SAN ANTONIO -- Well, with five minutes to go, we did have a game -- for a little while.

But in the end, it was Kansas who was too strong for North Carolina as the Jayhawks move on to Monday night's national championship game with a 84-66 victory.

While Wayne Ellington keyed a big second-half comeback for UNC, the sophomore shooting guard and the rest of his teammates weren't able to keep it up down the stretch.

"I thought at halftime we had a chance to come back and win the game," North Carolina coach Roy Williams confessed. "I did have a lot of confidence that our kids would come back. We just didn't get over the hump."

Ellington led the Tar Heels with 18 points on 8-of-21 shooting to go along with six rebounds and three steals, while Tyler Hansbrough finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and two steals. Danny Green was the third double-digit scorer for UNC with 15 but did commit a team-high five turnovers. Point guard Ty Lawson, meanwhile, scored just nine points and dished out only two assists in his 28 minutes of floor time.

"They were just real aggressive, and then we had open shots that we couldn't knock down," Lawson said. "Other than that, we just didn't play very well."

The ACC champions end their season at 36-3 and have nothing to be ashamed about, although Williams and his players will certainly be disappointed with the outcome of tonight's game.

"I think we're all lucky," Williams remarked. "This is a really special team. We had no issues. It was just a fun group to coach, and in some ways, that makes it hurt even more."

After all, a big 28-point deficit in the first half and a shooting slump late in the game killed the Tar Heels' chances of winning and playing for a national title, but Williams will still be proud of the way his team fought back to cut Kansas' lead to five midway through the second half.

"They just came out from the gate and played real well," Hansbrough said. "They played real good D."

"This is the first time this North Carolina team panicked," Marcus Ginyard explained. "It got to the point where they were just up big. We did a great job all year long of stepping up to the challenge. Tonight Kansas threw the biggest challenge at us we have seen and it took too long for us to respond."

Three-point shooting was one area that the UNC coach will probably point to, as his team shot just 5-for-24 (20.8 percent) from beyond the arc with an overall 35.8-percent (24-for-67) mark for the game.

"We did a lot of great things this year," Ellington said. "We just fell short."

On the boards, Kansas was surprisingly dominate, grabbing a 42-33 advantage behind Darrell Arthur, Brandon Rush and Cole Aldrich, who could have been the game's biggest surprise with eight points, seven rebounds and a strong defensive performance against the All-American Hansbrough.

And for Jayhawk fans, this could just be the long-awaited revenge that they had hoped to earn on Williams, who left Lawrence, Kan., back in 2003 after 15 years of coaching to return to his alma mater and his home state.

"That's life," Williams offered. "It's not roses all the time."

So with a win over the No. 1 overall seed in this year's NCAA Tournament and an opportunity for Bill Self to accomplish what Williams was never able to do at KU, the excitement surrounding Monday night's national championship matchup with Memphis has just gotten started.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Eric Sorenson at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- At the four-minute media timeout, North Carolina has letup a little bit with its comeback and now trails by 12 with Kansas up, 73-61.

Darnell Jackson just threw down a dunk off an alley-oop pass and then cleaned up the mess with a layup to put the Jayhawks back in control and give the KU faithful plenty to cheer about with 3:40 remaining.

It's really now or never for North Carolina, who had its best success with Wayne Ellington and Danny Green shooting the ball. Ty Lawson, meanwhile, hasn't played much of a factor on the offensive end after missing all three of his field goal attempts and tallying just two points in the first half.

Right now it's Ellington leading the way with 18 points and Hansbrough just behind with 17. Danny Green has 15 and nearly had more after a three-point attempt of his went around the world before rimming out.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- Well folks, we got ourselves a ball game now.

North Carolina has made a stunning second-half comeback on the shoulders of Wayne Ellington and Danny Green, who have both found their rhythm from three-point range, and now just trail by five, 58-53, with 7:53 remaining in the game.

The Tar Heels have also got it done on the defensive end, creating turnovers to fuel its transition offense and get easier looks at the rim.

But some of this turn of events has been attributed to a letdown by Kansas, which is certainly looking more fatigued and hasn't had its shots go in nearly as much as they did during the first 20 minutes of action.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- North Carolina's 28-point deficit in the first half was hard to believe, but the tables have certainly turned and the Tar Heels have sophomore shooting guard Wayne Ellington to thank for it.

Ellington hit a three and then stole the ball on the following possession down the floor before making another pull-up jumper.

At the 12-minute mark, UNC is down by just eight now, 54-46, and it's the Rock Chalk Jayhawk faithful who has suddenly become quiet in this gargantuan arena -- except when a foul is called on KU.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- In what may have been North Carolina's worst half of basketball this season, the Tar Heels find themselves down by 15 at halftime, 44-27, to Kansas.

