By R.L. Bynum
Georgia (3–0) at North Carolina (3–0)
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Smith Center
TV: ESPN2 | Kevin Brown play-by-play, LaPhonso Ellis analyst
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network (affiliates list; streams on the Varsity Network app) | Jones Angell play-by-play, Tyler Zeller analyst
Coaches: Georgia coach Mike White (fifth season at Georgia: 81–57; 16th season; 324–185, previously at Florida and Louisiana Tech; 78 wins in his first four) and UNC coach Michael Malone (first college head-coaching season, 3–0; 510–394 in NBA regular-season games, 44–36 in NBA playoff games)
Series: UNC leads 13–5 (see list below) and has won the last four meetings, which date to Feb. 1, 1918. The teams have not met since November 1998, when the Tar Heels beat the Bulldogs 65–58 at the Smith Center. In the previous meeting, in Athens in 1997, top-ranked UNC beat unranked Georgia 82–80 in overtime. Georgia won the two most significant meetings: 82–77 over a favored Carolina in the 1983
Opening results: UNC beat Western Carolina 80–72 on Nov. 2, Wofford 109–70 on Nov. 6 and Wyoming 76–63 on Tuesday, all at the Smith Center. Georgia beat N.C. Central 78–62 on Nov. 2, Presbyterian 91–77 on Nov. 6 and Florida Gulf Coast 80–72 on Monday, all at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.
Exhibition results: Carolina beat Southern Cal 88–70 on Oct. 9 in Greensboro, lost 76–58 at Indiana on Oct. 18 and beat Charlotte 89–82 in overtime on Oct. 27. Georgia beat Georgia State 94–61 on Oct. 7 and Charlotte 87–67 on Oct. 16, both at home, and lost 82–80 at Clemson on Oct. 23.
Projected Georgia starters
No. 4 | G | Marcus “Smurf” Millender | 5–11, 175 | senior UTSA transfer
— Had 13 points and six assists without a turnover against Florida Gulf Coast after scoring 12 points in each of the first two games (12.3 points per game). He made 9 of 10 free throws in the opener.
— Led Georgia with 4.1 assists per game last season and averaged 12.0 points.
— Career-high is 28 points for UTSA on Feb. 5, 2025, in a 61–60 home loss to Tulane
— Has 51 career games with multiple 3-pointers, 25 with at least three, eight with at least four and has scored a career-high five five times.
No. 0 | G | Blue Cain (top photo) | 6–5, 195 | senior
— Leads Georgia with 16.0 points per game, scoring 15 against N.C. Central, 20 on 9-of-12 shooting against Presbyterian and 13 with three 3-pointers against Florida Gulf Coast.
— A four-year Bulldog from Knoxville, Tenn., he has 1,071 career points, two shy of No. 37 on Georgia’s career scoring list. He averaged 13.1 points and 5.1 rebounds last season.
— Career-high is 22 points last season on Dec. 13 in an 84–65 victory over Cincinnati
— Has 47 career games with multiple 3-pointers, 16 with at least three, six with at least four and has scored a career-high five twice.
No. 6 | F | Kanon Catchings | 6–9, 220 | junior
— Scored 16 points against N.C. Central, 12 against Presbyterian and 13 with seven rebounds against Florida Gulf Coast (13.7 points per game).
— White said Catchings’ second half against Florida Gulf Coast was his best stretch since last February. He averaged 11.6 points and 4.8 rebounds last season.
— Career-high is 32 points last season in a 98–88 win over Alabama, when he scored a career-high seven 3-pointers.
— Has 28 career games with multiple 3-pointers, 19 with at least three, 13 with at least four, four with at least five, and the career-high seven against Alabama.
No. 1 | F | Kareem Stagg | 6–8, 230 | sophomore
— Scored 10 points against Presbyterian, making his first two 3-point attempts, and a career-high 13 against Florida Gulf Coast. He made only 15 3-pointers all of last season.
— His 13 blocks last season are the most among Georgia’s returning players after the Bulldogs lost their top four shot-blockers to the transfer portal.
No. 9 | F | James Scott | 6–11, 225 | senior Ole Miss transfer
— Had six rebounds against Presbyterian and seven against Florida Gulf Coast, and had three blocks in the preseason opener against Georgia State.
— A Fayetteville native (E.E. Smith High) who also played at College of Charleston and Louisville, he replaces center Somto Cyril, who transferred to Miami.
— Won his only game against UNC, an 83–70 victory on Jan. 1, 2025, while at Louisville. He had 11 points and eight rebounds in 11 minutes.
— Career-high 16 points for Louisville in a 98–73 win at SMU on Jan. 21, 2025.
Other key Bulldogs
No. 5 | G | Freddie Dilione V | Penn State transfer
— Led Georgia with 14 points off the bench against Georgia State, scored 10 against Presbyterian and capped Georgia’s 17–0 run against Florida Gulf Coast with a basket.
No. 34 | F | Andrew Osasuyi
— Scored on a putback and blocked a Florida Gulf Coast 3-point attempt during Georgia’s second-half run against the Eagles.
Georgia added five transfers and four freshmen, including Saint Louis transfer Brady Dunlap and freshmen David Ugonna Ike and Mading Kuany.
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More on Tar Heels
— After Malone challenges ‘manhood’ at halftime, Heels respond
— Malone, ‘wired’ to NBA perspective, reminds himself to ‘calm down’ and teach
— UNC’s 3-pointers volume drops, but Malone says he’s not chasing number
— Tar Heels in pros: Wilson suffers another hand injury; Ingram produces third career G League triple-double
— Tar Heels in NBA: White dishes out nine assists, nearly has double-double, as Hornets snap losing streak
— Tracking transfers: Cadeau, Lubin deliver double-doubles; Jackson sparks St. John’s rout
— Tracking transfers: Evans hits career-high 26 with first career double-double in Gophers win at Cincinnati
Three keys for Tar Heels
— Finish defensive possessions. Wyoming had 15 offensive rebounds in the first half Tuesday and only four in the second, and Georgia gives Carolina another test on the glass. The Bulldogs split 19 offensive and 19 defensive rebounds against Presbyterian, and Clemson had 16 offensive rebounds in its preseason win over Georgia. Sayon Keita and Jarin Stevenson need to make first contact against James Scott, Kareem Stagg and Kanon Catchings, and the guards have to help on long rebounds.
— Take care of the ball and get back in transition. Georgia’s offense scored a program-record 89.4 points per game last season and led the nation in fast-break points at one point in December. This season the Bulldogs are averaging 83.0 points. Carolina has committed fewer than 10 or turnovers in each of its first three games (nine against Wyoming). A live-ball turnover gives Georgia a chance to run before UNC can set its defense.
— Make Georgia’s balanced scoring come in the half court. Blue Cain, Catchings, Marcus Millender and Stagg each scored 13 points against Florida Gulf Coast, and five Bulldogs reached double figures against Presbyterian. Georgia is 24 of 77 (31.2%) on 3-pointers through three games (6 of 26, 10 of 26 and 8 of 25), so Carolina can stay home on shooters, keep Cain and Freddie Dilione V from getting to the rim, and contest without sending extra help on every drive.
Notes
— This will be the 601st UNC game at the Smith Center. UNC is 510–90, including 244–18 against non-conference teams.
— Carolina has won 21 straight home games, including 14 straight against nonconference opponents.
— This is the fourth of six consecutive home games to open the season, the first such stretch in program history.
— Terrence Brown leads three Tar Heels averaging double-figure points (16.3), along with Matt Able (11.7) and Maxi Adams (11.3). Adams leads UNC in rebounding (8.0) and Neo Avdalas has the highest assist average (4.0).
— The Tar Heels are only making 69.5% of their free-throw attempts, with Jarin Stevenson only 6 of 12 from the line.
— Both teams have taken care of the basketball through three games. Georgia is tied for second in the country in fewest turnovers per game at 7.0 and UNC is tied for 19th at 8.7.
— Carolina is 276th in the country in rebounding margin at -2.
— Georgia is playing its first road game of the season. The Bulldogs have won 39 straight non-conference games at Stegeman Coliseum, the seventh-longest streak in the nation.
— Georgia finished 22–11 last season, including 10–8 in the SEC, and reached consecutive NCAA tournaments for the first time since 2001–02. Its 22 regular-season victories were a program record. As an 8-seed, the Bulldogs lost 102–77 to 9-seed Saint Louis in the first round in Buffalo, a year after an 89–68 loss to Gonzaga. Georgia has not won an NCAA Tournament game since 2002.
