North Carolina To Host Northern Iowa To Open The 2017-18 Season
Last season is now in the rear view for North Carolina as they cut down the nets in Phoenix and were crowned the 2017 national champions after defeating Gonzaga.
Now a new season begins tonight as they open up their 2017-2018 campaign against Northern Iowa.
Carolina opens the 2017-18 season against Northern Iowa on Friday, Nov. 10, at the Dean E. Smith Center.
• Gametime is 7 p.m. It will be televised by ESPNU (Kevin Fitzgerald, Dino Gaudio, Tara Petrolino).
• It is the first game of the season for both the Tar Heels and UNI.
• Carolina played three pre-season scrimmages. It beat Memphis, 70-64, and Barton, 91-80. UNC also played a three-way scrimmage against ECU, UNCG and UNCW on Nov. 5 at the Smith Center. The Tar Heels beat ECU, 21-20, in a 13-minute period; lost to UNCG, 32-24, in a 13-period period; and beat UNCW, 38-22, in a 14-minute period.
• Cameron Johnson led UNC with 18 points (4 of 5 3FGs), Luke Maye had 15 points and six rebounds and Andrew Platek had 11 points (3 for 3 on three-pointers) over the 40 minutes of action on Nov. 5.
• Maye had 18 points and 11 rebounds against Barton.
• UNI had two exhibitions – a 72-66 win over Pembroke and a 69-38 loss to Wisconsin.
• Carolina is ranked No. 9 in the nation in the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches pre-season polls. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
REPLICA NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP RINGS
• The first 2,500 fans (including students) to enter the Smith Center will receive a replica model of the 2017 national championship ring. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
SEASON OPENERS
• Carolina is 95-12 in season openers and has won 82 of the last 87 opening games.
• Since the 1930-31 season, the Tar Heels
have dropped season-opening games in 1965-
66 (at Clemson), 1982-83 (vs. St. John's in Springfield, Mass.), 1996-97 (vs. Arizona in Springfield, Mass.), 2001-02 (home vs. Hampton) and 2004-05 (vs. Santa Clara in Oakland, Calif.).
• Last year, the Tar Heels beat Tulane, 95-75, in New Orleans.
• Carolina has won 12 consecutive season openers. The last loss came in the 2004-05 opener against Santa Clara, when UNC played without starting point guard Raymond Felton.
• Roy Williams is 13-1 in season openers as Carolina's head coach.
• Kansas won 13 of 15 season openers under Williams. His teams are a combined 26-3 in season openers. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
HOME OPENERS
• Carolina is 100-7 all-time in home openers, winning 84 of its last 86 and 15 in a row.
• Carolina has lost its home opener just twice since the 1928-29 season — in 1999-2000 to Michigan State and in 2001-02 to Hampton.
• UNC is 28-2 in home openers in the Smith
Center. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
CAROLINA-UNI SERIES
• The series is tied 1-1 with each team winning on its home court.
• Last year, Carolina beat the Panthers, 85-42, in the Smith Center. The 42 points tied the fewest allowed by a Roy Williams -coached team at North Carolina.
• Carolina shot 61.8 percent from the floor in the second half, including 6 for 11 from three-point range, and committed only five turnovers for the game.
• Senior forward Kennedy Meeks led UNC with 18 points and eight rebounds.
• UNI defeated Carolina, 71-67, on Nov. 21, 2015, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Carolina led by nine at the half, but the Panthers out-scored the Tar Heels, 39-26, in the second half.
• Justin Jackson led UNC with a game-high 25 points."according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
BERRY OUT WITH AN INJURY
• Senior point guard Joel Berry broke a bone in his right hand in mid-October and will not play against UNI. There is no date for his return, although it was expected he would be out of action for about a month.
• Berry was the Most Outstanding Player at the 2017 Final Four and the Most Valuable Player at the 2016 ACC Tournament.
• Berry is a preseason first-team All-America by ESPN.com and the Sporting News and a second-team All-America by USA Today.