In fact, not much went right for Roy Williams' team in the first 20 minutes of play, as the Tar Heels shot just 29 percent (9-for-31) from the field and a dismal 22.2 percent (2-for-9) from three-point range.

Not to mention, Carolina was out-rebounded, 23-15, by the Jayhawks with just three offensive rebounds and that's always surprising when you have Tyler Hansbrough out on the floor. The All-American forward does have 10 points and five boards for his team, but UNC will need to be much more efficient in its offensive sets in the second half if it hopes to make things close with KU down the stretch.

Danny Green was one of the bright spots toward the end of the half for the Tar Heels, canning a couple of threes from the right wing to crack Kansas' 20-point margin, which the Jayhawks held for much of the first half. Both teams are showing that speed that we thought before the game would have this game in the 80s and 90s, and with that has some turnovers from both sides as well.

North Carolina, though, will need to cut down on its turnovers after halftime (10 in the first half) and force a few more if it hopes to have any chance of reaching Monday night's national championship game against Memphis.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- North Carolina and Kansas are going back and forth in the early going of our second national semifinal and there hasn't been much defense from the Tar Heels so far.

Kansas has got good looks at the offensive end and is looking to push the tempo against a team that also likes to run.

As far as attendance goes, Kansas looks like it has twice the amount of fans that North Carolina has, and the Rock Chalk Jayhawk faithful are really getting behind their team with KU up, 11-6, with 15:43 remaining in the first half.

The Carolina cheering section, meanwhile, has been mum to this point.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SAN ANTONIO -- With one national semifinal in the books and Memphis headed to Monday night's national championship game after cruising past UCLA, our attention turns to the court for North Carolina and Kansas, who are out on the floor shooting around and getting loose.

In what seemed to be a run-when-there game between UCLA and Memphis, our second game should be more of a track meet between two high-powered offenses. But discount either of these team's defenses, which have given opponents fits all year and helped fuel transition baskets at the other end.

For North Carolina, that defense starts in the middle with First Team All-American Tyler Hansbrough, who will be making his first appearance in the Final Four after missing out his first two years in Chapel Hill. And if the junior forward can have his usual type of game, you can bet that the Tar Heels will have a good chance of winning this one. Of course, Hansbrough won't be the only one that will need to play well for North Carolina. Diminutive point man and floor leader Ty Lawson is really the key for UNC's success at the offensive end, and if the sophomore can get his teammates involved and also manage to do a bit of his own scoring, the Tar Heels will be in good shape in facing North Carolina coach Roy Williams' former team.

Kansas, though, has a lot of weapons on the offensive end, and Williams understands that just as well as anybody. After all, the five-year coach said earlier this week that North Carolina has not played any team as balanced as the Jayhawks, and that's something that Bill Self's team possesses when it comes to its offensive game. UNC sophomore Wayne Ellington will not only need to shoot the ball well from the perimeter, but he'll also have a tough defensive assignment in slowing down Brandon Rush, who returned this year to Lawrence, Kan., after a stellar sophomore campaign. Darrell Arthur, similarly, will need to do his best to keep Hansbrough in check, and that's something that not many -- if any -- opposing big men have been able to do this season. That's certainly why Hansbrough is considered to be a heavy favorite, along with Kansas State's Michael Beasley, to win several Player of the Year awards.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Some fine offensive basketball is on display this evening at the Verizon Center.

Continue reading "Offense on Display" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON -- Trisha Yearwood's alma mater is keeping it close early. Matthew Dotson, a 6-foot-8 gunner, has a three and a put-back two to pace the Bruins.

Continue reading "Belmont Competitive Early" »

Posted by Bailey Heaps at 07:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The third time wasn't the charm for Clemson. After losing narrowly twice to North Carolina in the regular season, the Tigers were hoping to get their revenge by winning the schools' first ACC Tournament title. Instead, it was the the Tar Heels who came away with the 86-81 win for their record 17th tourney title and their second in a row.

