UNC vs. Michigan
Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Wednesday, Nov. 29 7:30 p.m
TV ESPN Bob Wischusen, Dick Vitale, Allison Williams
Radio Tar Heel Sports Network Jones Angell, Eric Montross
• Carolina is 5-1 and plays at home for the first time in five games when it plays host to Michigan in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday, Nov. 29th at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN).
• Carolina is ranked 13th by the Associated Press and 11th by the coaches. Michigan is unranked.
• UNC is coming off a four-game west coast swing on which the Tar Heels went 3-1 with wins at Stanford and over Portland and Arkansas in the PK80 Invitational, and a 63-45 loss to Michigan State in the finals of PK80.
• The Michigan game is one of three games in five days this week (Friday at Davidson, Sunday at home vs. Tulane). The Tulane game will be Carolina’s sixth in 11 days.
• Junior forward Luke Maye was named to the PK80 Invitational Victory bracket All-Tournament Team. Maye averaged 18.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in the three games in Portland.
UNC-MICHIGAN SERIES
• The Tar Heels and Wolverines are playing for just the sixth time, the first time since the 1993 NCAA championship game, and the first time ever on either school’s campus.
• Carolina is 3-2 against Michigan, including 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament and 0-1 in the finals of the Rainbow Classic.
• Carolina defeated Michigan in the 1987 second round in Charlotte, the 1988 Sweet 16 in Seattle and the 1993 title game in New Orleans. Michigan beat UNC in the 1989 Sweet 16 in Lexington, Ky., and the 1992 Rainbow Classic in Honolulu.
• Roy Williams was 0-1 against Michigan while at Kansas. The Wolverines beat the Jayhawks in the finals of the 1992 Rainbow Classic, one day after UM beat the Tar Heels. All three teams advanced to the Final Four in New Orleans later that season.
25TH ANNIVERSARY
• This is the 25th anniversary season of the 1993 national champions. Due to the number of players on that team who are coaching in the professional, college and high school ranks, the team held a reunion on Sept. 22 and was honored at a UNC football game the following day. Several members of the team are expected to attend Wednesday’s game.
• Carolina beat Michigan, 77-71, to win the 1993 title. Donald Williams scored 25 points to match the 25 he scored in the semifinals over a Roy Williams-coached Kansas squad, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
• Williams is the last player to score 25 or more points in both the national semifinals and finals in the same year.
• Eric Montross, who now serves as Carolina’s radio analyst, scored 16 points. Senior captain George Lynch had 12 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth consecutive double-double in the NCAA Tournament.
• The title was Carolina’s third NCAA Tournament championship and the second under Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith.
• It was Carolina’s and Coach Smith’s second NCAA title won in New Orleans (1982).
• Five members of UNC’s 1957 national championship winning team are also scheduled to attend and will be honored at halftime. Plans were to honor ‘57 team at the Notre Dame game last February in recognition of the 60th anniversary of that title, but the ceremony was put off due to the water crisis that forced postponement of the game to Greensboro the next day.
ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE
• The ACC is 11-5-2 against the Big Ten in Challenge history. The ACC won the event in each of its first 10 years and won nine of 14 games a year ago.
• Carolina is 9-9 in the Challenge, including a 4-4 record at home, a 3-5 record on the road and 2-0 at neutral sites.
• UNC is 3-2 vs. Michigan State, 1-3 vs. Illinois, 1-3 vs. Indiana, 2-0 vs. Ohio State, 1-0 vs. Maryland, 1-0 vs. Wisconsin and 0-1 vs. Iowa.
• Carolina has played 14 of its 18 games in the Challenge against teams ranked in the AP top 25 and eight of those games against top- 10 teams.
• Carolina is 7-7 vs. ranked opponents and 5-3 vs. top-10 opponents.
Carolina in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge
1999-2000 H Michigan State L 76-86
2000-01 A at Michigan State L 64-77
2001-02 H Indiana L 66-79
2002-03 A at Illinois L 65-92
2003-04 GBO vs. Illinois W 88-81
2004-05 A at Indiana W 70-63
2005-06 H Illinois L 64-68
2006-07 H Ohio State W 98-89
2007-08 A Ohio State W 66-55
2008-09 DET Michigan State W 98-63
2009-10 H Michigan State W 89-82
2010-11 A at Illinois L 67-79
2011-12 H Wisconsin W 60-57
2012-13 A at Indiana L 59-83
2013-14 A at Michigan State W 79-65
2014-15 H Iowa L 55-60
2015-16 H Maryland W 89-81
2016-17 A Indiana L 67-76
2017-18 H Michigan
GAME SIX – MICHIGAN STATE 63, UNC 45
• Carolina set school records for lowest field goal percentage and lowest three-point percentage and lost a defensive struggle with Michigan State, 63-45, in the finals of the “Victory” bracket in the PK80 Invitational in Portland on Sunday evening, Nov. 29.
* The Tar Heels held the fourth-ranked Spartans to 40 percent from the floor and forced 24 MSU turnovers, but UNC was just 15 of 61 from the floor and 1 of 18 from beyond the arc.
• The 15 field goals are the fewest by UNC in the Roy Williams Era and the 45 points match the second-lowest output in the last 15 years.
• Carolina entered the game having made 17 of its last 31 (.548) from three-point range, but managed only a Joel Berry II buzzer-beater just before halftime.
• Michigan State out-rebounded the Tar Heels, 52-36. It was the first time an opponent had 50 rebounds since Butler (57) on 11/26/14 in the Bahamas.
• MSU’s rebound margin of 16 was the largest against UNC since Butler out-rebounded the Tar Heels, 57-40.
• It was the first time the Tar Heels forced 20 or more turnovers and lost since Kansas (22) on 3/24/13 in the NCAA Tournament second round.
• MSU’s 38 defensive rebounds are the most by an opponent in the Roy Williams Era.
• Theo Pinson led Carolina in scoring with 16 points. It was the first time in his career he was UNC’s leading scorer.
• Luke Maye (8) and Kenny Williams (8) both did not score in double figures for the first time this season.
• Williams scored a career-high six points from the free throw line, although Carolina shot a season-low 58.3 percent from the line (14 of 24).
• It was the first time UNC shot under 30 percent from the floor in both halves and for a game since a home loss to Iowa on 12/3/14.
• The 63 points were the fewest allowed by Carolina in six games this season.
Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Wednesday, Nov. 29 7:30 p.m
TV ESPN Bob Wischusen, Dick Vitale, Allison Williams
Radio Tar Heel Sports Network Jones Angell, Eric Montross
• Carolina is 5-1 and plays at home for the first time in five games when it plays host to Michigan in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday, Nov. 29th at 7:30 p.m. (ESPN).
• Carolina is ranked 13th by the Associated Press and 11th by the coaches. Michigan is unranked.
• UNC is coming off a four-game west coast swing on which the Tar Heels went 3-1 with wins at Stanford and over Portland and Arkansas in the PK80 Invitational, and a 63-45 loss to Michigan State in the finals of PK80.
• The Michigan game is one of three games in five days this week (Friday at Davidson, Sunday at home vs. Tulane). The Tulane game will be Carolina’s sixth in 11 days.
• Junior forward Luke Maye was named to the PK80 Invitational Victory bracket All-Tournament Team. Maye averaged 18.7 points and 7.3 rebounds in the three games in Portland.
UNC-MICHIGAN SERIES
• The Tar Heels and Wolverines are playing for just the sixth time, the first time since the 1993 NCAA championship game, and the first time ever on either school’s campus.
• Carolina is 3-2 against Michigan, including 3-1 in the NCAA Tournament and 0-1 in the finals of the Rainbow Classic.
• Carolina defeated Michigan in the 1987 second round in Charlotte, the 1988 Sweet 16 in Seattle and the 1993 title game in New Orleans. Michigan beat UNC in the 1989 Sweet 16 in Lexington, Ky., and the 1992 Rainbow Classic in Honolulu.
• Roy Williams was 0-1 against Michigan while at Kansas. The Wolverines beat the Jayhawks in the finals of the 1992 Rainbow Classic, one day after UM beat the Tar Heels. All three teams advanced to the Final Four in New Orleans later that season.
25TH ANNIVERSARY
• This is the 25th anniversary season of the 1993 national champions. Due to the number of players on that team who are coaching in the professional, college and high school ranks, the team held a reunion on Sept. 22 and was honored at a UNC football game the following day. Several members of the team are expected to attend Wednesday’s game.
