When No. 11 North Carolina faces N.C. State in women's basketball at Carmichael Arena tonight, the Tar Heels will have an extra player on their side.

For the seventh time since 2008, UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp will man the keyboard at a university athletic event to perform the pregame national anthem.

He will accompany vocalist Terri Houston, the school's interim executive director of the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.

UNC's teams are 4-2 - 2-1 in women's basketball - when Thorp performs.

Thorp - who, with Houston, is part of the band "Equinox" - said recently he's not superstitious, and he doesn't believe his musical performance affects any sort of athletic performance on the court or field.

Thus, even if his winning record continues, "I think we'll just limit our performances to once a year [per team]," he said, laughing.