UAlbany Men's Basketball Meets Defending NCAA Champion North Carolina on ESPNU Television

Chapel Hill, N.C. - UAlbany meets defending NCAA champion North Carolina on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at the Dean E. Smith Center. Tip-off is 7:00 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. Fans can also listen to the contest on Fox Sports 980, WOFX-AM, with Rodger Wyland and Greg Tobben handling the broadcast.

The Tar Heels are ranked No. 9 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today national polls. North Carolina (10-3) has a storied history with five NCAA titles, including the 2009 national championship, 18 Final Four appearances, 27 Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season titles and 17 ACC Tournament crowns.

Head coach Roy Williams has a 186-40 record in his seventh season at his alma mater. Williams, who has 604 career victories at the collegiate level, guided UNC to a 34-4 campaign one year ago en route to an NCAA title.

Deon Thompson, a 6'8" senior, is the team's top returning scorer and rebounder and a Wooden Award candidate. He is averaging 15.9 points and 7.6 rebounds. Marcus Ginyard (6'5") scores at an 11.0 clip and is one of the ACC's top defenders. The fifth-year senior was a medical redshirt last season. Ed Davis, a 6'10" sophomore, contributes 14.7 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. A preseason All-ACC selection, Davis is on the Naismith Award Watch List. Larry Drew II adds 8.3 points and 6.5 assists, the fourth-best mark among Division I players. The sophomore guard's father, a 10-year NBA veteran, is presently an Atlanta Hawks' assistant coach. Tyler Zeller, a 7-foot sophomore, also scores in twin figures at 10.5 points per game. North Carolina is second on the NCAA's all-time wins list with 1,993.

UAlbany (4-9) is playing its final opponent in a string of eight consecutive road dates, breaking the previous mark of five straight away games to start the 2004-05 season. The Great Danes, who are facing the defending national champion for the second year in a row, are battling its sixth team this season who earned a 2009 NCAA Tournament berth. Will Harris (15.4 ppg) and Tim Ambrose (15.1 ppg) are among the top scorers in the America East Conference. Senior guard Mike Johnson adds 8.0 points and a team-leading 3.6 assists. Scotty McRae is averaging 4.5 points and 4.5 rebounds since moving into the starting lineup on Dec. 8.

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information