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No. 11 North Carolina makes first-ever visit to No. 7 Michigan

By Keith Dunlap, The Sports Xchange
North Carolina head basketball coach Roy Williams gives instructions to his players in the first half against Kansas on March 25, 2012 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. File photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
North Carolina head basketball coach Roy Williams gives instructions to his players in the first half against Kansas on March 25, 2012 at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. File photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo

It's hard to believe a program with as much history as Michigan basketball could experience something for the first time ever, but that's exactly what will be the case on Wednesday.

Never before has traditional power North Carolina played Michigan in Ann Arbor, but that will change when the No. 11 Tar Heels visit No. 7 Michigan for arguably one of the signature games of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

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Seeing the Tar Heels on campus might be a jolt to a Michigan fan base still reeling from the football team's lopsided loss at Ohio State on Saturday.

If any Michigan fans have been solely focused on football and are now shifting their focus to basketball, they should be loving what the Michigan hoops team has done so far this year.

The Wolverines have won six straight to start the season and have climbed into the top 10 as a result.

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Michigan is also seeking some payback against North Carolina, which routed the Wolverines 86-71 in an ACC/Big Ten Challenge game last year in Chapel Hill.

"I was surprised [when I found out] they had never been to Ann Arbor," Michigan head coach John Beilein said on the Inside Michigan Basketball radio show. "I watched [last year's] game and it was such a fun game. The ball was going back and forth. They were scoring too easy. We were scoring, but our baskets were tough. They are so fast in transition and we are not used to that speed."

Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis leads Michigan in scoring at 15.7 points per game, and senior Charles Matthews isn't too far behind at 14.5.

North Carolina is coming off a 1-1 performance at the Las Vegas Invitational, which saw the Tar Heels suffer their first loss of the season at the hands of Texas, 92-89, before rebounding with a 94-78 win over UCLA.

Senior guard Cameron Johnson leads the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game, senior forward Luke Made is averaging 14.4 points and 8.6 rebounds, and freshmen Coby White (15.7 ppg) and Nassir Little (12.9 ppg) also average double figures in scoring for North Carolina.

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Something will have to give in the matchup. North Carolina enters as one of the top scoring offenses in the country and Michigan has one of the toughest defenses to score on.

North Carolina enters averaging 96.6 points per game, but Michigan is allowing exactly half that average at 48.3 points.

"It's a little bit of a different team for him," North Carolina head coach Roy Williams said of Beilein and Michigan. "They have always been known as a very skilled offensive team with great shooters. You just look down at the numbers. Teams are shooting 32.9 percent against them.

"His team has shot 80 free throws and opponents have only shot 65. All those are [because] of the defensive side of the ball. I'm not saying John was a bad defensive coach in the past, but it's a completely different team for him."

This will be the seventh meeting between the schools. North Carolina leads the all-time series with a 4-2 record.

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