Chapel Hill, NC (Sports Network) - The ninth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels would like to close out play in the 2009 calendar year on a high note, as they welcome the Albany Great Danes to Chapel Hill for a non-conference showdown at the Smith Center.

The defending national champs have won 10 of their first 13 games on the year, with all three losses coming against teams currently ranked in the top-five. UNC does bring a brief two-game win streak into this contest, including an 81-67 victory over Rutgers on Monday. The Tar Heels will close out their non- league slate on January 4th at the College of Charleston, before returning home to begin ACC play against Virginia Tech on January 10th.

The Great Danes have struggled thus far, losing nine of their 13 games. Albany brings a three-game losing streak into this game, including a 68-56 setback at Loyola Chicago on December 22nd. The Great Danes close out non-conference play against Yale on January 3rd before diving into America East action on January 7th against Binghamton.

This game represents the first-ever meeting between these two teams on the hardwood.

A lack of offensive depth has been the main culprit in Albany's struggles early on. The team is averaging a rather bland 62.3 ppg on the year and doing it on a mere .432 shooting. To compound the problem, the team is turning the ball over a costly 17.3 times per game. The team really only has two offensive weapons, being Will Harris and Tim Ambrose. A 6-5 senior, Harris is averaging a team-high 15.4 ppg, thanks in large part to his effective shooting from behind the arc (.460, 23-of-50). Ambrose, a 6-0 junior, is hot on Harris' trail, adding 15.1 ppg, while serving as the team's top distributor (44 assists). In the 12-point loss to Loyola Chicago last time out, Albany was held to a mere .393 shooting effort, including an equally poor .250 from three-point range (5-of-20). Fran Urli was the only player to put up double figures, scoring 12 points in 15 minutes of work off the bench. Harris and Ambrose added eight points apiece in a losing effort.

Production at the offensive end of the floor has not been a problem for UNC, as the team is converting just over half of its shots on the year (.501), for a healthy 85.6 ppg. The team possesses depth both inside and out, starting with the play of forwards Deon Thompson (15.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg) and Ed Davis (14.7 ppg, 9.9 rpg) and center Tyler Zeller (10.5 ppg). The catalyst along the perimeter is Marcus Ginyard (11.0 ppg, .469 from three-point range), although Ginyard sat out against Rutgers with an ankle injury. Larry Drew II (8.3 ppg, team-high 84 assists) and Will Graves (7.7 ppg) serve critical roles as well. The Tar Heels didn't need Ginyard in the win over Rutgers as six players notched double figures, led by freshman Dexter Strickland's 18 points. Thompson added 14 points, while Davis owned the paint, finishing with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Graves, Drew and Zeller chipped in with 10 points apiece.