LITTLE ROCK - A look at some of the pertinent final stats from Game 1:

Texas won the board battle, 41-30

Texas shot 43 percent for the game (25 of 58 and 8 of 24 in the second half)
Miami shot 40 percent for the game (22 of 55 and 11 of 24 in the second half)

AJ Abrams finsihed with a game-high 26 points. Damion James had 16 points and 16 rebounds.

Jack McClinton had 18 points to lead Miami, Hurdle had 11 and Raymond Hicks had 10 points including 2 of 3 from 3-point land, with both makes coming in the final seconds. McClinton was 5 of 14 from the field and 4 of 10 from 3-point land.

DJ Augustin had 12 points and 8 assists and 3 steals.

Texas shot 12 of 21 from the free throw line and Miami was 19 of 22.

. . . Officials for the next game are Reginald Greenwood, Ted Hillary and Frank Scagliotta. Our tip will be at 4 p.m. local team.

We're going to (Austin) Peay (can't get enough of the sub-regional-themed joke) and we'll be back for the nightcap.

Posted by David Scott at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Miami made a spirited, late comeback but Texas had built too big of a lead in the game's first 36 minutes for the 'Canes to be able to come all the way back. Texas holds on and advances with a well-earned 75-72 win. Miami's Raymond Hicks hit two monster 3-pointers in the final 12 seconds that cut the lead to two, but after a monitor review of time left, the 'Canes were left with 1.8 seconds to try and foul Texas, pray for misses at the line and then score. DJ Augustin airballed the first, hit the second and a baseball pass from Hicks found no receiver as Texas hung on.

Some nice hugs and handshakes as the teams exited the court - lots of commonality and overlap between the two staffs and players.

Free throw shooting down the stretch almost cost the 'Horns the win, but two big ones from AJ Abrams with 9.5 seconds remaining helped to seal the deal.

. . . We'll be back in a bit with final stats and a look ahead to the second game of our doubleheader here at Alltel.

Posted by David Scott at 04:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - The 'Canes have cut the Texas lead to six with 1:37 left in the game and the crowd, which had fallen asleep, is suddenly behind Miami in a big way.

Texas leads 68-62 with 1:34 left in the game.

McClinton has come on late and now has 18 points.

. . . Texas will need to make free throws and they'll survive.

Posted by David Scott at 04:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - The rebounding edge tells you all you need to know about this one as Texas has a plus-18 edge on the boards (40-22). Texas leads the game 66-52 with 3:30 left in the game. The 'Horns are in cruise control to Houston where they will meet Stanford next Friday night in the round of 16.

The game was tied 8-8 with 16:33 left in the first half and since then it has been all Texas.

. . . James Dews has been one of the lone bright spot for Miami. The sophomore has 8points

. . . McClinton's first field goal of the second half came on a jumper with 5:12 left in the game. He now has 8 points and is one of three 'Canes with 8. Texas has four players in double figures scoring, led by Abrams' 20.

. . . Damion James has 14 rebounds and 15 points for Texas.

. . . Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury got some cheers from the Bulldog faithful as he approached press row to do his pre-game radio show. Most coaches pre-record such things in the bowels of the building, so the sight is a bit odd.

Posted by David Scott at 04:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - AJ Abrams now has 20 points and is 6 of 9 from 3-point land. His latest trey gave the 'Horns a 58-43 lead with 11:52 left. Defending the 3-ball must've been overlooked in Frank Haith's gameplan.

Abrams also had six treys against Austin Peay in the opener.

. . . McClinton continues to struggle from the field and is now 2 of 9 and 2 of 6 from 3-point land.

Posted by David Scott at 03:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Our string of mediocre games here in Little Rock continues with this one as Texas leads 49-36 and Miami doesn't appear ready to mount any kind of real comeback. We have 15:33 left in the game.

A 3-pointer by James with just over 16:00 left gave Texas its biggest lead of the game at 16.

. .. Rick Barnes has now put AJ Abrams on McClinton. It's probably part of a rotation, but Mason should still get most of the checking assignments on the Miami scorer.