• He is on the preseason watch list for the Oscar Robertson Award (USBWA Player of the Year), the Naismith Award (Player of the Year) and the Bob Cousy Award (best point guard).
• The Apopka, Fla., native also was a preseason first-team All-ACC selection and received the second-most votes for preseason player of the year (tied with Duke's Grayson Allen behind Notre Dame's Bonzie Colson).
• Berry has 1,196 points, 335 assists, 123 steals and 173 three-point field goals in 108 career games.
• He is the only Tar Heel in history to earn All-Final Four honors twice (2016 and 2017).
• He became the seventh player overall and the first since UCLA's Bill Walton in 1972-73 to score at least 20 points in consecutive national championship games.
• He missed eight games as a freshman (seven with a groin strain and one due to illness) and two as a junior (sprained ankle). "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
THE YEAR AFTER
• Carolina is third in NCAA history with six NCAA Tournament championships (1957-1982-1993-2005-2009-2017).
• In 1958, UNC went 19-7 overall and 10-4 in the ACC, but lost in the ACC Tournament finals. At that time, only the league champion was invited to the NCAA Tournament.
• In 1983, Carolina went 28-8, won the ACC regular-season title at 12-2 and advanced to an NCAA regional final before losing to Georgia.
• In 1994, Carolina spent the entire season in the AP's top five, including five weeks at No. 1. The Tar Heels went 28-7, won the ACC Tournament title, and were upset in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Boston College.
• In 2006, the Tar Heels returned none of their top seven scorers, but senior David Noel and freshman Tyler Hansbrough led UNC to a 23-8 record, a second-place finish in the ACC at 12-4 and the second round in the NCAA Tournament.
• Injuries to key players derailed the 2010 season that ended with a 20-17 record and berth in the NIT championship game. Fifth-year senior Marcus Ginyard was still dealing with a foot injury that caused him to miss most of the previous season, Tyler Zeller missed a large portion of the ACC schedule and Ed Davis broke his wrist in the first Duke game and missed the last 14 games.
• Combined, UNC has posted a 118-47 record (.715) in the five seasons after winning an NCAA title. 'according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
RANKED NO. 9
• Carolina is ranked No. 9 in the preseason Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls.
• Carolina is ranked in an AP poll for the 661st time, second-most in college basketball history.
• This is the 55th time in 70 seasons the Tar Heels have been ranked in the top 10 in at least one week of the poll.
• This is the 12th time in Roy Williams 15 seasons as head coach the Tar Heels enter the year ranked in the top 10. UNC has finished the year in the AP top 10 nine times in Williams' first 14 seasons. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
MEDIA PICKS UNC SECOND IN ACC
• The Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association picked Duke and UNC to finish 1-2 in the 2018 ACC regular-season standings.
• Notre Dame (3), Miami (4), Louisville (5), Virginia (6), Virginia Tech (7), Florida State (8), Georgia Tech (9), Syracuse (10), Wake Forest (11), NC State (12), Clemson (13), Boston College (14) and Pitt (15) round out the preseason picks. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
REPLACING...
• Including Joel Berry the Tar Heels have lost 2,748 of the 3,377 points they scored a year ago (81.4 percent).
• UNC also lost 1,178 of its 1,749 rebounds from last year (67.4 percent). "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
ROY WILLIAMS
• Begins his 30th season as a college head coach with a 816-216 record (.791), including 398-115 at Carolina (.776).
• Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
• Won NCAA championships at UNC in 2005, 2009 and 2017 and led KU and Carolina to runnerup finishes in 1991, 2003 and 2016.
• Has led UNC to ACC regular-season championships eight times in 14 seasons. No other coach or school has won more than three titles in that time.
• Has led Kansas and North Carolina to 17 first-place finishes in conference play in 29 seasons as a head coach.
• The Tar Heels have won 13 or more ACC games 14 times, including eight times under Roy Williams
• Won the 2017 NCAA championship for the third time by beating No. 1 seed Gonzaga, 71-65.
