By R.L. Bynum
East Carolina (5–7) at No. 12 North Carolina (11–1)
When: 8:05 p.m. Monday
Where: Smith Center
TV: ACC Network: Doug Sherman play-by-play, Terrence Oglesby analyst
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app);
Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Zeller or Tyler Hansbrough analyst
Coaches: Michael Schwartz (54–56 in fourth season at East Carolina) and Hubert Davis (112–46 in fifth season, all at UNC; was 228–95 in nine seasons as a UNC assistant coach)
UNC projected starters: Kyan Evans, Seth Trimble, Luka Bogavac, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar
Series: UNC leads 4–0 (see list below), with the last win 108–64 in the Smith Center on Dec. 7, 2014.
Line: UNC -27½
Over/under: 144
Records against the spread: UNC 7–5; East Carolina 3–8
Quad designation: East Carolina’s NET ranking is 289, making it the final game on the Tar Heels’ schedule currently designated as Quad 4. The Pirates lost to Michigan State 89–56 in their only Quad 1 game.
Common opponents: Both lost to Michigan State; UNC beat St. Bonaventure, and the Pirates lost to the Bonnies, with all of those games at the Fort Myers Tipoff.
East Carolina results (3 wins were Quad 4, and 1 was vs. a Division II team )
Nov. 4: 92–89 win vs. Georgia Southern
Nov. 8: 87–72 loss at Richmond
Nov. 13: 71–70 win vs. Elizabeth City State (Division II)
Nov. 18: 85–60 loss at UNCW
Nov. 21: 77–65 loss vs. Charleston Southern
Nov. 25: 89–56 loss vs. Michigan State in Fort Myers, Fla.
Nov. 27: 67–58 loss vs. St. Bonaventure in Fort Myers, Fla.
Dec. 2: 68–56 win vs Maryland-Eastern Shore
Dec. 6: 82–78 loss vs. UNCG
Dec. 11: 67–54 loss vs. Appalachian State
Dec. 14: 73–70 loss vs. Buffalo
Wednesday: 74–53 win vs. Presbyterian
Projected ECU starters
No. 12 | G | Jordan Riley (top photo) | 6–5, 210 | senior | Temple transfer in second season at ECU
— American Conference-leading 21.7 points, 46.5 FG%, 31.0 3P%, 65.9 FT%, 5.4 rebounds, 21 assists, 38 turnovers, team-leading 22 steals, 6 blocks
— An American Conference All-Preseason First Team selection
No. 7 | C | Giovanni Emejuru | 6–10, 262 | senior | George Mason transfer
— 13.6 points, team-leading 56.3 FG%, 65.3 FT%, team-leading 9.2 rebounds, team-leading 19 blocks, 11 steals
— He played his freshman season at Sam Houston State and his sophomore season at Siena before playing at George Mason last season.
No. 4 | G | Tybo Bailey | 6–2, 187 | sophomore
— 9.1 points, 35.7 FG%, 30.9 3P%, 74.4 FT%, 2.7 rebounds, 10 steals
— Was a four-star player at Winston-Salem Christian School (according to Rivals)
No. 5 | G | Corey Caulker | 6–0, 175 | junior | Eastern Florida State CC transfer
— 7.3 points, 25.2 FG%, 20.4 3P%, 82.6 FT%, 2.8 rebounds, team-leading 40 assists, 21 turnovers, 15 steals
— Played his freshman season at Northern Virginia Community College
No. 42 | F | Luke Davis | 6–8, 224 | graduate student | New Orleans transfer
— 3.4 points, 10–20 FGs, 0–2 3P FG, 77.8 FT%, 4.3 rebounds
— Played at Southwestern Illinois College as a freshman and Midland College as a sophomore
More on Tar Heels
— UNC, projected as a 4 seed, falls in the NET after its third Quad 1 victory
— Trimble says smarter recovery this time made a huge difference
— Versatile Stevenson answers lingering backup 5 question in win over Buckeyes
Notes
— UNC is the heavy favorite and should control tempo and inside play, but ECU’s rebounding (129th in the country in offensive rebounding percentage at 32.8) and Jordan Riley’s scoring make the Pirates a threat to lengthen possessions.
— Four of the Pirates’ usual starters are transfers. One is at his fourth school (center Giovanni Emejuru), and another is at his third school (forward Luke Davis).
— This is the final non-conference game for both teams.
— East Carolina is 3–84 all-time against Top 25 teams after losing to No. 9 Michigan State 89–56 on Nov. 25 at the Fort Myers Tipoff. The Pirates are 0–58 on the road against Top 25 teams after losing 74–70 at No. 19 Memphis last season.
— The Tar Heels are 181–18 against in-state nonconference teams and have won 51 such games in a row.
— Riley, the American Conference’s leading scorer, scored 24 points in Wednesday’s 74–53 home win over Presbyterian to snap a three-game losing streak.
