Wake Forest Athletics
Deacons Get Crack At 4th-Ranked North Carolina Wednesday Night
1/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2007
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Youthful Deacons Get A Crack At 4th-Ranked North Carolina Wednesday Night
Wake Forest, which owns a four-game losing streak, will try to cool off one of the nation's hottest teams Wednesday night when the Demon Deacons host fourth-ranked North Carolina (7:00 p.m./ESPN).
The Demon Deacons, 9-9 overall and 1-5 in the ACC, are coming off an 88-76 loss at Virginia Sunday afternoon. Virginia's J.R. Reynolds exploded for 40 points -- the most points by a Wake Forest opponent in nearly 30 years -- to lead the Cavaliers.
Wake Forest has been led all season by senior center Kyle Visser, who failed to score in double-digits Sunday for the first time all season. Visser (17.4 ppg and 7.6 rpg) ranks among the ACC leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocked shots.
North Carolina, 17-2 and 4-1 and ranked fourth in both major national polls, has posted impressive back-to-back victories since being upset by Virginia Tech Jan. 13. The Tar Heels whipped Clemson on the road last Wednesday, 77-55, then beat visiting Georgia Tech, 77-61, Saturday in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels, arguably the nation's deepest team, are led by sophomore Tyler Hansbrough (18.7 ppg and 8.0 rpg) and freshman Brandan Wright (15.3 ppg and 6.4 rpg).
North Carolina leads the all-time series, 148-63. The rivalry dates back nearly 100 years, to the first meeting in the 1910-11 season.
Wake Forest-UNC Series History
- North Carolina leads the all-time series, 148-63.
- ACC expansion has impacted the long tradition of the Wake Forest-North Carolina series. In each of the past two seasons, the Deacons and Tar Heels met just once. This, after meeting at least twice each season from 1945 to 2004.
- While the Deacons and Tar Heels will meet again Feb. 10 in Chapel Hill, Wednesday's game marks the third consecutive meeting played in Winston-Salem. Wake's trip to UNC in February will be its first journey to Chapel Hill since December of 2003.
- With 211 all-time meetings, the WFU-UNC series is the fifth most-frequently played rivalry in the ACC. The two teams first met on the hardwood during the 1910-11 season.
- Wake Forest has won six of the last eight meetings with the Tar Heels, although the two teams have split the last four meetings.
- North Carolina has won nine of the 17 previous meetings in Lawrence Joel Coliseum.
- North Carolina has dominated the series in Chapel Hill, 68-18. Wake Forest, however, has won the last three meetings played in Orange County.
- The Deacons and Tar Heels have met in the ACC Tournament 21 times, although they have no tournament meetings since 2000.
- Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser is 6-2 all-time versus North Carolina.
- North Carolina coach Roy Williams is 4-3 all-time versus Wake Forest, including a 1-1 record while coaching at Kansas.
- Wake Forest is 404-462 all-time against teams from the state of North Carolina, including a 4-2 record this season.
Deacon-Tar Heel Connections
- North Carolina has two players from Winston-Salem on its roster -- Reyshawn Terry and Mike Copeland. Terry and Copeland both played on the prep level at Reynolds High School.
- Wake Forest sophomore Kevin Swinton and UNC freshman William Graves both hail from Greensboro's Dudley High School.
- Deacon sophomore Cameron Stanley and North Carolina's Surry Wood and Marc Campbell are all from Raleigh.
- Wake Forest has nine North Carolinians on its roster and the Tar Heels have six.
- Tony Hanson, in charge of Wake Forest's video, is a North Carolina graduate. He played two years on the Tar Heel junior varsity team.
- North Carolina assistant coach Steve Robinson previously served as a head coach in the ACC at Florida State.
- Former Wake Forest All-American Josh Howard and former Tar Heel All-American Jerry Stackhouse both play for the Dallas Mavericks.
- Former Tar Heels Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison and former Deacon Darius Songaila are all on the Washington Wizards' roster. Former UNC standout Mike O'Koren is a Washington assistant coach.
- The Miller Center, located on the Wake Forest campus and home to the Deacons' practice facility (Budd Gymnasium), is named after Ken Miller. Ken is the father of North Carolina senior guard Wes Miller.
Wake Vs. Ranked Teams, Tar Heels
- Fourth-ranked North Carolina will be the highest-ranked opponent to come to Joel Coliseum since No. 1-ranked Duke beat the Deacons, 82-64, on Jan. 8, 2006.
- Wake Forest is looking for its first win against a team ranked fourth or higher since Feb. 2, 2005 -- a 92-89 home win over fourth-ranked Duke.
- The Deacons are 0-1 against ranked teams this season (a 62-40 loss at 14th-ranked Duke), 18-31 vs. ranked teams under Skip Prosser and 127-307 versus ranked foes all-time.
- Wake Forest is 10-9 at home against ranked teams under Prosser, 69-101 at home versus ranked clubs all-time.
- The Deacons are 31-129 all-time against teams ranked in the top five, including 19-44 at home.
- North Carolina brings its highest national ranking into a game against Wake Forest since 2005 when the Tar Heels were ranked third.
