North Carolina To Host Tennessee Tech Friday

After winning their home opener North Carolina who is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference will host Tennessee Tech who is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference on Friday.

North Carolina comes into the game with a record of 3 -0 while Tennessee Tech comes into the game with a record of 0-3.

As for North Carolina’s previous game, they won their home opener as they defeated Stanford.

Kenny Williams spent two games missing shot after shot in an unusually cold stretch for No. 7 North Carolina's senior starting guard and top defensive player. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

He tried not to get too frustrated and kept believing the next ones were sure to fall — until they finally did against Stanford on Monday night. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

Williams scored 12 points after starting the season by missing his first 10 shots, and UNC dominated the first half to beat Stanford 90-72 in its home opener. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

It was a good sign for Williams, whose 0-for-10 shooting start through two games included missing all eight of his 3-point tries. It was an odd stretch for a guy who had improved to a 40 percent 3-point shooter last season and a complementary double-figure scorer, yet he entered this game with just a single free throw in Friday's win against Elon to his credit. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

But he scored on a layup less than 90 seconds in Monday, then followed with 3 a few minutes later to finally break through. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

"It was a big relief," Williams admitted, even as he tried to shrug off the frustration. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

"I wasn't doing anything different to my shot," he said. "Like I told you guys, it just wasn't going in. And that happens sometimes. At some point, it would fall in again." “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

Cameron Johnson had 17 points to lead four players in double figures for the Tar Heels (3-0), who shot 60 percent in the first half to take a 52-26 lead on Luke Maye's 3-pointer just before the buzzer. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

It was a rough start for Stanford (2-1), enough so that coach Jerod Haase burned a timeout after barely 2½ minutes. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

"I told the guys, I'm not worried about mistakes," Haase said. "What I am worried about is any lack of intensity. You could see that in the pace of their cuts. You could see that in how they get open. ... You can see that when they hit the paint and they're not looking for a teammate. So I would say I could sense that early on and that's why I called the timeout." “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

KZ Okpala scored 16 points to lead the Cardinal, who got no closer than 15 points halftime. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx


BIG PICTURE
Stanford: The Cardinal won at UNC Wilmington on Friday night, part of an opening-month schedule that has them crisscrossing time zones with stops in the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis and at No. 2 Kansas on Dec. 1. Haase, a former Kansas player and UNC assistant under Tar Heels coach Roy Williams, acknowledged Friday the slate is "pretty insane" but will prepare his players for handling road games. Still, this was a reminder of how difficult that can be, with the Cardinal starting 1 for 12 in a first half that quickly got away from them. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

"My goal going into this game was just to see our guys compete," Haase said. "Offensively and defensively, especially in the first half, I didn't feel that we did." “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

UNC: The Tar Heels opened the season with wins at Wofford and Elon, marking the first time the program had opened with two road games since 1986-87. One avenged a stunning December home loss from last year, while the other ended up being North Carolina's best scoring output since November 2008. That bumped the Tar Heels up a spot in Monday's latest AP Top 25 poll, then they built a big lead against a team picked to finish ninth in the Pac-12 before coasting to the finish. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx


IRKED COACH
The Tar Heels were in no danger of losing control, though their Hall of Fame coach was frustrated afterward by his team's second-half play with a big lead. Stanford shot 44 percent after halftime and got to the foul line 15 times, outscoring UNC 46-38. “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

"I'm not very happy right now," Williams said, adding: "The best thing that ever happened to my team is we don't have practice tomorrow." “according to https://goheels.com/news/2018/11/12/mens-basketball-tar-heels-down-stanford-in-home-opener.aspx

Unlike North Carolina who won their previous game, Tennessee Tech lost to Savannah State earlier this week.

Rebounding and turnovers were the key factors in the final outcome of Tuesday night's contest, as the Tennessee Tech men's basketball team fell on the road to Savannah State, 97-83. “according to http://www.ttusports.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/2018111407ya2d

The Golden Eagles (0-3) saw a six-point halftime deficit inflate to as much as 20 in the second half as the Tigers (2-2) used a combination of offensive rebounding, clutch 3-point shooting and a decisive advantage in free throw attempts to deal the damage. “according to http://www.ttusports.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/2018111407ya2d

Savannah State out-rebounded Tech 57-36 on the night, dominating the offensive glass to the tune of 24-11. And while the Golden Eagles were forced into 23 turnovers, they also forced 23 turnovers on the night, including 15 in the second half as the team clawed and fought until the clock struck zero. “according to http://www.ttusports.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/2018111407ya2d

 "At the end of the day, you have to pass and catch, you have to box out and you have to go rebound the ball no matter what kind of pressure or style the other team uses," said Tech head coach Steve Payne. "And if you don't, you're not going to be successful." “according to http://www.ttusports.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/2018111407ya2d

In the contest, Tech had a tough time drawing a foul call, finishing the contest with just nine attempts at the charity stripe, despite averaging 27.0 per game entering the night. On the other side, the Tigers took 27 tries from the free-throw line, including 22 in the second half. Overall, Savannah State made 20-of-27 attempts while the Golden Eagles were 6-of-9 on freebies. “according to http://www.ttusports.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/2018111407ya2d

"There's a good team in that locker room," Payne said of his team. "The free-throw disparity was unbelievable considering they pressed for 40 minutes. But that's part of it. You expect those things when you go on the road. I felt we played better tonight than we did Saturday night." “according to http://www.ttusports.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/2018111407ya2d

Putting together a breakout performance was redshirt freshman Hunter Vick, who led the Golden Eagles with 22 points on 9-of-20 shooting. He also added six assists in the contest while draining three triples. “according to http://www.ttusports.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/2018111407ya2d

Vick became the first Tech freshman with at least 20 points in a contest since Chase Dunn scored 21 against Bluefield College on Jan. 2, 2011. His 22 points marked the most by a Golden Eagle rookie since Jud Dillard dropped 24 at Tennessee State on Feb. 15, 2010. “according to http://www.ttusports.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/2018111407ya2d

Micaiah Henry dominated early in the game, finishing the first half with 17 points. He rounded out the contest with his second career 20-point outing, tallying 21 on a highly efficient 10-of-13 night. He snagged seven rebounds and blocked three shots as well. “according to http://www.ttusports.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/2018111407ya2d

For the second straight game, senior Courtney Alexander II posted a double-double, wrapping up the night with 12 points and 13 rebounds. He flirted with a triple-double, leading the Golden Eagles with seven assists in 35 minutes. “according to http://www.ttusports.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/releases/2018111407ya2d

Tip-off is set for 7:00pm from the Dean E. Smith Center. The game will be televised on the Regional Sports Network. “according to https://goheels.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball