By R.L. Bynum
N.C. Central (1–3) at No. 18 North Carolina (3–0)
When: 9 p.m. Friday
Why so late? It’s part of an ACC Network doubleheader, which starts with the 7 p.m. Indiana State at No. 4 Duke game.
TV: ACC Network: Doug Sherman play-by-play and Chris Spatola analyst
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app);
Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Zeller analyst
Officials: Eric Lewis, Mark Schnur and Les Jones
UNC projected starters: Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac, Jarin Stevenson, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar (none played for Carolina last season).
Series: UNC leads 3–0 (see list below)
N.C. Central results
Nov. 3: 114–66 loss at N.C. State
Nov. 7: 81–62 loss at Virginia
Sunday: 76–54 loss at Appalachian State
Wednesday: 77–51 win vs. Bluefield State (Division II)
Projected N.C. Central starters
No. 1 | G | Gage Lattimore (top photo) | 6–2, 190 | sophomore | Seton Hill (Division II) transfer
— 24.0 points, 46.6 FG%, 62.1 3P% (18 of NCCU’s 29 3-pointers), 24 of 24 at FT line, 2.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists
— Last season at Seton Hall: 27 games, 15 starts, 10.6 points, 2.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 41.9 FG%, 42.1 3P%
— He scored 38 points and nine 3-pointers in the Bluefield State win
No. 1 | G | Kyric Davis | 6–5, 202 | senior | West Georgia transfer
— 4.8 points, 33.3 FG%, 20 3P%, 80 FT%, 1.8 rebounds, 0.5 of an assist, 2.0 turnovers
— Last season at West Georgia: 31 games, 12 starts, 9.9 points, 36.6 FG%, 28.0 3P%, 79.3 FT%, 3.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.9 of a block
— Played in junior college at South Georgia State for his first two seasons
No. 2 | G | Dionte Johnson | 6–0, 200 | senior | Maryland-Eastern Shore transfer
— 4.8 points, 26.7 FG%, 1 of 11 3P, 2 of 4 FT, 2.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 3.5 steals
— Last season at NCCU: 32 games, 29 starts, 6.0 points, 40.6 FG%, 21.7 3P%, 74.6 FT%, 2.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.2 steals
— Two seasons at Maryland-Eastern Shore: 52 games, 31 starts, 4.6 points, 39.9 FG%, 26.2 3P%, 78.6 FT%, 2.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.2 steals
No. 21 | F | Jonathan Dunn | 6–7, 208 | redshirt junior | Coppin State transfer
— 2.8 points, 30.0 FG%, 0 of 1 3P, 62.5 FT%, 1.8 rebounds
— Played redshirt freshman season at Austin Peay
— Last season at Coppin State: 26 games, 11 starts, 9.8 points, 48.5 FG%, 25.0 3P%, 62.6 FT%, 4.3 rebounds, 0.7 of an assist, 0.6 of a steal
No. 7 | F | Khouri Carvey | 6–9, 232 | senior | Morehead State transfer
— 16.3 points, 47.7 FG%, 2 of 4 3P, 67.7 FT%, 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.8 of a block
— Played in junior college his first two seasons at Brunswick Community College
— Last season at Morehead State: 21 games, 1 start, 4.7 points, 44.7 FG%, 55.4 FT%, 3.9 rebounds, 0.3 of an assist.
— Every starter and all but two players on NCCU’s roster are transfers (10).
— This is Coach LeVelle Moton’s 17th season at NCCU.
— During the COVID season in the last meeting, the Eagles led UNC by 11 points in the first half before the Tar Heels led by two at halftime and won 73–67.
— Radford threw zone defenses at Carolina, and expect N.C. Central to do that as well after the Eagles played plenty of zone against N.C. State.
— UNC is 180–18 against in-state, non-ACC teams and has won 50 in a row, most recently beating Campbell last December.
— Carolina is two wins from joining Kentucky and Kansas as the only men’s college basketball programs with 2,400 wins and eight home wins away from 500 at the Smith Center (492–90).
— UNC is 3–0 for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Tar Heels won their first four games in the 2023–24 season.
UNC season statistics
NCCU season statistics
KenPom comparison
| Category | NCCU | UNC |
| Overall ranking | 347 | 27 |
| Offensive efficiency | 99.2 (313) | 118.1 (23) |
| Defensive efficiency | 115.3 (354) | 97.0 (32) |
| Effective FG% | 40.2 (339) | 53.6 (115) |
| Turnover % | 19.0 (218) | 14.9 (84) |
| Offensive rebound % | 26.30 (261) | 40.0 (37) |
| FTA/FGA | 44.3 (95) | 44.9 (87) |
| Strength of schedule | 29 | 215 |
Series: UNC leads 3–0
Other Friday ACC games
Indiana State at No. 4 Duke, 7 p.m., ACCN
Georgia Tech at Georgia, 9 p.m., SEC Network
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 10 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 17 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 9 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | 3 p.m. | vs. Ohio State | CBS |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | 8 p.m. | vs. East Carolina | ACCN |
| 30 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Florida State | ESPN2 |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | 2:15 | at SMU | The CW |
| 10 | Saturday | 6 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 14 | Wednesday | 9 p.m. | at Stanford | ACCN |
| 17 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at California | ACCN |
| 21 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 or 2:30 | at No. 23 Virginia | ESPN or ESPNU |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo via nccueaglepride.com
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