— Bulldogs coach Mike White has led Georgia to three consecutive 20-win seasons.
— Georgia lost 10 players from last season’s roster, including seven to the transfer portal. Jeremiah Wilkinson went to Arkansas and Somto Cyril to Miami. The Bulldogs return four starters (Blue Cain, Kanon Catchings, Marcus “Smurf” Millender and Kareem Stagg), one of only a few power-conference teams to do so.
— Georgia has outscored its three opponents 249–211. White said after the Florida Gulf Coast win: “We finally saw what we can be defensively.” The Bulldogs allowed only 13 points over the 17 minutes of the second half outside an 18–3 Eagles run.
— Millender called the trip to Carolina “a huge step for the program.”
— Both teams played Charlotte in exhibition games (Georgia 87–67 on Oct. 16 and UNC 89–82 in overtime on Oct. 27).
UNC lineup combinations through 3 games
Data courtesy of Hudl Instat data
Georgia lineup combinations through 3 games
Data courtesy of Hudl Instat data
UNC season statistics
Georgia season statistics
Series: UNC leads 13-5
| Date | Time/ scores | Month/day | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | Exhibitions | |||
| 9 | W, 88–70 | Friday | vs. No. 21 USC in Greensboro | — |
| 18 | L, 76–58 | Sunday | vs. Indiana in Indianapolis | — |
| 27 | W, 89–82, OT | Tuesday | vs. Charlotte | — |
| November | Regular season | |||
| 2 | W, 80–72 | Monday | vs. Western Carolina | 1–0 |
| 6 | W, 109–70 | Friday | vs. Wofford | 2–0 |
| 10 | W, 76–63 | Tuesday | vs. Wyoming | 3–0 |
| 13 | 7 p.m. | Friday | vs. Georgia | ESPN2 |
| 20 | 9 p.m. | Friday | vs. Marshall | ACCN |
| 23 | 7 p.m. | Monday | vs. Monmouth | ACCN |
| 27 | 7 p.m. | Friday | Dick Vitale Invitational vs. West Virginia in Charlotte | ESPN |
| December | ||||
| 1 | 7:30 | Tuesday | ACC/SEC Challenge vs. No. 19 Arkansas | ESPN |
| 6 | 3 p.m. | Sunday | vs. Butler | ESPN2 |
| 12 | Noon | Saturday | at Georgetown | Peacock |
| 15 | 7 p.m. | Tuesday | Tobacco Road Classic vs. N.C. State in Greensboro | ESPN2 |
| 19 | 2:30 | Saturday | CBS Sports Classic vs. No. 24 Kentucky in New York | CBS |
| 21 | 8 p.m. | Monday | vs. The Citadel | The CW |
| 30 | 4 p.m. | Wednesday | vs. California | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 2 | 4 p.m. | Saturday | at Boston College | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 5 | 9 p.m. | Tuesday | at No. 10 Louisville | ESPN or ESPNU |
| 9 | Noon | Saturday | vs. N.C. State | ESPN2 |
| 13 | 7 p.m. | Wednesday | at Florida State | ESPN2 or ESPNU |
| 16 | 2:15 | Saturday | vs. Stanford | The CW |
| 19 | 9 p.m. | Tuesday | vs. No. 6 Virginia | ESPN |
| 23 | Noon | Saturday | at Syracuse | ESPN or 2 or U |
| 26 | 7 p.m. | Tuesday | vs. SMU | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 30 | 6 or 6:30 | Saturday | Nashville Hoops Showdown vs. No. 3 Illinois in Nashville, Tenn. | ESPN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | 7 p.m. | Tuesday | at Notre Dame | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 6 | 2:15 | Saturday | vs. Georgia Tech | The CW |
| 8 | 6 p.m. | Monday | vs. No. 10 Louisville | ESPN |
| 13 | 5:30 | Saturday | at No. 2 Duke | ABC |
| 20 | 7 p.m. | Saturday | at Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 22 | 7 p.m. | Monday | vs. No. 17 Miami | ESPN |
| 27 | 7 p.m. | Saturday | at Virginia Tech | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 2 | 9 p.m. | Tuesday | at Pittsburgh | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 6 | 6 or 6:30 | Saturday | vs. No. 2 Duke | ESPN |
| 9–13 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament in Greensboro |
Photo via @UGABasketball
