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UNC-CAL
• Carolina holds a 4-1 advantage against the Golden Bears, having gone 2-0 in Chapel Hill and 1-0 in the Smith Center.
• This meeting is their first since Cal defeated UNC, 78-71, in Oakland on 12/29/1998. Geno Carlisle (29) and Thomas Kilgore (21) totaled 50 points, surpassing Brendan Haywood’s double-double (24 points/12 rebounds) for the Tar Heels.
• UNC initially pulled away from a one-point halftime game to triumph over Cal, 71-47, on 11/22/1997, in their only prior contest held at the Smith Center. The Tar Heels shot 70.8% from the field in a remarkable 45-point second half. Antawn Jamison (17), Vince Carter (13), and Ademola Okulaja (13) combined for 43 points, while Shammond Williams (9) and Ed Cota (7) contributed 16 assists.
• Carolina has also secured series victories in Cal’s Harmon Gym (12/22/1972), Carmichael Auditorium (12/5/1973), and the Carrier Dome in Syracuse during the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1997.
• The 1997 NCAA Tournament clash was the third-to-last in Dean Smith’s 36-year Hall of Fame coaching career with the Tar Heels. The contest also featured Naismith Hall of Famer Vince Carter and College Basketball Hall of Famer Antawn Jamison for UNC, alongside Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez, who was a two-sport star for the Bears.
NOTABLE
• RJ Davis is one of three players in the ACC’s top 10 for both scoring and assists (alongside Duke’s Cooper Flagg and Pitt’s Jaland Lowe).
• Davis has participated in 155 games over five seasons, tying with Leaky Black for second in games played by a Tar Heel, behind Armando Bacot’s ACC-record 169. All three, Davis, Black, and Bacot, played a fifth year due to Covid-19.
• Davis leads Carolina and ranks sixth in the ACC, averaging 17.8 points per game, and is eighth in assists with 4.0 per game.
• Last season, Davis topped the ACC in scoring, averaging 21.2 points per game.
• In the Tar Heels’ 82-67 victory over SMU, Davis netted 26 points. This marked the 40th game of his career in which he scored 20 or more points and 18 games with 25 or more. When he scores at least 20 points, the Tar Heels hold a record of 31-9; when he scores 25 or more, they are 13-5.
• With 308 three-pointers, Davis is Carolina’s all-time leader and ranks 13th in ACC history. Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim is just ahead with 309.
• Davis registered two assists in the NC State game, becoming the 13th Tar Heel to surpass 500 assists. He has amassed 501 assists, averaging 3.2 per game. Steve Hale sits 12th with 503.
• On average, Davis attempts 14.9 field goals per game, down from his 16.4 average last year. He is now attempting 7.1 three-pointers per game, compared to 7.7 last season.
• Through 17 games, Davis has made 34 three-point shots. Last season, he netted 52 threes in the same span.
• In 14 of the 17 games this season, either UNC or its opponent established a lead of at least 10 points in the first half.
• Carolina has built double-digit first-half leads seven times, winning all those games (versus Elon, American, at Hawai’i, La Salle, Campbell, at Notre Dame, and SMU). On two occasions (Elon and Notre Dame), the Tar Heels lost their lead but ultimately won the game.
• UNC has fallen behind by 10 or more points in the first half on seven occasions. The Tar Heels managed to rally back against Dayton and UCLA, held a lead against, but eventually lost to Kansas, Michigan State, Florida, as well as falling to Auburn and Alabama.
• In total, Carolina has outscored its opponents by 165 points in the second half compared to the first (an average of 9.7 more per game). This includes the victory at NC State, where the Tar Heels scored 37 points in the second half after only scoring 26 in the first.
• Over the five ACC matches, UNC averages 5.0 more points in the second half than in the first half.
• The Tar Heels have outscored their opponents in the second half in 15 of 17 games (only Elon and Notre Dame were exceptions).
• Averaging 36.5 points in the first half (matching their opponents’ average) and 46.8 in the second half (opponents average 40.2), Carolina has scored at least 40 points in the second half 12 times (including reaching 50 or more six times) and allowed 40+ points in the second half nine times (including the last five and seven of the last eight games).
• Carolina outperformed its opponents in the second half in 10 of the first 13 games but has not done so since the Campbell match.
• The Tar Heels have shot a higher percentage in the second half than in the first in 16 out of the first 17 games (only against Georgia Tech did they perform better in the first half).
