Dec 16, 2006, 15:30 GMT
Chapel Hill, NC - Following a week off, the third-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels get back to work, as they welcome the UNC- Asheville Bulldogs to Chapel Hill for a showdown at the Dean E. Smith Center.
The Tar Heels were last in action on December 9th, when they routed High Point (94-69) and in the process, gave head coach Roy Williams his 500th career victory. The victory was also the fourth straight for UNC, with the team's lone loss coming against Gonzaga on November 22nd.
The Bulldogs are a game under .500 on the season, but have played better of late, winning three of their last four games, including an 84-66 win over Tusculum last weekend.
This game marks just the fourth all-time meeting between these two teams, with North Carolina winning each of the previous three outings. Last season, the Tar Heels posted a lopsided 89-47 decision in Chapel Hill. The Bulldogs have never posted a win against the ACC, going 0-43 all-time against the current members of the conference.
K.J. Garland erupted for a season-high 26 points, leading the Bulldogs to an easy win over Tusculum last weekend. Garland just missed recording a double- double with a career best nine rebounds. UNC-Asheville took control of the game early on, shooting 59 percent from the floor in the first half and taking a 16-point lead into the locker room. Four others joined Garland in double figures, with Vincent James pouring in 12 points off the bench, followed by Joey Harrell and Bryan Smithson with 11 points each, and finally C.J. Walker's career-high 10 points. The Bulldogs have three players currently averaging double figures, but the result is a rather mediocre 69.8 ppg. Smithson is tops on the squad with 16.2 ppg and is shooting a healthy .414 from long range. Vincent and Garland provide depth with 11.0 and 10.6 ppg. respectively.
There is no shortage of scoring depth in Chapel Hill this season, as this young group of players has thrived at the offensive end of the court. The Tar Heels are shooting a solid .511 from the floor, leading to a whopping 90.1 ppg. In addition, the team has really abused foes on the boards, boasting of a +11.2 rebounding margin. The team has a pair of outstanding performers in the frontcourt in All-American Tyler Hasnbrough and freshman sensation Brandan Wright. Hansbrough is shooting .552 from the field this season and leads the team in both scoring (19.4 ppg) and rebounding (8.3 rpg). Wright is a freakish athlete with the ability to jump out of the building. He is converting a team-high 62.5 percent of his shots and ranks second in scoring (15.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.4 rpg). Two more freshmen patrol the backcourt and give the team plenty of scoring balance, with Wayne Ellington (13.0 ppg) and Ty Lawson (10.3 ppg) delivering big time from the outside. Ellington is shooting just over 50 percent from the floor (.506), while Lawson is closing in on 60 percent (.591). Roy Williams reached the 500-win plateau faster than any coach in Division I history and Hansbrough certainly had a big hand in the win last week, erupting for 24 points. Four others finished in double digits, with Reyshawn Terry, Lawson and Wright all chipping in 11 points, while Marcus Ginyard added 10. The Heels shot a ridiculous .636 from the floor in the game and outscored High Point at the free-throw line, 20-3.
© 2006 The Sports Network
View blog reactions
There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)
Advertising
There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)