• Carolina plays host to Louisville on Wednesday, February 22, with first place in the ACC on the line. Game time is 9:05 p.m.
• The Tar Heels are 23-5 and first in the ACC with a 11-3 record in league play. The Cardinals are 22-5, 10-4. UL is tied for second place with Duke.
• UNC has a one-game lead on Louisville and Duke and a one-and-a-half game lead on Notre Dame (10-5) and Florida State (10-5).
• Carolina’s remaining four ACC games:
– vs. #7/6 Louisville (10-4 ACC)
– at Pitt (won three of its last four)
– at #18/19 Virginia (8-7 ACC)
– vs. #10/11 Duke (won seven straight, 10-4 ACC)
Carolina’s Next Four Games
AP, KenPom, RPI
Louisville 7, 4, 4
at Pitt not ranked, 64, 60
at Virginia 18, 9, 22
Duke 10, 12, 11
• Carolina’s next four opponents have an average RPI of 24. That is the toughest schedule of the teams that are in the top five in the ACC standings as of 2/21 (Duke’s opponents’ average RPI of 35, Florida State’s 35, Louisville’s 39 and Notre Dame’s 95).
• UNC is ranked eighth in both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls. The AP poll has included Carolina in the top 10 in 13 of 16 polls this season.
• Carolina is 19-16 under head coach Roy Williams in games in which both teams are ranked in the AP top 10, including 10-2 at the Smith Center.
• This is the second UNC game this year matching teams in the top 10. Sixth-ranked Kentucky beat #7 Carolina, 103-100, in Las Vegas on 12/17/16. It’s the first top-10 encounter in the Smith Center since 12/1/15 when No. 9 UNC beat No. 2 Maryland, 89-81.
• Louisville is the third of four consecutive home games in which the Tar Heels play a ranked opponent (AP) - an unprecedented stretch of home games in Carolina history. UNC had played three straight ranked opponents at home numerous times, but never four in four games. Notre Dame was ranked #20, Virginia was #14, Louisville is #7 and Duke is currently #10.
• Carolina’s win over NC State on 2/15 was the Tar Heels’ 10th in league play, the 41st time UNC has won 10 or more league games in a season. It is the 12th time in 14 years that Roy Williams has led UNC to at least 10 regular-season ACC victories. Duke is second with 35 years with at least 10 ACC wins.
• The win over Virginia on 2/18 was UNC’s 11th in league play this year. That’s the 33rd time UNC has won at least 11 ACC games, including seven straight seasons and 12 times in 14 years under head coach Roy Williams.
• Carolina has won 12 or more ACC games 24 times, including nine times under Roy Williams.
10 or More ACC Regular-Season Wins
North Carolina 41 times
Duke 35
NC State 14
Maryland 13
Wake Forest 12
Virginia 9
Florida State 7
Clemson 5
Miami 3
Louisville 3
Notre Dame 3
Virginia Tech 3
South Carolina 3
Boston College 2
Georgia Tech 2
Pitt 1
Syracuse 1
• Carolina has won 20 or more games for the 59th time in school history and the 13th time in 14 years under head coach Roy Williams.
• Carolina improved to 10-3 in the ACC with the win at NC State, guaranteeing a winning record in ACC regular-season play for the 56th time in 64 years. Duke win over Wake Forest on 2/18 guaranteed the Blue Devils’ their 48th winning record in league play. NC State is third with 30.
Winning Record in ACC Play
North Carolina 56 times
Duke 48
NC State 30
Maryland 27
Wake Forest 24
Virginia 17
Clemson 15
Florida State 8
Georgia Tech 7
Virginia Tech 5
South Carolina 5
Boston College 4
Miami 4
Louisville 3
Notre Dame 3
Pitt 1
Syracuse 1
• Carolina is fifth in the NCAA’s RPI. The Tar Heels’ opponents collectively have the 11th-best RPI in the nation. The NCAA ranks Carolina’s strength of schedule as the 18th most difficult in the nation.
• Carolina has eight wins over teams in the NCAA’s top 50, third most in the country behind Florida State and Villanova. UNC’s top- 50 wins have come against Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Monmouth, Wake Forest, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and Miami.
