Jan. 8, 2002
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North Carolina Tar Heels (5-6, 1-1 ACC)
vs. No. 4/4 Maryland (11-2, 1-0 ACC)
Date: Wednesday, January 9, 2002, 7:30 p.m.
Site (capacity): Cole Field House (14,500), College Park, Md.
UNC's Series Record vs. Maryland: UNC leads, 107-48
Television: ESPN2 (national)
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network, a division of Learfield Communications. Woody Durham (play-by-play) and Mick Mixon (color) provide the call. A live broadcast also is available on Carolina's official athletic website, TarHeelBlue.com
Websites: UNC (TarHeelBlue.com), Maryland (www.UMTerps.com)
Tar Heels Enter Crucial Stretch at Maryland
North Carolina plays its first road game of the 2001-02 Atlantic Coast Conference season when it journeys north and faces Maryland on Wednesday night in Cole Field House.
Carolina is coming off a 22-point home loss to Wake Forest last Saturday and is 5-6 overall this year, 1-1 in ACC play. Prior to the loss to Wake, the Tar Heels had won three in a row, its first three-game winning streak since an 18-game win stretch last season.
The inexperienced Tar Heels are entering a critical portion of their season - they play four of their next six games on the road, including three of the next four. Carolina is 5-6 overall this season, but Wednesday's game will be just Carolina's second road contest of the season (joining a Dec. 8 loss at Kentucky). This season, UNC is 4-4 at home, 0-1 on the road and 1-1 on neutral sites.
The Terrapins are coming off a 92-69 win over Norfolk State last Thursday night in College Park. Juan Dixon's 17 points and Tahj Holden's 16 led the Terrapins, who played without senior center Lonny Baxter, who sat out with a sprained ankle. Maryland is ranked No. 4 in both the Associated Press poll and the coaches poll this week.
The Tar Heels are 1-3 this season against teams ranked in the AP poll, losing to No. 24 Indiana, No. 11 Kentucky and No. 23 Wake Forest while defeating No. 15 Saint Joseph's.
Tar Heels and Terrapins
The Tar Heels lead the series with Maryland, 107-48, including a pair of wins last season. The Tar Heels have won four of their last five meetings with the Terrapins.
Carolina is 29-17 against the Terps at Cole Field House and 43-30 overall on the road against Maryland. Maryland had won three in a row over UNC in College Park prior to last season's 86-83 Tar Heel win.
Last Season Against Maryland
Carolina 86, Maryland 83, Jan. 10, 2001 in College Park: Joseph Forte scored 20 second-half points, including 11 straight in one stretch after halftime, as Carolina won at No. 14 Maryland, 86-83, for the first time since the 1996-97 season.
Trailing 36-32 at the break, UNC shot 54.3 percent in the second period and went on a 9-0 run to start the second half and seize control of the contest. The Tar Heels hit four consecutive three-pointers to begin the second half, at one point making them 8 for 10 on the night.
Maryland made a late run, cutting the lead to as little as three points in the final 30 seconds before Forte hit two free throws and a layup and Julius Peppers had a thunderous dunk to ice the victory. Three-pointers by Steve Blake and Drew Nicholas in the final 0:05 made it an 86-83 final. Brendan Haywood blocked five shots, including a three-pointer by Nicholas with 1:51 remaining that could have cut the UNC lead to five.
Carolina 96, Maryland 82, Feb. 10, 2001 in Chapel Hill: Jason Capel's career-high 27 points, Julius Peppers' 18 points and Ronald Curry's eight assists led the way as Carolina defeated Maryland, 96-82, in the Smith Center. With the win, UNC swept the season series with the Terrapins for the first time since 1993-94 and has won four of its last five contests with the Terps.
Peppers made his first career start due to Kris Lang's sore right ankle and responded with the best game and highest scoring total of his career to that point. Capel matched his career high with four three-pointers and hit 10 of 14 field goals.
Carolina in Cole Field House
The Tar Heels have a 29-17 record against Maryland in Cole Field House but an overall record of 35-17 on the Terps' home floor. Carolina is 6-0 in NCAA Tournament games played at Cole Field House, including a pair of victories in each of the Final Four seasons of 1967, 1969 and 1977.
Peppers Enters NFL Draft, Will Not Play Basketball for Tar Heels This Season
Tar Heel defensive end and former basketball player Julius Peppers will forego his final year of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2002 NFL Draft, he announced on Jan. 8. In addition, Peppers will not play basketball this season for the Tar Heels.
"As has been previously reported, I will forego my final year of football eligibility and enter the 2002 NFL draft," Peppers said. "In the past few days, I have also contemplated my immediate future and have decided not to play basketball this season. For the most part, my decision is based upon the difficult reality of balancing academics, basketball and preparing for the NFL draft simultaneously. While I love the sport of basketball, I had to make the mature decision and prioritize my education and my career. I will spend the next few months making progress toward my college degree and preparing for the draft. I would like to thank the University, the athletic department, coaches, staff and fans for their support over the years."
Said head basketball coach Matt Doherty: "My staff and I certainly wish Julius all the best. He has been a great ambassador for Carolina football and basketball. I look forward to watching him play on Sundays for many years."
A 6-6, 285-pound junior, Peppers started the last three years after redshirting as a freshman. A unanimous All-America selection in 2001, Peppers became the first Tar Heel to win a major college football award when he won the Lombardi Trophy as the nation's top lineman. He also won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player and was named the 2001 Chevrolet Defensive Player of the Year. Beginning next season, Peppers' #49 jersey will hang from the Kenan Stadium facade. Peppers finished the 2001 season with 63 tackles, including 19 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks, and had a team-high three interceptions.
"Julius was a great leader for us this season and I appreciate everything he did for the team and the University," said head football coach John Bunting. "I think his best playing days are ahead of him and he has the potential to be an NFL star. I know it has been a dream for Julius to play in the NFL and I look forward to watching him compete for many years."
Peppers played in 56 games over a two-year stretch for the UNC basketball team, averaging 3.7 points and 5.7 rebounds. He was instrumental in Carolina's run to the 2000 Final Four, playing in 31 games and averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds. Last season, Peppers played in 25 games, averaging 7.1 points and 4.0 rebounds as the Tar Heels tied for the ACC regular-season championship. In his final game last season against Penn State, Peppers notched his first career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Wake Forest Hands UNC Worst-Ever Smith Center Loss, 84-62
Wake Forest grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and forced 21 Carolina turnovers on its way to an 84-62 win over UNC in Chapel Hill on Jan. 5. The 22-point loss is the Tar Heels's most lopsided ever in the Smith Center and its worst loss at home since a 96-74 loss to Maryland in Carmichael Auditorium on Feb. 15, 1975.
Josh Howard finished with 20 points, nine rebounds and five steals to lead the Demon Deacons. Steve Lepore came off the bench to hit three three-pointers and score 15 points in 22 minutes for Wake.
The Tar Heels committed a season-high 21 turnovers in the game and allowed 18 Wake Forest offensive rebounds.
Capel Pounding the Boards
Senior Jason Capel continues his impressive work on the glass, leading the ACC in rebounding at 10.9 per game. Capel has six double-doubles this year, including four in a row at one stretch. That streak ended against NC A&T, although Capel had 26 points, one off his career high, and seven rebounds.
Capel has 28 of 53 shots from the floor in the last three games, a percentage of .528. He has made at least 50 percent from the floor three times this year (6 for 12 vs. Georgia Tech, 9 for 14 vs. NC A&T and 8 for 11 vs. Texas A & M).
He hit a pair of three-pointers against Wake Forest. That was the fourth time in the last five games he has hit two three-pointers in a game. Last year he hit multiple threes in 17 of the 33 games.
A 40 percent career three-point shooter entering this season, Capel is 14 for 58 from three-point range this year (24.1 percent).
Morrison's Consistency A Key for UNC
Sophomore shooting guard Brian Morrison played perhaps the best basketball of his collegiate career in three straight games against Saint Joseph's, N.C. A & T and Texas A & M, averaging 15.0 points (45 in three UNC wins) and dishing out 16 assists while committing only four turnovers. However, he hit just 4 of 12 shots in scoring 12 points in the loss last Saturday to Wake Forest.