• Carolina has achieved 50% shooting from the floor in the first half four times (against American, Michigan State, La Salle, and Campbell) and in the second half 12 times (against Kansas, American, Hawai’i, Dayton, Michigan State, La Salle, Florida, UCLA, Campbell, at Louisville, at Notre Dame, and SMU).
when UNC performed better than 62% from the court (against American, Florida and Campbell).
• The Tar Heels have collectively shot 56.6% from the court in the second halves of their previous eight matchups (from La Salle to NC State). UNC has converted 129 of 228 field goal attempts during the second half in those eight contests.
• The Tar Heels rank 31st nationally in scoring with an average of 83.2 points per match, and 311th in scoring defense (77.4). However, when considering the pace of play and the total possessions, Carolina places 34th in the nation in offensive effectiveness and 41st in defensive efficiency.
• In Carolina’s 11 victories, the Tar Heels are shooting 10.1% better from the floor than their adversaries (49.2 to 39.1%). The opponents have hit two additional three-pointers, yet Carolina has converted one more free throw (196) than the attempts made by their opponents (195).
• Carolina averages plus 4.8 rebounds per contest in its 11 victories and suffers a minus 4.5 average on the glass during the six defeats.
• Carolina is hitting 35% from beyond the arc in its wins compared to 28.4% in the losses.
• Carolina’s shooting from two-point range is 55.8%, representing its highest two-point percentage since the 1997-98 ACC champion and NCAA East Regional champion Tar Heels, who shot 56.5% from that distance.
• Ian Jackson is the sole player to connect on a three-pointer in every game he has appeared in (did not play against American).
• Jackson has successfully made multiple three-pointers in each of his last six games. He achieved 14 three-pointers through his first 10 games, and has collectively made 18 in the preceding six outings.
• He is the first UNC freshman to convert multiple three-point attempts in six consecutive games since Kerwin Walton’s nine-game stretch in 2020-21.
• In his initial 10 games, Jackson attempted 19 free throws (1.9 per match) and launched 37 in the subsequent six games (6.2 per match). Not surprisingly, Jackson averaged 10.8 points in his opening 10 games and has raised that to 23.2 points over the last six.
• Initially, Jackson was a combined minus 46 in his first eight games. Over his last eight appearances, he stands at plus 49.
• Drake Powell has recorded double-digit scoring four times this season, including thrice in the past five contests. He netted 18 points against Michigan State in November and subsequently totaled 23 points over the following five games. Nonetheless, in the last five matchups, Powell has scored 12 against Campbell, 14 at Louisville, eight at Notre Dame, 17 against SMU, and eight at NC State.
• Powell has hit four three-pointers on two occasions this season (Michigan State and SMU). His 14 points in the first half against the Mustangs marked the highest he has scored in any half this season.
• Powell is shooting 52.2% from the floor in the last six matchups (24 for 46).
• Jalen Washington leads UNC with 21 blocks, with 12 of those recorded in the last three games (five at Notre Dame, four against SMU, and three at NC State, including one with just a second left that clinched Carolina’s 63-61 win).
• Washington’s 12 blocks represent the highest total by a Tar Heel within a three-game timeframe since Brice Johnson recorded 13 against Florida Gulf Coast, Providence, and Indiana in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
• Washington achieved his first career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 12 rebounds at NC State. He became the eighth distinct current Tar Heel to tally a double-double at the collegiate level (fourth this season alongside Elliot Cadeau, Seth Trimble, and Jae’Lyn Withers).
• Washington is averaging 7.2 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 68.2% from the court in the last five contests.
JACKSON’S RECORD-SETTING STREAK
• Ian Jackson ranks third in the ACC for scoring in conference matchups, averaging a team-best 20.8 points per game. RJ Davis follows in second place for scoring in ACC games at 14.6 points per match.
• Jackson has accumulated 139 points in the last six games. Harrison Barnes (140 in 2010-11) is the only Tar Heel freshman to surpass that in any six-game span. The record for seven games is 160 by Tyler Hansbrough in 2005-06.
• Jackson previously made history by being the first Tar Heel freshman ever to score 23 or more points in four consecutive games. His scores were 24 against UCLA, 26 versus Campbell, 23 at Louisville, and 27 at Notre Dame.
• Following this exceptional four-game performance with 20-point games, he matched his season highs with three 3FGs and seven rebounds, scoring 18 points in the victory over SMU, and then netted a season-high five 3FGs while tallying 21 at NC State.