. . . The first chaps-clad routine of our favorite dancers was a rousing success. Tough to say if it's the white frilly vests that get us or the brown chaps or a combination of both. Hook 'em horns, indeed.

Posted by David Scott at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - This one is going according to script for the Longhorns who are getting production from all their key contributors. Some key lines:

AJ Abrams - 14 points, 5 of 8 form the field, 4 of 7 from 3-point land
Damion James - 9 rebounds, 7 points
DJ Augustin - 5 points, 5 assists and 3 steals

Texas has dominated the boards, 22-15.

Miami shot 11 of 31 from the field (36 percent) and 3 of 11 from 3-point land (27 percent)

Texas shot 17 of 34 from the field and 9 of 16 from 3-point land (56 percent)

Texas has 12 assists on its 17 field goals, Miami has 4 on its 11

. . . Gary Johnson, coming back from an injury for the Longhorns, logged four minutes and picked up two fouls. Big fella Dexter Pittman, who had a great first game, played four minutes for Texas and had two points and three rebounds.

. . . Anthony King was 4 of 5 from the field for his 8 Miami points. McClinton was 2 of 7 from the field.

. . . As expected, hoped for and embraced, the Texas dance teams has chnged into their chaps.

Posted by David Scott at 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - With remarkable proficiency from the 3-point land, Texas has built an 11-point lead at the half, 43-32. The Longhorns are 9 of 16 from beyond the arc and 17 of 33 form the field. They have effectively contained Miami's Jack McClinton, who has six points in the first half. of course, McClinton also had half a dozen in the first half on Friday against St. Mary's and then exploded for 32 in the second. That's not a realistic expectation today, but it is worth keeping in mind.

Abrams has 14 to lead Texas and King has eight for Miami.

. . . The arena is just about all filled up as most of the second game's fans have made their way off of Main Street in N. Little Rock and into their seats.

. . . It appears the Texas dancers have gone in for a wardrobe change. We're giddy in anticipation.

Posted by David Scott at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Miami has mounted a bit of a comeback and they too are using the three-ball to do it. With 6:38 left in the half, Texas leads 35-26, as Miami has cut into a 14-point deficit.

McClinton's first hoop came on a trey with just under 10 minutes to go in the half. A minute later he hit another to cut the 'Horns lead to eight. he is now 2 of 4 from beyond the arc. A s ateam, texas is 7 of 13 from international waters.

. . . Your daily Texas dance team outfit update: The ladies have started off in a orange sequin halter tops (I think they're halters - they show a lot of belly whatever they are) and black velour, form-fitting pants. We eagrely await the wardrobe change into chaps.

Posted by David Scott at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Texas is out to a blazing start and they have used the 3-pointer to take a 19-8 lead with 13:51 left in the half.

Texas is 5 of 8 from 3-point land and four different Longhorns have hit three balls (James, Atchley, Augustin and Abrams). McClinton is 0 of 3 form the field this far as King leads Miami in scoring with six points.

. . . Texas's best defender, Justin Mason is guarding McClinton. Barnes mentioned yesterday that the No. 24 would now be reserved for players who exhibit the grit and tenacity of Mason and his predecessor in the number, Royal Ivey.

. . . Our sneaker battle is between two Nike schools.

. . . Looks like the Memphis and State fans in the house are 'Cane fans for this one.

. . . If forced to chose between burnt orange and bright orange, I will take the burnt orange. This is true mainly because I got a burnt orange fleece from my sister for my birthday. So, really, it's Karen that prefers burnt orange.

Posted by David Scott at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - Happy Easter and welcome back to the Alltel Arena for today's second round games. Our first game, tipping at 1:15 local time, features Texas and Miami. the follow-up will be a mid-south battle with Memphis and Mississippi State.

Things were buzzing in the North Little rock area surrounding the arena as fans pre-lubed for the day of basketball. Tickets are fairly tough to come by because of the local interest with Memphis, State and Texas (which always travels well).

. . . Officials for today's game will be Mike Kitts, Joe Lindsay and Patrick Adams.