The Redmond, Wash., native is 23 for 44 from the floor (52.3 percent) and 16 for 25 from three-point range (.640) in Carolina's five wins this year. He also has an assist-error ratio of 20:9 in those five games.
In the six losses, Morrison is 11 for 50 from the floor (.220) and 7 of 34 from three-point range (.206) with an assist-turnover ratio of 15:18.
Overall this season, Morrison leads the team with 23 three-point field goals and is shooting 39.0 percent from long range.
Three Straight Solid Games for Morrison
Sophomore guard Brian Morrison has has 13 assists and zero turnovers in the last three games. He had five assists and no miscues in 23 minutes against A & T, six assists and no turnovers in 18 minutes against A & M and two assists and no turnovers in 19 minutes against Wake Forest.
Morrison connected on 16 of his 24 three-pointers in wins over Georgia Tech, Saint Joseph's, NC A&T and Texas A & M. He was 6 for 8 vs. the Yellow Jackets, 3 for 4 vs. the Hawks in Charlotte, 4 for 6 vs. N.C. A & T and 3 for 6 vs. Texas A & M.
Boone's Scoring Picks Up
Sophomore point guard Adam Boone has not been in the starting lineup for Carolina since the Nov. 20 loss to Davidson, but he has adapted well to a role coming off the bench.
Boone scored a career-high 13 points on 5 of 5 shooting (including 3 of 3 on three-pointers) in the blowout win over N.C. A & T on Dec. 27. Two games later, he scored 10 points and had four assists in the loss to Wake Forest.
Boone now has three double-figure scoring games in his Tar Heel career. He scored in double figures once as a freshman (10 points at home vs. Georgia Tech).
Lang Expected to Start at Maryland
Senior center Kris Lang, a four-year starter, is expected to be available to play on Wednesday night at Maryland. Lang missed two games in late December with a strained ligament in his left knee after banging knees with teammate Joe Everett in practice on Dec. 18.
He started the next game, playing 29 minutes and scoring seven points against College of Charleston but aggravated the injury and was not in uniform for the wins over Saint Joseph's on Dec. 22 and NC A & T on Dec. 27.
Lang did not start against Texas A & M on Dec. 30 but scored 13 points in 15 minutes, hitting 5 of 8 shots and grabbing five rebounds. He returned to the starting lineup in a Jan. 5 loss to Wake Forest, although he only was able to get off six shots in 21 minutes of action.
Lang also has been troubled by illness this season. He was nauseous at Kentucky on Dec. 8, throwing up at halftime but still tallying 18 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. After the game, he was doubled-over in pain in the UNC lockerroom. Eight days later, he was sick again and took two bags of intravenous fluid at halftime of the Binghamton game but still played 19 minutes.
Tar Heels Among the ACC Leaders
As of Jan. 7, senior forward Jason Capel was among the ACC leaders in several categories this season. He leads the conference in rebounding at 10.9 per game and is eighth in scoring at 16.1 per game. He also is among the ACC leaders in field goal percentage (14th at .404), free throw percentage (eighth at .757), offensive rebounds (second at 3.55), defensive rebounds (second at 7.36), assists (11th at 3.36) and assist/turnover ratio (12th at 1.03)
Senior forward Kris Lang is 17th in scoring (12.2), eighth in rebounding (7.3), seventh in blocked shots (1.56) and sixth in defensive rebounds (5.56).
Sophomore guard Brian Morrison is 12th in assists (3.18), fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.390), seventh in three-point field goals made (2.09) and 9th in assist/turnover ratio (1.30).
Sophomore guard Adam Boone is 14th in assists (2.73).
Freshman guard Jackie Manuel is 14th in blocked shots (0.91).
As a team, Carolina is last in scoring offense (73.3 ppg) field goal percentage (.417), free throw percentage (0.626) rebounding margin (+0.5) and turnover margin (-2.09). UNC is also eighth in scoring defense (71.3 ppg).
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