• Led Carolina to the national title game for the second straight year.
• Became the sixth coach to win three or more NCAA titles with John Wooden (10), Mike Krzyzewski (5), Jim Calhoun (3), Bob Knight (3) and Adolph Rupp (3).
• Became the first coach to win three NCAA titles at his alma mater.
• Became the third coach in history to take teams to six national championship games with John Wooden (10) and Mike Krzyzewski (9).
• Led Carolina to the Final Four for the ninth time in his head coaching career (five at Carolina, four at Kansas).
• Recipient of the 2017 New York Athletic Club Winged Foot Award as the National Coach of the Year.
• Is eighth all-time in wins by a Division I head coach.
• Won 418 games at Kansas and has won 398 at Carolina.
• Is sixth all-time and first in winning percentage (.791) among active coaches with at least 20 years experience.
• Is second all-time behind Adolph Rupp in winning percentage among those who have coached at least 1,000 games.
• Won 20 or more games 27 times in his first 29 years, including 13 times in 14 years at Carolina.
• Is sixth all-time in 20-win seasons with 27 behind Mike Krzyzewski (33), Jim Boeheim (32), Dean Smith (30), Bob Knight (29) and Lute Olson (28).
• Won 33 games last year, his 12th 30-win season (seventh time at Carolina). Is second all-time in 30-win seasons in NCAA history (Krzyzewski 14).
• Became the fastest to 800 wins in seasons coached (29); previous fastest were Smith and Krzyzewski (33 seasons).
• Became the second-fastest to 800 wins in games (1,012) behind Rupp (972 games).
• Winning road record in 11 of first 14 seasons in ACC play.
• Tied for third with Gary Williams with 75 ACC road wins behind only Krzyzewski (171) and Smith (133).
• Second in ACC history in road winning percentage in ACC play at 64.1 percent (75-42).
• Fourth all-time in Final Fours with nine (four at Kansas and five at UNC) behind only John Wooden, Mike Krzyzewski and Dean Smith.
• Led Carolina and Kansas to 12 No. 1 NCAA Tournament seeds, second-most all-time.
• Second all-time in NCAA Tournament victories with 76 and games with 100.
• Is 27-0 in NCAA Tournament first round games, the best record in opening round play in NCAA Tournament history. Adolph Rupp won at least a game in his first 13 NCAA appearances, the second-best figure behind Williams.
• Has led Carolina to 10 AP top-10 finishes in 14 years (18 top 10s in 29 years as a head coach).
• Coached two Academic All-Americas of the Year (Jacque Vaughn and Tyler Zeller), seven Academic All-Americas (tied fourth) and the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in four of last seven years.
• Coached three Bob Cousy Award winners (Nation's Top Point Guard), four National Players of the Year and 17 first-team All-Americas (most recent: Justin Jackson in 2017).
• Led UNC to three ACC Tournament titles and seven ACC Tournament finals appearances against seven different opponents.
• Has seven wins over AP #1 teams, tied for the most all-time.
• Averaging 28.1 wins per season, #1 all-time among coaches with 800 wins.
• 28 first round NBA Draft picks (18 at Carolina).
• Named the Coach of the Decade (2000s) by ESPN, the Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and Fox
• Has the most wins of any coach after 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30 seasons.
• Has 115 more wins than any coach in their first 29 seasons. Jerry Tarkanian held the previous record for wins after 29 seasons with 701. Rick Pitino won 722 in his first 30 seasons. Williams enters his 30th season with 816.
