WRAL Sports Fan

WRALSportsFan

Rivals UNC, N.C. State To Meet Saturday

Jan 6, 2006

RALEIGH, N.C. — Atlantic Coast Conference basketball heats up as two ranked Triangle schools face off on Saturday afternoon.

UNC Chapel Hill

(8-2) will open 2005-06 ACC play against

N.C. State

(12-1, 1-0) at 3 p.m. in the Smith Center. The game will be nationally televised by ESPN2.

Carolina is ranked No. 25 in the country in the Associated Press poll and No. 25 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll this week. UNC is coming off an 82-58 home win over Davidson on Tuesday.

The Wolfpack, ranked No. 13 by the AP and No. 12 by the coaches, is coming off an 83-52 home win over UNC Greensboro on Tuesday Jan. 3.

The win extended N.C. State's winning streak to seven games, matching a streak under Coach Herb Sendek in 1999-2000, and was its 10th straight at home.

The Tar Heels lead the all-time series with NC State, 132-74. Carolina has swept the season series from N.C. State in each of the last two seasons, winning four consecutive games in the series.

Carolina is 64-22 all-time at home against the Wolfpack, including a 14-5 edge in the Smith Center.

Roy Williams is 4-0 as UNC head coach against N.C. State. Carolina has won four in a row vs. N.C. State but the Wolfpack has beaten UNC four times in the last eight meetings, sweeping the series in 2001-02 and 2002-03.

Prior to the last eight games of the rivalry, UNC had won seven in a row and 11 of 12 vs. N.C. State.