Nov. 13, 2008

CHAPEL HILL --- North Carolina (0-0) opens its 2008-09 season Friday night at the Dean E. Smith Center as the Tar Heels welcome in-state foe Western Carolina in the opening round of the preseason WNIT. Western Carolina (0-0), which finished 25-9 and advanced to the postseason WNIT in 2008, is making its second trip to Chapel Hill in the last three seasons. Carolina is ranked No. 6 in the AP poll and No. 4 in the coaches' poll. Western Carolina is unranked.

AT A GLANCE
Records: North Carolina 0-0, Western Carolina 0-0
Rankings: North Carolina is ranked No. 6 in the AP poll and No. 4 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. Western Carolina is unranked.
TV: ACC Select. Tonight's game is available live and on-demand at ACCSelect.com.
Radio: Tar Heel Sports Network, a division of Learfield Communications. Brad Heller (play-by-play) and Jan Boxill (analyst) have the call.
On The Web: TarHeelBlue.com (UNC), CatamountSports.com (Western Carolina)

WCU SERIES NOTES
• North Carolina is 8-1 all-time against Western Carolina.
• The two teams last met during the 2006-07 season, an 87-57 Tar Heel win in Chapel Hill.
• Western's lone win in the series came in 1975, the only season during which the two teams have met twice. The Catamounts triumphed 92-72 in the only game in the series to be played in Cullowhee.

CAROLINA IN SEASON OPENERS
• The Tar Heels will look to post their eighth straight win in a season opener Friday night.
• Carolina last lost its opener in 2000, when the Tar Heels fell to Buffalo, 95-89.
• That also marks the last time UNC did not play its opener in Chapel Hill.
• Carolina is 29-5 all-time in season openers, including a 18-4 mark under Sylvia Hatchell.
• UNC topped North Carolina Central, 109-32, in last year's opener. The 77-point victory was the largest in program history.

UNC-WCU CONNECTIONS
• North Carolina senior Rashanda McCants played with Lady Catamount senior Lauren Powell at Asheville High School. Powell is also the older sister of Tar Heel sophomore Nicole Powell.
• UNC sophomore Cetera DeGraffenreid's father is a former football player and assistant football coach at Western Carolina.

CAROLINA IN THE SMITH CENTER
• UNC will play all of its home games at the Dean E. Smith Center in 2008-09 while Carmichael Auditorium is renovated.
• The Tar Heels are 18-9 all-time at the Smith Center.
• Carolina first played in the Smith Center during the 1986-87 season, the first full year that the building was open.
• Prior to last season's win over Arizona State in the Smith Center, the Tar Heels had not played a regular season game there since a 75-72 overtime win over NC State on Feb. 20, 2005.