Fun Facts: Iowa-North Carolina

Now this is a game that has appeal around here. A nonconference game against North Carolina? Yes to that, any year.

A fun game needs some Fun Facts. Here they are:

1. Iowa leads the series, 2-1.

2. The most memorable of the meetings was in 1989, a 98-97 Hawkeyes victory in Chapel Hill, N.C. Roy Marble made a free throw with 11 seconds left to break a 97-97 tie, and the Tar Heels had a jumper blocked at the other end of the court.

3. That season ended with Iowa losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament to North Carolina State.

4. Iowa is 3-10 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, but has a 1-game winning streak. It beat Notre Dame last year in Iowa City in one of the most-entertaining games of Iowa's season, 98-93.

5. Through Sunday, North Carolina was sixth in the nation in field goal defense, at 33.7 percent. Iowa was 11th, 34.8 percent.

6. The Tar Heels have 29 NCAA tourney wins since Iowa's last one, in 2001.

7. North Carolina averaged 18,025 fans per game last season, fourth in the NCAA. It drew just 13,579 for its most-recent home game, Nov. 16 against Robert Morris. The capacity for the Dean Dome is 21,750.

8. UNC's Marcus Paige of Marion, Iowa, averages 39.5 percent from 3-point distance (15-of-38) and 35.5 percent from 2-point range (11-of-31).

9. Paige, a first-team All-ACC player last season, has made 3-pointers in his last 19 games. He is a career 86 percent free throw-shooter.

10. There are four Division I basketball programs in Iowa (Drake, Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa). North Carolina has 17 (Appalachian State, Campbell, Charlotte, Davidson, Duke, Elon, Gardner-Webb, High Point, North Carolina, North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, North Carolina-Asheville, North Carolina-Greensboro, North Carolina State, North Carolina-Wilmington, Western Carolina and Wake Forest).

11. If I were in Chapel Hill, I'd have breakfast at Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe.