UNC vs. Western Carolina
Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Wednesday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m.
TV: RSN Wes Durham, Jason Capel
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network Jones Angell, Eric Montross
Satellite Radio Sirius/XM 81
• Carolina plays its seventh game in 14 days when it plays host to Western Carolina on Wednesday, Dec. 6th, at 7 p.m. at the Smith Center.
• The game will be broadcast on the Regional Sports Network (various sports cable channels throughout the country).
• Following Wednesday’s game, the Tar Heels will take an 11-day break for exams before returning to action on Sunday, Dec. 17, at Tennessee.
• The WCU game is the first of four remaining regular-season non-conference games (WCU, at Tennessee, Wofford, and Ohio State in New Orleans).
• UNC is 8-1, coming off a 97-73 win over Tulane on Dec. 3rd. The Tar Heels shot 65.5 percent from the floor, its highest percentage since the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
• The Catamounts are 3-6 after beating Appalachian State, 72-71, on Dec. 4th.
• With a win, Carolina would improve to 9-1. That would be the sixth time in the last 15 years the Tar Heels would be 9-1 or 10-0 in the first 10 games. UNC was 10-0 in 2007-08 and 2008-09 and 9-1 in 2004-05, 2006-07 and 2016-17.
• Luke Maye is averaging 15.3 points more per game than he did a year ago (increase from 5.5 to 20.8). No Tar Heel has ever increased his scoring average for a season by 15.3 points per game.
• The largest increase in scoring from one season to another by a Tar Heel is 12.1 points by Donald Williams from his freshman to sophomore season. Williams averaged 2.2 points in 1991-92 and 14.3 in 1992-93. The Garner, N.C., native scored 25 points in the 1993 national semifinal vs. Kansas and 25 more in the national championship vs. Michigan to earn Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors.
• Two other Tar Heels – Larry Brown (4.5 in 1960-61 to 16.5 in 1961-62) and Reyshawn Terry (2.3 in 2004-05 to 14.3 in 2005-06) increased their averages by 12.0 per game.
RSN AFFILIATES
• The UNC-Western Carolina will be available on the following channels:
ACC Network Extra (subject to blackout),
FOX Sports South,
FOX Sports Sun - Central and North Florida,
FOX Sports Florida - South Florida,
FOX Sports Midwest Plus,
YES,
NBC Sports Washington Plus,
NESN,
AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh,
SportsTime Ohio,
FOX Sports Detroit Plus,
FOX Sports North,
FOX Sports Wisconsin Plus,
FOX Sports Southwest Plus,
FOX Sports Arizona,
FOX Sports San Diego,
FOX Sports Prime Ticket,
AT&T Sportsnet Las Vegas,
AT&T Sportsnet Rocky Mtn
Root Sports Northwest.
UNC-WESTERN CAROLINA SERIES
• This is the second game ever between North Carolina and Western Carolina and the first in 61 seasons.
• Number-one ranked UNC beat WCU, 77-59, on 1/30/1957. Helms Foundation National Player of the Year Lennie Rosenbluth scored a game-high 26 points and Tommy Kearns added 16 for the Tar Heels.
• It was the dedication game for Reid Gymnasium in Cullowhee.
HOME WINS
• Carolina has won 22 straight home games (includes the win over Notre Dame last season in Greensboro).
• It is the seventh-longest home winning streak in school history. The record is 31, set from 2010-12. A win over Western Carolina would match the fifth-longest streak (which was accomplished twice).
• The Tar Heels are 397-68 in the Dean Dome, including 197-15 against non-conference opponents.
• Carolina is 202-27 under Roy Williams in the Smith Center.
ROY ... ONE WIN SHY OF 1,100
• Head coach Roy Williams has been part of 1,099 wins as a college coach, including 824 as head coach and 275 as an assistant.
• Williams has won 418 games as head coach at Kansas, 406 as UNC’s head coach and was part of Dean Smith’s staff for 10 seasons from 1978-88 when the Tar Heels won 275 games.
LUKE MAYE
• Junior forward Luke Maye was named the ACC Player of the Week following Carolina’s wins over Michigan, Davidson and Tulane.
• It was the second ACC Player of the Week award this season for Maye. He was a co-winner after UNC’s season-opening win over Northern Iowa.
• Against Michigan, Davidson and Tulane, Maye averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 blocks. He shot 29 for 46 from the floor (.630) and 13 of 18 from the line (.722).
• He scored a game-high 27 points and had six rebounds and three assists vs. Michigan (11 for 16 from the floor), had 24 points and a career-high 17 rebounds at Davidson (had a double-double in the first half with 13 and 10), and netted a game-high 22 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks and added a team-high four assists vs. Tulane.