Continue reading "ACC: UNC Back-To-Back Champs" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Hansbrough just got called for a charge, but Clemson couldn't convert at the other end, so UNC has a chance to add to tis five-point lead with 3:45 to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - So much for that Carolina lead. Clemson is back within seven and had cut it to five a moment ago. More bad news for the Tar Heels: Danny Green just committed his fifth foul.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Well, if six seemed like a big lead a few minutes ago, North Carolina's current 13-point advantage must feel downright huge. First Ty Lawson drove for a bucket to give this game its first double-digit lead for either side, and then after a Clemson charge call, Danny Green came down and spun in a three to make it 72-59 with less than eight minutes to go. If Clemson can't recover fast, the Tar Heels might just go into put-away mode.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The tempo is so quick right now, it's amazing the public-address announced has time to catch his breath between baskets. And that's not too much hyperbole there. UNC leads 63-55 as the teams just run up and down like mad.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - This game hasn't had much in the way of separation, what with seven ties and eight lead changes in the first half, so North Carolina's six point lead -- courtesy of a rebound and putback by Danny Green -- is fairly significant. That's not to say we won't be tied again in a couple of minutes, but the current Tar Heel run forced Oliver Purnell to call timeout and get his team settled.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The North Carolina fans on the baseline are really letting the refs have it over the calls (or lack thereof) for Tyler Hansbrough. UNC's big man was clearly fouled but there was no whistle. Then Hansbrough got the rebound laid it up and got fouled -- this time with a call. One fan shouted, "I know Clemson's a football school, but this is basketball!" Another yelled, "Thanks for making Tyler mad!" Thanks to that free throw by Hansbrough, the Heels lead 47-46 four minutes into the second half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson's 3-point shooting and their highly effective full-court pressure and trapping were crucial to the Tigers' success in the first half. For the Tar Heels, it was Wayne Ellington who was big, coming up with 14 first-half points. Clemson has done a good job taking Tyler Hansbrough out of the equation after his two early baskets, and leads 39-38 at the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - There is a definite intensity to this game, not just because it's the tourney final. Both teams seem sort of frantic, though not necessarily in a bad way. It's more about how they're going after rebounds and loose balls, as if every basket could be the one that decides the game. With the score 32-31 UNC with four minutes to go in the first, they might be right.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Clemson has gotten a steal with full-court pressure on Carolina's last two inbounds, resulting in back-to-back threes. And that's with Ty Lawson in the game. The Tigers have a 25-21 lead.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - First it was UNC's Wayne Ellington. Then two in a row from Clemson's Terrence Oglesby. Then another from Carolina's Danny Green. And after the last four baskets -- all 3-pointers -- it's 16-16.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Tyler Hansbrough picked up right where he left off yesterday, getting his first point by knocking down a jumper. Then he got a steal and layup. The pace is fast, and Carolina has an 8-6 lead three minutes in.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Clemson Tigers will be looking for revenge in today's ACC title game, which will tip off in two minutes. North Carolina beat them twice this season -- once in OT and once in double OT -- and the Tigers seemed to have the top-ranked Tar Heels dead to rights both times. Will the third time be the charm, or will Carolina come out strong knowing just how tough Clemson can be?

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Virginia Tech had a chance to win but J.T. Thompson missed a jumper and Hansbrough got the rebound. After a timeout, UNC won 68-66 on a Hansbrough jumper with 0.8 seconds remaining.

It was a nice change of pace for this tournament, which only saw one of the first eight games decided by single digits.

Continue reading "ACC: Hansbrough jumper wins it" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Deron Washington fouled out when he got Wayne Ellington's arm on a 3-point attempt with 1:28 to go and the game tied at 64. Ellington hit two of three for a two point lead. But A.D. Vassallo drew a foul at the other end and hit both to tie it again at the 1:10 mark.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Wayne Ellington hit a three to tie the game at 59, and then the Tar Heels tied up Jeff Allen to get the ball back. Washington then fouled Ellington at the other end, but Ellington bumped Washington and got called for a technical. It's going to be a wild finish.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Carolina has had its chances to tie this game. But whenever they get a crack at a shot that would turn this place into a crazyhouse, they can't seem to knock it down. We're under four minutes now and Tech is up three with the ball.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Wow. Deron Washington just threw down a sick one-hander on the receiving end of an inbounds alley-oop from the sideline. That put Virginia Tech up 59-52.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Virginia Tech opened up another eight point lead here in the second half before UNC answered back with six consecutive points to reinvigorate the crowd here. The celebration was short-lived, though, as Deron Washington got a layup and one at the other end.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Dorenzo Hudson just hit a three for the Hokies to give them a 48-42 lead. And one interesting note: This was the first halftime tie for either team this season. Hey, better late than never.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Great halftime note: Apparently, near the end of the half, after A.D. Vassallo was called for a foul against UNC point guard Ty Lawson, Vassallo went over to press row and wrote on one reporter's note pad, "AD not foul." I don't know what's funnier, that he bothered to do such a ridiculous thing or the grammar issues involved.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It looks like neither of these teams is all that interested in playing defense. That probably makes the coaches very angry, but it's a heck of a lot of fun for anyone watching. Both teams are shooting better than 40 percent right now, and the game is tied at 38. Since only one of the eight games preceding this one in the ACC Tournament was decided by a single-digit margin, all of this bodes well for some second-half fun.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - There probably aren't many crowds more upset than this one right now. The Tar Heels did cut the Hokies' lead to two, but the many, many UNC fans here feel, um, upset with the officiating at the moment and are being pretty vociferous about that displeasure. But a Hansbrough basket and a Tech foul against Hansbrough on the next possession has changed their tune a bit. After the timeout, Hansbrough can tie the game by making both.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Virginia Tech sure doesn't look like a team that lost by 39 to UNC earlier this year. Malcolm Delaney has nine points and a hot hand, while Deron Washington just rolled in a 3-pointer that put the Hokies up 29-21 on the No. 1 Tar Heels.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Virginia Tech sure doesn't look like a team that lost by 39 to UNC earlier this year. Malcolm Delaney has nine points and a hot hand, while Deron Washington just rolled in a 3-pointer that put the Hokies up 29-21 on the No. 1 Tar Heels.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Game after game, Roy Williams stresses getting the ball inside to Tyler Hansbrough. The Heels are doing that, but not very deep inside. Hansbrough has six points so far, but it's all on jump shots. Speaking of jumpers, A.D. Vassallo nailed a three for Tech and Danny Green answered at the other end with a layup and foul. He'll shoot a freebie after the TV timeout, but right now it's 16-15 Hokies.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Game after game, Roy Williams stresses getting the ball inside to Tyler Hansbrough. The Heels are doing that, but not very deep inside. Hansbrough has six points so far, but it's all on jump shots. Speaking of jumpers, A.D. Vassallo nailed a three for Tech and Danny Green answered at the other end with a layup and foul. He'll shoot a freebie after the TV timeout, but right now it's 16-15 Hokies.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - There have already been a lot of whistles at the start of this one, but when the teams are actually playing, UNC and Va. Tech have been trading baskets and are tied at seven. It's clearly a pro-Carolina crowd in the building, but the Hokies aren't letting that affect them so far.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - We're almost ready to tip off the first ACC semifinal, between top seed North Carolina and No. 4 Virginia Tech. Today marks the first time since 2002 that the top four seeds have advanced to the semifinals.

