UNCG (0-1, 0-0 SoCon) at No. 19/17 North Carolina (2-0, 0-0 ACC), Nov. 16, 7 p.m., Chapel Hill, N.C.

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UNCG at North Carolina game notes

Storylines

• UNCG will take on No. 19/17 North Carolina in its first road contest of the 2011-12 season on Wednesday. The Spartans will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a contest in the Tar Heels' Carmichael Arena to kick off a three-game road swing.

• The Spartans opened their season Friday with a 61-46 loss to Liberty, spoiling the debut of UNCG coach Wendy Palmer. The Lady Flames entered the contest ranked 20th in the nation in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25. Sidnei Harmon scored eight points to lead UNCG.

• Palmer is well-versed in the ACC and will see a familiar foe in the Tar Heels. Palmer was a two-time Kodak All-American and Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year at Virginia, earning those honors in 1995 and 1996. The three-time All-ACC selection is still the Cavaliers' career rebounding leader and was just the second men's or women's player in school history – and the first woman – to reach 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. Ralph Sampson holds that distinction on the men's side. In addition to playing against Carolina, Palmer also coached against the Tar Heels as an assistant at her alma mater for the last two seasons.

• Palmer has historically fared well against UNC, as she is 8-3 against North Carolina throughout her playing and coaching days. As a player, Palmer's Cavaliers were 7-2 against the Tar Heels, while Virginia was 1-1 against North Carolina in Palmer's two years on the coaching staff. Palmer didn't face North Carolina when she was on the Virginia Commonwealth and Kentucky coaching staffs.

• UNCG is 19-56 all-time against the current Atlantic Coast Conference lineup, including a 5-10 mark against North Carolina. The Spartans' last win over an ACC squad came in the form of a 70-64 victory at Wake Forest on Dec. 15, 2005, while the last win over the Tar Heels came during the 1973-74 season. In the teams' last meeting, North Carolina handed UNCG its worst loss in school history when the second-ranked Heels won 103-48 on Nov. 30, 2006.

• In their 42 years of women's basketball, the Spartans are 19-23 in their first game away from home in a season.

• UNCG has plenty of veteran leadership returning from last year's 13-16 squad (10-10 Southern Conference). Seniors Jazz Weaver and Sarah Folwell and redshirt junior Amy Clapper are all in their fourth seasons on the roster, while junior Dayshaun Richbow and sophomore Janae' Stevenson combined to start all but three games last year. Folwell has appeared in 84 career games, tops on the UNCG roster.

• Stevenson was a SoCon All-Freshman selection a year ago, when she averaged 7.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. She was seventh in the SoCon in rebounding and became the first freshman to lead the Spartans in that category since the 1996-97 season, when UNCG Hall of Famer Melinda Goodson did so.

• The Tar Heels are ranked No. 19 in the Associated Press poll and 17th in the USA Today/ESPN poll. The last time UNCG faced a team ranked in the AP and USA Today/ESPN polls was Nov. 25, 2009, when the Spartans fell at No. 3/3 Ohio State, 89-56.

• North Carolina, off to a 2-0 start to the season with wins over Gardner-Webb (109-44) and USC Upstate (91-34), is averaging 100 points per game and winning by an impressive 61.0 points per contest so far on the young season.

• A testament to the incredible depth of the ACC, the nationally ranked Tar Heels were picked sixth in the league's preseason poll. Freshman Brittany Rountree was named to the ACC Newcomer Watch List.

• North Carolina went 28-9 last season, advancing to the NCAA regional semifinals before falling to Stanford. The Tar Heels finished the season ranked 14th by the AP and 12th by USA Today/ESPN.

• Six players are averaging double figures for UNC so far this season, led by Laura Broomfield's 14.0 points per game.

- UNCG -