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

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.

2013–14 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, Third Round
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 21
APNo. 19
2013–14 record24–10 (13–5 ACC)
Head coachRoy Williams (11th season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaDean E. Smith Center
2013–14 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 3 Virginia †16–2 .889  30–7  .811
No. 14 Syracuse14–4 .778  28–6  .824
No. 8 Duke13–5 .722  26–9  .743
No. 19 North Carolina13–5 .722  24–10  .706
Pittsburgh11–7 .611  26–10  .722
Clemson10–8 .556  23–13  .639
North Carolina State9–9 .500  22–14  .611
Maryland9–9 .500  17–15  .531
Florida State9–9 .500  22–14  .611
Miami (FL)7–11 .389  17–16  .515
Wake Forest6–12 .333  17–16  .515
Georgia Tech6–12 .333  16–17  .485
Notre Dame6–12 .333  15–17  .469
Boston College4–14 .222  8–24  .250
Virginia Tech2–16 .111  9–22  .290
† 2014 ACC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

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
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Reggie Bullock35F/G6'7"205JuniorKinston, NCDeclared for the NBA draft
Dexter Strickland1G6'3"180SeniorRahway, NJGraduated

Recruits
North Carolina recruits at the 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
Isaiah Hicks
Kennedy Meeks
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 86
Isaiah Hicks
F		 Oxford, NC J.F. Webb High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Aug 8, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   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]

    • Isaiah Hicks: 18th ranked player in ESPN 100, eight-ranked power forward, named to the 2013 McDonald's All-America game[7][9] In his last high school basketball game he had 34 points, 30 rebounds and seven blocks in a win in his division's state championship game.[10]
    • Kennedy Meeks: 59th ranked player in ESPN 100, #6 ranked center, and named to the 2013 McDonald's All-America game
    • Nate Britt: 52nd ranked player, 11th-ranked point guard

    Roster
    2013–14 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G 0 Nate Britt 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)165 lb (75 kg) FrOak Hill (VA) Upper Marlboro, Maryland
    G 2 Leslie McDonald 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS SrBriarcrest Christian School Memphis, Tennessee
    C 3 Kennedy Meeks 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)290 lb (132 kg) FrWest Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina
    G 4 Luke Davis 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)175 lb (79 kg) RS JrRavenscroft School Raleigh, North Carolina
    G 5 Marcus Paige 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)175 lb (79 kg) SoLinn-Mar Marion, Iowa
    F 11 Brice Johnson 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)210 lb (95 kg) SoEdisto Orangeburg, South Carolina
    F 13 J. P. Tokoto 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoMenomonee Falls Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
    F 14 Desmond Hubert 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)225 lb (102 kg) JrNew Egypt Cream Ridge, New Jersey
    G 15 P. J. Hairston (I) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg) JrHargrave Military Academy Greensboro, North Carolina
    F 21 Jackson Simmons 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)225 lb (102 kg) JrSmoky Mountain Webster, North Carolina
    F 22 Isaiah Hicks 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg) FrJ.F. Webb Oxford, North Carolina
    F 30 James Manor (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg) SrChapel Hill Carrboro, North Carolina
    F 34 Denzel Robinson (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)220 lb (100 kg) SrChapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina
    F 42 Joel James 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)280 lb (127 kg) SoDwyer West Palm Beach, Florida
    F 43 James Michael McAdoo 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) JrNorfolk Christian Norfolk, Virginia
    G 55 Wade Moody (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)175 lb (79 kg) SrMount 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

    • Note that the roster is subject to change.

