ACC-B1G Challenge: UNC at #1 Michigan StateConventional wisdom says this is the one where Tom Izzo finally breaks through against Roy Williams and the Tar Heels. It is the first time UNC has played at Breslin Arena and Michigan State is the #1 team in the country. UNC, despite beating Louisville has looked very flawed through six games. If there was ever a time for Izzo to finally get a win against UNC, this is his chance. (Tar Heel Blog)
Lucas: Up For A ChallengeFor the first time in the 15-season history of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, Carolina will hit the road for a second straight true road game in the event when the Tar Heels travel to East Lansing to face Michigan State tonight. Here's a look at the previous 14 games for the Tar Heels in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge: (GoHeels.com)
Tar Heels look for energy boost vs. SpartansNorth Carolina forward Brice Johnson attributed some of the Tar Heels' lack of energy in Sunday’s loss at UAB to the fact that they “didn’t get past” their win over Louisville. That actually might bode well for the Tar Heels Wednesday night heading into the Breslin Center to face No. 1 Michigan State. If nothing else, coach Roy Williams has had the Heels’ full attention heading into this game. (ESPN.com)
UNC Visits No. 1 Sparty With ‘Mean’ Coach Williams at the HelmThe 4-2 Tar Heels look to rebound from their disappointing setback at UAB Sunday. But the task won’t be easy. Carolina will head to East Lansing, Michigan for a match-up with the undefeated and No. 1-ranked Michigan State Spartans on Wednesday. Understandably, Head Coach Roy Williams says you can’t win games, especially on the road, with any kind of deficit in the energy and hustle department. (Chapelboro.com)
UNC basketball faces No. 1 SpartansImmediately following the 63-59 loss to Alabama-Birmingham Sunday, UNC basketball coach Roy Williams did something he’s rarely done in his 26 years as a head coach. Williams verbalized his anger toward his team. And he continued to hold on to that displeasure in subsequent practices, even rearranging the team’s travel schedule leading up to tonight’s matchup with No. 1 Michigan State. (Daily Tar Heel)
Up-and-Down Heels gear up for No. 1Roy Williams admits that he would rather North Carolina follow its loss to UAB with a game against a no-name opponent. He also openly shares that when the decision was made to play at Michigan State, he thought the team would be playing with Reggie Bullock, P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald. (Tar Heel Illustrated)
A Closer Look: Michigan StateNorth Carolina is coming off an upset loss at UAB and will look to bounce back in a big way if they can travel to East Lansing and defeat the top-ranked Spartans just a week and a half after an upset of then third-ranked Louisville. Go inside to get a better understanding of the Spartans, as UNC prepares for Wednesday night's 9:00 pm tipoff at the Breslin Center. ESPN has the call. (Tar Heel Illustrated)
In David Shannon Death, "A Solid Wall of Silence""Is your conscience bothering you?" That's the question Carrboro police Capt. Chris Atack has for anyone who may know exactly how and under what circumstances UNC student David Shannon died last fall. The 18-year-old pledge at Chi Phi fraternity was killed last Oct. 27 after falling from a piece of machinery at the Ready Mixed Concrete plant in Carrboro. (Chapel Hill Magazine)
Tyler Hansbrough taking to bigger role with RaptorsIn his fifth year in the league, Tyler Hansbrough wanted a bigger role. It’s why he left Indiana and came to Toronto. But not even Hansbrough came in expecting the starting role he has right now, however long that lasts. “I came to Toronto to be a bigger piece of the team,” Hansbrough said following a morning shootaround at San Francisco’s Olympic Club. (Toronto Sun)
Julius Peppers Rounding Into FormWith all of the negativity surrounding the defense of the Chicago Bears in recent weeks, there has been one player that has actually been improving as the season has worn on, and his performance Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings was just one more example of a guy rounding back into his normal form. That player is Julius Peppers, and he was all over the field on Sunday. (CSN Chicago)
UNC seeks consistency as they prepare for No. 1 Michigan StateIt’s hard to know exactly what to expect from UNC heading into Wednesday’s game at No. 1 Michigan State. The Tar Heels are out of the national rankings after losses to two unranked teams. Yet they’ve also beaten reigning national champion Louisville. And it has all come as the team plays without leading scorer P.J. Hairston and senior Leslie McDonald due to unresolved NCAA eligibility concerns. (Detroit Free Press)
P.J. Hairston, Leslie McDonald still in limboThere have been no timetables, no official concrete conjectures, no nothing — both P.J. Hairston and senior guard Leslie McDonald, who was never formally suspended but awaits his own NCAA ruling, remain on the bench six games into the season. And on the eve of the matchup at No. 1 Michigan State, Hairston and McDonald will remain in Chapel Hill, still waiting for their fate to be determined. (Daily Tar Heel)
