Michigan
North Carolina
Wolverines to Head to Chapel Hill for Challenge Matchup with Tar Heels
11/28/2017 12:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
» Michigan and North Carolina will be meeting for the first time since the 1993 National Championship Game, won by the Tar Heels, 77-71.
» Wednesday's game will be the first time U-M and North Carolina have met in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
» The Wolverines have played in 16 of the 18 ACC/Big Ten Challenges and carry a 7-9 all-time mark.
» U-M has been led by Charles Matthews (16.7 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.1 apg) and Moritz Wagner (15.3 ppg and 8.6 rpg).
THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Nov. 29 -- at No. 13 North Carolina, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday, Dec. 2 -- Indiana, 12:30 p.m. (CBS) - Tickets
• TV: ESPN | Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Watch: Beilein Roundtable
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
After a stretch of four games in seven days including a trip to Maui, the University of Michigan men's basketball team (6-1) begins a six-game stretch against some of the nation's top programs. First up is a trip to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, for a Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup with defending national champion North Carolina (5-1). Tip-off at the Dean Smith Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., with the game broadcast on ESPN.
A LITTLE ABOUT NORTH CAROLINA
• North Carolina is 5-1 early in the 2017-18 campaign. The Tar Heels fell to Michigan State, 63-45, in the championship game of the PK80 Victory Bracket on Sunday night (Nov. 26) for their first loss of the season.
• Luke Maye paces UNC in scoring (19.0 ppg) and rebounding (10.0 rpg). Joel Berry II (15.0 ppg), Kenny Williams (14.0 ppg) and Theo Pinson (11.2 ppg) are also scoring in double figures for the Tar Heels.
• Roy Williams is in his 15th season as head coach at North Carolina; Williams has led UNC to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, including national championships in 2005, '09, '17. Williams ranks eighth in NCAA history in Division I wins with 821.
• The defending national champion Tar Heels finished last season with a 33-7 overall record, including a 14-4 record in the ACC, winning the conference. North Carolina was picked second in the ACC preseason poll behind Duke this season.
• North Carolina led the nation in rebounding, offensive rebounds and rebound margin in 2016-17. UNC averaged 43.2 rebounds and 15.8 offensive rebounds, and out-rebounded its opponents by 12.3 boards per game.
• Michigan is 2-3 all-time against North Carolina with the last meeting coming in the 1993 National Championship Game.
THE MAIZE & BLUE IN THE CHALLENGE
• Last season, the Big Ten lost to the ACC for the first time since 2008. Overall, the Big Ten trails in the all-time conference series, 11-7. The ACC won the first 10 Commissioner's Cups.
• Michigan has played in 16 of the 18 ACC/Big Ten Challenges and carries a 7-9 all-time mark.
• Wednesday's game will be the first time U-M and North Carolina have met in the Challenge. After losing to Indiana last year, UNC currently has a 9-9 record in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
• Michigan and North Carolina will be meeting for the first time since the 1993 National Championship Game, won by the Tar Heels, 77-71.
• Michigan will be on the road for the eighth time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge; U-M has a 2-5 record for away games in the Challenge.
• The Wolverines will have faced 12 different opponents in the Challenge after Wednesday's game against the Tar Heels. U-M has played North Carolina State the most with four games (3-1).
• Last season, U-M led by as many as 15 points, but fell to Virginia Tech, 73-70, at Crisler Center. Zak Irvin scored a game-high 23 to lead the Wolverines. Duncan Robinson added 15, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman had 13 and Moritz Wagner scored 11 points.
• After coming off the bench in the 2015 match-up against N.C. State, Duncan Robinson set a new school record for three-point percentage (.714) in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. He also ranks second in three-point field goals (5) and field-goal percentage (.750) from that same performance.
THE CHALLENGE AHEAD STARTS WITH THE CHALLENGE
• With the Big Ten Tournament moved up a week due to playing in New York, there are no byes and teams will have to play two games early in December. In fact, with the expansion of Big Ten play next season, two early conference matchups will become a regular occurrence.
• Upon returning from Chapel Hill, U-M plays a pair of early Big Ten games when they host Indiana on Saturday (Dec. 2) at Crisler Center on CBS (12:30 p.m.) before heading out to Ohio State for a Monday night (Dec. 4) showdown in Columbus, Ohio, at 6:30 p.m. (FS1).
• Michigan's big six-game stretch continues hosting UCLA on Star Wars day at Crisler Center on Saturday, Dec. 9, at noon (CBS) before heading to play a return game at Texas in Austin on Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m. CST (ESPN2).
• The week ends with U-M playing Detroit-Mercy in the first college basketball game in the new Little Caesars Arena -- home of the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons -- in downtown Detroit on Saturday, Dec. 16, at noon (ESPNU).
THIS AND THAT
• Freshman Eli Brooks (14.1 mpg) moved into the starting role at point guard in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. Zavier Simpson, who started the first four games, now comes off the bench as U-M's sixth man. Brooks has helped balance the Wolverines' offensive flow, while when Simpson (17.1 mpg) comes into the game he injects defense right away.
• Playing in five games off the bench and a logging a total of 24 minutes, Jordan Poole has scored 23 points during those minutes with two 10-plus-point games including a career-best 11 against UC Riverside. He is 8-for-15 from the field and 5-for-9 from long range.
• Michigan's shot distribution has been pretty even as Charles Matthews has 81, Moritz Wagner 73 and Duncan Robinson and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman each with 68.
• U-M averages 78.7 points per game, posting a season-high 102 against Chaminade in the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The 102 points mark the first time the Wolverines eclipsed the century mark since 2015.
• Michigan has four players averaging in double-figures with Charles Matthews leading at 16.7 per game, with Moritz Wagner just behind at 15.3. Duncan Robinson is averaging 13.0 points per game, while Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman is producing 11.0 per game. All four account for 71 percent of U-M's offense.
• The Maize and Blue is averaging 9.1 turnovers per game (6th in the nation) with five games with 10 or fewer and a season-low six against Central Michigan. The Wolverines are forcing 14.3 opponent turnovers.
• Quietly, Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman has recorded 27 assists (3.9 apg) with just two turnovers. He was leading the team before Charles Matthews' career-best 12 assists gave him the lead with 29 (4.1 apg).
• U-M head coach John Beilein likes to play an eight- or nine-man rotation, but this season 10 players have played in all seven games, with two more just behind at five and four.