• Sophomore guard Kenny Williams is expected to miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair his right knee on 2/21. As a result, the Tar Heels will finish the season having started only four games (NC State, Wake Forest, Boston College and Virginia Tech) and finished two with their full roster (NC State and Boston College; Tony Bradley was injured in the first half at Wake Forest and Theo Pinson was injured in the first half vs. Virginia Tech).
• Williams is the sixth Tar Heel who has averaged double-figure minutes played who missed games this year due to injury: Theo Pinson missed 19 games, Luke Maye missed five, Joel Berry II sat out two, Tony Bradley missed two, Isaiah Hicks did not play at Duke, and Williams is out for the year beginning with the game at NC State on 2/15.
UNC-LOUISVILLE SERIES
• Carolina leads the series against Louisville, 11-5. The teams are 2-2 since the Cardinals joined the ACC three years ago.
• The Tar Heels are 2-0 in Chapel Hill (both games in the Smith Center, in the 1998-99 and 2014-15 seasons).
• UNC won 72-71 on 1/10/15 at the Smith Center on a driving shot off the glass by Marcus Paige with 8.5 seconds to play in the last meeting in Chapel Hill.
• This is the seventh consecutive game in the series in which both teams are ranked in the AP poll and the 11th time in 17 all-time meetings that both teams are ranked in the AP poll.
• This is the fourth time (and the first since 1986) that both teams are ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll. UNC is 2-1 in those four games; the last time it happened was 3/20/1986 in Houston in the NCAA West Regional semifinal when #7 Louisville beat #8 Carolina, 94-79. UL went on to win the NCAA title that year.
• The teams have played 10 of the previous 16 games on neutral sites.
• Roy Williams is 5-3 against Louisville (4-2 at Carolina, 1-1 as Kansas’s head coach).
• Carolina is 1-0 against Louisville in the ACC Tournament (2015 quarterfinals) and 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament.
*Roy Williams has won 399 home games as a college head coach. That includes 201 wins at Allen Fieldhouse as head coach at Kansas and 198 as UNC’s head coach – 196 at the Dean E. Smith Center, one at Carmichael Arena (2010 NIT vs. William and Mary) and one designated home game at the Greensboro Coliseum (2017 vs. Notre Dame).
*Williams’ teams have a 399-44 record at home – 201-17 at Allen Fieldhouse, 196-27 at the Smith Center and 1-0 at Carmichael Arena and the Greensboro Coliseum.
*The win over Virginia was the 200th time in 501 games under Roy Williams the Tar Heels held the opponents under 40 percent shooting from the floor. UNC is 184-16 in those games.
*Justin Jackson is second in the ACC with 2.64 three-point field goals per game. That is also the second-highest made threes per game in UNC single-season history behind Shammond Williams, who made 2.71 per game when he made a UNC-record 95 threes in 1996-97.
UNC Single-Season 3FGs Per Game
1. Shammond Williams, 1996-97 2.71
2. Justin Jackson, 2016-17 2.64
3. PJ Hairston, 2012-13 2.62
4. Hubert Davis, 1991-92 2.58
5. Donald Williams, 1994-95 2.56
5. Kenny Smith, 1986-87 2.56
NORTH CAROLINA VS. LOUISVILLE
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
9 p.m.
Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
TV: ESPN (Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Maria Taylor)
UNC Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (Jones Angell, Eric Montross, Adam Lucas, Dave Nathan)
Satellite: Sirius/XM and Internet 84 Compass Radio: Drew Bontadelli, Mike Wozniak
North Carolina Tar Heels
2016-17 Record: 23-5, 11-3 ACC
Head Coach: Roy Williams (UNC ‘72)
Williams’ Overall Record: 806-214 (29th year)
Williams’ Record at UNC: 388-113 (14th year)
Rankings: #8 AP, #8 USA Today/Coaches
Louisville Cardinals
2016-17 Record: 22-5, 10-4 ACC
Head Coach: Rick Pitino
Overall Record: 767-262 (32nd year)
Record at Louisville: 413-139 (16th year)
Rankings: #7 AP, #6 USA Today/Coaches
- UNC Communications
• The Tar Heels are 23-5 and first in the ACC with a 11-3 record in league play. The Cardinals are 22-5, 10-4. UL is tied for second place with Duke.