. . . Probable starting line-ups look like this:

No. 2 seed Texas (29-6)
AJ Abrams
Damion James
DJ Augustin
Justin Mason
Connor Atchley

No. 7 seed Miami (23-10)
Lance Hurdle
Jack McClinton
James Dews
Dwayne Collins
Anthony King

The feature players to watch are, of course, McClinton who is coming off his 38 point effort on Friday and DJ Augustin. But the interesting thing to us will be the post play, especially that of 'Cane big man Jimmy Graham and King. If they can do damage in the paint, Miami will be able to open up the outside game a bit and be able to stay in it.

Still, despite both teams employing similar tactics from the Rick Barnes/Frank Haith coaching tree, the Longhorns are likely to advance to Houston next weekend and they should do it easily.

Posted by David Scott at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LITTLE ROCK - We're on our in-between day here in Le Petite Roche and Miami players and coach Frank Haith are starting their press room/locker room interviews. They will be followed by Texas at 2:15 local time; then Mississippi State at 3:10 and finally Memphis at 3:50.

All practices are closed today at the arena.

We'll plan on filing a column over at the Hang Time blog late this afternoon. if any news breaks here, we'll also be on top of that. In the meantime, enjoy the live-blogging here as half the Sweet 16 is filled out today. We'd also encourage you to check out Jerry Palm's Hang Time re-cap of his off-day game watching. The Palmist captured a wild day form the perspective a bar-sitter and he did it quite well.

Enjoy the action.

Posted by David Scott at 02:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - When the Hokies needed to turn it on, they did. Fourth-seeded Virginia Tech turned a close game into a 63-49 win against No. 5-seed Miami in the second ACC quarterfinal of the day.

Miami, which looked lackluster a day earlier in beating an atrocious N.C. State team, didn't bring much down the stretch in this one. Star guard Jack McClinton finished with 16 points but was virtually invisible the entire game.

Continue reading "ACC: Va. Tech blows away Canes" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - When the Hokies needed to turn it on, they did. Fourth-seeded Virginia Tech turned a close game into a 63-49 win against No. 5-seed Miami in the second ACC quarterfinal of the day.

Miami, which looked lackluster a day earlier in beating an atrocious N.C. State team, didn't bring much down the stretch in this one. Star guard Jack McClinton finished with 16 points but was virtually invisible the entire game.

Continue reading "" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Hokies are taking control now, it appears, knocking down shots and playing far better defense. Their last stop was a vicious shot block out of bounds and into the lens of a TV camera. Looks like the guy whose face was attached to the back end of the camera is okay, though, and the Hokies are up 55-44 with 3 1/2 to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Miami just isn't being tough enough right now on the glass in comparison to Virginia Tech. The Hokies just got somewhere in the neighborhood of 8,000 offensive rebounds on one possession to (eventually) set up a 3-pointer by Malcom Delaney that put VT up 44-42. In a game this close, it's those efforts that are going to be the difference. Frankly, Tech looks like it wants this win more at the moment.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Hey, we've got a Jack McClinton sighting. Apparently he had actually been on the court the whole time, just not doing much. But he just knocked in an Ivory-pure 3-pointer to tie the game at 33. Miami needs more of that from its star.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Neither team is really overwhelmingly great at this point in the game, but Virginia Tech seems to be playing with a little more of an edge, and A.D. Vassallo was the best player out there in the first half. He has really come into his own as complement to Deron Washington and has 11 points at the half as the Hokies lead 27-23 at the break.

Tech shot 36.7 percent and Miami 33.3 -- as well as a combined 18 turnovers -- so both teams could stand to come out with a better showing in the second half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After a rebounded air ball, Miami guard James Dews got a pass about 30 feet from the basket with the shot clock at two. So what did he do? Line up, hoist it ... and swish it through. Pretty impressive.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - With all the bubble teams crashing and burning yesterday, Miami must feel pretty confident that it's in the NCAA Tournament. But Virginia Tech knows it needs at least one good win to have a shot at cracking the field, and right now the Hokies are working hard against the Canes. They're up 12-11 right now, but maybe they are too aggressive, as evidenced by a Deron Washington charge a moment ago.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Miami didn't exactly look impressive in its win against N.C. State, but the 63-50 victory will nonetheless advance the Canes into the quarterfinals to face Virginia Tech tomorrow.