Spartans try to end losing streak to Tar HeelsIt’s a different North Carolina, an unranked team with two upset losses on its resume already and two key players sitting out while the NCAA determines whether they received impermissible benefits. It’s the same baby blue, though. And the same Roy Williams, who brings a six-game winning streak over Tom Izzo into tonight’s ACC/Big Ten Challenge game against No. 1 Michigan State. (Lansing State Journal)
The disciples of the Gospel of DeanKing Rice still has the practice plan from his first North Carolina practice as a freshman, he approaches recruits the same way Dean Smith approached him and his family, and he has tried to create the same atmosphere around his own team that Smith created around his. "We have a lot of the same rules," Rice said. "All the stuff around our program is based on what I learned from coach Smith." (Kansas City Star)
Previewing Michigan StateNorth Carolina's draw in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge is a trip to East Lansing to face No. 1 Michigan State. Tip-off at the Breslin Center is set for 9 p.m. on ESPN. No. 1 Michigan State enters Wednesday’s contest with a 7-0 record. Tom Izzo’s squad has notably defeated three power conference teams thus far – then-No. 1 Kentucky (78-74), Virginia Tech (96-77) and Oklahoma (87-76). (Inside Carolina)
Tale of the Tape: UNC-Michigan StateMoving onto Michigan State, this is a tall order on paper. The Spartans do a variety of things well. They shoot the ball well both inside (26th nationally) and outside (56th nationally) the arc. They are top 20 in effective FG% and turnover rate on offense while operating at close to the same tempo as UNC has this season. On the defensive end, MSU is holding teams to 41.7% from two and 33.1% from three. (Tar Heel Blog)
More struggles to be expected from Tar HeelsLouisville, not Belmont, appears to be the aberration. As North Carolina prepares to face top-ranked Michigan State Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, it remains unclear what kind of team the Tar Heels possess without suspended players P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald. Evidence continues to mount, though, against any case that UNC is worthy of top 25 consideration. (Fayetteville Observer)
Tar Heels At No. 1 Michigan StateNorth Carolina (4-2) will play the nation's top-ranked team on the road when it visits No. 1 Michigan State on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in East Lansing, Mich. The Tar Heels and Spartans will tip off just after 9 p.m. at the Breslin Center. ESPN will televise the game nationally with Dan Shulman (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst) on the call. (GoHeels.com)
Cubs cut ties with Daniel BardThe Chicago Cubs non-tendered pitcher Daniel Bard before Monday night's deadline for arbitration-eligible players. If arbitration-eligible players are non-tendered by their clubs, they become free agents. Bard might still return to the Cubs. Bard, who was claimed from the Boston Red Sox in September, has battled inconsistency and injuries. (ESPN.com)
UNC out to shock hoops world at Michigan State WednesdayAlready this season, North Carolina has followed a shocking loss with an equally shocking win. Now the Tar Heels (4-2) hope to do it again when they play at No. 1 Michigan State Wednesday (9 p.m., ESPN) in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, just three days after suffering an upset defeat at Alabama-Birmingham. Since arriving at UNC, coach Roy Williams is 6-0 against Michigan State. (Durham Herald-Sun)
Roy Williams Tuesday Press Conference QuotesDo you think we’re looking at the end of the semester type resolution in the cases of P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald? Roy Williams: “You can answer that one yourself. I haven’t had a clue since June. There’s no way I’m going to have a clue now. What I say doesn’t make any difference. Nothing has changed.” (Inside Carolina)
Video: Roy Williams, Brice Johnson Tuesday Press ConferenceNorth Carolina coach Roy Williams and forward Brice Johnson on what the Tar Heels needs to improve on after loss at UAB and thoughts on the upcoming matchup at Michigan State.
View Video...
Fundamental TruthsWith Marcus Paige representing UNC’s lone perimeter threat this season due to the ongoing P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald eligibility fiasco, Roy Williams is once again challenged by a flawed roster. While recruiting misses are a topic for another day, there is only so much a Hall of Fame coach can do mid-season to develop a secondary perimeter scoring threat when there are no legitimate options on the bench. (Inside Carolina)
Crystal Dunn Tapped As Hermann Trophy SemifinalistFifteen men and 15 women have been named semifinalists for the 2013 Missouri Athletic Club's (MAC) Hermann Trophy. University of North Carolina senior midfielder Crystal Dunn of Rockville Centre, N.Y., is one of the 15 semifinalists for the women's award. Dunn won last year's Hermann Trophy, the first Tar Heel to do so since Catherine Reddick in 2003. (GoHeels.com)
Kendall Marshall claimed by Delaware 87ers, Sixers D-League teamThe Delaware 87ers just got their marquee name. Kendall Marshall, the 13th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, has been claimed by the 87ers, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The 6-4, 195 lb point guard has averaged three points and three assists in his one season in the NBA before being released. Marshall averaged just 14 minutes with the Phoenix Suns last season. (NJ.com)
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