2013–14 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team

2013–14 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
Hall of Fame Tip Off Champions
NCAA third round vs. Iowa State, L 83–85
Conference Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches #21
AP #19
2013–14 record 24–10 (13–5 ACC)
Head coach Roy Williams (11th year)
Assistant coach Steve Robinson (11th year)
Assistant coach C. B. McGrath (11th year)
Assistant coach Hubert Davis (2nd year)
Home arena Dean E. Smith Center
2013–14 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#3 Virginia 16 2   .889     30 7   .811
#14 Syracuse 14 4   .778     28 6   .824
#8 Duke 13 5   .722     26 9   .743
#19 North Carolina 13 5   .722     24 10   .706
Pittsburgh 11 7   .611     26 10   .722
Clemson 10 8   .556     23 13   .639
North Carolina State 9 9   .500     22 14   .611
Maryland 9 9   .500     17 15   .531
Florida State 9 9   .500     22 14   .611
Miami (FL) 7 11   .389     17 16   .515
Wake Forest 6 12   .333     17 16   .515
Georgia Tech 6 12   .333     16 17   .485
Notre Dame 6 12   .333     15 17   .469
Boston College 4 14   .222     8 24   .250
Virginia Tech 2 16   .111     9 22   .290
2014 ACC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2013–14 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Roy Williams, who is in his 11th season as UNC's head men's basketball coach. They played their home games at the Dean E. Smith Center as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 24–10, 13–5 in ACC play to finish in a tie for third place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament to Pittsburgh. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Providence in the second round before losing in the third round to Iowa State.

Pre-season

The Tar Heels entered the 2013–14 season lost two starters from the previous season as Dexter Strickland graduated and second team All-ACC shooting guard Reggie Bullock declared for the 2013 NBA draft. However, rising juniors and potential draft picks James Michael McAdoo and P. J. Hairston decided to return to Chapel Hill and UNC brought in a strong recruiting class including McDonald's All-Americans Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks.

Another offseason change involved the coaching staff as long-time Roy Williams assistant Joe Holladay retired. UNC alum Brad Frederick joined the staff as Director of Basketball Operations in June. Frederick came from the coaching staff at Vanderbilt, where he had been for 14 seasons. He is the son of former Kansas Athletic Director Bob Frederick.[1]

However, the optimism of the Spring turned to uncertainty in the Summer as both Hairston and fifth year senior Leslie McDonald were both suspended from the team due to eligibility concerns, leaving only two scholarship guards (sophomore Marcus Paige and freshman Nate Britt) on the roster entering the season. McDonald would be reinstated in the non-conference season, but Hairston's suspension would hold for the entire season.[2][3]

Even with this uncertainty, North Carolina was voted #13 in the AP preseason poll[4] and #11 in the USA Today Coaches' Poll.[5] The ACC media tabbed the Tar Heels third in the conference preseason poll.[6]

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Reggie Bullock 35 F/G 6'7 205 Junior Kinston, NC NBA draft
Dexter Strickland 1 G 6'3 180 Senior Rahway, NJ Graduated

Recruits

North Carolina recruits at the 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
Isaiah Hicks
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Nate Britt
PG
Washington, DC Oak Hill Academy 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Nov 29, 2011 
Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 86
Isaiah Hicks
F
Oxford, NC 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Aug 8, 2011 
Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 91
Kennedy Meeks
C
Charlotte, NC West Charlotte 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 275 lb (125 kg) Nov 16, 2012 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 86
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

The top-rated recruit in the class scheduled to start college in Fall 2013 is Isaiah Hicks, the eighth ranked power forward and the 18th ranked player in the ESPN 100.[7] Shortly behind him in that ranking is Kennedy Meeks at #59. He is the #6 ranked center in the 2013 high school class. Britt is the 52nd ranked player in the current high school class and 11th point guard. He tore his meniscus in December 2012.[8]

