‘High-energy’ UNC opens spring football practice
UNC opened spring football practice Monday with a sense of purpose. The Tar Heels’ spring game will be televised by ESPN on April 10, and then there’s the season-opener against LSU, a giant step up from the Football Championship Subdivision opponents they have opened with in the first three seasons under coach Butch Davis. “We’re going to have to have a great spring practice just to put ourselves in position to do really well,” Davis said.
(Raleigh News & Observer)
|
UNC notes: Roy Williams says he's been a 'brat'
North Carolina coach Roy Williams went to watch signee Harrison Barnes win a high school state championship in Iowa over the weekend, and constantly had to avert his eyes from the television showing college teams qualifying for the NCAA tournament. “I’ve been like a spoiled little brat, I’ve taken my ball and gone home,’” Williams said Monday. “I haven’t watched one play. And it’s the most unusual feeling I’ve ever had."
(Raleigh News & Observer)
|
UNC, N.C. State will both play in NIT starting tonight
UNC and N.C. State will have at least one chance each to ease the disappointments of trying seasons when they open play today in the NIT. UNC will play William & Mary at 9:30 in Chapel Hill but won't be at the Smith Center because of renovations. The game will be played in Carmichael Arena (formerly Auditorium), the program's previous home. N.C. State will play at South Florida in Tampa at 8 p.m.
(Winston-Salem Journal)
|
Tar Heels should enjoy 'fun things'
Five UNC defensive players who decided against exploring their potential in the NFL draft are among 21 returning starters who opened spring practice on Monday. The Tar Heels will practice 14 times before their annual spring game on April 10, which will be broadcast on ESPN for the first time. Coach Butch Davis said UNC will be focusing on the fundamentals and how to become a smarter team during the next few weeks.
(Durham Herald-Sun)
|
Tar Heels must be prepared for Tribe
The Tar Heels will host No. 5 William & Mary tonight in Carmichael Arena (9:30 p.m., ESPN). It will be UNC's sixth trip to the NIT -- the Tar Heels won it in 1971 -- and their first since 2003. It will also be the first official men's game at Carmichael since Jan. 4, 1986, when UNC topped N.C. State. "I'm really pumped about that," UNC fifth-year senior Marcus Ginyard said.
(Durham Herald-Sun)
|
Butch Davis Quotes + Audio
"This is really a fun time for football coaches and a football team. It's the one time when you can focus on the little bitty things and the fun things about coaching, with no objectives of game plans coming up. It's a great time for your football team to improve. A major emphasis we're going to have throughout the course of the spring is fundamentals."
(Inside Carolina)
|
Carmichael NIT Tickets Available For $20
In an acknowledgment that the 9:30 weekday tip-off time is not the most convenient slot for fans, the UNC athletic department is making NIT tickets available for $20 rather than the previously announced $40. The first-round NIT game will be played Tuesday at 9:30 against William and Mary. Rams Club members have until 5 p.m. today to order tickets through their online account or by calling 800-722-4335.
(Tar Heel Blue)
|
UNC Hosts Princeton In Clash Of Lacrosse Unbeatens Tuesday
The University of North Carolina men's lacrosse team (6-0, ACC 1-0) returns to action after a six-day break this Tuesday when the third-ranked Tar Heels play host to the fifth-ranked Princeton Tigers (4-0, Ivy League 0-0) at 7 p.m. at Fetzer Field in a battle of unbeaten teams. It will be the second straight mid-week game for the Tar Heels. This marks the only week this season when the Tar Heels will play two games in the same week.
(Tar Heel Blue)
|
Jacobs: Looking Back On The ACC Tournament
Even as the Demon Deacons threatened to end a second consecutive season with a whimper, North Carolina, which blew a 10-point lead against Georgia Tech in the first round, showed belated life. The Tar Heels set a school tournament record for offensive rebounds, a mark of effort often lacking this season. Being a name brand, the Heels got an NIT bid, as did more deserving N.C. State.
(ACC Sports Journal)
|
NCAA gives Duke cupcake draw in South Region
It has been awhile, by their standards, since the Duke Blue Devils reached the NCAA Tournament Final Four. Don't worry. It won't be much longer. Duke was the least accomplished of the No. 1 seeds — except to the selection committee, which considered them third-best. And the Devils wound up with a heavenly draw, with crippled No. 4 seed Purdue and fading No. 2 seed Villanova joining them in the South region.
(Sporting News)
|
ACC tourney no longer a must-see
The ACC basketball tournament as we knew it is no more. Last rites began to be administered six years ago when the league expanded. The official death certificate was written this weekend at the Greensboro Coliseum. The once-proud tournament - the granddaddy of 'em all - has been reduced to this: Scalpers outside the coliseum Thursday before the first round were taking $5 for a ticket to the opening session.
(The State)
|
A Day with the Trophy
A video skit documenting how the North Carlina basketball national champions spent their one-on-one time with the national championship trophy. It aired at 'Late Night with Roy' in October.
(YouTube)
|
ACC reaches out to NFL Network regarding football rights
As it turns out, NFL Network's limited foray into college football broadcasting could be growing. Considerably. John Ourand and Michael Smith of SportsBusiness Journal report that the ACC has "reached out" to NFL Network regarding the possible purchase of the conference's broadcasting rights for "a package" of its football games.
