Chansky: Go Figure (It Out)Congratulations, Wes Miller, and watch out, Kentucky! If the Tar Heels’ whacky season stays true to form, they will either lose to or be taken to the wire Saturday night by UNC-Greensboro, which is coached by Miller, another former member of the UNC program. Then come back a week later and run (soon to be) second-ranked Kentucky out of the Smith Center. (Chapelboro.com)
Looking for reason in UNC's wild seasonBy its nature, college basketball is an unpredictable sport. Especially early in the season, each night provides a fresh batch of surprises. But after a roller-coaster two-week stretch, it's clear that this season's North Carolina team has elevated unpredictability to an art form. The Tar Heels are by far the most befuddling team in college basketball. (Fayetteville Observer)
Kendall Marshall Almost Notches Triple-Double in D-League DebutTwo days after signing with the Delaware 87ers, Kendall Marshall made his D-League debut. And Kendall Marshall came to play. In 37 minutes of action, Marshall tallied 31 points on 11-18 shooting, including a 5-9 mark from beyond. He didn't even have his name on his jersey yet. That would've been enough), but he also added 10 assists and 9 rebounds, falling just shy of a triple-double. (Philly.com)
Video: UNC All-Access - Michigan StateGo behind the scenes, into the locker room and see the welcome home at the Smith Center as you relive North Carolina's big victory at Michigan State in this highlight video.
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GIFs: The Best UNC Locker Room Celebrations after Slaying No. 1 SpartansThe unranked, 10.5-point underdog North Carolina knocked off No. 1 Michigan State in East Lansing last night in a dominant 14-point win, giving the relatively inexperienced Tar Heels a whole lot to celebrate. And celebrate they did, in completely unabashed fashion. The full video is worth a watch before getting to the GIFs in which we parse out the most glorious moments from the locker room revelry. (Sports Illustrated)
Jerod Haase discusses win against Roy WilliamsBy the time I talked with UAB's Jerod Haase, it was Wednesday afternoon and three days since his Blazers had upset North Carolina at Bartow Arena to give this second-year head coach the biggest win of his career and one of the most notable in school history. He'd had plenty of time to digest it, think about it and reflect on it. So I asked for his thoughts. (CBS Sports)
I Still Don't Know What Happened Last NightThis UNC team is better than losses to UAB and Belmont indicate nor are they as good as wins over Louisville and Michigan State would have you believe. Everyone was wrong because this team apparently defies prediction: good or bad. They are the very definition of random in a way that completely messes with hot sports takes and even statistical analysis. (Tar Heel Blog)
Video: MSU Postgame Celebration and Welcome Home in Chapel HillWatch the Tar Heels' celebration in the locker room following the big win at #1 Michigan State and then see the welcome home the team received at the Smith Center in the early morning hours.
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Wrapping up the UNC-Michigan State gameIf you woke up this morning still unable to explain North Carolina’s 79-65 win over Michigan State on Wednesday night, you’re probably not alone, but the evidence was right in front of you. Carolina set an early tone that this game would be different than its previous outing. The Heels disrupted passing lanes and racked up deflections, an unofficial, but all-important, barometer of hustle stats. (ESPN.com)
Video: Nate Britt and Marcus Paige Post MSU InterviewsNorth Carolina guards Nate Britt and Marcus Paige answer questions from the media after the Tar Heels upset No. 1 Michigan State 79-65.
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UNC Rolls No. 1Seemingly the most unpredictable team in the country put together another stunning performance Wednesday night. Playing No. 1 Michigan State at the Breslin Center, the unranked Tar Heels never trailed, outrebounded the tough-minded Spartans by 11 and used a late second-half run to pull away for a 79-65 victory. It was the first win over a No. 1 team for UNC since it beat Duke in March 2006. (Durham Herald-Sun)
Big Ten/ACC Challenge grades: North Carolina, Syracuse at head of classNorth Carolina: A-plus. The Tar Heels went on the road and out-toughed, outhustled, outmanned Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans, 79-65. This stands as the best win for any program to date, given the venue, opponent and the style in which it was achieved. It’s going to be hard for UNC to be consistently great with Marcus Paige as the only player making 3s. (Sporting News)
Storify: Carolina 79, Michigan State 65The Tar Heels beat #1 Michigan State in East Lansing, 79-65. UNC has now won against the current #1 team and the defending national champs (Louisville) in non-conference games this season. (GoHeels.com)
Study Hall: Duke 27, UNC 25Both teams did a pretty good job of staying out of passing downs, but Duke was infinitely more effective when falling behind schedule, and the Blue Devils figured out ways to move the chains when UNC couldn't, usually via air. (Football Study Hall)
Video: Roy Williams Post-Michigan State Press ConferenceNorth Carolina head coach Roy Williams answers questions from the media after the Tar Heels upset No. 1 Michigan State 79-65 Wednesday in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge.
