North Carolina (3-0) vs. Portland (2-1)

Portland, Ore. – Chiles Center

Thursday, 2:30 p.m. EST

ESPN

Quotables

“He’s embraced everything we’ve talked about. He’s been a great rim protector for us, a great rebounder for us, and even offensively… he’s done a great job and played down in the post with poise. His vision and passing have been really good as well.” – Portland head coach Terry Porter on Philipp Hartwich

“That team is so talented in so many ways. I think they’re so big and large across the board. They don’t rebuild, they reload. They’re a veteran team and a team with a lot of upperclassmen. Our guys are excited for the challenge.” – Porter on UNC

PREGAME NOTES

UNC Riding Momentum on West Coast: The Tar Heels cruised to a 96-72 win over Stanford on Monday in the first of a four-game West Coast trip. UNC’s Thanksgiving Day matchup with Portland is the opening session at the PK80, a 16-team tournament honoring Nike co-founder Phil Knight’s 80th birthday. Roy Williams’s squad didn’t have trouble adjusting to the new time zone as it jumped out to a 50-36 lead over the Cardinal at halftime. Junior guard Kenny Williams was off to the races early, making UNC’s first five field goal attempts. Williams finished the game with 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting from three-point range. Joel Berry appeared to get his shot back after a rusty shooting performance against Bucknell, leading the Tar Heels with 29 points on 10-for-19 shooting and five three-pointers. The win improved UNC's all-time record against Stanford to 11-0.

Portland Spotlight: The Pilots welcome UNC to the Pacific Northwest following two blowout wins over Walla Walla University (89-52) and Oregon Tech (86-59). Terry Porter’s squad has been hot from three-point land this season (44.3 percent) while also hosting a block party in the paint, ranking 38th in the country with 21 blocked shots through three games. While UNC will represent a dramatic step up in competition for Portland, it's currently holding opponents to a 32.8 field goal percentage, which leads the NCAA. British wing Josh McSwiggan is the Pilots’ leading scorer, averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting 42.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Bodies Aplenty: In a similar vein to the way that Roy Williams likes to use a deep rotation, Porter has been widely distributing minutes in the early portion of the season. Ten Pilots players are averaging 10 or more minutes per game, with none exceeding 30. And it’s not just garbage playing time adding up from the past two blowouts. Against Oregon Tech, Marcus Shaver Jr. and Malcolm Porter each played 20-plus crucial minutes off the bench in the victory. At the pace that UNC plays, Portland's ability to continually switch players out for fresh legs could come in handy when the game reaches into the second half.

Matchup to Watch: One of the most encouraging, yet underappreciated, parts of UNC’s victory over the Cardinal was the play on the glass from freshman bigs Brandon Huffman and Sterling Manley. Both forwards came off the bench to collect five rebounds, helping the Tar Heels win the battle on the boards, 42-32. That duo, along with Luke Maye and Garrison Brooks, will have their hands full on Thanksgiving with Pilots giant Philipp Hartwich. At 7-foot-2, the Cologne, Germany native is a legitimate force down low, averaging 12 rebounds per game. While Maye and Brooks are significantly better athletes than Hartwich, his sheer size could be a challenge for the Tar Heels. When he is in the game, expect UNC’s bigs and wings to go at him to try and get him in early foul trouble. That plan worked in the season opener against Northern Iowa, when North Carolina stuck Panthers' standout forward Bennett Koch with three fouls in the first 10 minutes of the game.

Series History: This is the first meeting between the two programs.

Projected UNC Starters:

2 Joel Berry (6-0, 195, Sr.) – 18.5 ppg, 4.5 apg

1 Theo Pinson (6-6, 220, Sr.) - 10.3 ppg, 4.3 apg

32 Luke Maye (6-8, 240, Jr.) – 19.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg

24 Kenny Williams (6-4, 185, Jr.) – 13.3 ppg, 3.3 apg

15 Garrison Brooks (6-9, 215, Fr.) – 8.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg

Projected Portland Starters:

2 Jojo Walker (6-1, 170, Fr.) – 6.0 ppg, 2.7 apg

11 Josh McSwiggan (6-7, 200, R-So.) – 14.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg

14 Tahirou Diabate (6-9, 210, Fr.) – 7.7 ppg, 4.3 rpg

15 Philipp Hartwich (7-2, 250, Sr.) – 8.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg

13 Franklin Porter (6-4, 215, R-So.) – 11.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg

UNC Info

Schedule/Results

Roster & Bios

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Portland Info

Schedule/Results

Roster & Bios

Stats