The Wolfpack trailed by as many as 17 but kept gunning until the end and pulled within 11 in the final minute. Needless to say, that was not nearly enough to make up for 39 minutes worth of absolutely dismal offense. State's starting five combined for the same point total (13) as turnover total (13).

Continue reading "ACC: Hurricanes move on" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Wolfpack looked like they just might be making a game of it after cutting Miami's lead to 10 a few minutes ago on a 3-pointer. But Miami guard Jack McClinton scores, well, whenever he wants to. At least that's what it looks like. Back-to-back buckets by McClinton -- the second a gorgeous floater -- have the Canes up by 14 with less than four minutes to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Nothing like some good old mock applause. We just got some courtesy of the N.C. State fans in the house after a tip-in brought the Wolfpack to a whopping 27 points. If you're keeping score at home, that means the Pack has scored 10 points this half. Wait, there goes another one in, thanks to a goaltending call.

Miami is still up 15 though, with under eight minutes to go, and you get the sense that if they can get a few stops and buckets, they'll break the Wolfpack's spirit for good.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - I'm sitting next to an N.C. State beat writer, who posed this interesting question to me as we watched the Wolfpack on offense: How many different adjectives are there that mean "terrible?" It's a good question, and one that might come into play as this game goes on.

Seriously, Miami should be up at least 20 right now. But it's not, so give the Pack credit for that, I guess. Right now, the Canes are up 36-23.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - To call this first half between Miami and N.C. State underwhelming would be, well, an understatement. The Hurricanes go to the locker room up 24-17, and frighteningly, that's only the second-lowest halftime total I've witnessed the Wolfpack put up this season (the low being 13 against UNC, a half in which State shot 17 percent).

Clearly, the Pack has some problems on offense. In the second half, Miami should be able to take advantage and pull away. If State shoots 22 percent again like it did in the first half, Miami might not have to do much of anything.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - As if suddenly awakened by N.C. State's mid-half comeback, Miami has turned the heat up, going on a 9-0 run, capped by a Lance Hurdle 3-pointer. The Canes lead by eight with under four to go in the first half, and the Pack just keeps missing shots, even inside.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Well, the Wolfpack made short work of that early Miami lead. After barely doing anything on offense for the first eight minutes, N.C. State finally started scoring while also shutting the Hurricanes down. With 7:32 to go in the half, NCSU trails by just one and will have a chance to take the lead on free throws after this TV timeout.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Miami is playing to solidify its NCAA Tournament resume with a first-round win, and the Canes are making it tough on N.C. State at the start. We're eight minutes in, and the Pack only now just got to four points, courtesy of a pair of J.J. Hickson free throws.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Fifth-seed Miami will be looking to avenge a narrow loss earlier this season, which No. 12-seed N.C. State won on a stolen pass and layup by Gavin Grant. But Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe has his lucky red sportcoat on, and last year that helped State advance all the way to the tourney final.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- In the first half, it was Ty Lawson. In the second half, it was Tyler Hansbrough. And in the end, it was North Carolina getting back to its winning ways.

Hansbrough had a season-high 35 points, the second-highest total of his career, and scored 27 of those in the second half to lead fifth-ranked UNC to a 98-82 win against Miami.

Continue reading "Hansbrough, Lawson Lead UNC To win" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- Tyler Hansbrough absolutely dominated the second half and finished with 35 points as No. 5 North Carolina left BankUnited Center with a 98-82 win against the Hurricanes, who didn't have an answer inside for the UNC forward.

More coming up after the post-game interviews...