• UNC has a one-game lead on Louisville and Duke and a one-and-a-half game lead on Notre Dame (10-5) and Florida State (10-5).
• Carolina’s remaining four ACC games:
– vs. #7/6 Louisville (10-4 ACC)
– at Pitt (won three of its last four)
– at #18/19 Virginia (8-7 ACC)
– vs. #10/11 Duke (won seven straight, 10-4 ACC)
Carolina’s Next Four Games
AP, KenPom, RPI
Louisville 7, 4, 4
at Pitt not ranked, 64, 60
at Virginia 18, 9, 22
Duke 10, 12, 11
• Carolina’s next four opponents have an average RPI of 24. That is the toughest schedule of the teams that are in the top five in the ACC standings as of 2/21 (Duke’s opponents’ average RPI of 35, Florida State’s 35, Louisville’s 39 and Notre Dame’s 95).
• UNC is ranked eighth in both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls. The AP poll has included Carolina in the top 10 in 13 of 16 polls this season.
• Carolina is 19-16 under head coach Roy Williams in games in which both teams are ranked in the AP top 10, including 10-2 at the Smith Center.
• This is the second UNC game this year matching teams in the top 10. Sixth-ranked Kentucky beat #7 Carolina, 103-100, in Las Vegas on 12/17/16. It’s the first top-10 encounter in the Smith Center since 12/1/15 when No. 9 UNC beat No. 2 Maryland, 89-81.
• Louisville is the third of four consecutive home games in which the Tar Heels play a ranked opponent (AP) - an unprecedented stretch of home games in Carolina history. UNC had played three straight ranked opponents at home numerous times, but never four in four games. Notre Dame was ranked #20, Virginia was #14, Louisville is #7 and Duke is currently #10.
• Carolina’s win over NC State on 2/15 was the Tar Heels’ 10th in league play, the 41st time UNC has won 10 or more league games in a season. It is the 12th time in 14 years that Roy Williams has led UNC to at least 10 regular-season ACC victories. Duke is second with 35 years with at least 10 ACC wins.
• The win over Virginia on 2/18 was UNC’s 11th in league play this year. That’s the 33rd time UNC has won at least 11 ACC games, including seven straight seasons and 12 times in 14 years under head coach Roy Williams.
• Carolina has won 12 or more ACC games 24 times, including nine times under Roy Williams.
10 or More ACC Regular-Season Wins
North Carolina 41 times
Duke 35
NC State 14
Maryland 13
Wake Forest 12
Virginia 9
Florida State 7
Clemson 5
Miami 3
Louisville 3
Notre Dame 3
Virginia Tech 3
South Carolina 3
Boston College 2
Georgia Tech 2
Pitt 1
Syracuse 1
• Carolina has won 20 or more games for the 59th time in school history and the 13th time in 14 years under head coach Roy Williams.
• Carolina improved to 10-3 in the ACC with the win at NC State, guaranteeing a winning record in ACC regular-season play for the 56th time in 64 years. Duke win over Wake Forest on 2/18 guaranteed the Blue Devils’ their 48th winning record in league play. NC State is third with 30.
Winning Record in ACC Play
North Carolina 56 times
Duke 48
NC State 30
Maryland 27
Wake Forest 24
Virginia 17
Clemson 15
Florida State 8
Georgia Tech 7
Virginia Tech 5
South Carolina 5
Boston College 4
Miami 4
Louisville 3
Notre Dame 3
Pitt 1
Syracuse 1
• Carolina is fifth in the NCAA’s RPI. The Tar Heels’ opponents collectively have the 11th-best RPI in the nation. The NCAA ranks Carolina’s strength of schedule as the 18th most difficult in the nation.
• Carolina has eight wins over teams in the NCAA’s top 50, third most in the country behind Florida State and Villanova. UNC’s top- 50 wins have come against Oklahoma State, Wisconsin, Monmouth, Wake Forest, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and Miami.