• He was the first UNC freshman to reach 20 or more points in four straight games since Tyler Hansbrough (2005-06), and the first to lead UNC in scoring for four consecutive games since Cole Anthony (2019-20).
• Phil Ford is the only Tar Heel freshman to score 20 or more in five successive games (he hit 22 or more in all five).
• Jackson has averaged 23.2 points over his last five games and 19.3 across the last 10.
• He has recorded double-digit points in 12 contests, including 10 of the most recent 11 games.
• Jackson leads the team with six 20-point performances, while Davis has five.
• Jackson was acknowledged as ACC Rookie of the Week for his 26-point effort on December 29 against Campbell.
• Jackson’s 24 points against UCLA marked the second-highest total ever by a Tar Heel freshman at Madison Square Garden (25 by Rashad McCants against Kansas in 2002).
TAR HEELS AND THE ACC
• Carolina is a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
• This marks the 72nd season of ACC men’s basketball.
• UNC has secured the regular-season championship 33 times, including the 2023-24 season, in which the Tar Heels finished with a 17-3 record to win the title outright for the 22nd time. Duke ranks second with 20 regular-season titles.
• The Tar Heels have an all-time record of 762-314 in ACC regular-season play. These 762 wins are the highest by any team.
• RJ Davis was recognized as the 2024 ACC Player of the Year, while Hubert Davis earned the Coach of the Year accolade.
• Davis becomes the first Player of the Year to return the subsequent season since UNC’s Tyler Hansbrough won the award in 2008 and returned for his senior year in 2009, during which he guided the Tar Heels to an NCAA title.
ADDITIONAL MILESTONES FOR RJ
• RJ Davis ranks as the second-leading scorer in Carolina’s esteemed history with 2,390 points. He surpassed Armando Bacot, who similarly played for five seasons, for second place in the victory at Notre Dame on January 4.
• He set the UNC career record for three-pointers on December 29 (now holds 308) and maintains the highest free throw percentage ever recorded by a Tar Heel (85.8%).
• The 29-point display by Davis against Florida on December 17 positioned him as the highest-scoring guard in Carolina history, surpassing the previous record held by Phil Ford.
• Davis’ career scoring average stands at 15.4, currently the eighth-highest for a Tar Heel guard.
• Last year, Davis became the 19th Tar Heel to attain consensus first-team All-America status. Collectively, these 19 players have accumulated a total of 28 consensus first-team All-America honors.
• Davis joins the ranks of Lennie Rosenbluth in 1957, Phil Ford in 1978, Michael Jordan in 1983 and 1984, Kenny Smith in 1987, Jerry Stackhouse in 1995, Antawn Jamison in 1998, Joseph Forte in 2001, and Tyler Hansbrough in 2008 and 2009 as the only Tar Heels to be recognized as first-team All-America by each of the organizations that the NCAA acknowledges for determining consensus first-team All-America selections.
HONORS FOR CADEAU
• West Orange, N.J. native Elliot Cadeau is to be celebrated by his hometown on January 15, where the West Orange Human Relations Commission will award him the 2025 Global Impact Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award in recognition of his contributions to the community and charitable initiatives.
• The sophomore point guard has orchestrated free camps for underprivileged youths in Chapel Hill and New Jersey, supplied school materials, backpacks, and holiday gifts to children in Chapel Hill via the Hargraves Center, donated sports gear and basketballs to his elementary school, and aims to revitalize basketball courts in economically disadvantaged regions in Sweden, Haiti, and New Jersey.
• Cadeau’s father, James, will accept the award on Elliot’s behalf. James originates from Haiti, while Elliot’s mother, Michelle, is from Sweden, where he is a member of the National Team.
SMITH CENTER
• This marks the 40th season the Tar Heels have played in the Dean E. Smith Center.
• Carolina has a 6-1 record in the Smith Center this season, holding an overall record of 483-88 (.845).
• The Tar Heels stand at 251-69 versus ACC foes in the Smith Center.
NOVEMBER SIGNINGS
• Carolina has signed Isaiah Denis from Concord, N.C., and Derek Dixon from Vienna, Va.
• Denis, a 6-5 guard at Davidson Day High School in Davidson, N.C., is the son of Nancy Denis and Frantz Denis and competes in AAU for CP3.
• Dixon, son of John and Kari Dixon, is a 6-3 guard at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., also participating in AAU for Team Takeover.
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