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- As if Miami wasn't having enough problems inside with Hansbrough, some of the Tar Heels' more unlikely scoring options are coming through in the clutch. With the shot clock about to expire, Marcus Ginyard bagged a desperation three-pointer to put Carolina up, 81-65, with less than six minutes to go. Even when things are going right on defense for the Canes, they're going wrong.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- It's not good to be Ray Natili right now. The referee is definitely on the BankUnited Center crowd's you-know-what list after a late whistle that sent Hansbrough to the line and an out-of-bounds call that also went to the Tar Heels. After the merciless yelling and heckling, though, the officials did get a mock round of applause for a foul call against UNC.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- UNC forward Tyler Hansbrough wasn't a huge factor in the first half, but he already has 11 of North Carolina's 19 second-half points. And when Hansbrough's not doing the damage, it's point guard Ty Lawson, who just drove baseline for a layup to put the Tar Heels up, 66-54, with 11 minutes to go here in the game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- Shocking stat of the first half: Miami's Jack McClinton had just three points on 1-for-6 shooting. While that's a credit to the defense being played by UNC's Marcus Ginyard, McClinton is going to have to find a way to score in the second half. He already hit one good leaner three minutes in, but right now, if shots don't fall for the Canes, the Heels might start running and open up what is right now a 59-50 lead.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- After Miami missed on what it thought was the last possession of the half, Ty Lawson raced down court, flipped up a circus shot that went in and drew the foul. After Lawson bagged the free throw, the Tar Heels went into the locker room leading, 47-40.

Lawson was a big reason the Tar Heels led at the half. The sophomore guard had 15 points, three rebounds and three assists (with no turnovers) at the break. Raymond Hicks is leading Miami with 14 points.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- North Carolina isn't hitting all of its shots or looking so hot on offense, but the Heels are hitting the glass. Right now, they're enjoying a four-point lead, 36-32 with three and a half to go in the first, and lately it's because of their work on the offensive boards. On one possession, the Tar Heels grabbed four offensive rebounds -- leading to cries of frustration from the fans -- leading (finally) to a pair of Ty Lawson free throws.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- Right after Miami got done with its cold streak, it was North Carolina's turn. The Tar Heels went nearly five minutes without a bucket, allowing the Canes to go on a 10-0 run.

And now that North Carolina has broken its shooting slump, we're back to trading baskets again. The student section -- right next to press row -- is starting to get rowdy as the Tar Heels lead 29-27 with six minutes to go in the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- The Hurricanes went nearly four minutes without a field goal, but North Carolina hasn't taken advantage of it very well. The Tar Heels' half-court offense looks anything but sharp, so despite a 7-0 run during the Miami scoreless streak, a three-pointer from Miami's Brian Asbury made the score 18-13 UNC with 11:25 to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- There's been a little bit for everybody to cheer for here early. That's because while the Miami fans are certainly vociferous (especially in one instance when they disliked the officiating), there are a decent number of UNC fans here as well at BankUnited Center.

And both teams are trading baskets at this point, with no one playing what could be called stifling defense. Miami is down 13-10 right now, but since Jack McClinton hasn't even gotten into the scoring act yet, things are looking pretty good for the home team so far.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MIAMI -- Both Miami and North Carolina are looking to bounce back tonight, the Hurricanes after losing two straight on the road, and the Tar Heels after losing at home to Maryland and slipping from the top spot in the polls.

The bugaboo for North Carolina all season has been effort on defense, which coach Roy Williams said finally caught up with his team against the Terps. So perhaps its to the Heels' advantage that they have a decided focal point tonight in Jack McClinton, who has scored in double figures nine games in a row and is the Hurricanes' go-to guy.

It will be just as hard (or harder) for the Canes to contain UNC's main threat, forward Tyler Hansbrough. The junior leads the ACC in scoring and rebounding, and even when teams deny him the ball, he still tends to end up at the free-throw line a bunch just because of his willingness to throw his body around inside.

Miami is certainly better than expected this year, but it's hard to imagine they come off their last loss, to N.C. State, with the same fervor that Carolina does from its home loss to Maryland. If the Heels play D and get running, it could end up as a three-game ACC losing streak for Miami.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)