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North Carolina Now Has The Two Best Wins of Any TeamIt’s only the first week of December but unranked North Carolina now has the two best wins of any team in the nation. And that may remain the case for several months. “You could say the same thing at the end of February,” bracketologist Jerry Palm told SNY.tv. UNC won at No. 1 Michigan State, 79-65, on Wednesday, becoming the first unranked team to win at a No. 1 since the 2008-09 season. (Zag's Blog)
Jonathan Cooper takes another step toward returnUnlike some injuries, a broken leg is not the type that should impact Arizona Cardinals guard Jonathan Cooper's game once it is finally healed. He says his progress has been coming along well, as he's feeling much better than he was even a couple of weeks ago, when the boot was first removed. "It felt great," he said of what that felt like. "I was just happy to walk again, so that was the biggest thing." (Arizona Sports)
UNC Women Defend Home Court In Win Over NebraskaXylina McDaniel scored 25 points to lead No. 18 North Carolina to a 75-62 victory over No. 15 Nebraska on Wednesday during the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge at Carmichael Arena. Carolina (7-2) picked up its first win over a ranked team this year and improves to 5-2 in the series with the Big Ten. McDaniel was 11-of-15 from the floor and added eight rebounds in her best game of the season. (GoHeels.com)
Emily Wold, Charlotte Craddock earn field hockey All-America honorsFor the second year in a row, sophomore Emily Wold and junior Charlotte Craddock earned field hockey All-America honors. Wold was named to the first team and Craddock to the second. (Daily Tar Heel)
Tom Izzo despondent; Roy Williams downplays dominanceTom Izzo is never in a good mood after losses, but Wednesday night's loss to North Carolina seemed to hit Michigan State's head coach harder than most any other regular-season defeat in recent memory. "Probably one of the more disappointing performances in my career here,'' said Izzo, whose No. 1-ranked Spartans (7-1) were beaten decisively by No. 25 North Carolina (5-2), by a 79-65 count at Breslin Center. (MLive.com)
Lucas: Sparty CrashersThe Tar Heels went into East Lansing without two rotation players, without the player the head coach has consistently said has been unquestionably the best player on the team in practice, faced the nation's top-ranked team in an environment where they rarely lose, against an opponent that wanted vengeance. And what happened? The Tar Heels played...and then they beat them, 79-65. (GoHeels.com)
Beyond Explanation: Heels Knock Off No. 1Maybe North Carolina’s beatdown of No. 1 Michigan State on Wednesday shouldn’t come as such a surprise given its unexplainable run of dizzying heights and dismal lows. Roy Williams offered the only explanation he could muster to open his postgame press conference following UNC’s 79-65 victory at the Breslin Center. “I don’t know, I don’t know and I don’t know.” (Inside Carolina)
Second Half SurgeTwice this season North Carolina has entered halftime tied with a top-five opponent. And twice UNC has built double-digit leads in the final 20 minutes to coast to monumental upsets. On Wednesday, No. 1-ranked Michigan State closed the first half on a 13-2 run. But for the second time in 10 days, the less-talented and less experienced team was the one to excel in the second half. (Inside Carolina)
Try figuring out UNC -- Spartans couldn'tThe North Carolina Tar Heels could win the national title. Or they could lose the first round of the NIT. At this point, both seem equally plausible. And a month into the season, Roy Williams’ group has proven itself not as consistent, not as hard-nosed, not as untalented, but as the most confusing team in all of college basketball. (ESPN.com)
UNC takes down No. 1 Michigan StateCapturing a win against a top-five team after suffering a loss to an unranked foe seemed improbable the first time, and it felt even more unlikely the second — especially with the added hurdle of playing in a hostile arena. And, yet, as time expired in an emptying and deflated Breslin Center, the North Carolina basketball team was celebrating on the sideline after defeating No. 1 Michigan State 79-65. (Daily Tar Heel)
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| North Carolina: | 79 | | Michigan State: | 65 | | Wed, Dec 4 Box Score |
UNC vs. UNC Greensboro (BB)Saturday, December 7 7:00 PM ESPNU Tickets
UNC vs. Kentucky (BB)Saturday, December 14 5:15 PM ESPN Tickets
UNC vs. Texas (BB)Wednesday, December 18 7:00 PM ESPN2 Tickets
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