Pilots vs. #1 North Carolina (Nov 24, 10 AM)

TV: ESPN
Radio: 910 ESPN
Stats: statbroadcast.com
Kenpom: UNC #17, Portland #130 (81-69 UNC is the predicted final)

A little matchup against the Number 1 team in the country as per the AP poll and the coaches poll, though the analytics geeks have UNC ranked significantly lower after some close-ish games against some lower competition (most notably a 6-point win a week ago over Gardner Webb).

This will be UP's 10th attempt against a team ranked #1 in the country. They're 0-9 so far, with the closest game coming back in 1977 (a 95-92 loss on the road to #1 USF).

This team really needs Mike Meadows in the lineup! Let's hope he's back to full strength very soon.

UNC is led by three experienced players: 6'11" SR Armondo Bacot, 6'0" JR R.J. Davis, and 6'4" JR Caleb Love. Amazingly in this NIL age, none of them are transfer players.

Hope the Pilots are rested, healthy, and give a good accounting. I'd like to see Sjolund get hot.

up7587 wrote:UNC is led by three experienced players: 6'11" SR Armondo Bacot, 6'0" JR R.J. Davis, and 6'4" JR Caleb Love.

Bacot at 6-11, 235 and Pete Nance at 6-11, 230 will be an absolute load for the Pilots to deal with.

Joey has settled into an 8-10 minute per game role, Vucinic didn't get off the bench against Seattle, and I've seen so little of Lowell I'm not really sure what he brings to the table. It'll be interesting to see how the coaching staff will defend what should be a pronounced advantage in the post for UNC.

Oldguyfan wrote:And oh, would have the outcome been different if Mike Meadows would have played?

It may be December before we see Mike in uniform again...

I mean, you gotta hit the Nike store before the PKI...

I stopped by the Chiles Center yesterday and saw a flurry of work as TV and PKI marketing people were transforming the court. It was pretty difficult to find anything that indicated the court was at UP except for the banner that will be out of view of the cameras.




Photos courtesy of UP

Toe-to-toe with the #1 team in the country. Pilots were outsized and probably out-talented but played incredible team basketball (22 assists on 28 FGs).

The travel call on Moses just before what would have been the game-tying 3 hurt so much. Was the right call, but we're looking at a different ball game if that doesn't happen.

So many bright spots. Joey St. Pierre was a monster and the Pilots needed every bit of him tonight. Alden Applewhite is becoming left-handed Kevin Bailey. Everyone that hit the floor tonight was good.

Proud alum today. Go Pilots

DoubleDipper wrote:I stopped by the Chiles Center yesterday and saw a flurry of work as TV and PKI marketing people were transforming the court. It was pretty difficult to find anything that indicated the court was at UP except for the banner that will be out of view of the cameras.




Photos courtesy of UP

I see the flags representing our player’s countries are gone.

Network xenophobia?

I am pretty sure I remember seeing all the flags still up there, including the American flag, which is not in the picture either.

Ha! Other end of the arena

Watching the UConn- Ducks game…..


So glad Bill Walton didn’t do our game.

Geezaldinho wrote:Watching the UConn- Ducks game…..


So glad Bill Walton didn’t do our game.

Did he mention the Conference of Champions?

Geezaldinho wrote:Ha! Other end of the arena

No, it is the correct end, we just couldn't the flags due to the angle of the photo.

Wonderful basketball crowd this morning.

Good seats, good music and dancing from the UP Pep Band and the UP Dance Team.

It got pretty intense in the huddle at times.

DoubleDipper wrote:

Geezaldinho wrote:Ha! Other end of the arena

No, it is the correct end, we just couldn't the flags due to the angle of the photo.

It’s in the details.


Look at the banners hanging from the ceiling. They are different in shape and number in the two photos. Also the end with the country flags has the US flag. The end without the us flag has the championship banners with years on them.


Also, the end without the flags has orange/red at the top of the wall and the end with the flag  doesn’t.

And the end with the flag has the folding bleachers folded against the wall.
There are no bleaches of any kind at the other end.

Finally had the opportunity to look at the box score.  

Against most any team besides a #1 in the nation, the numbers show a winning effort:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/portlandpilots.com/documents/2022/11/24/2184475.PDF

pretty sure UNC just lost its #1 ranking with their 70-65 loss to Iowa State.