When these two teams last met on Feb. 16, the Tar Heels brought one of their best defensive efforts of the year. It was a 39-point win for Carolina and a game the Hokies -- who trailed by as many as 47 -- would probably rather forget. And since UNC will have Ty Lawson this time around, who knows how ugly it could get?

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - As it was in the other two games between these teams this season, Florida State's Jason Rich was the top scorer (with 23 points) but it wasn't enough to help the Seminoles against the nation's No. 1 team. North Carolina got big games from Tyler Hansbrough (22 points) and Wayne Ellington (19) and didn't have much of a problem getting itself a 82-67 win.

The Tar Heels did a great job of taking care of the basketball in the second half, and without any mistakes to take advantage of, the Seminoles simply couldn't keep up with UNC's talent.

Up next is Virginia Tech against Miami in the 4/5 game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - As it was in the other two games between these teams this season, Florida State's Jason Rich was the top scorer (with 23 points) but it wasn't enough to help the Seminoles against the nation's No. 1 team. North Carolina got big games from Tyler Hansbrough (22 points) and Wayne Ellington (19) and didn't have much of a problem getting itself a 82-70 win.

The Tar Heels did a great job of taking care of the basketball in the second half, and without any mistakes to take advantage of, the Seminoles simply couldn't keep up with UNC's talent.

Up next is Virginia Tech against Miami in the 4/5 game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It's starting to look like Carolina is wearing down Florida State. The Seminoles were so focused on getting Tyler Hansbrough to miss a minute ago that nobody boxed out shooting guard Wayne Ellington, who got the tip-in. That basket put UNC up by 12, though FSU hasn't yet thrown in the towel -- every time Carolina scores, the Noles seem to answer and put the lead back under double digits.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - That's not booing you here at Bobcats Arena. It's the many Carolina fans joining in on a chorus of "Q" -- in honor of senior point guard Quentin Thomas, who just dropped in a left-handed finger roll to put the Tar Heels up by 10, 48-38, with 13 minutes to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - North Carolina didn't get a field goal in the second half until Tyler Hansbrough got himself an and-one call at the 16:08 mark (a call that could have gone either way, honestly). But FSU isn't lighting it up either, and the Heels have a 41-32 edge at the moment. I'm still predicting that things get chippy inside at some point. Hansbrough and Ryan Reid are two large men intent on throwing their bodies into one another forcefully, and a the officials are letting a lot of it go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Roy Williams took his jacket off (translation: "I'm dadgum angry!") and had quite a long discussion with the officials in the last TV timeout but appears to have calmed down now. He is still rocking it Phil Collins style (i.e. No Jacket Required) and the Tar Heels have a 35-28 lead at halftime. Jason Rich, who seems to always play well against UNC, leads all scorers with 11 points, but Wayne Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough have eight apiece for Carolina.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Marcus Ginyard isn't known as much of a shooter from outside, but when he does let one go, it often finds the mark. Mainly that's because he is extremely selective with his three balls, hitting 42 percent for the year. He just nailed one that broke a 20-20 tie that seemed to be lasting forever.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - This game is probably a lot closer than most of the blue-clad folks in the building would like right now. Florida State was up by as many as six points before Carolina came back to take a slim lead. It's 18-16 right now with 11:32 remaining in the first half. And it is pretty physical as well. The refs are blowing the whistle plenty, but they're also letting lots of stuff go. If the game stays this close, it would not be a surprise to see tempers flare at some point.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Florida State has an early 7-6 lead, and UNC coach Roy Williams has plenty of complaints aimed at the officials. Williams is mad that Tyler Hansbrough is getting fouled under the basket and no calls are being made because Hansbrough still scores. While he definitely had some legit gripes, you'd think he would be used to it by now, since this has happened to Psycho T for, oh, about the last three years.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - We're minutes from tipoff here at Bobcats Arena, which is notably partisan this afternoon because top-seeded North Carolina is facing No. 9-seed Florida State. The Heels swept the Seminoles in the regular season and the crowd here is obviously hoping for more of the same. Except for one thing: Ty Lawson and injuries. Lawson sprained his ankle in the first FSU matchup (keeping him out several weeks) and got a hip pointer in the rematch at Chapel Hill.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- This time there was no blood and no last-second mayhem. But there was also no Ty Lawson for North Carolina. That was certainly a factor in No. 2 Duke stealing a game on their arch-rival's floor, beating No. 3 North Carolina 89-78 on Wednesday night at the Smith Center.

