– The W&M coaching staff has a pair of Carolina connections as head coach Tony Shaver (1976) and associate head coach Jonathan Holmes (2003) both played and graduated from the Tar Heel program.

– The W&M-UNC game pits one of the countries top shooting teams against one the top defensive teams. W&M ranks 36th nationally in field goal percentage (48.2) and 21st in 3-point percentage (40.2), while North Carolina is 10th in field goal percentage defense (35.1) and third in 3-point percentage defense (25.0).

– W&M has not allowed an opponent to reach the 70-point mark this season, and the Tribe ranks 49th nationally, limiting foes to just 59.9 points per game this season.

– Senior Marcus Thornton, who is averaging 23.2 points over the last five games, became the sixth Tribe player to score 1,700 career points and the first since 1993 with his 22-point effort at ODU. He ranks seventh in scoring and fourth in 3-pointers made among active NCAA Division I players.

– Sophomore guard Daniel Dixon has scored in double figures in each of the last four games and six of the last eight, following his 16-point night against Old Dominion.

Scouting North Carolina
North Carolina enters the game with the Tribe on a three-game winning streak and is 9-3 on the year. Recently, the Tar Heels downed then-No. 12 Ohio State, 82-74, in Chicago on Dec. 20, before upending UAB, 89-58, at home on Dec. 27. Carolina is ranked 19th in the AP Top 25 and 20th in the USAToday Coaches Poll.

The Tar Heels possess one of the nation’s top scoring offenses, ranking 17th in the country at 80.9 points per game. According to KenPom.com, UNC is 18th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency. North Carolina is also among the national leaders in field goal and 3-point percentage defense. The Tar Heels are 10th nationally, holding foes to 35.1 percent shooting from the field, while coming in third in country in 3-point percentage defense at 25 percent. UNC also ranks 15th nationally in rebounding margin, outrebounding its foes by 9.2 per game. According to KenPom.com, the Tar Heels are the third-best offensive rebounding team in the nation, collecting 45 percent of their missed shots.

Seven different UNC players average five or more points per game, including a trio of double-digit scorers. Preseason All-American Marcus Paige leads the Tar Heels at 13.6 points per game and is the team’s top 3-point threat at 34.2 percent (27-of-79). Kennedy Meeks is second on the team at 13.3 points per game and nearly averages a double-double adding a team-best 9.4 boards per contest. He ranks 13th nationally in field goal percentage at nearly 62 percent shooting and 24th in the country in rebounding. Brice Johnson rounds out UNC’s double-figure scorers at 11.8 per contest to go with seven rebounds per game.

North Carolina leads the all-time with W&M at 19-3 and has won the last seven in the series. It will be the first meeting between the teams since the 2010-11 season when the Tar Heels downed W&M, 85-60, inside the Smith Center. The teams also met during the 2010 NIT in Carmichael Arena, an 80-72 UNC victory. The Green and Gold will look for its first win in Chapel Hill, and its first win in the series since downing then-No. 2 Carolina, 78-75, in Williamsburg in 1977.

Carolina Connections
The Tribe coaching staff has a pair of connections to the North Carolina. Both head coach Tony Shaver (1976) and associate head coach Jonathan Holmes (2003) played for the Tar Heel program and graduated from the Chapel Hill school. Shaver played for the Dean Smith led Tar Heels from 1973-75, while Holmes, who played from 2000-03, was a member of the 2000 Final Four team. Shaver is in his 12th season with the Tribe and became the 86th Division I head coach to win 500 games earlier this season. Holmes is in his seventh season overall at W&M and was promoted to associate head coach in 2013.

Success vs. the Power Five
Under head coach Tony Shaver, W&M has enjoyed success against Power Five opponents, including a trio of wins. Here is a look at some of the Tribe’s success against the Power Five since the 2009-10 season:

– Last season, W&M rallied from a 12-point first-half deficit to pick up a 72-62 win at current Big Ten team Rutgers. Marcus Thorntonled all scorers with 28 points.

– During the 2012-13 season, the Tribe suffered a pair of narrow losses against two Power Five opponents, despite halftime leads. The Green and Gold fell at ACC foe Wake Forest, 63-57, but led 30-23 at the half. Later in the season, W&M led Purdue of the Big Ten, 40-39, at the half, but could not hold on before falling to the Boilermakers, 73-66. Thornton had a game-high 21 points against Purdue and added a career-high six assists.