"according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
ACC Regular-Season Championships 2004-2017
Roy Williams North Carolina 8
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 3
Tony Bennett, Virginia 2
Dave Leitao, Virginia 1
Gary Williams, Maryland 1
Jim Larrañaga, Miami 1
ACC Regular-Season Titles, Coach (1954-present)
Dean Smith, North Carolina 17 (36 yrs)
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 12 (37 yrs)
Roy Williams , North Carolina 8 (14 yrs)
Frank McGuire, UNC & South Carolina 6
Vic Bubas, Duke 4
Most Wins as Division I Head Coach, All-Time
1071 Mike Krzyzewski (active)
902 Bob Knight
902 Jim Boeheim (active)
879 Dean Smith
876 Adolph Rupp
873 Jim Calhoun
830 Jim Phelan
816 Roy Williams (active)
806 Eddie Sutton
786 Lefty Driesell
Most Wins by an ACC Head Coach, All Games
998 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
879 Dean Smith North Carolina
461 Gary Williams Maryland
398 Roy Williams North Carolina
354 Bobby Cremins Georgia Tech
Most Wins by a Head Coach,
ACC Regular Season and ACC Tournament Games
460 Mike Krzyzewski Duke
422 Dean Smith North Carolina
210 Gary Williams Maryland
191 Roy Williams North Carolina
160 Frank McGuire UNC, South Carolina
Highest Winning Percentage, All-Time
.826 Clair Bee Rider, Long Island
.822 Adolph Rupp Kentucky
.817 Mark Few Gonzaga (active)
.804 John Wooden Indiana State, UCLA
.797 John Kresse Coll. of Charleston
.791 Roy Williams Kansas, UNC (active)
ACC Road Winning Percentage, All-Time
Vic Bubas, Duke .667 (46-23)
Roy Williams , UNC .641 (75-42)
Frank McGuire, UNC/South Carolina .618 (55-34)
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke .609 (171-110)
Dean Smith, UNC .591 (133-92)
Most NCAA Tournament Wins, All-Time
91 Mike Krzyzewski Duke
76 Roy Williams Kansas, North Carolina
65 Dean Smith North Carolina
Most NCAA Tournament Games, All-Time
119 Mike Krzyzewski Duke
100 Roy Williams North Carolina, Kansas
92 Dean Smith North Carolina
Most Final Fours, All-Time
12 John Wooden UCLA
12 Mike Krzyzewski Duke
11 Dean Smith North Carolina
9 Roy Williams North Carolina, Kansas
7 Tom Izzo Michigan State
7 Rick Pitino Providence, UK, UL
Most No. 1 Seeds in NCAA Tournament, All-Time
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 13
Roy Williams , North Carolina & Kansas 12
Dean Smith, North Carolina 8
Bill Self, Kansas & Illinois 8
Most Wins in NCAA Tournament, 2004-17
All Schools
North Carolina 42
Kansas 33
Kentucky 32
Duke 31
Florida 29
Michigan State 28
Connecticut 27
Louisville 27
Wisconsin 26
Villanova 21
"according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
Roy Williams Era Trends
Roy Williams is in his 15th season as Carolina's head coach. Here are a number of stat trends from his tenure at his alma mater.
"according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
Carolina is...
• 200-27 at home (includes one home win at Carmichael Arena and one "home" win at the Greensboro Coliseum)
• 327-38 when leading at the half
• 189-5 when shooting 50 percent from the floor
• 34-53 when shooting under 40 percent
• 189-17 when holding the opponents under 40 percent shooting from the floor
• 334-54 when out-rebounding the opponent
• 53-55 when the opponents have more rebounds
• 244-51 when the opponents have more turnovers
• 262-30 when scoring 80 or more points
• 129-4 when scoring 90 or more points
• 55-2 when scoring 100 or more points
• 345-57 when the opponents score under 80 points
"according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
Smith Center Wins
• The Tar Heels are 393-68 overall in the Smith Center.
• Carolina is 200-53 in the Smith Center against ACC teams and 193-15 against non-ACC teams.
• Roy Williams is 198-27 in all games in the Smith Center, including 105-4 against non-ACC competition and 93-23 against the ACC. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
Carolina on the All-Time Wins Lists
• Carolina is second all-time in NCAA winning percentage and third in wins.
• Carolina has won 2,206 games, third behind Kentucky and Kansas. Only four schools have won at least 2,000 games.
• Carolina's winning percentage of .739 is second behind Kentucky. Only five schools have a winning percentage of at least .700.
• Carolina is first in Final Fours with 20.
• Carolina is second in NCAA Tournament appearances with 48.
• Carolina is third in NCAA championships with six.
• Carolina is second in NCAA Tournament games with 168.
• Carolina is second in NCAA Tournament winning percentage at .732.
• Carolina is first in ACC regular-season championships with 31.
• Carolina is first in ACC victories with 672.
• Carolina is second in ACC Tournament wins with 97.
• Carolina is second in ACC Tournament winning percentage at .683.
• Carolina is first in ACC Tournament championship game appearances with 34 and second in titles with 18.
• Carolina is first in NBA first-round draft picks with 49 and third in overall NBA draft picks with 112. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/11/9/mens-basketball-tar-heels-host-uni-to-open-2017-18.aspx?path=mbball
As for North Carolina's last game, they won their one exhibition game by nine points against Barton College on Friday October 27th.
Junior forward Luke Maye had a game-high 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead North Carolina to a 91-80 win over Barton Friday evening in an exhibition game at the Smith Center. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Maye made 7 of 8 shots from the floor and added three assists, two blocks and two steals in just 20 minutes of action. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
The Tar Heels broke open a 37-34 game with a 19-5 run over the final six minutes of the first half to build a 56-39 lead at intermission. Seven different Tar Heels scored in that run, including Cameron Johnson and Seventh Woods who had five and four points, respectively, in the stretch. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Both teams had four players score in double figures for the game. In addition to Maye, Carolina got 14 from Theo Pinson , 13 from Garrison Brooks and 11 from Johnson. Bobby Stenberg had 15 to lead Barton. Jeff Gordon, Michael Boykin and Matt Woods all had 13 for the Bulldogs. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Carolina out-rebounded Barton, 57-37. Maye led with 11 boatrds, and freshmen Brooks (nine), Brandon Huffman (seven) and Sterling Manly (seven) combined for 23. Huffman blocked five shots. "according tohttp://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Pinson (25) was one of 10 Tar Heels to play 10 or more minutes. He had three assists, two blocks and three steals to go along with his 14 points. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
The Bulldogs hit 12 of 30 from three-point range, including four by Woods and three by Boykin. The Tar Heels were 3 for 15 from three. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Carolina had 26 assists on 36 field goals. Freshman point guard Jalek Felton had seven assists and one turnover. Maye, Pinson and Johnson each had three assists. The Tar Heels committed only three turnovers in the first half, but committed 11 miscues in the second. Barton out-scored UNC in points off turnovers, 16-10. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Carolina had a 16-2 edge in fast break points. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
The Tar Heels return to action on Sunday, Nov. 5, when they play host to ECU, UNCG and UNCW in a four-team exhibition at 3 p.m. at the Smith Center. Tickets are $20 and all ticket sales go to the NC Disaster Relief Fund. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
The format for the exhibitions are six periods of 13 or 14 minutes in which each of the four schools will play one period against the other three schools. The first 10 minutes of each period will be a running clock. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Tickets may be purchased at the UNC Athletics Ticket Office at the Williamson Athletics Center next to the Smith Center, at GoHeels.com or by calling 1-800-722-HEEL (4335). "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Students from UNC-Chapel Hill will be admitted for free at Gate C with a valid student ID, but are encouraged to make donations to the Disaster Relief Fund at that same gate. "according tohttp://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
ECU, UNCG and UNCW have a limited number of tickets available through their respective athletic ticket offices. "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Head Coach Roy Williams Quotes:
"The good news is that it was an exhibition game. Always said it was a glorified practice. I think we get better with a crowd in there. We got some of the emotions out of the way tonight. We got some of the silliness out of the way tonight, hopefully. I did try to play a bunch of guys. I think it was about 10 guys with at least 10 minutes. We still haven't settled on any combinations yet but haven't worked on it in practice either. We have just been moving everyone around. "according http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
"The rebound margin looks great. We were more gifted. We are bigger and taller and those kinds of things. Not pleased with a lot of things, but again the fact that we are getting to play in front of the public helps us get rid of some of those jitters."according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Garrison Brooks first two free throws he shot weren't close. I asked him if he was a little nervous, and he said 'Yeah, a little bit.' It's freshmen and their first time in front of a crowd. I think we have done some things in practice much better than we did today. Some guys gave us good moments doing things. (Brandon) Huffman had five blocked shots, but you can't have three turnovers as a big guy in 13 minutes. I think you look at Theo Pinson with 14 points, three assists and zero turnovers. Luke (Maye) had 18 points and 11 rebounds. There were some good things there that happened. We got to shoot the ball better, play defense better and just get better. Sixteen or 17 practices, and I think we got eight or nine left plus an exhibition day (before Northern Iowa on Nov. 10)." "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Carolina Player Quotes
Luke Maye
On new rotations
"I think Coach (Williams) does a great job of moving everybody in and out and getting people minutes and gaining confidence. I think he is going to do a great job with this team and we have to continue to get better each day at practice." "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
On the improvement of the freshmen so far
"They've gotten a lot better. Sterling [Manley] did a lot of good things tonight. Brandon [Huffman] had like five blocks. Garrison [Brooks] made some great moves inside. They got a lot of potential. They just have to keep putting in the hard work and really trying to get better each day." "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
On playing without Joel Berry
"Losing Joel is huge. Joel is the Final Four MVP, he sets the tone defensively, unbelievable shooting. We were 3-15 from three tonight and I think he helps a lot with that. We are going to have to continue to adapt and Jalek [Felton] and Seventh [Woods] have to cut down on the turnovers and making the better play. They did a lot of good things tonight. Jalek had seven assists and everybody played well offensively and we are going to move forward with that." "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Kenny Williams
On Coach Williams this year:
"He hasn't really been too much harder. He has been the same as he was last year. I think he has been a little more understanding because we have so many new guys but he is still emphasizing the same things. We got to rebound. We gotta run so that hasn't changed. He will be a little bit more intense, I am sure once the season gets closer but I think he has been pretty understanding." "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
On defense:
"We all have to do better honestly especially on the defensive end. We just have to improve on the defensive end. We did not do nearly as well as we wanted to." "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
Theo Pinson
On freshmen first game of the season:
"You could tell there was a lot of jitters for them tonight just going out there and playing in front of a crowd. Me and Joel were joking before the game like this isn't even close to what it is going to be. It was good for them to get a little bit of experience tonight." "according to http://goheels.com/news/2017/10/27/mens-basketball-mayes-18-and-11-leads-unc-past-barton.aspx?path=mbball
As for Northern Iowa they won their final exhibition game on Sunday against Unc Pembroke,
The University of Northern Iowa men's basketball team picked up a 72-66 exhibition victory over visiting UNC Pembroke on Sunday in the McLeod Center. "according to http://unipanthers.com/news/2017/11/5/mens-basketball-uni-picks-up-exhibition-win-over-unc-pembroke.aspx
UNI rallied from an eight-point deficit in the final four minutes to score the triumph. Pembroke led 64-56 at the 3:58 mark of the second half before the Panthers closed the game on a 16-2 run. "according to http://unipanthers.com/news/2017/11/5/mens-basketball-uni-picks-up-exhibition-win-over-unc-pembroke.aspx
Freshman guard Tywon Pickford notched a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Pickford scored all 15 of his points in the second half, including a trio of 3-pointers in the final four minutes of the game."according to http://unipanthers.com/news/2017/11/5/mens-basketball-uni-picks-up-exhibition-win-over-unc-pembroke.aspx
UNI led by as many as 18 points in the first half and built a 37-19 lead with 3:10 left before halftime. "according to http://unipanthers.com/news/2017/11/5/mens-basketball-uni-picks-up-exhibition-win-over-unc-pembroke.aspx
Tip-off is set for 7:00pm from the Dean E. Smith Center. The game will be televised on ACC Network Extra. "according to http://goheels.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball