UNC Highlights

4 Factors - UNC

Points Per Possesion
UNCG - 0.74
UNC - 1.18

4 Factors

eFG %
UNCG - 43.8
UNC - 49.2

TO %
UNCG - 31.2
UNC - 19.0

OR %
UNCG - 16.3
UNC - 45.0

FT Rate
UNCG - 26.5
UNC - 39.3

Tar Heels Sprint to Easy Victory

UNCG 50 - UNC 81

UNCG Athletics
UNC Atheltics

Halftime: UNCG 14 - UNC 44

UNCG Stats
Leader Points: Cain, Locke (Tied - 13)
Leader Rebounds: Cain (8)
Leader Assists: Locke, Saddler, Parker, Paulos (Tied - 2)
Team FG: 20-49 (40.8%)
Team 3 Pt: 3-14 (21.4%)
Team FT: 7-13 (53.8%)
Rebounds: 28
Turnovers: 21

UNC Stats
Leader Points: Johnson (14)
Leader Rebounds: Meeks (8)
Leader Assists: Paige (8)
Team FG: 32-66 (48.5%)
Team 3 Pt: 1-6 (16.7%)
Team FT: 16-26 (61.5%)
Rebounds: 46
Turnovers: 13

Thoughts
For the first five minutes and the last 20 minutes, UNCG looked very competitive with a very good UNC team that has beat two top 5 ranked teams. The final 15 minutes of the first half, however, is where UNCG lost the game. The Tar Heels forced the Spartans into a bunch of turnovers that led to easy baskets. They clogged up driving lanes and did pretty much whatever they wanted on the offensive end. Optimistic UNCG fans were wanting to see a little more out of the team, but they looked like a young team in awe of the environment and the name on the front of their opponents jerseys.

On the plus side, I thought UNCG's defense was better than it has been in recent weeks. They came out and played with energy throughout the game. The quick 13-4 run after halftime showed flashes of what this team is really capable of doing in the future. The hole was just too big. Kyle Cain looked good again and it was good to see Kayel Locke play solid. I think he's been pressing too much, but he really looks comfortable on the bigger stages right now (see: NC State last year). I really hope he can get fully back on track coming up soon.

UNCG guards really had a tough time hanging on to the ball again in this game. The 21 turnovers basically were the story of the game. UNC scored 30 points of those turnovers, and won by 31. A lot of teams would turn the ball over against that kind of pressure, but this has been a trend in almost all of the Spartans games. It's something that needs to get corrected before conference play starts next month.

In the end this game was more about the experience than the score. There are some winnable games on the schedule coming up, but UNCG will have to play well. I hope that happens starting on Wednesday afternoon. Go Spartans !!!

UNCG (4-4) @ UNC (5-2)

When: Saturday, December 7 7:00 pm
Where: Dean E. Smith Center (21,750)
TV: ESPNU

UNC Athletics

Preseason Preview

UNCG Stats
Last Game: Presbyterian (L 99-87) Recap
PPG: 78.6
RPG: 38.4
APG: 14.9
Leader Points: Kyle Cain (16.9)
Leader Rebounds: Kyle Cain (8.0)
Leader Assist: Tevon Saddler (3.8)
FG %:47.6
3 Pt %: 39.4
FT %: 67.1

UNC Stats
Last Game: @ #1 Michigan State (W 79-65) Recap
PPG: 77.0
RPG: 40.9
APG: 15.1
Leader Points: Marcus Paige (19.7)
Leader Rebounds: Brice Johnson (7.0)
Leader Assists: Marcus Paige (4.0)
FG %: 47.7
3 Pt %: 31.0
FT %: 61.8

Thoughts
Well this game has certainly taken on a different feel over the past few days. UNC went out and totally dominated the #1 ranked team on their home floor. Meanwhile UNCG went out and got totally crushed by what was the worst offensive team in D1. This game was always going to be a stretch to see the Spartans really being able to compete in for long periods of time. I still feel like that is the case due to UNCG's inability to defend and the fact that UNC is a very, very talented offensive team.

But if I was looking for things to feel positive about, the fact that UNC is not a good 3 point shooting team (something that has really hurt UNCG this season). The Tar Heels have played very well against major competition, but have struggled against the mid majors on their schedule. Hopefully the trend of playing to their competition will continue.

UNCG will need to shoot the ball well (which it has done most of the year) and do a much better job of taking care the ball. They will always need a lot of luck. In the end, this will be a game that I probably won't be as concerned about the score as what I'm seeing out of the Spartans. I hope UNCG comes out focused and prepared.

Go Spartans !!!

Opening Night Scores

SoCon Scores
Citadel 71 - VMI 82
Covenant 56 - Chattanooga 119
High Point 74 - UNCG 82
Davidson 77 - (4) Duke 111
Washington & Lee 64 - Elon 114
Wofford 52 - Georgia 72
App State 77 - NC State 98
Wittenberg 55 - Western Carolina 77
Martin Methodist 62 - Samford 79
Sewanee 49 - Furman 66
Columbia International 74 - Georgia Southern 110

OOC Opponent Scores
NC Wesleyan 51 - East Carolina 97
La Tech - St Mary's
Florida A&M 84 - Rutgers 92
James Madison 41 - Virginia 61
Oakland 61 - UNC-CH 84
Presbyterian 57 - Georgia Tech 88
Colgate 78 - Wake Forest 89

Exhibition Results

Exhibition results from future opponents.

SoCon Teams
Lenior-Rhyne 57 - Davidson 108 Recap
North Greenville 61 - Furman 85 Recap
Thomas University 49 - Georgia Southern 88 Recap
Lees-McRae 76 - UNCG 104 Recap
Lynchburg 57 - Elon 100 Recap
Miles College 52 - Samford 90 Recap

OOC Teams
Bridgewater 53 - High Point 96 Recap
Arkansas-Monticello 64 - La Tech 85 Recap
Southern Arkansas 49 - La Tech 100 Recap
UNC-Pembroke 63 - UNC-CH 82 Recap
Caldwell 60 - Rutgers 90 Recap
Philadelphia Univ. 69 - James Madison 73 OT Recap
Brevard 66 - Wake Forest 93 Recap
UNC-Pembroke 85 - NC State 96 Recap
Morehouse 62 - NC State 87 Recap

Preseason Preview: UNC-Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
VS UNCG December 7*
Mascot: Tar Heels
Location: Chapel Hill, NC
Enrollment: 29,390
Conference: ACC
2012-2013 Record: 25-11 (12-6)
Postseason: NCAA Tournament (L 2nd Round)
Coach: Roy Williams (11th Season)

School Homepage
Athletics Homepage

Losses:
Dexter Strickland G - 27.9 mpg, 7.8 ppg, 4.3 apg
Reggie Bullock G - 31.4 mpg, 13.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.9 apg

Top Retuners:
Marcus Paige G - 29.2 mpg, 8.2 ppg, 4.6 apg
James Michael McAdoo F/C - 29.9 mpg, 14.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg
PJ Hairston^ G/F - 23.6 mpg, 14.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg

Additions:
Nate Britt G - 5-11 165
Kennedy Meeks F - 6-9 290
Isaiah Hicks F - 6-8 220

* - Game to be played at the Smith Center on the campus of UNC-CH

^ - Currently suspended for an unknown number of games

UNCG to Play Tar Heels for next 3 seasons

I know this is very old news, but UNCG and UNC-Chapel Hill agreed to play a 3 year series back in February. There will be two trips for the Spartans to Chapel Hill sandwiched around a Tar Heels visit to the Greensboro Coliseum. This season's game will be played at the Smith Center on December 7.

Jackie Manuel Named UNCG Assistant Coach

According to this article on the UNCG athletics web page, former UNC-Chapel Hill defensive standout Jackie Manuel has been name to Wes Miller's staff at UNCG. Manuel spent this past season as the Strength & Conditioning coach at UNC. He spent 5 years before his time at Carolina playing basketball professionally. Manuel played one season in Japan and four seasons in the NBA Development League.

As a player at North Carolina, Manuel excelled on the defensive end of the court. He was a two time member of the ACC All-Defensive team. Manuel was also one of the three captains of the UNC national championship team in 2005.

The Fayetville Observer posted an article about Manuel's hiring.

"He is positive and energetic, and I am confident he will relate extremely well to our players and prospects," Miller said in a statement. "As one of his teammates in college, I know firsthand that Jackie Manuel is hard-working, team-orientated and a fiercely competitive winner. As he makes this transition to coaching, I expect him to impact our program immediately in the same way he has impacted all of the teams he played on."

Manuel had this to say about working with former teammate and UNCG Head Coach Wes Miller ...

"It's a great honor, and I'm very thankful for Wes to think of me that highly," Manuel said in a statement. "I'm very appreciative and just blessed. It brings back old memories. It doesn't happen often, whether it's playing, coaching, whatever it is, that you get to be with a teammate again. It's going to be good. We know each other very well, so the transition should be real easy."

VCU Previews, Scrimmage Notes and Dement's Comments

Sort of a weird grouping of things to post tonight. We've got less than 24 hours before the season gets underway. So let's start with some previews of opponent #1, Virginia Commonwealth.

- Here is a VCU preview from USA Today. This quote is frightening to UNCG fans ...

Deep and aggressive on defense, this is a lineup that can make life uncomfortable for any opponent, no matter the NCAA classification.

- Rush the Court's CAA preview predicted VCU to finish 2nd in the Colonial and get a #12 seed in the NCAA tournament. They also selected PG Joey Rodriguez to the All-Conference team.

-VCU Ram Nation posted this game preview. It is very tough to argue with the author's logic here ...

Friday’s matchup has 2 teams each introducing 6 new players into their lineups and having lost their star all-conference player from last season. The difference is that one team went 27-9, while the other went 8-23.

Coach Dement was on Sports Drive with Taylor Zarzour this morning and talked about his concerns with having a young team and very difficult schedule. He said that the team was young and he thought they would definitely improve throughout the season.

Here is a YouTube video from the Tom Ward Tipoff Luncheon that basically echos those same comments.



And finally, Jeff Goodman had an article leaking some of the info from the UNCG-UNC scrimmage on Oct 30.

UNC Greensboro was overwhelmed talent-wise by UNC, but there were a few bright spots: Junior college big men Aloysius Henry and Aaron Brackett – as well as 6-foot-7 wing David Williams – all competed and showed flashes.

No one from the university is allowed to discuss these "closed" scrimmages. I've recieved no reports from the UNCG-Radford scrimmage (and I don't expect to hear anything about it).

UNCG's "Secret Scrimmages"

According to Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports, The Spartans will be holding "Secret Scrimmages" against UNC and Radford. Find his entire list is here ...

*I've listed other SoCon games and other teams of interest.

SECRET SCRIMMAGES

Fri., Oct. 29
Samford at Kennesaw State

Sat., Oct. 30
Clemson at Georgia
Virginia Tech vs. Georgetown
Wake Forest at College of Charleston
George Mason at Richmond
VCU at La Salle
High Point at East Carolina

Sun., Oct. 31
UNC at UNC Greensboro
UT Chattanooga at Ole Miss
Wofford vs. Belmont at Maryville College

Fri., Nov. 5
Radford at UNC Greensboro

Sat., Nov. 6
Charlotte at Virginia Tech
Liberty at Appalachian State

UNC System Business as Usual?

I try to very rarely stray from talking about UNCG (and SoCon) basketball. However, with the crap-storm that's taking place with the UNC-Chapel Hill football program, I thought I'd make a little commentary.

This past April, I was shocked to hear that UNCG's plan to start a new school of Pharmacy had been completely shut down by UNC system president Erskine Bowles. He went against a wonderful proposal and gave the go ahead on a for his alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill, to start a satellite program in Asheville. It was an obviously ridiculous decision.

The day this decision was made public, I sent Erskine Bowles an email. I wanted to let him know that I cared about my school and that I thought that he was doing favors for his alma mater.

My email ...

Mr. Bowles,

I just read about your decision to not allow UNCG to move forward on its plans to start a School of Pharmacy. I am a proud graduate of UNCG. I must say that I am very upset and disappointed with this decision. It's obvious with the partnership opportunities in the Greensboro and triad community that this would idea should have been given the "green light".

I am equally disappointed and upset that you are going to allow UNC-Chapel Hill to go forward with an obviously thrown together plan to start a satellite campus in Asheville. I think it is quite obvious that politics are being played in this decision.

While I'm very happy to have a wonderful leader UNCG has with Chancellor Brady, I am very sad that you are stifling a wonderful university from growing and progressing.

His reply ...

Thank you for caring. The decision is fully explained in the report on our website that was produced by our independent consultants. Erskine

Now his alma mater is in the middle of an academic scandal. But is the investigation being handled by independent consultants? No. At a press conference yesterday, Bowles proclaimed he was proud of how the UNC leadership was handling the situation. He made no mention of getting independent consultants to handle this investigation.

Let's be clear, the scandal that's happening at Chapel Hill is a damn fiasco. Every single day something new comes out about what has taken place. The reason that Mr. Bowles doesn't want independent consultants to get involved is because it might get in the way of him helping out his alma mater once again.

When is this clown retiring?

*** BTW, if you want to find out more about the Pharmacy School decision, you can start by doing a search on the News & Record website and checking into some of the discussion at UNCGFans.

Gipson Promoted, Miller Hired

According to the UNCGSpartans.com website, assistant coach Corey Gipson was promoted by UNCG to associate head coach. Gipson replaces Rod Jensen who left to be the head coach at the College of Idaho. Gipson is a graduate of Austin Peay. He also has an associate's degree from Three Rivers Community College. This is the same school that incoming player Aloysius Henry has attended the last 2 seasons. Corey came to UNCG before the start of last season.

Also from the UNCGSpartans.com website, Wes Miller has been hired to fill the final UNCG coaching spot. Miller comes to the Spartans after serving as an assistant coaching stints at Elon and High Point in the past 2 seasons. After starting his playing career at James Madison, Miller played 3 seasons at UNC-Chapel Hill. He was a member of the 2005 UNC national championship team. He was a team captain on the 2006-2007 squad.

Congrats Corey and welcome to the Spartans, Wes !!!