    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
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Nov 1*
    7:30 pm, GoHeels TV    		 No. 12 UNC Pembroke W 82–63  –
    		  19 – McAdoo  10 – Tied  3 – Tied  Dean E. Smith Center (N/A)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 8*
    9:00 pm, RSN    		 No. 12 Oakland W 84–61  1–0
    		  21 – McAdoo  9 – McAdoo  5 – Tied  Dean E. Smith Center (15,102)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Nov 15*
    8:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 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)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Nov 17*
    4:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 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)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Nov 23*
    12:00 pm, ESPN3    		 No. 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)
    Uncasville, CT
    Nov 24*
    1:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 24 vs. No. 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)
    Uncasville, CT
    Dec 1*
    6:00 pm, FS1    		 No. 16 at UAB L 59–63  4–2
    		  16 – Tokoto  7 – Johnson  5 – Paige  Bartow Arena (8,313)
    Birmingham, AL
    Dec 4*
    9:00 pm, ESPN    		 at No. 1 Michigan State
    ACC–Big Ten Challenge    		 W 79–65  5–2
    		  15 – Meeks  10 – Tokoto  5 – Paige  Breslin Center (14,797)
    East Lansing, MI
    Dec 7*
    7:00 pm, ESPNU    		 UNC Greensboro W 81–50  6–2
    		  14 – Johnson  8 – Meeks  8 – Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (15,676)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Dec 14*
    5:15 pm, ESPN    		 No. 18 No. 11 Kentucky
    Rivalry    		 W 82–77  7–2
    		  23 – Paige  7 – Johnson  4 – McAdoo  Dean E. Smith Center (21,750)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Dec 18*
    7:00 pm, ESPN2    		 No. 14 Texas L 83–86  7–3
    		  23 – Paige  9 – Johnson  7 – Britt  Dean E. Smith Center (17,143)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Dec 21*
    5:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 14 Davidson W 97–85 OT 8–3
    		  22 – Tokoto  11 – Tokoto  5 – Tied  Dean E. Smith Center (18,195)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Dec 27*
    7:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 19 Northern Kentucky W 75–60  9–3
    		  14 – McAdoo  9 – Paige  4 – Tokoto  Dean E. Smith Center (18,842)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Dec 31*
    5:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 19 UNC Wilmington W 84–51  10–3
    		  23 – McAdoo  10 – McAdoo  6 – Britt  Dean E. Smith Center (16,923)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    ACC regular season
    Jan 5
    8:00 pm, ESPNU    		 No. 19 at Wake Forest L 67–73  10–4 (0–1)
    		  13 – McAdoo  9 – 3 tied  6 – Paige  LJVM Coliseum (12,462)
    Winston-Salem, NC
    Jan 8
    9:00 pm, ESPN2    		 Miami (FL) L 57–63  10–5 (0–2)
    		  12 – McAdoo  12 – McAdoo  8 – Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (17,569)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Jan 11
    12:00 pm, ESPN    		 at No. 2 Syracuse L 45–57  10–6 (0–3)
    		  15 – McAdoo  9 – McAdoo  3 – Tokoto  Carrier Dome (32,121)
    Syracuse, NY
    Jan 18
    12:00 pm, ESPN    		 Boston College W 82–71  11–6 (1–3)
    		  21 – Paige  6 – Tied  6 – Tokoto  Dean E. Smith Center (18,115)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Jan 20
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 at Virginia
    Big Monday    		 L 61–76  11–7 (1–4)
    		  15 – Meeks  9 – Meeks  3 – Tied  John Paul Jones Arena (13,045)
    Charlottesville, VA
    Jan 26
    6:00 pm, ESPNU    		 Clemson W 80–61  12–7 (2–4)
    		  22 – McAdoo  8 – Meeks  5 – Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (18,616)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Jan 29
    7:00 pm, ESPN2    		 at Georgia Tech W 78–65  13–7 (3–4)
    		  19 – Paige  10 – Meeks  7 – Paige  McCamish Pavilion (5,124)
    Atlanta, GA
    Feb 1
    1:00 pm, ESPN    		 NC State W 80–74  14–7 (4–4)
    		  20 – McDonald  13 – McAdoo  5 – Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (21,750)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Feb 4
    8:00 pm, ACCN    		 Maryland W 75–63  15–7 (5–4)
    		  25 – Paige  9 – Tokoto  7 – Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (17,225)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Feb 8
    12:00 pm, ACCN    		 at Notre Dame W 73–62  16–7 (6–4)
    		  18 – McAdoo  8 – McAdoo  9 – Paige  Purcell Pavilion (9,149)
    South Bend, IN
    Feb 15
    1:00 pm, CBS    		 No. 25 Pittsburgh W 75–71  17–7 (7–4)
    		  24 – McAdoo  12 – McAdoo  4 – Tied  Dean E. Smith Center (20,341)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Feb 17
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 at Florida State
    Big Monday    		 W 81–75  18–7 (8–4)
    		  23 – Meeks  11 – Johnson  7 – Paige  Donald L. Tucker Center (7,814)
    Tallahassee, FL
    Feb 20
    9:00 pm, ESPN/ACCN    		 No. 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)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Feb 22
    12:00 pm, ACCN    		 Wake Forest W 105–72  20–7 (10–4)
    		  19 – McDonald  5 – Johnson  5 – Tokoto  Dean E. Smith Center (19,248)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Feb 26
    8:00 pm, ACCN    		 No. 19 at NC State W 85–84 OT 21–7 (11–4)
    		  35 – Paige  10 – Tied  5 – Tied  PNC Arena (19,500)
    Raleigh, NC
    Mar 1
    2:30 pm, ACCN    		 No. 19 at Virginia Tech W 60–56  22–7 (12–4)
    		  15 – McAdoo  7 – Tied  3 – Tied  Cassell Coliseum (6,546)
    Blacksburg, VA
    Mar 3
    7:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 14 Notre Dame
    Big Monday    		 W 63–61  23–7 (13–4)
    		  14 – McAdoo  9 – McAdoo  6 – Paige  Dean E. Smith Center (15,175)
    Chapel Hill, NC
    Mar 8
    9:00 pm, ESPN    		 No. 14 at No. 4 Duke
    ESPN College GameDay    		 L 81–93  23–8 (13–5)
    		  24 – Paige  5 – Tokoto  4 – Britt  Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
    Durham, NC
    ACC Tournament
    Mar 14
    2:00 pm, ESPN2/ACCN    		 No. 15 vs. Pittsburgh
    Quarterfinals    		 L 75–80  23–9
    		  27 – Paige  7 – Tied  5 – Britt  Greensboro Coliseum (21,533)
    Greensboro, NC
    NCAA Tournament
    Mar 21*
    7:20 pm, TNT    		 No. 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)
    San Antonio, TX
    Mar 23*
    5:15 pm, CBS    		 No. 19 (6 E) vs. No. 9 (3 E) Iowa State
    Third round    		 L 83–85  24–10
    		  19 – Paige  13 – Meeks  3 – Britt  AT&T Center (13,431)
    San Antonio, TX
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll, (#) denotes seed within region E=East. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Eastern Time.

    Team players drafted into the NBA
    YearRoundPickPlayerNBA Club
    2015258J. P. TokotoPhiladelphia 76ers
    2016125Brice JohnsonLos Angeles Clippers
    2016255Marcus PaigeBrooklyn Nets

    References
    1. Carter, Andrew (June 3, 2013). "Brad Frederick named UNC director of basketball operations". Raleigh News and Observer. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
    2. 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. http://espn.go.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/playerrankings/_/order/true
    8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-04-06. Retrieved 2013-03-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    9. http://www.goheels.com/fls/3350/pdf/UNCBBnotes.pdf
    10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-03-24. Retrieved 2013-03-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
    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. Archived from the original on 2014-01-06. 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.
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