Banged-up No. 15 North Carolina holds off Florida StateNo. 15 North Carolina (16-4, 6-1 ACC) needed every bit of everything it got against Florida State (10-10, 2-5) to get its fifth straight win by a final of 78-74. The Tar Heels have now had back-to-back ugly wins at home with a good road win at Wake Forest sandwiched in between, and the tough part of their ACC slate hasn't yet begun. Florida State, meanwhile, showed plenty of signs of growth. (FOX Sports)
Tar Heels show toughness in win over Florida StateAfter Saturday's 78-74 win against Florida State - the Tar Heels' 10th win in 11 games - it's looking more and more like those toughness questions may be answered. Despite Florida State's pronounced size advantage and reputation for physical play, the 15th-ranked Tar Heels (16-4, 6-1) outrebounded the Seminoles (10-10, 2-5) and racked up 42 points in the paint. (Fayetteville Observer)
Injuries force Tar Heels back to the grindAs the injuries mount, J.P. Tokoto said he believes the Heels have developed more toughness. “If you get challenged with something, you definitely take it to heart if you’re a true competitor, and we’ve got a team full of them,” Tokoto said. “I’d say everybody being injured, all those guys being out, that definitely could contribute to it, knowing that we have to play tougher, play smarter.” (ESPN.com)
Brice Johnson Perseveres For Big DayOver the last five games, Brice Johnson is averaging 14 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. He has three double-doubles in the past five games – against Louisville, Virginia Tech and now Florida State – after posting only three double-doubles in his first 85 career games at North Carolina. UNC is 5-0 in this current stretch. “Tonight was great for Brice,” point guard Marcus Paige said. (Carolina Blue)
UNC's Roy Williams chosen for WNC Sports Hall of FameNow, at age 64, ol' Roy has been called home again, to be recognized and honored for a lifetime of success and achievement in the game he loved so much he would sneak into a Biltmore gym as a kid to shoot baskets. Williams will be the guest speaker and lone inductee into the WNC Sports Hall of Fame as part of the 54th WNC Sports Awards Banquet May 17 at Omni Grove Park Inn. (Asheville Citizen-Times)
Hobbled Tar Heels hold off SeminolesUNC beat Florida State 78-74 in the Smith Center. The Tar Heels are No. 15 in The Associated Press Top 25. The unranked Seminoles gave them plenty to deal with, especially Rathan-Mayes. After the game, Williams wasn’t sure how to pronounce Rathan-Mayes’ name, but the coach sure knew who he was. Rathan-Mayes was easy to spot on the floor. He was the one with the torch. (Durham Herald-Sun)
Lucas: Anger ManagementThe knock on Brice Johnson is that he thrives when things are good, but sometimes struggles when faced with adversity. Against the ‘Noles, he played against a team that is known for physical defense, encountered some struggles, and played straight through it. The difference is in how he reacts when he recognizes that he’s on the edge. “It’s how I motivate myself,” Johnson said. “I amp myself up." (GoHeels.com)
Wounded Tar Heels survive Florida StateThe 78-74 win puts the Tar Heels at 6-1 in the ACC, tied for second place-with Syracuse coming to Chapel Hill Monday night. But it will likely be at least another week before any of the Tar Heels’ “walking wounded” return to the court. Joel Berry, out with a groin injury, is the closest to returning, but he won’t be evaluated for a possible return to practice until at least Wednesday. (WRAL Sports Fan)
Offense Fueling UNC Winning StreakUNC (16-4, 6-1 ACC) jumped out to an 18-11 lead over Florida State by scoring on nine of its first 13 possessions. The Tar Heels connected on seven of their first 12 field goal attempts and scored two points off one of those misses to average 1.385 points per possession. Five Tar Heels scored and three players combined for five assists during that opening eight-minute stretch. (Inside Carolina)
UNC-FSU Postgame QuotesRoy Williams: "We got the ‘W,’ it was a weird game at times but we did some nice things. Our execution on offense at the end, and also defensively, I thought we played well at times. But boy, [Xavier] Rathan-Mayes, we held him scoreless without a field for about four or five minutes, but all of a sudden in the last 30 seconds he made three of four of them in a row. He was a difficult guy for us to guard." (GoHeels.com)
UNC-Florida State Postgame NotesThe Tar Heels lead the series against Florida State, 47-12. The Tar Heels committed a season-low five turnovers (previous low was six at Clemson). The five turnovers are the fewest by Carolina in Roy Williams’ 415 games as the Tar Heels’ head coach. Roy Williams has won 740 games. He is one win behind John Chaney who is 16th in NCAA history. (GoHeels.com)
Recap & Analysis: UNC 78 Florida State 74"It was a weird game." That has become Roy Williams' go-to phrase to describe UNC of late and it certainly fits. The Tar Heels played well enough offensively but had to survive an onslaught from FSU's Xavier Rathan-Mayes to squeeze out a 78-74 win. Rathan-Mayes' 35 points were the most by an opposing player in the Dean Smith Center since J.J. Redick scored 35 in 2006. (Tar Heel Blog)
Video: Roy Williams Post-FSU Press ConferenceNorth Carolina head coach Roy Williams addresses the media following the Tar Heels' 78-74 win over Florida State on January 24, 2015.
