Thu Dec 27 10:30:10 2007

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Top-ranked Tar Heels host surging Wolf Pack

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Chapel Hill, NC (Sports Network) - The top-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels will attempt to stay unbeaten as they host the Nevada Wolf Pack, the four-time defending Western Athletic Conference champs.

Nevada lost four of its first six games this season and appeared to be on its way to an uncharacteristically miserable campaign. Fortunately, the Wolf Pack has seemingly turned things around with five consecutive victories, the most recent of which came on Saturday in a 55-52 final over Northern Iowa.

The top-ranked Tar Heels were also in action on Saturday, as they crushed UC Santa Barbara in a 105-70 final. Sure, the schedule has been rather light thus far for UNC, but wins over the likes of BYU and Ohio State by double figures suggest that the tremendous early success is a try representation of the team's ability.

North Carolina holds a 2-0 edge in the all-time series with Nevada, and the programs have not met since 1989.

Marcelus Kemp is clearly the go-to guy at the offensive end for Nevada, as he has led the team in scoring in all but three games this season. Kemp is averaging 19.1 ppg, and teammate JaVale McGee adds 12.9 ppg and 8.7 rpg to the mix. McGee's presence is certainly felt at the defensive end of the floor, as he has blocked 38 shots through 11 games. Brandon Fields is the third and final double-digit scorer for Nevada with 12.5 ppg, and he has dished out 38 assists. The Wolf Pack is netting 70.7 ppg while allowing 67.1 ppg to the opposition. In the narrow win over Northern Iowa on Saturday, Kemp scored 13 points. Nevada finished the contest with a lowly total of six assists, but the club limited UNI to 32.2 percent shooting from the field.

Tyler Hansbrough is already an All-American, but he may be the national player of the year by the time this basketball season in complete. The North Carolina standout forward is scoring 21.7 ppg on 55.8 percent shooting from the floor, and he is pulling down 9.7 rpg. Hansbrough also leads the club with 20 steals, proof of his versatility. Wayne Ellington has proven to be a consistent second scoring option, as he is netting 17.2 ppg. Danny Green checks in with 13.1 ppg, and Ty Lawson is close behind with 13.0 ppg to complement his team-high 50 assists. UNC is scoring 91.4 ppg while limiting opponents to 70.1 ppg. Hansbrough scored 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the floor in the win over UC Santa Barbara last time out, as he was one of five double-digit scorers for the victors. The Heels shot a stellar 57.1 percent from the floor in that contest while limiting the Gauchos to 35.9 percent.