Roster

2013–14 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year High School/Junior College Home town
G 0 Britt, NateNate Britt style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Oak Hill (VA) Upper Marlboro, Maryland
G 2 McDonald, LeslieLeslie McDonald style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 215 lb (98 kg) RS Sr Briarcrest Christian School Memphis, Tennessee
C 3 Meeks, KennedyKennedy Meeks style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 290 lb (132 kg) Fr West Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina
G 4 Davis, LukeLuke Davis style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 175 lb (79 kg) RS Jr Ravenscroft School Raleigh, North Carolina
G 5 Paige, MarcusMarcus Paige style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 175 lb (79 kg) So Linn-Mar Marion, Iowa
F 11 Johnson, BriceBrice Johnson style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 210 lb (95 kg) So Edisto Orangeburg, South Carolina
F 13 Tokoto, J. P.J. P. Tokoto style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 200 lb (91 kg) So Menomonee Falls Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
F 14 Hubert, DesmondDesmond Hubert style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 225 lb (102 kg) Jr New Egypt Cream Ridge, New Jersey
G 15 Hairston, P. J.P. J. Hairston (I) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Hargrave Military Academy Greensboro, North Carolina
F 21 Simmons, JacksonJackson Simmons style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Smoky Mountain Webster, North Carolina
F 22 Hicks, IsaiahIsaiah Hicks style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 220 lb (100 kg) Fr J.F. Webb Oxford, North Carolina
F 30 Manor, JamesJames Manor (W) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Chapel Hill Carrboro, North Carolina
F 34 Robinson, DenzelDenzel Robinson (W) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina
F 42 James, JoelJoel James style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 280 lb (127 kg) So Dwyer West Palm Beach, Florida
F 43 McAdoo, James MichaelJames Michael McAdoo style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Norfolk Christian Norfolk, Virginia
G 55 Moody, WadeWade Moody (W) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) style="text-align:right; white-space:nowrap; font-size:90%; | 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Mount Airy Mount Airy, North Carolina
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 12/08/13

Season

Non-conference play

The Tar Heels started the season with uncertainty as Hairston's and McDonald's eligibility cases remained in limbo for the first nine games of the season. After uneventful victories over Oakland and Holy Cross, the Heels were stunned 83–80 at home by Belmont, in part because of a 22–48 performance at the free throw line.[11] However, the team would redeem themselves by beating #3 Louisville in the Hall of Fame Tip Off championship. Marcus Paige led the team with 32 points while post players Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks controlled the paint and the Heels won 93–84. Paige was named ACC Player of the Week for his performance against the Cardinals and the Richmond Spiders in the previous game (26 points).[12]

North Carolina's inconsistency would show itself again as the Heels lost their next game - an 83–86 contest at UAB, coached by former Roy Williams assistant Jerod Haase. But true to form, the Heels bounced back and beat #1 Michigan State on the road in a game they never trailed. Kennedy Meeks led the team in scoring with 15 and was named ACC Rookie of the Week.[13] After an easy home win over UNC Greensboro (coached by Wes Miller, another Williams disciple), the Tar Heels completed a sweep of the top three teams in the preseason polls by upending #11 Kentucky at the Dean Smith Center. Paige and James Michael McAdoo were the stars, scoring 23 and 20 points respectively.[14]

On December 18, the team received the news that Leslie McDonald would be reinstated in time for the Texas game at the Smith Center.[2] However, the Tar Heels lost to the young Longhorns. North Carolina finished their non-conference season with wins over Davidson, Northern Kentucky and UNC Wilmington.

