Duke passing, UNC defense collide Saturday
Duke coach David Cutcliffe dubbed North Carolina, "by far the best defense in our league." Tar Heels coach Butch Davis compared Duke's passing game to that of the Indianapolis Colts. The quotes from each side put the rivals in a mutual admiration society and they underscore the heart of today's matchup between two bowl-hungry, 5-3 teams in Chapel Hill.
(Charlotte Observer)
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Tar Heels rock out during exhibition
North Carolina unveiled its new player introductions Friday night. They came complete with loud music, a video featuring former greats and spotlights illuminating the Tar Heels as the Smith Center was plunged into darkness. It proved to be the most rocking moment of the night as the Tar Heels authored a steady, no-frills effort before turning out the lights on Division II Belmont Abbey 107-59 in an exhibition game.
(Burlington Times News)
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UNC-Belmont Abbey: Postgame Quotes + Audio
"The biggest area of concern, like we did in our scrimmage against Vanderbilt, we turned the ball over way too many times. I like that we got 12 players at least 13 minutes, that was the goal going in, to give a lot of guys the chance to run out there in front of the crowd to hopefully lose some of that nervousness by the time we play on Monday night."
(Inside Carolina)
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Heels Roll in Exhibition Victory
Preseason prognostications for No. 4 North Carolina have centered around the program’s immense talent and depth in the frontcourt, and the Tar Heels further cemented those beliefs in Friday’s 107-59 exhibition victory over Belmont Abbey behind Deon Thompson’s 23 points and eight rebounds. If you were looking for lean, athletic length on Friday night, the Dean E. Smith Center was the place to find it.
(Inside Carolina)
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Heels, Thompson topple Belmont Abbey in exhibition
Senior Deon Thompson has recorded only two 20-plus point games in his North Carolina career. Judging by the Tar Heels' 107-59 exhibition victory over Belmont Abbey on Friday night, he's poised to post quite a few more. Thompson, who spent the last two seasons starting in all-everything Tyler Hansbrough's shadow, scored 23 points on 11-for-12 shooting at the Smith Center.
(Raleigh News & Observer)
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Plenty at stake today for old rivals
The fires of the football rivalry between UNC and Duke have been dying for 20 years, but they could start to blaze again today. The series, one-sided since the late 1980s, is on the verge of becoming competitive because of Duke's resurgence under Coach David Cutcliffe. Today's game at Kenan Stadium is the first in 15 years in which the outcome is important for both teams as they try to secure winning records and bowl eligibility.
(Winston-Salem Journal)
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Tar Heels Down Belmont Abbey 107-59 In Exhibition
Deon Thompson had 23 points and eight rebounds to help No. 6 North Carolina beat Belmont Abbey 107-59 on Friday night in its only exhibition game of the 2009-10 season. Thompson hit 11 of 12 field goal attempts in 17 minutes of action. Tyler Zeller scored 17 points for the defending national champions, while Ed Davis added 13 points, six rebounds and four blocks
(Tar Heel Blue)
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Belmont Abbey post-game quotes
"This would be a team that you'd like to have a few more days practice with. Yesterday was our 16th practice and we're playing a game Monday night. We've got two seniors and one junior and the rest are freshmen and sophomores. Even Tyler Zeller said in the locker room he felt like a freshman again. It is what it is, and we've got to make due with that. We're going to come in tomorrow and work on a few things."
(Tar Heel Blue)
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Heels' block party
Earlier in the week, Roy Williams called the Tar Heels' performance in a closed scrimmage at Vanderbilt on Sunday "yucky." Five days later, it was a different story. UNC, the reigning national champions, dominated on both sides of the ball to rout Division II Belmont Abbey 107-59 at the Smith Center on Friday. It was the Tar Heels' final scrimmage before their regular season-opener against Florida International on Monday (7 p.m., ESPNU).
(Durham Herald-Sun)
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Tar Heels again face air apparent
For the second time in the past three weeks, the North Carolina football team will face the top passing offense in the ACC. But this time around, the Tar Heels' seventh-ranked defense is hoping to do a better job of silencing Duke's air attack than it did in a loss to Florida State two weeks ago. In that game, FSU quarterback Christian Ponder picked apart UNC's secondary for 395 yards and three touchdowns.
(Durham Herald-Sun)
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Duke-UNC game carries possible postseason berth
Every time Duke wraps up its football season against heated rival North Carolina, the Blue Devils play like there's no tomorrow. That's because there almost never is a tomorrow. Entering 2009, the Blue Devils had closed the regular season against the Tar Heels in 42 of the past 44 years -- with just two postseason games for Duke in that span.
(Durham Herald-Sun)
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Tar Heels Fall At ACC Field Hockey Championship
Third-ranked Virginia scored the game's only goal in the 28th minute of play then held onto the 1-0 lead to eliminate No. 2 North Carolina in ACC Field Hockey Championship play Friday evening at Turf Field. Carolina fell to 16-2 overall and now will await Tuesday's announcement of the NCAA Tournament field.
