Tigers Look to Break Streak at Chapel Hill Saturday

Feb. 18, 2005

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Saturday’s game in Chapel Hill will be the 500th in thecoaching career of Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell. All 500 gameshave been as a Division I head coach at Radford, Old Dominion,Dayton and Clemson. Purnell and North Carolina head coach RoyWilliams coached together this past summer as assistant coachesunder Larry Brown on the United States Olympic team. Clemson hasdefeated North Carolina four times since 1999, including last yearat Clemson, 81-72. Three times since 1999 Clemson has beaten a top20 UNC team. Clemson has 12 wins over top 20 North Carolina teams,more than any other school. Clemson senior center Sharrod Ford hasplayed some of his best basketball against North Carolina. He has a9.7 scoring average and has made 29-44 field goal attempts (66percent) over his career against the Tar Heels. That includes a12-17 shooting performance in three previous games in the SmithCenter. Ford has played some of his best basketball on the roadthis year. He has scored in double figures in every road game thisyear and 12 of 13 over the last two years. This will be Clemson’sfirst road game since January 26 when the Tigers played at Miami(FL). Clemson was the only ACC school that had to play five of itsfirst seven league games on the road. Clemson has a 2-5 record onthe opponent’s home court this year and has been within nine pointsin every game. The seven consecutive road games without adouble-digit road loss is the longest by a Clemson team since the1986-87 team that featured Horace Grant and won 25 games. Clemsonfreshman Cheyenne Moore made 4-7 three-point goals and scored 12points in the win over Georgia. Moore made 4-7 three-point goalsagainst North Carolina in the first meeting this year. Sinceopening the season just 9-41 on three-point shots, Moore has made19 of his last 50 (.380). Clemson must improve its defense in thesecond half. In the 11 ACC games so far this year, the oppositionhas shot 55 percent from the field, including the 67 percentperformance by Miami last Saturday. The ACC opposition has failedto improve its field goal percentage in the second half just oncein the first 11 league contests. Two Tigers on the 2004-05 squadare from the state of North Carolina and will have a big ticketdemand for Saturday’s game. Shawan Robinson is a native of Raleighand Leesville Road HS, while James Mays is from Garner, NC andGarner HS.