Conference play

The Tar Heels started 1-4 in conference play, but then, they won twelve straight, including a win over #5 Duke on February 20. With the Duke win, North Carolina became the first team to defeat each of the AP Poll preseason top 4 in the same season in the 53 years that the poll has released preseason rankings.[15] The streak was broken with a loss at Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Schedule and results

Date Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (Attendance)
Exhibition
Nov 1* #12 UNC Pembroke W 82–63   19 - McAdoo  10 - Tied  3 - Tied  Dean E. Smith Center (N/A)
Non-conference regular season
Nov 8* #12 Oakland W 84–61  1–0  21 - McAdoo  9 - McAdoo  5 - Tied  Dean E. Smith Center (15,102)
Nov 15* #12 Holy Cross
(2013 Hall of Fame Tip Off)
W 62–54  2–0  23 - Paige  8 - Meeks  5 - Tokoto  Dean E. Smith Center (15,833)
Nov 17* #12 Belmont
(2013 Hall of Fame Tip Off)
L 80–83  2–1  27 - McAdoo  13 - McAdoo  5 - Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (15,205)
Nov 23* #24 vs. Richmond
(2013 Hall of Fame Tip Off semifinals)
W 82–72  3–1  26 - Paige  12 - Johnson  3 - Paige  Mohegan Sun Arena (8,113)
Nov 24* #24 vs. #3 Louisville
(2013 Hall of Fame Tip Off championship)
W 93–84  4–1  32 - Paige  12 - Meeks  7 - Meeks  Mohegan Sun Arena (N/A)
Dec 1* at UAB L 59–63  4–2  16 - Tokoto  7 - Johnson  5 - Paige  Bartow Arena (8,313)
Dec 4* at #1 Michigan State
(ACC–Big Ten Challenge)
W 79–65  5–2  15 - Meeks  10 - Tokoto  5 - Paige  Breslin Center (14,797)
Dec 7* UNC Greensboro W 81–50  6–2  14 - Johnson  8 - Meeks  8 - Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (15,676)
Dec 14* #18 #11 Kentucky
(Rivalry)
W 82–77  7–2  23 - Paige  7 - Johnson  4 - McAdoo  Dean E. Smith Center (21,750)
Dec 18* #14 Texas L 83–86  7–3  23 - Paige  9 - Johnson  7 - Britt  Dean E. Smith Center (17,143)
Dec 21* #14 Davidson W 97–85 OT 8–3  22 - Tokoto  11 - Tokoto  5 - McAdoo, Page  Dean E. Smith Center (18,195)
Dec 27* #19 Northern Kentucky W 75–60  9–3  14 - McAdoo  9 - Paige  4 - Tokoto  Dean E. Smith Center (18,842)
Dec 31* #19 UNC Wilmington W 84–51  10–3  23 - McAdoo  10 - McAdoo  6 - Britt  Dean E. Smith Center (16,923)
ACC regular season
Jan 5 #19 at Wake Forest L 67–73  10–4 (0–1)  13 - McAdoo  9 - Tokoto, Meeks, Johnson  6 - Paige  LJVM Coliseum (12,462)
Jan 8 Miami (FL) L 57–63  10–5 (0–2)  12 - McAdoo  12 - McAdoo  8 - Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (17,569)
Jan 11 at #2 Syracuse L 45–57  10–6 (0–3)  15 - McAdoo  9 - McAdoo  3 - Tokoto  Carrier Dome (32,121)
Jan 18 Boston College W 82–71  11–6 (1–3)  21 - Paige  6 - McAdoo, Meeks  6 - Tokoto  Dean E. Smith Center (18,115)
Jan 20 at Virginia L 61–76  11–7 (1–4)  15 - Meeks  9 - Meeks  3 - Johnson, Paige  John Paul Jones Arena (13,045)
Jan 26 Clemson W 80–61  12–7 (2–4)  22 - McAdoo  8 - Meeks  5 - Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (18,616)
Jan 29 at Georgia Tech W 78–65  13–7 (3–4)  19 - Paige  10 - Meeks  7 - Paige  McCamish Pavilion (5,124)
Feb 1 NC State W 80–74  14–7 (4–4)  20 - McDonald  13 - McAdoo  5 - Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (21,750)
Feb 4 Maryland W 75–63  15–7 (5–4)  25 - Paige  9 - Tokoto  7 - Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (17,225)
Feb 8 at Notre Dame W 73–62  16–7 (6–4)  18 - McAdoo  8 - McAdoo  9 - Paige  Purcell Pavilion (9,149)
Feb 15 #25 Pittsburgh W 75–71  17–7 (7–4)  24 - McAdoo  12 - McAdoo  4 - Paige, Tokoto  Dean E. Smith Center (20,341)
Feb 17 at Florida State W 81–75  18–7 (8–4)  23 - Meeks  11 - Johnson  7 - Paige  Donald L. Tucker Center (7,814)
Feb 20 #5 Duke
(Rivalry/Postponed from 2/12)
W 74–66  19–7 (9–4)  21 - McDonald  10 - McAdoo  4 - Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (21,750)
Feb 22 Wake Forest W 105–72  20–7 (10–4)  19 - McDonald  5 - Johnson  5 - Tokoto  Dean E. Smith Center (19,248)
Feb 26 #19 at NC State W 85–84 OT 21–7 (11–4)  35 - Paige  10 - Meeks, Tokoto  5 - Paige, Tokoto  PNC Arena (19,500)
Mar 1 #19 at Virginia Tech W 60–56  22–7 (12–4)  15 - McAdoo  7 - Meeks, Tokoto  3 - McAdoo, Tokoto  Cassell Coliseum (6,546)
Mar 3 #14 Notre Dame W 63–61  23–7 (13–4)  14 - McAdoo  9 - McAdoo  6 - Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (15,175)
Mar 8 #14 at #4 Duke L 81–93  23–8 (13–5)  24 - Paige  5 - Tokoto  4 - Britt  Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
ACC Tournament
Mar 14 #15 vs. Pittsburgh
(Quarterfinals)
L 75–80  23–9  27 - Paige  7 - McAdoo, Tokoto  5 - Britt  Greensboro Coliseum (21,533)
NCAA Tournament
Mar 21* #19 (6 E) vs. (11 E) Providence
(Second round)
W 79–77  24–9  19 - Paige  10 - McAdoo  6 - Tokoto  AT&T Center (11,690)
Mar 23* #19 (6 E) vs. #9 (3 E) Iowa State
(Third round)
L 83–85  24–10  19 - Paige  13 - Meeks  3 - Britt  AT&T Center (13,431)
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll, (#) denotes seed within region E=East. ( ) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

References

  1. Carter, Andrew (June 3, 2013). "Brad Frederick named UNC director of basketball operations". Raleigh News and Observer. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Auerbach, Nicole (December 18, 2013). "NCAA clears UNC's Leslie McDonald but P.J. Hairston could sit season". USA Today. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  3. Brown, C. L. (December 20, 2013). "Tar Heels won't seek reinstatement". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  4. Norlander, Matt (October 31, 2013). "AP preseason poll released: UK at top; MSU, 'Ville, Duke, KU follow". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  5. Auerbach, Nicole (October 18, 2013). "Analysis: A look at every top 25 team in the college hoops coaches poll". USA Today. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  6. "Media Picks Tar Heels Third In ACC". North Carolina Tar Heels. October 16, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  7. 7.0 7.1 http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings/_/order/true
  8. http://blogs.fayobserver.com/accbasketball/December-2012/Nate-Britt,-a-North-Carolina-signee,-is-currently-
  9. http://www.goheels.com/fls/3350/pdf/UNCBBnotes.pdf
  10. http://www.usatodayhss.com/news/article/isaiah-hicks-unc-34-points-30-rebounds
  11. "Belmont stuns No. 12 North Carolina with late 3-pointer". ESPN.com. November 17, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  12. "UNC's Marcus Paige Named ACC Hoops Player Of The Week". WFMY News. November 25, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  13. Friedlander, Brett (December 9, 2013). "UNC’s Kennedy Meeks named ACC Rookie of the Week". Wilmington Star News. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  14. "Marcus Paige scores 21 in 2nd half as UNC upends Kentucky". ESPN.com. December 14, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  15. "Unranked North Carolina rallies to topple No. 5 Duke, win 8th straight". ESPN. 2014-02-20. Retrieved 2014-02-25.