seven semesters. He became the tallest player in Big 12 history to make 200 threes and the first with 200 threes and 100 blocks. The Harrah, Okla., native is the only Sooner to compile 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 three-pointers and 100 blocks.
• Garcia scored 24 points and had 11 rebounds for Marquette against the Tar Heels in February when the Golden Eagles handed UNC an 83-70 loss in Chapel Hill.
• Garcia played AAU ball with fellow Minnesota native and Tar Heel teammate Kerwin Walton.

PRESEASON ACCOLADES
• Carolina was picked to finish third in the ACC by the media at preseason media day in Charlotte on October 12.
• Armando Bacot, who earned third-team All-ACC honors in 2021, was selected to the preseason first team. Sophomore guard Caleb Love was chosen for the second team. Love was a member of the ACC's All-Freshman team last season.
• Bacot and Dawson Garcia are on the preseason watch list for the Wooden Award. Bacot is also on the list for the Naismith Trophy and the Lute Olson Award.
• Bacot, Love and Dawson Garcia are on the Basketball Hall of Fame's preseason watch lists for their respective positional player-of-the-year awards.
• Love is a candidate for Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year award, Garcia for the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year award and Bacot for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year award.
• Carolina is the only school to win three Bob Cousy Awards (Raymond Felton in 2005, Ty Lawson in 2009 and Kendall Marshall in 2012). Felton and Lawson won as juniors, while Marshall won the award as a sophomore.

TAR HEEL STAFF
• Head coach Hubert Davis is a Tar Heel alum, and so are each of his assistant coaches and members of the basketball staff.
• Assistant coaches Brad Frederick (1996-99), Jeff Lebo (1985-89) and Sean May (2002-05), Director of Recruiting Pat Sullivan (1990-93, 1994-95) and Director of Team and Player Development Jackie Manuel (2001-05) all played for the Tar Heels. Director of Operations Eric Hoots has been on staff for 18 seasons.
• Frederick played on Final Four teams that won ACC championships in 1997 and 1998.
• Lebo is a 20-year head coaching veteran who set 10 UNC records in his playing career.
• May was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2005 NCAA Final Four, scoring 26 points in the national championship game vs. Illinois.
• Manuel was twice named Carolina's defensive player of the year and was a starter on the 2005 NCAA champions.
• Sullivan was a key contributor on the 1993 national champions and is one of seven Tar Heels who have played in three Final Fours.
• Davis, Lebo, May and Frederick combined to score 4,441 points as Tar Heels. Syracuse is the only school whose coaches scored more points at their alma mater than UNC (Gerry McNamara, Adrian Autry, Allen Griffin and Jim Boeheim scored 5,189 for the Orange).

PRO HEELS
NBA
Cole Anthony, Orlando
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento
Tony Bradley, Chicago
Reggie Bullock, Dallas
Ed Davis, Cleveland
Wayne Ellington, Los Angeles Lakers
Danny Green, Philadelphia
Cameron Johnson, Phoenix
Nassir Little, Portland
Day'Ron Sharpe, New Jersey
Coby White, Chicago

G League
Justin Jackson, Austin (Dallas)
Theo Pinson, Maine (Boston)

International source: TarHeelInternational.com
Nate Britt, Yoast United, The Netherlands
Isaiah Hicks, Seoul Samsung Thunders, South Korea
Desmond Hubert, Al Arabi, Kuwait
Brice Johnson, Toyama Grouses, Japan
Christian Keeling, BC Rustavi, Georgia
Justin Knox, Neo-Phoenix, Japan
Ty Lawson, US Monastir, Tunisia
Luke Maye, BAXI Manresa, Spain
James Michael McAdoo, Hitachi Sun Rockers, Japan
Kennedy Meeks, Cholet Basket, France
Marcus Paige, Orleans Loiret, France
Justin Pierce, VfL Kircheim Knights, Germany
Reyshawn Terry, Plateros de Fresnillo, Mexico
Deon Thompson, Leones des Ponce, Puerto Rico
J.P. Tokoto, Hapoel Tel Aviv, Israel
Jawad Williams, Yamagata Wyverns, Japan
Kenny Williams, Kolossos Rhodes, Greece

I-40 NEAR UNC NAMED FOR SMITH, WILLIAMS
• The North Carolina Department of Transportation formally a request by Carolina Athletics to honorarily name stretches of U.S. Interstate 40 in Chapel Hill for former Tar Heel men's basketball coaches Dean Smith and Roy Williams.
• The Chapel Hill Town Council approved a resolution to support the request on November 17.
• The DOT will place honorary signs designating stretches of I-40 from exits 266-270 the Roy Williams Highway and from exits 270-273 the Dean Smith Highway.
• "Dean Smith and Roy Williams are two of the greatest to ever have coached college basketball," says North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. "And while their combined five national championships helped make UNC one of the premier basketball institutions in the country, it is their work off the court and in their communities that truly sets them apart. North Carolinians across the state are grateful for their leadership and these honorary road namings will help us recognize them for their hard work and sacrifice."
• Smith and Williams combined to coach the Tar Heels for 67 seasons (Smith was an assistant coach for three years and head coach for 36; Williams was an assistant on Smith's staff for 10 years and head coach for 18).
• The pair of Naismith, College Basketball and North Carolina Sports Hall of Famers combined to lead Carolina to five NCAA championships, 16 Final Fours, 16 ACC Tournament titles, 26 regular-season ACC championships, 33 top-10 Associated Press rankings and 1,364 victories.