— Carolina is 11–1, the best record through 12 games since going 11–1, 12–0 and 12–0 in successive seasons from 2006–07 to 2008–09. The Tar Heels won the national championship in the that third season.
— After playing two more home games before the end of December (also the ACC opener on Dec. 30 against Florida State the next week), UNC only plays at home twice in January (Jan. 10 vs. Wake Forest and Jan. 21 vs. Notre Dame), the first time that’s happened since the 1990–91 season.
— Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar have recorded double-doubles in the same game five times, which is tied for the eighth-most by a UNC duo in program history. They are easily on pace to break the record that John Henson and Tyler Zeller set with nine in the 2011–12 season.
— Wilson leads the team in scoring (19.5 points per game) and rebounding (10.8). Tyler Hansbrough (2005–06) is the only freshman to do that for a season.
Series: UNC 4, ECU 0
UNC season statistics
East Carolina season statistics
Statistical comparison
| Category | ECU | UNC |
| Points per game | 68.4 | 79.9 |
| Scoring defense | 74.3 | 64.6 |
| Scoring margin | -5.9 | +15.3 |
| FG% | 40.7% | 47.0% |
| 3P FG % | 25.9% | 32.5% |
| 3P per game | 4.8 | 8.2 |
| FT% | 71.2% | 68.9% |
| FG% defense | 45.1% | 37.2% |
| 3FG% defense | 34.3% | 29.5% |
| Opponent 3P/game | 8.0 | 6.5 |
| Rebounds per game | 35.8 | 41.8 |
| Offensive rebounds/game | 12.3 | 11.8 |
| Rebounding margin | +2.0 | +8.6 |
| Assists per game | 10.8 | 17.0 |
| Turnovers per game | 13.7 | 9.9 |
| Assist-to-turnover ratio | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Turnovers forced/game | 12.8 | 9.1 |
KenPom comparison
| Category | ECU | UNC |
| Overall ranking | 269 | 22 |
| Offensive efficiency | 99.1 (328) | 118.7 (42) |
| Defensive efficiency | 107.6 (159) | 97.1 (23) |
| Effective FG% | 44.8 (342) | 53.9 (86) |
| Turnover % | 18.8 (258) | 14.4 (34) |
| Offensive rebound % | 32.8 (129) | 34.6 (79) |
| FTA/FGA | 42.7 (46) | 39.9 (90) |
| Strength of schedule | 304 | 127 |
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 0–0 | 12–1 | 49 |
| No. 3 Duke | 0–0 | 11–1 | 4 |
| No. 12 North Carolina | 0–0 | 11–1 | 19 |
| No. 23 Virginia | 0–0 | 10–1 | 29 |
| Miami | 0–0 | 11–2 | 35 |
| Virginia Tech | 0–0 | 11–2 | 62 |
| No. 11 Louisville | 0–0 | 10–2 | 15 |
| SMU | 0–0 | 10–2 | 40 |
| Stanford | 0–0 | 10–2 | 80 |
| Clemson | 0–0 | 10–3 | 36 |
| N.C. State | 0–0 | 9–4 | 32 |
| Notre Dame | 0–0 | 9–4 | 61 |
| Wake Forest | 0–0 | 9–4 | 54 |
| Georgia Tech | 0–0 | 8–4 | 185 |
| Syracuse | 0–0 | 8–4 | 95 |
| Pittsburgh | 0–0 | 7–6 | 156 |
| Florida State | 0–0 | 6–6 | 144 |
| Boston College | 0–0 | 5–6 | 178 |
* — Through Saturday games
Saturday’s results
No. 12 North Carolina 71, Ohio State 70
No. 11 Louisville 94, Montana 54
Georgia Tech 95, Lafayette 81
Virginia Tech 82, Elon 81, OT
Syracuse 91, Northeastern 83
No. 23 Virginia 80, Maryland 72
No. 16 Texas Tech 82, No. 3 Duke 81
Stanford 77, Colorado 68
Sunday’s results
Pittsburgh 80, Penn State 46
N.C. State 76, Ole Miss 62
No. 13 Vanderbilt 98, Wake Forest 67
Purdue Ft. Wayne 72, Notre Dame 69
SMU 99, Central Arkansas 82
Clemson 68, Cincinnati 65
Miami 105, North Florida 67
California 74, Columbia 56
Monday’s games
American at Virginia, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Jacksonville at Florida State, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Stonehill at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Fairleigh Dickinson at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
East Carolina at No. 12 North Carolina, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Saturday’s game
Cal State Northridge at Stanford, 8 p.m., ACCN Extra
Sunday’s games
Le Moyne at Boston College, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Cal State Fullerton at SMU, 3 p.m., ACCN Extra
Florida A&M at Georgia Tech, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
| 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 | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 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 ecupirates.com
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