Still, North Carolina's coach and his players didn't blame their loss on missing Lawson.

They blamed it on giving way to many open looks to the Blue Devils, who took full advantage, knocking down shots all night and getting six scorers in double figures.

Duke's offense is successful when players can drive and kick out for open looks, and they did it all night against UNC, which couldn't seem to stop dribble penetration. When the help came, that left somebody open.

In more than a few instances that somebody was point guard Greg Paulus, who scored all of his 18 points from beyond the arc, where he was 6 for 8.

The Blue Devils hit 13 threes in all, hitting at almost a 45-percent rate.

"We did a poor job of defending the ball," UNC forward Marcus Ginyard said. "Obviously, they're a great shooting team, so the lack of ability to guard the ball really hurt us."

That ability to put the ball in the basket helped the Blue Devils (20-1, 8-0 in the ACC) offset another huge game by UNC forward Tyler Hansbrough, who finished with 28 points and 18 rebounds.

But every time Carolina looked like it was going to make a move, the Blue Devils -- who led for the entire second half -- answered with either a stop or a big bucket.

"This is a game where there are so many points where the game can go the other way," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "It just seemed like when it was going to turn, one of our guys made a play."

While the media picked UNC to win the league in the preseason, Duke is now in the driver's seat in the ACC race now that it's two up on the Heels in the loss column.

"It's a good win for us," Paulus said. "It's a big ACC win, and it's an even bigger win doing it on someone else's home court. It's a good sign for us, and hopefully we can keep it going. We don't want to stop there. We want to keep building on it and keep getting better."

Of course, the season-ending matchup in Durham should be an exciting one, assuming Lawson is healthy and the Tar Heels are back to their top offensive speed.

"They ran their stuff a little differently," Duke's Gerald Henderson said. "Their transition wasn't as fast because of him. He's a real jet, so it's unfortunate that he's hurt. (But) we still had to go out there and execute our game plan and not worry about him not being in the game."

The Blue Devils did just that. And in the process they showed that right now they're the team to beat in the ACC.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 12:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Maybe those students were right, sort of. Carolina certainly made it interesting by pressuring Duke in the backcourt. A Danny Green three after a Duke turnover cut the lead to five with 54 seconds to go. But that's as close as the Tar Heels would get, as Duke hung on for an 89-78 win.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Tar Heels still can't buy a bucket. Wayne Ellington had a three go just about all the way down before jumping back out of the basket. Hansbrough is missing free throws. And Duke is in full stall mode. Things are certainly looking good for the Blue Devils, up nine with two minutes to play.

In typical Carolina fashion, a good portion of the crowd is starting to filter out, prompting the student section to start a chant of "Game's not over."

But it sure looks like it is.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Greg Paulus has had an unbelievable shooting night for the Blue Devils.

After UNC cut the Duke lead to six and starting feeling a little momentum, Paulus bagged a fall-away three-pointer in front of his own bench to push the lead back to nine. It wasn't the first fall-away he has hit from beyond the arc tonight, where he has been nearly perfect.

With an eight-point lead, Duke is now content to slow things down and milk some clock. If UNC has any tricks up its sleeve, now is the time to use them.

UPDATE: Deon Thompson just fouled out of the game with 4:26 to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- When the Tar Heels are passing it to Hansbrough, they look a heck of a lot better on offense. Duke can't seem to stop him -- but in the Devils' defense, not many teams have -- and Carolina has gotten the big man the ball on the last two possessions.

The result?

Two baskets. It's still a five-point Duke lead, but those scores were enough to prompt Coach K to call a timeout and discuss with his team how to slow down UNC's big man.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Tar Heels are getting Duke to miss, but they're not taking advantage.

Instead, turnovers and missed shots are all Carolina is getting at the offensive end, allowing Duke to hang on to a seven-point lead. This is where not having Lawson really hurts UNC. Ginyard just can't do the things that Lawson can do, and neither can Thomas, though the Heels seem to fare better when the senior is in.

That said, Thomas just committed a turnover and foul, and the Blue Devils don't look like they're going to give up this lead no matter how many shots they miss.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Bad news for the Tar Heels: Deon Thompson, who combined with Tyler Hansbrough to go 13-of-18 in the first half (mostly Psycho T, though), picked up a pair of cheap fouls within 30 seconds. The second of the two was his fourth of the game, which could hurt UNC's inside advantage.

North Carolina trails, 55-51, at the moment and absolutely must get it to Hansbrough, who had 18 points at the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The crowd here, which hit a HUGE lull when Duke opened up a decent lead, woke up a bit as the Tar Heels did some work in the final two minutes of the half. Thanks to a pair of Ginyard free throws and consecutive buckets by Tyler Hansbrough, the Tar Heels pulled within three, 42-39 at the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Some fans here at the Smith Center have begun holding up VCU shirts -- the Rams knocked Duke out of last year's NCAA tourney -- when the Blue Devils shoot free throws. But other than that little bit of enjoyment, it hasn't been great fun for the Carolina fans, as their team went down by nine.

The Blue Devils are trying to get to Marcus Ginyard with a full-court press, and it seems to have had at least some affect on the fill-in point guard (normally a forward). Ginyard did hit a big three, though, to keep things from getting too bad. But as it stands, Duke is up by 10 -- the first double-digit lead of the game.

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

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Duke broke the tie with back-to-back threes and then added another after a Quentin Thomas layup, and suddenly the Blue Devils had a seven-point lead.

While Duke is killing it from outside, Roy Williams is starting to show a little frustration with a few of Thomas' passing decisions. But UNC has been tough on defense inside the arc and are going to the line -- after a timeout -- to try to cut into Duke's 27-22 lead.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Duke briefly took a one-point lead on a three-pointer from Nolan Smith after a UNC turnover, but Deon Thompson answered back quickly with a jump shot to put UNC back on top.

Thompson and Hansbrough scored 16 of Carolina's first 18 points, proving that even with Lawson out, the focus will be to get the ball inside. But Jon Scheyer hit a three that just tied the game at 18 and quieted this crowd a bit.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The fans here are booing just about everything that Gerald Henderson does (except when he missed a jumper on Duke's second possession). But hostilities aside, this is already shaping up to be quite a game.

While the Carolina offense hasn't looked perfect, and the Heels really haven't gotten out in transition, Thomas appears to be handling himself fine. And UNC's big men are having their way underneath against the smaller Blue Devils.

Duke, though, is doing its usual good job from the outside. Thanks to a pair of threes, they trail the Tar Heels by just two, 12-10 five minutes in.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- With just 15 minutes to go before tipoff, we just got an update: UNC sophomore point guard Ty Lawson will not play. That means Quentin Thomas will get the start against a Duke defense that leads the league in steals.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The Duke-North Carolina rivalry is always guaranteed to be a big game, and it's even bigger with the Blue Devils ranked second in the country and the Tar Heels checking in at No. 3. But for all the things we know about this rivalry, there is one lingering question tonight here at the Smith Center: Will UNC point guard Ty Lawson play?

Carolina coach Roy Williams has said Lawson won't go unless he's at least 90 percent, but it's hard to keep a kid out of this rivalry game if he really wants to play. If Lawson doesn't go, it will be senior Quentin Thomas, who played 36 minutes in relief of Lawson in a win against Florida State the other day.

The good news for the Tar Heels (21-1, 6-1 in the ACC) is that Thomas' cumulative stats against the Blue Devils (19-1, 7-0) in the last two years are: 29 minutes, eight assists and one turnover. But there's a huge difference between spot duty and 40 minutes of handling Duke's pressure.

The other big question coming in to tonight's game is what kind of reception Gerald Henderson will receive (Hint: It won't be a warm one). After Henderson's flying elbow broke Tyler Hansbrough's nose last season, unleashing a torrent of blood onto the floor of the Dean Dome, you can bet the Tar Heel faithful will be targeting him from the get-go.

Other than that, what is there to say with a little more than an hour to go before tipoff? Carolina has won three straight games in this rivalry, but once the ball tips, all bets are off.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:50 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)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Coming off its final non-conference game Wednesday against UNC-Asheville, No. 1 North Carolina had no problem demolishing in-state rival N.C. State Saturday afternoon, as the Tar Heels surged out to a 30-point lead at halftime and finished with a dominating 93-62 victory at the Dean Dome.

