(Sports Network) - The UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos play host to a top-ranked team for the first time since 1991, as they welcome the number one ranked North Carolina Tar Heels to the Thunderdome for non-conference action this evening. Bob Williams' Gauchos are an even 1-1 on the young season, topping Cal State Los Angeles in the season-opener (64-55), before falling in a heartbreaker to Utah State on Monday, 61-59.

Roy Williams' Tar Heels have won both their games thus far, knocking off Penn in the season-opener (86-71), followed by a impressive rout of Kentucky on Tuesday (77-58). UNC has had to face some adversity in the early stages of the season thus far. The team has yet to have All-American Tyler Hansbrough on the court due to a leg injury and will now be without freshman forward Tyler Zeller, who broke his wrist in the win over Kentucky.

This is the third all-time meeting between these two teams, with North Carolina winning both of the prior matchups. These two teams played last December, with UNC posting a 105-70 victory.

The Tar Heels shot just .414 from the floor against Kentucky, but were much better from behind the arc (.538), hitting seven three-pointers en route to a lopsided win over the Wildcats. Deon Thompson led three players in double figures with 20 points and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds, including seven at the offensive end. The guard tandem of Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson were instrumental in the win as well, with Ellington pouring in 16 points and Lawson just missing his own double-double with 11 points and nine assists. Freshman Ed Davis joined the group also, with nine points and 10 boards off the bench. The Tar Heels turned up the heat defensively, forcing Kentucky into a whopping 28 turnovers. The loss of Zeller and the continued absence of Hansbrough should give Davis more minutes in the frontcourt. Davis is averaging 9.5 points and 12.0 rebounds over the first two games. Thompson has stepped in to lead the team in Hansbrough's absence, averaging 18.5 ppg, followed by Ellington (14.5 ppg) and Lawson (11.5 ppg).

The Gauchos are led by senior forward Chris Devine, who was tabbed a preseason Mid-Major All-American. He has not disappointed in the first two games and currently leads UCSB in scoring at 15.5 ppg. He is followed closely by James Powell, who adds 15.0 ppg. Powell is the team's top returning scorer, netting 12.3 ppg a year ago. Unfortunately, the scoring pool dries up quickly after that, with the next highest scoring threat coming in at a mere 5.5 ppg. The result is a scoring average of just 61.5 ppg. The defense however, has been solid, with opponents averaging a mere 58.0 ppg. A big reason for that is the fact that UCSB has forced 38 turnovers in the first two games. In the loss to Utah State, it was Devine and Powell that represented nearly half of the team's overall point total, netting 14 points apiece. It was a tight game throughout, as the Gauchos shot .446 from the floor, but just .286 from behind the arc (4-of-14).







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