Basketball Gameday: at North Carolina
December 06, 2014 | Men's Basketball
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| East Carolina vs. North Carolina Dec. 7, 2014 | 3 p.m. EST Dean E. Smith Center | Chapel Hill, N.C.. |
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THE ESSENTIALS
? East Carolina will play its last game before final exams on Sunday as it travels to Chapel Hill to take on No. 12 North Carolina at 3 p.m. inside the Smith Center.
? The Pirates are coming off a 72-63 loss at Florida Atlantic on Wednesday. It'll be the Pirates second straight road game and second of three in a four game stretch.
? ECU Head Coach Jeff Lebo will lead the Pirates against his alma mater for the second time in three years. Lebo was four-year letterman at North Carolina from 1985-89. Prior to his arrival at ECU, the Pirates and Tar Heels had met on the basketball court just twice (1953, 1993).
? East Carolina is facing its first ranked opponent of the season and first since taking on then-No. 6 Duke in the NIT Tip-Off in November 2013. It's also their first of seven games against 2013 NCAA Tournament teams Sunday. In addition to UNC, ECU has two games each with Cincinnati, Memphis and UConn in The American conference play.
? The Pirates are 0-3 all-time against the Tar Heels.
? East Carolina will dress three players listed at 6-8 or taller, while North Carolina has six players on its roster listed at over 6-8..
What To Watch For
? The Pirates are looking to avoid consecutive losses for the first time this season. They have alternated wins and losses through the first eight games.
? A win for the Pirates would be their first road win over a ranked opponent and first over a "Big 4" opponent on the road.
? Junior Terry Whisnant is playing his sixth game against North Carolina. Whisnant scored 14 points versus UNC in Tallahassee as a sophomore at Florida State. The Seminoles were 2-3 against the Tar Heels during his two years at FSU.
? B.J. Tyson has gone to the free throw line nine or more times in three of the last four games. He ranks 10th in the nation with 44 free throws made this season. East Carolina ranks 12th in the nation with 140 free throws made this season. Tyson and Caleb White (24) have accounted for nearly half of those makes.
? Michel-Ofik Nzege has made his last 11 field goal attempts dating back to the Hawaii game. He was 9-of-9 shooting against Central Connecticut and made his lone shot vs. the Rainbow Warriors and Florida Atlantic.
? The Pirates' projected starting lineup is averaging 34.8 ppg, while the reserves are averaging 29.1 ppg.
? Newcomers B.J. Tyson, Terry Whisnant, Lance Tejada and Michel-Ofik Nzege have accounted for 57.8 percent of the team's offensive production this season, scoring 339 of the Pirates' 587 points.
Scouting North Carolina
? The Tar Heels enter Sunday's game with an overall record of 5-2 and a national ranking of 12 in both polls. UNC is coming off a 60-55 loss at home to Iowa on Wednesday.
? Junior preseason All-America selection Marcus Paige leads the Tar Heels with 14.9 ppg, followed closely by sophomore Kennedy Meeks at 14.0 ppg. Meeks leads UNC with 10.0 rebounds per game.
? North Carolina ranks fourth in the nation in field goal percent defense, holding its opponents to 33.6 percent. They are also limiting their foes to 25.3 percent behind the arc, 12th-best in the nation.
? UNC is averaging 77.6 points per game and holding its opponents to 63.6 ppg.
? UNC is fifth in nation with an average of 17.14 offensive rebounds per game.
Series History
? East Carolina is 0-3 all-time against North Carolina with the three games being played in Greenville (1953), Winston-Salem (1993) and Chapel Hill (2012).
? The coaching match-ups were (ECU/UNC) Howard Porter/Frank McGuire (1953), Eddie Payne/Dean Smith (1993) and Jeff Lebo/Roy Williams (2012).
? North Carolina was East Carolina's opponent in the first round of the 1993 NCAA Tournament at the East Regional in Winston-Salem.
? ECU Head Coach Jeff Lebo is 0-2 against his alma mater. Before taking ECU to Chapel Hill in 2012, he took his Tennessee Tech team to the Smith Center in 1999, falling 85-59.
Lebo As A Tar Heel
? Lebo was a second team All-ACC player in 1988 and was a three-time All-ACC Tournament selection.
? Lebo ranks 24th all-time at UNC in scoring with 1,567 points. He shot 42.8 percent from 3 during his career, second-highest percentage in UNC history. Lebo's 211 career 3s rank as fifth-most in school history as does his 83.9 free throw percentage.
