Michigan to Host #11/13 North Carolina in ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Crisler

Wednesday, November 28

Ann Arbor, Mich.

9:30 PM

Michigan

North Carolina

Charles Matthews (left), Eli Brooks (right)

Michigan to Host #11/13 North Carolina in ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Crisler

11/27/2018 2:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Tom Wywrot

» In a return matchup, Michigan hosts North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Wolverines lost to the Tar Heels in last year's Challenge at the Dean Smith Center.
» U-M is making its 18th appearance in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and holds a 7-10 all-time record.
» With four of six games played in the NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels lead the series 4-2 and will play in Ann Arbor for the first time.
» Wednesday night's sold-out game will be a "Maize Out" for all U-M fans.

THIS WEEK
Wednesday, Nov. 28 -- #11/13 North Carolina, 9:30 p.m. (ESPN), ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Saturday, Dec. 1 -- #19/18 Purdue, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

• Watch: Wolverines Ready for Crisler Showdown Against North Carolina

The seventh-ranked University of Michigan men's basketball team hosts No. 11-ranked North Carolina for the first time in Ann Arbor on Wednesday (Nov. 28) night as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Opening tipoff at Crisler Center is scheduled for 9:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Maize Out is Coming for Matchup with Tar Heels

• Wednesday night's game against North Carolina in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge is a "Maize Out" at Crisler Center. All U-M fans are asked to wear Maize-colored clothing for the late-night matchup with the Tar Heels. #GoBlue #WearMaize

A Little Bit About North Carolina

• The Tar Heels went 26-11 a season ago and reached the NCAA Tournament for the eighth consecutive season. Luke Maye is the leading returning scorer and rebounder for North Carolina; he averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game a season ago.
• Roy Williams is in his 16th season as the head coach at North Carolina and his 31st overall as a college head coach. Williams has led the Tar Heels to three national championships (2005, '09, '17) and was the coach at Kansas (1988-2003) before returning to his alma mater.
• Williams and U-M head coach John Beilein are two of just six active Division I head coaches with 800 all-time wins, along with Mike Krzyzewski (Duke), Jim Boeheim (Syracuse), Bob Huggins (West Virginia) and Cliff Ellis (Coastal Carolina).
• North Carolina leads the all-time series with Michigan, 4-2, including an 86-71 victory last season in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Chapel Hill (Nov. 29, 2017), the first on-campus meeting between the two schools. This season's matchup will be the first in Ann Arbor; four of the six all-time meetings between the Wolverines and Tar Heels have occurred in the NCAA Tournament.

Last Year at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge

• Despite a hot start, which saw the Wolverines make their first eight shots, Michigan was eventually overwhelmed by No. 13 North Carolina and fell to the Tar Heels, 86-71, in its ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup inside the Dean Smith Center.
• Moritz Wagner finished the game just one rebound shy of his fourth double-double of the season, recording 20 points and nine rebounds.
• Charles Matthews joined Wagner in double-figures with 12 points, while Michigan's 39 remaining points came from 10 other players.
• Isaiah Livers led U-M's bench players with nine points and added five rebounds.

Michigan in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge

• Michigan is making its 18th appearance in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge when the Wolverines host North Carolina at Crisler Center. The Maize and Blue holds a 7-10 all-time record, with a 4-4 record at Crisler Center.

Quick Michigan Tidbits

• Zavier Simpson has not missed a game in three seasons, a streak of 85 straight. He needs just 15 more games played to become the 70th Wolverine to reach 100 in a career.
• Ignas Brazdeikis (15.7 ppg) and Charles Matthews (14.5 ppg) account for 42 percent of U-M's offense. The duo has accounted for nine of the 16 double-figure scoring games this season and four of the five 20-plus point games -- Brazdeikis (2) and Matthews (2).
• Collecting at least seven rebounds in four of his six games, Brazdeikis has taken over the team lead with 5.8 per game.
• Jon Teske recorded a career-high 12 rebounds against Chattanooga (Nov. 23) -- the third 10-plus board game of his career. Additionally, U-M's 7-foot-1 big man made his first career three-pointer against Providence (Nov. 18) as he is trying to expand his game.
• Simpson has five assists or more in five of six games this season. He had back-to-back games with a season-high eight last weekend. He leads U-M with 6.0 assists per game.
• After scoring 13 points in his first three games (4.3 ppg) and shooting 23.5 percent (4-for-17), Jordan Poole has tried to just let the game come to him and it has worked. He has scored 40 points over his last three games (13.3 ppg) and shot 51.8 percent (14-for-27) -- including scoring a career-best 22 vs. George Washington (Nov. 17).
• U-M Sixth-Man Isaiah Livers has averaged 9.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in two of his last three games and posted his first career double-digit rebound game with 10 against Holy Cross.