It's UNC's biggest win over the Wolfpack since a 104-58 victory on Feb. 6, 1993, and the 13 points given up by UNC in the first half is the fewest allowed in a half since Virginia scored 12 in the second half on Feb. 11, 1998.

The Tar Heels, in the meantime, are 17-0 for the first time since 1997-98, as Roy Williams improves to 14-1 (9-1 at home) against N.C. State as a head coach.

Deon Thompson tallied a career-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, and Danny Green had one of his best games of the season with 13 points, 14 rebounds (a career-high), six assists and four blocks.

Tyler Hansbrough passed four players -- Duke's Art Heyman and Grant Hill and UNC's Phil Ford and Sam Perkins -- in ACC history for free throws made (7-for-8 today and 564-for-736 for his career) as the junior power guard posted his ninth double-double of the season and 25th of his career with 13 points and 13 rebounds. To this point, Hansbrough has tallied 1,647 points and ranks 17th all-time in school history after moving past Kenny Smith (1,636) this afternoon.

In the backcourt, Ty Lawson set a career-high with four three-pointers and finished the game with 16 points, five assists, two steals and no turnovers, while Wayne Ellington, who was the hero in the Tar Heels' last-second win at Clemson last Sunday, dropped in 13 on 4-of-9 shooting to go along with two rebounds, two assists and three steals.

For N.C. State, junior guard Courtney Fells led the way in making seven of his 14 shots for 16 points and added three assists and two steals to his stat line. Freshman forward J.J. Hickson was the only other Wolfpack player to tally double-digit points, recording 14 on only 5-of-16 shooting in addition to eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

Now that I've given a run-down of the numbers, I'll have a more in-depth look at the game and both teams in Hang Time, so make sure to look for that column over there. And of course, we'll be back tomorrow night from Cameron Indoor Stadium as we watch No. 9 Duke open up ACC play against Virginia, so make sure to stop back here for all your in-game commentary and analysis.

Until then, have a pleasant afternoon and evening everyone.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- With one minute and change left, the reserves have just entered the game for North Carolina as Tyler Hansbrough and the rest of the UNC starters get a standing ovation from the Tar Heel faithful.

Right now, it's North Carolina reserves 3, N.C. State 0, as J.B. Tanner hit a three from the left wing that got the crowd roaring as time winds down here at the Dean Dome.

With the buzzer sounding, it's No. 1 North Carolina with a 93-62 win.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- With about four minutes remaining in this one, North Carolina fans are heading for the exits with their team extending its lead to 33 over N.C. State at 86-53.

The Tar Heel mascot, in the meantime, is crowd surfing in the student section near the floor, and the band continues to play the UNC fight song.

Roy Williams has yet to take out his starters, but you can bet that they'll be coming out shortly with the Wolfpack standing no chance against a deeper and more talented team.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- We're at the eight-minute mark in the second half here at the Dean Dome, and it's North Carolina still holding on to its 30-point margin over N.C. State at 73-43.

While you can add another one to the win column for the Tar Heels, which will improve to 17-0, the only thing that's left to see is how many baskets the Wolfpack can make before the final buzzer sounds.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Courtney Fells knocked a three from the right corner to cut the lead to 63-35, but Ty Lawson came right back down the floor and answered with a three of his own.

J.J. Hickson, meanwhile, just air-balled a jumper, but the Wolfpack have started to get things together with a layup and dunk on back-to-back possessions.

Maybe I spoke too soon, as Wayne Ellington just hit a wide-open three in the corner to put Carolina back up by 30.

So much for the nail-biter that at least some of us were expecting today...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- N.C. State just matched its entire first-half output at 16:16 in the second half, as No. 1 North Carolina leads, 55-26.

The Wolfpack have started to make some shots early on, and that should bode well for Sidney Lowe's team, which, to borrow an old NBA Jam saying, couldn't buy a bucket in the first half.

And if they keep it up, they just might be able to reach the 43 points that UNC put up on them in the first half.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- We're at halftime here at the Dean Dome and inside the media room you can overhear the banter going back and forth between us reporters about the pathetic first-half shooting from N.C. State, which trails No. 1 North Carolina, 43-13.

As I mentioned before in my previous post, the Wolfpack couldn't get anything to fall, going on a 11 1/2 minute-drought as North Carolina rattled off 23 unanswered points.

Looking at the scoring sheet that was just handed out, it's sophomore forward Deon Thompson who is leading all scorers with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Tyler Hansbrough has tallied nine to go along with a game-high 10 rebounds, and we'll probably see the junior from Poplar Bluff, Mo., getting his usual double-double.

In the backcourt, Wayne Ellington has dropped in eight points, with four of them coming from the charity stripe, and Danny Green has tallied seven in addition to eight boards.

Ty Lawson surprisingly has been held scoreless despite taking four shots from the field and getting to the basket at will, as North Carolina holds a 31-17 rebounding edge.