• Sophomore guard Kenny Williams is expected to miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair his right knee on 2/21. As a result, the Tar Heels will finish the season having started only four games (NC State, Wake Forest, Boston College and Virginia Tech) and finished two with their full roster (NC State and Boston College; Tony Bradley was injured in the first half at Wake Forest and Theo Pinson was injured in the first half vs. Virginia Tech).
• Williams is the sixth Tar Heel who has averaged double-figure minutes played who missed games this year due to injury: Theo Pinson missed 19 games, Luke Maye missed five, Joel Berry II sat out two, Tony Bradley missed two, Isaiah Hicks did not play at Duke, and Williams is out for the year beginning with the game at NC State on 2/15.
UNC-LOUISVILLE SERIES
• Carolina leads the series against Louisville, 11-5. The teams are 2-2 since the Cardinals joined the ACC three years ago.
• The Tar Heels are 2-0 in Chapel Hill (both games in the Smith Center, in the 1998-99 and 2014-15 seasons).
• UNC won 72-71 on 1/10/15 at the Smith Center on a driving shot off the glass by Marcus Paige with 8.5 seconds to play in the last meeting in Chapel Hill.
• This is the seventh consecutive game in the series in which both teams are ranked in the AP poll and the 11th time in 17 all-time meetings that both teams are ranked in the AP poll.
• This is the fourth time (and the first since 1986) that both teams are ranked in the top 10 in the AP poll. UNC is 2-1 in those four games; the last time it happened was 3/20/1986 in Houston in the NCAA West Regional semifinal when #7 Louisville beat #8 Carolina, 94-79. UL went on to win the NCAA title that year.
• The teams have played 10 of the previous 16 games on neutral sites.
• Roy Williams is 5-3 against Louisville (4-2 at Carolina, 1-1 as Kansas’s head coach).
• Carolina is 1-0 against Louisville in the ACC Tournament (2015 quarterfinals) and 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament.
*Roy Williams has won 399 home games as a college head coach. That includes 201 wins at Allen Fieldhouse as head coach at Kansas and 198 as UNC’s head coach – 196 at the Dean E. Smith Center, one at Carmichael Arena (2010 NIT vs. William and Mary) and one designated home game at the Greensboro Coliseum (2017 vs. Notre Dame).
*Williams’ teams have a 399-44 record at home – 201-17 at Allen Fieldhouse, 196-27 at the Smith Center and 1-0 at Carmichael Arena and the Greensboro Coliseum.
*The win over Virginia was the 200th time in 501 games under Roy Williams the Tar Heels held the opponents under 40 percent shooting from the floor. UNC is 184-16 in those games.
*Justin Jackson is second in the ACC with 2.64 three-point field goals per game. That is also the second-highest made threes per game in UNC single-season history behind Shammond Williams, who made 2.71 per game when he made a UNC-record 95 threes in 1996-97.
UNC Single-Season 3FGs Per Game
1. Shammond Williams, 1996-97 2.71
2. Justin Jackson, 2016-17 2.64
3. PJ Hairston, 2012-13 2.62
4. Hubert Davis, 1991-92 2.58
5. Donald Williams, 1994-95 2.56
5. Kenny Smith, 1986-87 2.56
NORTH CAROLINA VS. LOUISVILLE
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
9 p.m.
Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
TV: ESPN (Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, Maria Taylor)
UNC Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (Jones Angell, Eric Montross, Adam Lucas, Dave Nathan)
Satellite: Sirius/XM and Internet 84 Compass Radio: Drew Bontadelli, Mike Wozniak
North Carolina Tar Heels
2016-17 Record: 23-5, 11-3 ACC
Head Coach: Roy Williams (UNC ‘72)
Williams’ Overall Record: 806-214 (29th year)
Williams’ Record at UNC: 388-113 (14th year)
Rankings: #8 AP, #8 USA Today/Coaches
Louisville Cardinals
2016-17 Record: 22-5, 10-4 ACC
Head Coach: Rick Pitino
Overall Record: 767-262 (32nd year)
Record at Louisville: 413-139 (16th year)
Rankings: #7 AP, #6 USA Today/Coaches
- UNC Communications
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