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Video: UNC-Florida State Game HighlightsView complete game highlights from North Carolina's 78-74 ACC win over Florida State Saturday in Chapel Hill.
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No. 15 North Carolina holds off Florida State 78-74 in ACCBrice Johnson had 18 points and 14 rebounds to help No. 15 North Carolina beat Florida State 78-74 on Saturday. Marcus Paige scored 19 points to lead the Tar Heels, who won their fifth straight league game. The Tar Heels led nearly all day, though they struggled to put the game away and ended up doing enough to hang on down the stretch against freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes and the Seminoles. (ESPN.com)
Lucas: Rapid Reactions - Florida StateThat's one of the least close-feeling games that was actually close that you'll ever see. Florida State made it a one possession game with under a minute to play, but you never got the feeling in the Smith Center that it was that close a game. The Tar Heels didn't make it especially attractive, but they at least got the win facing plenty of adversity. (GoHeels.com)
Video: J.P. Tokoto's Chase-Down Block vs FSUUNC junior J.P. Tokoto shows off his athleticism as he hustles back on the break for the big chase-down block against Florida State on January 24, 2015.
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Box Score: North Carolina 78, Florida State 74View the complete box score from North Carolina's 78-74 win over Florida State Saturday in Chapel Hill: (View Box Score)
Williams wants better rebounding when UNC faces FSUThe reason North Carolina was playing zone defense during the Tar Heels' win at Wake Forest the other night is because starters Marcus Paige, J.P. Tokoto and Kennedy Meeks were in foul trouble early in the second half. UNC coach Roy Williams was trying to put them in positions to keep their hands to themselves. (Durham Herald-Sun)
UNC Scouting Report: FSU Coach Leonard Hamilton (audio)In his tenure, Florida State men’s basketball head coach Leonard Hamilton has transformed the Seminoles, who won the 2012 ACC Tournament title, from an afterthought into a formidable force in college basketball. WCHL’s Blake Hodge had a chance to chat with Coach Hamilton as his FSU squad aims for an upset in Chapel Hill Saturday afternoon. (Chapelboro.com)
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Theo pinson @tpinsonn
I just wanna be out there hooping with the boys again!!
Saturday, January 24, 2015 11:19 PMRoss Martin @Boss_Martin247
UNC has shown significant interest in 2016 five-star SF Braxton Blackwell but have not offered. http://t.co/QsJvvXmjPz
Saturday, January 24, 2015 9:42 PMBrice Johnson @bjohnson_23
Caption this.... http://t.co/d6j5DuFVYx
Saturday, January 24, 2015 8:54 PMCarolinaBlue.com @CarolinaBlue247
#UNC issues offer to 2016 linebacker while on campus via @RyanBartow http://t.co/AbiK2VK03Y #GoHeels
Saturday, January 24, 2015 8:38 PMInsideCarolina @InsideCarolina
Check out the IC Photo Gallery from #UNC vs Florida State --> http://t.co/ZKrkEeiIc4 http://t.co/kGTnX2jn5K
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| North Carolina: | 78 | | Florida State: | 74 | | Sat, Jan 24 Box Score |
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