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North Carolina faces High Point; Williams aims for 500th win

Dec 9, 2006 - 4:14 PM High Point (6-3) at No. 3 North Carolina (6-1) 7:00 pm EST

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina (Ticker) -- After a stretch of tough games, North Carolina will face a lesser opponent as its coach aims for a milestone.

Looking for his 500th career win, Roy Williams and the third-ranked Tar Heels will host High Point on Saturday.

Williams is 499-125 in 19 years at Kansas and North Carolina, and would become the fastest coach to reach the milestone. He has made five Final Fours, including a national championship with the Tar Heels in 2005 - just his second season at his alma mater.

This campaign, Williams has a chance to win another title with his young - but talented - squad. After losing to Gonzaga on November 22, North Carolina beat then-No. 22 Tennessee, then-No. 3 Ohio State and Kentucky before getting a week off.

Last Saturday, Wayne Ellington scored 17 points and fellow freshman Brandan Wright contributed 16 as the Tar Heels pulled away for a 75-63 victory over the Wildcats in a matchup of the nation's two winningest programs.

However, North Carolina has rested and will finish a five-game homestand with contests against the Panthers, North Carolina-Asheville and Florida Atlantic.

On Wednesday, High Point topped Longwood, 59-57, with Arizona Reid scoring 16 points, including the go-ahead bucket with five seconds remaining.

The two schools, which are just 65 miles apart, have not met in 59 years. North Carolina has won all seven matchups with the Panthers - all in the 1940's.