• Carolina beat Michigan, 77-71, to win the 1993 title. Donald Williams scored 25 points to match the 25 he scored in the semifinals over a Roy Williams-coached Kansas squad, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
• Williams is the last player to score 25 or more points in both the national semifinals and finals in the same year.
• Eric Montross, who now serves as Carolina’s radio analyst, scored 16 points. Senior captain George Lynch had 12 points and 10 rebounds, his fourth consecutive double-double in the NCAA Tournament.
• The title was Carolina’s third NCAA Tournament championship and the second under Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith.
• It was Carolina’s and Coach Smith’s second NCAA title won in New Orleans (1982).
• Five members of UNC’s 1957 national championship winning team are also scheduled to attend and will be honored at halftime. Plans were to honor ‘57 team at the Notre Dame game last February in recognition of the 60th anniversary of that title, but the ceremony was put off due to the water crisis that forced postponement of the game to Greensboro the next day.
ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE
• The ACC is 11-5-2 against the Big Ten in Challenge history. The ACC won the event in each of its first 10 years and won nine of 14 games a year ago.
• Carolina is 9-9 in the Challenge, including a 4-4 record at home, a 3-5 record on the road and 2-0 at neutral sites.
• UNC is 3-2 vs. Michigan State, 1-3 vs. Illinois, 1-3 vs. Indiana, 2-0 vs. Ohio State, 1-0 vs. Maryland, 1-0 vs. Wisconsin and 0-1 vs. Iowa.
• Carolina has played 14 of its 18 games in the Challenge against teams ranked in the AP top 25 and eight of those games against top- 10 teams.
• Carolina is 7-7 vs. ranked opponents and 5-3 vs. top-10 opponents.
Carolina in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge
1999-2000 H Michigan State L 76-86
2000-01 A at Michigan State L 64-77
2001-02 H Indiana L 66-79
2002-03 A at Illinois L 65-92
2003-04 GBO vs. Illinois W 88-81
2004-05 A at Indiana W 70-63
2005-06 H Illinois L 64-68
2006-07 H Ohio State W 98-89
2007-08 A Ohio State W 66-55
2008-09 DET Michigan State W 98-63
2009-10 H Michigan State W 89-82
2010-11 A at Illinois L 67-79
2011-12 H Wisconsin W 60-57
2012-13 A at Indiana L 59-83
2013-14 A at Michigan State W 79-65
2014-15 H Iowa L 55-60
2015-16 H Maryland W 89-81
2016-17 A Indiana L 67-76
2017-18 H Michigan
GAME SIX – MICHIGAN STATE 63, UNC 45
• Carolina set school records for lowest field goal percentage and lowest three-point percentage and lost a defensive struggle with Michigan State, 63-45, in the finals of the “Victory” bracket in the PK80 Invitational in Portland on Sunday evening, Nov. 29.
* The Tar Heels held the fourth-ranked Spartans to 40 percent from the floor and forced 24 MSU turnovers, but UNC was just 15 of 61 from the floor and 1 of 18 from beyond the arc.
• The 15 field goals are the fewest by UNC in the Roy Williams Era and the 45 points match the second-lowest output in the last 15 years.
• Carolina entered the game having made 17 of its last 31 (.548) from three-point range, but managed only a Joel Berry II buzzer-beater just before halftime.
• Michigan State out-rebounded the Tar Heels, 52-36. It was the first time an opponent had 50 rebounds since Butler (57) on 11/26/14 in the Bahamas.
• MSU’s rebound margin of 16 was the largest against UNC since Butler out-rebounded the Tar Heels, 57-40.
• It was the first time the Tar Heels forced 20 or more turnovers and lost since Kansas (22) on 3/24/13 in the NCAA Tournament second round.
• MSU’s 38 defensive rebounds are the most by an opponent in the Roy Williams Era.
• Theo Pinson led Carolina in scoring with 16 points. It was the first time in his career he was UNC’s leading scorer.
• Luke Maye (8) and Kenny Williams (8) both did not score in double figures for the first time this season.
• Williams scored a career-high six points from the free throw line, although Carolina shot a season-low 58.3 percent from the line (14 of 24).
• It was the first time UNC shot under 30 percent from the floor in both halves and for a game since a home loss to Iowa on 12/3/14.
• The 63 points were the fewest allowed by Carolina in six games this season.