• Maye leads Carolina in scoring (20.8), rebounding (10.3), field goals made and attempted (75 for 133), blocks (11) and minutes (31.9).
• Maye is second in the ACC in scoring and rebounding. Duke freshman Marvin Bagley III is first in both categories. Maye and Bagley are the only ACC players averaging 20/10. Maye is also ninth in FG percentage (.564).
• Maye has scored 185 points in nine games. Last year, as a sophomore, he scored 194 points in 35 games.
• Maye has made 10 or more field goals in a game four times – 11 vs. UNI, Arkansas and Michigan and 10 at Davidson. Last year, the entire roster combined to make 10 or more field goals four times in 40 games – Justin Jackson twice and Joel Berry II and Kennedy Meeks one time each.
10 OR MORE FIELD GOALS IN A GAME, 2017-18
Luke Maye– 11 vs. UNI
Luke Maye– 11 vs. Arkansas
Luke Maye– 11 vs. Michigan
Luke Maye– 10 at Davidson
10 OR MORE FIELD GOALS IN A GAME, 2016-17
Joel Berry II– 12 at Clemson
Kennedy Meeks– 11 vs. Oregon
Justin Jackson– 10 vs. Kentucky
Justin Jackson– 10 vs. Virginia Tech
• The Huntersville, N.C., native has scored 20 or more points in seven of Carolina’s first nine games and has 25 or more points three times.
• He is the first Tar Heel to score 20 points in seven of his first nine games since Tyler Hansbrough in 2008-09 (Hansbrough did it seven times in his first nine and nine times in his first 11 games).
• Maye scored in double figures six times in his first two years with a high of 17 against Kentucky in the 2017 NCAA regional final.
• Maye had 28 points, 16 rebounds and five assists against Arkansas on Nov. 24th. He was the first Tar Heel to reach 28/16/5 in a game since Mitch Kupchak vs. Mercer in 1976.
• Maye has 10 or more rebounds seven times in his career. In three of them he grabbed 15 or more – 17 at Davidson, 16 vs. Arkansas and 15 last year vs. Florida State.
• Maye was selected to the all-tournament team in the Victory bracket at the PK80 Invitational.
• Maye has set or tied a career high in each of the last three games – field goals vs. Michigan (tied with 11), rebounds at Davidson (17) and blocks vs. Tulane (4).
HIGH MARKS FOR THEO
• Senior Theo Pinson leads the Tar Heels in assists (37). He is averaging career highs so far as a senior in scoring (10.0), rebounds (5.4) and a team-high 4.1 assists per game.
• Pinson has led UNC in assists in six of the first nine games this season and 26 times as a Tar Heel.
• Pinson led the 2017 national champions with 3.7 assists per game. He is the first nonpoint guard to lead UNC in assists per game since Steve Bucknall in 1988-89 (Marcus Paige played some at the point in 2015-16 and shared the team lead).
• Since 1975, the other non-point guards to lead the Tar Heels in assists were Mike O’Koren and Matt Doherty.
HERE AND THERE...
• Carolina has scored 85 or more points eight times (all wins), 90 or more points four times, and 45 points in its only loss.
• The Tar Heels have shot 50 percent from the floor five times. UNC is shooting 48.7 percent for the season. Take away the record-low 15 for 61 (.246) against Michigan State, and UNC is shooting 51.5 percent from the floor in the other eight games.
• KenPom’s stats rank Carolina 14th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 17th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
• Carolina has assists on 56 percent of its field goals. That is the lowest percentage in the last five years and the fourth-lowest in Roy Williams’ 15 years as UNC’s head coach.
• Last year, the Tar Heels led the nation in rebounds per game, offensive rebounds per game and rebound margin. Despite losing its top three rebounders and playing three true freshmen big men a combined 36 minutes per game, the Tar Heel are sixth in the nation in rebound margin (12.3 per game) and seventh in rebounding (43.9 per game). UNC is 60th nationally in offensive boards (12.8 per game).
• Ten Tar Heels are averaging 10 or more minutes per game, including four freshmen (forwards Garrison Brooks and Sterling Manley and guards Jalek Felton and Andrew Platek).
• Luke Maye, Theo Pinson and Kenny Williams are averaging a career high in minutes played, and Joel Berry is averaging the same as he did a year ago.
• Five of Carolina’s first nine opponents currently have a winning record and the most recent four have a combined record of 23-8.
Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Wednesday, Dec. 6, 7 p.m.
TV: RSN Wes Durham, Jason Capel
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network Jones Angell, Eric Montross
Satellite Radio Sirius/XM 81
• Carolina plays its seventh game in 14 days when it plays host to Western Carolina on Wednesday, Dec. 6th, at 7 p.m. at the Smith Center.
• The game will be broadcast on the Regional Sports Network (various sports cable channels throughout the country).
• Following Wednesday’s game, the Tar Heels will take an 11-day break for exams before returning to action on Sunday, Dec. 17, at Tennessee.
• The WCU game is the first of four remaining regular-season non-conference games (WCU, at Tennessee, Wofford, and Ohio State in New Orleans).
• UNC is 8-1, coming off a 97-73 win over Tulane on Dec. 3rd. The Tar Heels shot 65.5 percent from the floor, its highest percentage since the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
• The Catamounts are 3-6 after beating Appalachian State, 72-71, on Dec. 4th.
• With a win, Carolina would improve to 9-1. That would be the sixth time in the last 15 years the Tar Heels would be 9-1 or 10-0 in the first 10 games. UNC was 10-0 in 2007-08 and 2008-09 and 9-1 in 2004-05, 2006-07 and 2016-17.
• Luke Maye is averaging 15.3 points more per game than he did a year ago (increase from 5.5 to 20.8). No Tar Heel has ever increased his scoring average for a season by 15.3 points per game.
• The largest increase in scoring from one season to another by a Tar Heel is 12.1 points by Donald Williams from his freshman to sophomore season. Williams averaged 2.2 points in 1991-92 and 14.3 in 1992-93. The Garner, N.C., native scored 25 points in the 1993 national semifinal vs. Kansas and 25 more in the national championship vs. Michigan to earn Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors.
• Two other Tar Heels – Larry Brown (4.5 in 1960-61 to 16.5 in 1961-62) and Reyshawn Terry (2.3 in 2004-05 to 14.3 in 2005-06) increased their averages by 12.0 per game.
RSN AFFILIATES
• The UNC-Western Carolina will be available on the following channels:
ACC Network Extra (subject to blackout),
FOX Sports South,
FOX Sports Sun - Central and North Florida,
FOX Sports Florida - South Florida,
FOX Sports Midwest Plus,
YES,
NBC Sports Washington Plus,
NESN,
AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh,
SportsTime Ohio,
FOX Sports Detroit Plus,
FOX Sports North,
FOX Sports Wisconsin Plus,
FOX Sports Southwest Plus,
FOX Sports Arizona,
FOX Sports San Diego,
FOX Sports Prime Ticket,
AT&T Sportsnet Las Vegas,
AT&T Sportsnet Rocky Mtn
Root Sports Northwest.
UNC-WESTERN CAROLINA SERIES
• This is the second game ever between North Carolina and Western Carolina and the first in 61 seasons.
• Number-one ranked UNC beat WCU, 77-59, on 1/30/1957. Helms Foundation National Player of the Year Lennie Rosenbluth scored a game-high 26 points and Tommy Kearns added 16 for the Tar Heels.
• It was the dedication game for Reid Gymnasium in Cullowhee.
HOME WINS
• Carolina has won 22 straight home games (includes the win over Notre Dame last season in Greensboro).
• It is the seventh-longest home winning streak in school history. The record is 31, set from 2010-12. A win over Western Carolina would match the fifth-longest streak (which was accomplished twice).
• The Tar Heels are 397-68 in the Dean Dome, including 197-15 against non-conference opponents.
• Carolina is 202-27 under Roy Williams in the Smith Center.
ROY ... ONE WIN SHY OF 1,100
• Head coach Roy Williams has been part of 1,099 wins as a college coach, including 824 as head coach and 275 as an assistant.
• Williams has won 418 games as head coach at Kansas, 406 as UNC’s head coach and was part of Dean Smith’s staff for 10 seasons from 1978-88 when the Tar Heels won 275 games.
LUKE MAYE
• Junior forward Luke Maye was named the ACC Player of the Week following Carolina’s wins over Michigan, Davidson and Tulane.
• It was the second ACC Player of the Week award this season for Maye. He was a co-winner after UNC’s season-opening win over Northern Iowa.
• Against Michigan, Davidson and Tulane, Maye averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.7 blocks. He shot 29 for 46 from the floor (.630) and 13 of 18 from the line (.722).
• He scored a game-high 27 points and had six rebounds and three assists vs. Michigan (11 for 16 from the floor), had 24 points and a career-high 17 rebounds at Davidson (had a double-double in the first half with 13 and 10), and netted a game-high 22 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks and added a team-high four assists vs. Tulane.
• Maye leads Carolina in scoring (20.8), rebounding (10.3), field goals made and attempted (75 for 133), blocks (11) and minutes (31.9).
• Maye is second in the ACC in scoring and rebounding. Duke freshman Marvin Bagley III is first in both categories. Maye and Bagley are the only ACC players averaging 20/10. Maye is also ninth in FG percentage (.564).
• Maye has scored 185 points in nine games. Last year, as a sophomore, he scored 194 points in 35 games.
• Maye has made 10 or more field goals in a game four times – 11 vs. UNI, Arkansas and Michigan and 10 at Davidson. Last year, the entire roster combined to make 10 or more field goals four times in 40 games – Justin Jackson twice and Joel Berry II and Kennedy Meeks one time each.
10 OR MORE FIELD GOALS IN A GAME, 2017-18
Luke Maye– 11 vs. UNI
Luke Maye– 11 vs. Arkansas
Luke Maye– 11 vs. Michigan
Luke Maye– 10 at Davidson
10 OR MORE FIELD GOALS IN A GAME, 2016-17
Joel Berry II– 12 at Clemson
Kennedy Meeks– 11 vs. Oregon
Justin Jackson– 10 vs. Kentucky
Justin Jackson– 10 vs. Virginia Tech
• The Huntersville, N.C., native has scored 20 or more points in seven of Carolina’s first nine games and has 25 or more points three times.
• He is the first Tar Heel to score 20 points in seven of his first nine games since Tyler Hansbrough in 2008-09 (Hansbrough did it seven times in his first nine and nine times in his first 11 games).
• Maye scored in double figures six times in his first two years with a high of 17 against Kentucky in the 2017 NCAA regional final.
• Maye had 28 points, 16 rebounds and five assists against Arkansas on Nov. 24th. He was the first Tar Heel to reach 28/16/5 in a game since Mitch Kupchak vs. Mercer in 1976.
• Maye has 10 or more rebounds seven times in his career. In three of them he grabbed 15 or more – 17 at Davidson, 16 vs. Arkansas and 15 last year vs. Florida State.
• Maye was selected to the all-tournament team in the Victory bracket at the PK80 Invitational.
• Maye has set or tied a career high in each of the last three games – field goals vs. Michigan (tied with 11), rebounds at Davidson (17) and blocks vs. Tulane (4).
HIGH MARKS FOR THEO
• Senior Theo Pinson leads the Tar Heels in assists (37). He is averaging career highs so far as a senior in scoring (10.0), rebounds (5.4) and a team-high 4.1 assists per game.
• Pinson has led UNC in assists in six of the first nine games this season and 26 times as a Tar Heel.
• Pinson led the 2017 national champions with 3.7 assists per game. He is the first nonpoint guard to lead UNC in assists per game since Steve Bucknall in 1988-89 (Marcus Paige played some at the point in 2015-16 and shared the team lead).
• Since 1975, the other non-point guards to lead the Tar Heels in assists were Mike O’Koren and Matt Doherty.
HERE AND THERE...
• Carolina has scored 85 or more points eight times (all wins), 90 or more points four times, and 45 points in its only loss.
• The Tar Heels have shot 50 percent from the floor five times. UNC is shooting 48.7 percent for the season. Take away the record-low 15 for 61 (.246) against Michigan State, and UNC is shooting 51.5 percent from the floor in the other eight games.
• KenPom’s stats rank Carolina 14th in adjusted offensive efficiency and 17th in adjusted defensive efficiency.
• Carolina has assists on 56 percent of its field goals. That is the lowest percentage in the last five years and the fourth-lowest in Roy Williams’ 15 years as UNC’s head coach.
• Last year, the Tar Heels led the nation in rebounds per game, offensive rebounds per game and rebound margin. Despite losing its top three rebounders and playing three true freshmen big men a combined 36 minutes per game, the Tar Heel are sixth in the nation in rebound margin (12.3 per game) and seventh in rebounding (43.9 per game). UNC is 60th nationally in offensive boards (12.8 per game).
• Ten Tar Heels are averaging 10 or more minutes per game, including four freshmen (forwards Garrison Brooks and Sterling Manley and guards Jalek Felton and Andrew Platek).
• Luke Maye, Theo Pinson and Kenny Williams are averaging a career high in minutes played, and Joel Berry is averaging the same as he did a year ago.
• Five of Carolina’s first nine opponents currently have a winning record and the most recent four have a combined record of 23-8.