(Pro Football Talk)
|
Something is missing at ACC tourney these days
The ACC Tournament left Reynolds Coliseum in 1966. Maybe it's time to go back. These other buildings and other cities aren't really working out. Or maybe contemporary ACC basketball isn't captivating hearts and minds like it once did
(Winston-Salem Journal)
|
Basketball: Monday Press Conference Quotes + Audio
"I've been miserable. Every place I've been, everyone carries around a TV. I go to the bathroom and there's a TV in there. What I mean by that is every time I turn around I see some team celebrating a win for the last three or four days. ... I've been like a spoiled little brat, I've taken my ball and gone home. I haven't watched one play. It's the most unusual feeling I've ever had, it's a feeling I never want to experience again."
(Inside Carolina)
|
Tar Heels Cut NIT Ticket Prices in Half
UNC director of athletic communications Steve Kirschner says ticket prices have been reduced from $40 to $20 for the Tar Heels’ opening game of the NIT Tuesday night. The Heels are a four-seed in the NIT after a 16-16 regular season. Unlike in the NCAA Tournament, higher-seeded teams play at home in the NIT, and the Tar Heels will host fifth-seeded William & Mary.
(1360 WCHL)
|
What's not to like about Brendan Haywood
Brendan Haywood seemed perplexed that anyone would want to know anything personal about him. When I asked if he'd ever dated anyone famous, his response was, "Even if I had, I wouldn't put that out there. Who would want that out there?" Oh, I don't know ... about the half the NBA doesn't seem to mind having that out there. So I got the impression that Haywood was somewhat private which is an automatic invitation to pry.
(ESPN.com)
|
Monday with Mike Fox
Can you give your impressions from the hard-fought weekend series against Duke? "We are certainly disappointed not to win the series after winning on Friday. I thought Duke played exceptionally well. There were a lot of runs scored by both teams which I don't think any of us anticipated. But certainly we would have liked to have had some of those runs from Friday on Saturday and Sunday."
(Inside Carolina)
|
Tony Shaver says it's an 'injustice' that William & Mary has to travel to UNC for NIT showdown
From the flip-over-the-numbers scoreboard to the ear-splitting volume, Carmichael Auditorium brings fond memories to William and Mary coach Tony Shaver (UNC Class of '76). But that doesn't mean he's thrilled to be heading there. "Seeing we were playing against North Carolina was very exciting," said Shaver, whose Tribe opens in the NIT against the Tar Heels Tuesday night.
(Daily Press)
|
Carolina Baseball Monday Notebook
Nationally ranked UNC will open a five-game home stand this week beginning Tuesday. The Tar Heels will play host to Princeton Tuesday at 3 p.m. and Wednesday at 6 p.m., both at Boshamer Stadium. Carolina will resume league play this weekend hosting Florida State. Carolina is slated to start sophomore right-hander Garrett Davis (1-1, 5.68 ERA) Tuesday opposite Princeton's right-hander Kevin Link (0-0, 9.45 ERA).
(Tar Heel Blue)
|
Three predictions for UNC football
UNC goes 4-0 against its non-conference opponents.The Tar Heels' defense will be the difference against LSU, and UNC should be able to handle a road trip to Rutgers, plus home games against East Carolina and William & Mary. If this prediction holds true, and the Heels add a win against Georgia Tech, Clemson will need to be on high alert for that Oct. 9 trip to Chapel Hill.
(ESPN.com)
|
Getting into NIT a relief for Roy Williams
To state the obvious, playing in the NIT is a huge disappointment for North Carolina. But shortly after 9 o'clock Sunday night, as the tournament's selection show rolled on, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams found himself preparing for the worst: No bid at all. "We practiced last night and the entire team was in the locker room watching TV," Williams said.
(Daily Press)
|
What do Tar Heels, Van Halen have in common?
North Carolina's national title defense defied hyperbole. The Tar Heels went 16-16 and landed in the NIT. How badly did this season go for UNC? It was a lot like Van Halen III. Before someone from Chapel Hill tries to tip over my car, let me explain. Roy Williams managed to keep UNC trucking after losing four lottery picks in 2005, much like Van Halen kept its stride after David Lee Roth decided he'd look sillier on his own.
(ESPN.com)
|
ACC Hoops Power Rankings, March 15
11. North Carolina (16-16, 5-11) The Tar Heels out-hustled Georgia Tech in their first-round ACC Tournament matchup, but, ultimately, just didn’t have enough offense to hang down the stretch. Roy Williams doesn’t seem to have the right tools at his disposal and that’s why there could be some big personnel changes in Chapel Hill in the off-season. Previous Rank: 9 Schedule this week: William & Mary on Tuesday (NIT)
(ACC Sports Journal)
|
UNC has sights set on ACC football crown
North Carolina's basketball team endured a miserable season, but Tar Heels fans still have reason for optimism this March. They just need to look on the football field instead of the basketball court. Led by a defense that should rank among the nation's best, North Carolina heads into spring practice with reason to believe it could win its first ACC title since Lawrence Taylor led the Tar Heels to an 11-1 finish in 1980.
(Rivals.com)
|
|
|