(Tar Heel Blue)
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No. 2 Men's Soccer Tops Clemson, Grab Share Of ACC Regular Season Title
Sophomore forward Billy Schuler netted the game-winner in the 74th minute and added an assist just six minutes later to lift No. 2 North Carolina past Clemson, 3-1, and to a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title Friday at Riggs Field. The Tar Heels wrap up the regular season with a 13-2-2 overall mark and a 5-2-1 conference record to finish at the top of the league table for the first time since 2000.
(Tar Heel Blue)
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Tar Heels Take Down Terps In Dual Meet
The men and women's swimming and diving teams remain undefeated in the ACC after swimming past the Maryland Terapins Friday afternoon. The Tar Heels improved their records to 3-0 in the conference. The UNC men's team defeated Maryland 171 - 98 and the women won 166 - 117. "We put in a hard week of training and we have a few people battling injuries, but I am very pleased with the win," said head coach Rich DeSelm.
(Tar Heel Blue)
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Tar Heels Hold Recent Edge On Rival Blue Devils
For years, everything Duke and North Carolina achieved - the conference championships, Final Four trips and national titles - has been connected in a back-and-forth game of one-upmanship. These days the Tar Heels have the upper hand. Since shortly after Roy Williams returned to his alma mater, the Tar Heels have outperformed Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils in the long-running race between college basketball’s fiercest rivals.
(ACC Sports Journal)
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Women's Soccer Outlasts Boston College On Own Goal
Despite outshooting Boston College 22-5, the fourth-ranked North Carolina women's soccer team needed an own goal in the 103rd minute to advance to the 2009 ACC Women's Soccer Championship Game, beating the Eagles 1-0 to improve to 16-3-1 on the season. UNC will play top-seeded Florida State Sunday at 2 p.m. at WakeMed Soccer Park for the ACC title.
(Tar Heel Blue)
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Countdown to Kickoff: UNC vs. Duke
North Carolina enters Saturday’s showdown as a 10-point favorite over the Blue Devils. The Tar Heels have won 18 of the last 19 meetings and five straight against Duke. Although this series has recently provided some hard-fought contests, the longtime lack of significance surrounding this game has created an apathetic aura instead of one boasting of excitement and anticipation.
(Inside Carolina)
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Quick facts: North Carolina
The odd reality of North Carolina's season is that this group might have more pure NBA-type talent than the one that just won the NCAA championship. None of last year's Heels went higher than 13th in the draft; it appears likely forwards Ed Davis and John Henson will beat that when their time comes. Backup center Tyler Zeller might, as well. So the Heels are not starting over in the strictest sense.
(Sporting News)
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College basketball countdown: No. 4 North Carolina
By now, everybody knows the selling points the North Carolina program throws out at prospects: tradition, exposure and NBA pedigree. What's especially intriguing about the recent past is not simply the quality of players but the quantity therein. It's why the Tar Heels lost more than any other ACC program after last year's dominant NCAA championship season but remain unchallenged atop the league.
(Sporting News)
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Tar Heels, Blue Devils meet in key game Saturday
Thad Lewis takes every snap recognizing that the defense in front of him knows exactly what's coming. Yet Duke's senior quarterback and his fleet of receivers keep racking up yards through the air. It's a big reason why the Blue Devils are flirting with bowl eligibility. And if North Carolina wants to inch closer to a possible bowl itself, the Tar Heels' touted defense will have to stop Lewis in Saturday's rivalry game.
(Rocky Mount Telegram)
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Book shows UNC coach knows, learns from his emotions
If we didn't know it already (we've seen Roy cry on TV), his new book, "Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court" (Algonquin, $24.95) due in local bookstores today, makes it plain that Ol' Roy recognizes a feeling when it hits him. He even teared up the first couple of times he proofread his autobiography.
(Charlotte Observer)
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Williams to sign books in Asheville
North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams will be in Asheville on Dec. 13 to sign copies of his book “Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court,” but he will only sign books purchased from Malaprop's Bookstore/Café on Haywood Street in downtown Asheville. Williams will be at the Justice Center on the UNC Asheville campus from 1:30-2:30 p.m. to sign books.
(Asheville Citizen-Times)
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Slowing Lewis key to beating Duke
While the Blue Devil defense has been respectable, much of the credit for the team's success this fall has to go to senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, who is currently second in the ACC in passing yards (2,315), passing yards per game (289.4) and total offense (296.4) behind only Florida State's Christian Ponder, who lit up North Carolina in its last home contest a couple of weeks ago.
(Carolina Blue)
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Hansbrough could make debut against Wizards
Tyler Hansbrough is expected to play for the first time tonight, albeit on a limited basis, after missing all of training camp, the preseason and the first four regular-season games rehabbing a stress reaction in his right shin that dates back to his senior season at North Carolina.
(NBA.com)
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North Carolina Injury Report vs. Duke
Out
AJ Blue QB/RB Knee
Carl Gaskins OT Knee
Matt Merletti D Knee
Trevor Stuart DS Knee
Jamal Womble TB Wrist
Doubtful
Ryan Taylor TE Knee
Questionable
Josh Adams WR Shoulder
Probable
Jheranie Boyd WR Thigh
Lowell Dyer C Shoulder/Illness
Michael Ingersoll OT Back
Shane Mularkey LB Illness
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