– In 2010-11, W&M nearly upset No. 10-ranked Syracuse in the Carrier Dome. The Tribe led by four points with five minutes to go, but the Orange rallied by scoring the game’s final seven to pull out a 63-60 win. Syracuse finished the year ranked No. 12 nationally after going 27-8 and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.

– The Tribe upset a pair of ACC foes who went on to the NCAA Tournament in 2009-10. W&M became the first team to win at Joel Coliseum in November, knocking off Wake Forest, 78-68. Later in the season, the Tribe posted an 83-77 win at Maryland. The Terps went on to earn a share of the ACC regular season title. It marked the first time in the history of the CAA that a team won two road games against ACC opponents in the same season.

Dixon Developing into an Offensive Threat 
After finishing his freshman season strong in the CAA Tournament, sophomore guard Daniel Dixon has developed into one of W&M’s most consistent scoring threats and one of the top shooters in the CAA. With his 16-point outing at Old Dominion on Dec. 22, the Great Falls, Va., native has scored in double figures in four straight games and six of the last eight contests. Over that stretch, Dixon is averaging 11.9 points per game. He also produced the Tribe’s first double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds against Washington College on Dec. 19. Dixon ranks 24th in the CAA in scoring at 10.7 per game, while also ranking among the league’s best 3-point shooters. He is second in the league at 50 percent from long range and seventh at 2.3 triples per contest.

Shooting the Long Ball 
The Tribe once again ranks among the top 3-point shooting teams in country. As of Dec. 28, W&M was 21st nationally at 40.2 percent from 3-point range, while coming in 28th at 8.4 3-pointers made per game. The Green and Gold has been even better of late. W&M has connected on 10 or more 3-pointers in three of the last four games, hitting 10 at both Richmond and High Point, before knocking down 11 against Washington College. Over the last five games, the Tribe is shooting 44.5 percent (45-of-101) from long range.  W&M possesses two of the top 3-point shooters in the CAA in senior Marcus Thorntonand sophomore Daniel Dixon. The pair is third and seventh in the league, respectively, in 3-pointers made and sixth and second in 3-point percentage. Thornton averages three 3-pointers made per game and shoots 44.8 percent from long range, while Dixon hits 2.3 per contest and shoots it at a 50-percent clip.

High Defensive Marks
The Tribe defense has been stout to start the 2014-15 season. W&M is limiting opponents to 59.9 points per game and just 38.6 percent from the floor. Both numbers lead the CAA, while the Tribe’s scoring defense is 49th in the country and the field goal percentage defense is 54th nationally. The Green and Gold is also second in the CAA in 3-point percentage defense to go with ranking 92nd nationally. The Green and Gold held Howard (49), Western Illinois (49) and Washington College (46) below 50 points, marking the 16th, 17th and 18th times that a Tony Shaver coached Tribe team has held an opponent to less than 50 points. W&M is 18-0 in those games. If the numbers held true, the Tribe’s scoring defense would be its best since the 1984 campaign when it limited teams to 59.4 points per game. The defensive field goal percentage would be the best effort since the 1954 team held opponents to 36.8 percent shooting.

Effective and Efficient Offense 
Over the last five years, the Tribe has possessed one of the most effective and efficient offenses in the country. This season, the Tribe ranks among the nation’s best in effective field goal percentage and adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom.com. As of Dec. 28, the Green and Gold was 31st in effective field goals percentage (54.6) and 76th in adjusted offensive efficiency (104.9). W&M ranked among the top 100 nationally in effective field goal percentage in four of the last five seasons. Highlighting that run was the Tribe ranking sixth nationally last season at 55.9 percent. Effective field goal percentage is the same as regular field goal percentage, but gives teams more credit for made 3-point field goals. According to KenPom.com, the Tribe has ranked among the top 75 in adjusted offense efficiency three times in the last five years. W&M posted a program-best 41st national standing in 2013-14 at 112.0.

Thornton Heating Up
Over the last eight games, senior guard Marcus Thornton has started to heat up for the Tribe, averaging 21.1 points per game. During the stretch, he is shooting 54.1 percent (53-of-98) from the field and 53.7 percent (29-of-54) from 3-point range. Included in the stretch is a 19-point effort on 7-of-11 shooting in a win over Western Illinois, before tallying 25 points on 7-of-10 from the floor in the victory over Wofford. He notched career-high 37 points at Richmond. Thornton owns four games of 20 or more points in the last five contests, including 22 at Old Dominion.