FIU Golden Panthers Vs. North Carolina Tar Heels
7:00 PM ET, November 9, 2009
Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
North Carolina may have to battle its struggling mid-major opponent for attention as the Tar Heels open their season as defending national champions.
That's because the sixth-ranked Heels' opponent, Florida International, will be led by Isiah Thomas in his collegiate coaching debut Monday night in Chapel Hill.
The last time Thomas was involved in a college basketball game, he also faced Tar Heels, scoring 23 points in the 1981 NCAA championship game to lead Indiana to a 63-50 win. Current North Carolina coach Roy Williams was an assistant with those Heels.
Thomas followed up that title with a Hall of Fame playing career in the NBA, but he hasn't approached that level of success on the sidelines. After three mediocre seasons as coach of the Indiana Pacers, Thomas was an executive with the Knicks from 2003-08, coaching them for the final two of five straight losing seasons on his watch
Watch FIU Golden Panthers Vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Live on your PC - NCAA Basketball
7:00 PM ET, November 9, 2009
Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC
North Carolina may have to battle its struggling mid-major opponent for attention as the Tar Heels open their season as defending national champions.
That's because the sixth-ranked Heels' opponent, Florida International, will be led by Isiah Thomas in his collegiate coaching debut Monday night in Chapel Hill.
The last time Thomas was involved in a college basketball game, he also faced Tar Heels, scoring 23 points in the 1981 NCAA championship game to lead Indiana to a 63-50 win. Current North Carolina coach Roy Williams was an assistant with those Heels.
Thomas followed up that title with a Hall of Fame playing career in the NBA, but he hasn't approached that level of success on the sidelines. After three mediocre seasons as coach of the Indiana Pacers, Thomas was an executive with the Knicks from 2003-08, coaching them for the final two of five straight losing seasons on his watch
Watch FIU Golden Panthers Vs. North Carolina Tar Heels Live on your PC - NCAA Basketball
