North Carolina (5-1) vs. Nevada (2-2)
Chapel Hill, N.C. - Dean E. Smith Center
6:45, Fox Sports Net (Tim Brando, Mike Gminsk)
PREGAME NOTES
Season to Date: With Mark Fox departing for Georgia, new head coach David Carter's team is off to a 2-2 start. The wins have come against Montana State and Houston, and the losses have been versus two tough mid-major squads in UNLV and VCU. Prior to a 1-for-14 three-point shooting effort at VCU, Nevada was shooting 46.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Wolf Pack are picked to finish second in the WAC this season.
Star Watch: After a stellar first season a year ago, in which he was the nation's second-leading freshman scorer, Luke Babbitt entered his sophomore season on all the Player of the Year watch lists. Through four games, he's continuing to garner the spotlight. Babbitt had 23 second-half points last week against VCU and has posted three straight double-doubles. He's averaging 20.3 points and 10.8 rebounds thus far this season. Babbitt's success hasn't been a surprise. The Reno, Nev. native was a Top 25 high school prospect and a McDonald's All-American. He had committed to Ohio State before deciding to stay in his hometown for college.
Series History: North Carolina leads the all-time series with Nevada, 4-0. The last meeting was on New Year's Eve last season in Reno, with the Tar Heels prevailing 84-61 behind 22 points from Tyler Hansbrough. Luke Babbitt led Nevada with 22 points.
Projected Starters:
23 Armon Johnson (6-3, 195, Jr.) - 15.0 ppg, 5.8 apg
0 Brandon Fields (6-4, 190, Sr.) – 18.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg
3 Joey Shaw (6-6, 210, Sr.) – 15.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg
5 Luke Babbitt (6-9, 225, So.) – 20.3 ppg, 10.8 rpg
44 Dario Hunt (6-8, 230, So.) – 4.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg
Top Reserves:
20 Ray Kraemer (6-4, 200, Sr.) – 8.0 ppg
14 Marko Cukic (6-9, 240, Fr.) – 3.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg
Background
Location: Reno. Nev.
Enrollment: 17,000
Conference: Western Athletic
Nickname: Wolf Pack
Colors: Navy, Blue & Silver
Head Coach: David Carter
Record at UN: 2-2
UN Info
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