Feb 10, 2007, 16:30 GMT
Chapel Hill, NC - Coming off a huge road win at arch-rival Duke, the fifth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels return to the friendly confines of the Smith Center to battle the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in ACC action from Chapel Hill.
Roy Williams' squad fell behind early against the Blue Devils, but left Durham with a hard-fought 79-73 victory. With the win, the team moved to 7-2 in league play, just a half game behind both Boston College (8-2) and Virginia (8-2) in the standings.
Skip Prosser's Demon Deacons are much farther down the ACC ladder, residing in the league cellar with Miami-Florida at 2-8. The team has dropped seven of its last nine games, but is coming off a non-conference win against Wiston- Salem State on Tuesday, 87-71. This is the first time Wake has made the short trip to Chapel Hill since 2003.
UNC holds a 149-63 edge in the all-time series and has won three of the last five meetings. The Tar Heels are seeking the regular season sweep after posting an 88-60 rout in Winston-Salem on January 24th.
It was an opportunity for Skip Prosser to empty his bench against WSSU this week, as 13 players logged minutes in the game. In all, six Demon Deacons finished in double figures, led by Kyle Visser's 15 points. The near seven- footer completed a double-double with 11 rebounds in just 24 minutes of action. Jamie Skeen also completed the feat with 11 points and 13 boards. Harvey Hale and L.D. Williams notched 12 points apiece, while Anthony Gurley and Michael Drum tallied 11 points each off the bench. The Demon Deacons are shooting a solid .463 from the floor, resulting in 74.3 ppg. Unfortunately, the defensive effort has been lacking, with opponents netting 75.1 ppg, on .471 shooting. Visser is the main weapon, leading the team in both scoring (17.5 ppg) and rebounding (7.5 rpg). No other player is averaging double digits for Wake, with Ishmael Smith coming the closest at 9.0 ppg.
Offensive firepower is something that UNC has plenty of. The team ranks second nationally in scoring (87.8 ppg) and among the national leaders in field-goal percentage (.507). All-American sophomore Tyler Hansbrough leads a young, but extremely talented cast of characters, pacing the team in both scoring (18.5 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg). A trio of freshmen follow, with 6-9 Brandan Wright (15.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg) providing help up front and guards Wayne Ellington (12.1 ppg) and Ty Lawson (10.3 ppg, team-high 123 assists) giving the team perimeter balance. North Carolina trailed for most of the game at Duke this week, but wore out the Blue Devils down the stretch to post a six-point victory. Wright just missed a double-double, leading the way with 19 points and nine rebounds. Hansbrough finished with 16 points, while Reyshawn Terry recorded his second career double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. Lawson had a solid all-around game, finishing with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
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