For N.C. State, freshman stud J.J. Hickson is leading the way with a meager five points on a dismal 2-of-9 shooting, and it wasn't much better for the entire Wolfpack team, which shot 17.6 percent (6-of-34) in the first half. UNC, on the other side, knocked down 42.9 percent of its shots -- hence, the 30-point lead at the break.

But enough with the numbers as we get ready for half No. 2, and we sure hope that N.C. State can at least make this one somewhat respectable.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- You can all but chalk up a win for No. 1 North Carolina with three minutes to go in the first half as the Tar Heels lead, 39-11, over N.C. State at the Dean Dome.

One of my colleagues sitting next to me just mentioned that it's been 23 unanswered points (at the moment) for North Carolina, as N.C. State has not scored a point since J.J. Hickson's jumper from the left wing at 11:33.

The Wolfpack finally just scored at 1:10 left on a basket from Courtney Fells, and the Tar Heel faithful cheered almost as loud as they do for a UNC basket.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- N.C. State has really struggled shooting the ball from the perimeter in this first half at the Dean Dome, and the Wolfpack currently trail No. 1 North Carolina, 23-11, with 7:42 left in the first 20 minutes of play.

Here's a little trivia that they just threw up on the scoreboard for the fans:

Who did Carolina defeat to earn Dean Smith's record-breaking 877th career win?

a. Duke
b. Colorado
c. Kentucky
d. Michigan State

My gut wanted to tell me that it was Kentucky, but after a little research (thank you Google), I found out it was Big 12 foe Colorado.

On the court, N.C. State continues to have its problems taking care of the ball, while North Carolina has remained persistent in attacking the rim and getting easy looks inside for Tyler Hansbrough and Deon Thompson.

After a pair of Wayne Ellington free throws at the 6:14-mark, it's North Carolina in control, 29-11.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina has put a little distance between itself and N.C. State with 12 minutes left to go in the first half, as the Tar Heels lead, 16-9.

In looking around the stadium, it's hard to find an open seat, as this one is certainly sold-out. In fact, while walking up to the Dean Dome, I took notice of all the scalpers hoping to sell a ticket for God knows how much. There were, however, plenty of UNC fans standing outside the arena looking for tickets, as we all know that down in the Tar Heel State, there's nothing more exciting than a little rivalry game between two premiere college basketball programs.

But back to the game, where Danny Green just picked up a loose ball at the other end and hit Marcus Ginyard in transition for a layup and foul. Ginyard hit the free throw and the Tar Heels lead, 21-11, with 10 minutes remaining.

Timeout N.C. State.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Both teams have really gotten after it in the early going of this ACC matchup, as the score is knotted at 5-5 with 17 minutes remaining in the first half.

Preseason Player of the Year favorite Tyler Hansbrough has struggled early from the floor, missing one of his two free throws and missing a jumper from the left wing.

N.C. State, in the meantime, hasn't been able to finish around the rim, but neither has Hansbrough, who's going up against a quality big man in freshman J.J. Hickson.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- We welcome you from the Dean Dome, where today No. 1 North Carolina takes on in-state rival N.C. State in an ACC showdown.

The Tar Heels are coming off a 93-81 victory over UNC-Asheville Wednesday night and are looking to go 2-0 in conference play after surviving against Clemson last Sunday on a last-second three by Wayne Ellington. With a win today, UNC can tie the 17-0 start that the 1998 team had. The perfect 15-0 mark in non-conference play, meanwhile, is only the fifth time in the last 50 years at North Carolina that a Tar Heel squad has run through its preseason slate undefeated.

Roy Williams has said that his team has been fortunate to win all of its recent games, and UNC will certainly need to play well against the Wolfpack, who is still learning to cope with the loss of starting point guard Farnold Degand. The sophomore was averaging 6.9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 28.6 minutes for Sidney Lowe's squad until tearing his ACL and that will leave Javier Gonzalez and Marques Johnson to share the point spot today against the Heels.

The Wolfpack have won their last seven games after a 75-69 loss to Conference USA bottom-dweller East Carolina on Dec. 8 and the 54-29 thrashing over N.C. Central Wednesday night should have Lowe and his players feeling a little more confident coming into such a hostile environment.

As they always say, it's never easy playing on the road in college basketball, but especially in the ACC. Anyway, here's the tip...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- All off-season, Wayne Ellington had to remember the shot he missed against Georgetown in North Carolina's NCAA Regional loss last year. Now he's got a new memory to replace it with.

This one was a last-second three-pointer that gave his No. 1 Tar Heels a 90-88 overtime win against No. 19 Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Continue reading "Ellington Saves Day For No. 1 UNC" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Wayne Ellington hit a three-pointer with four-tenths of a second left to give No. 1 North Carolina a 90-88 overtime victory against Clemson. UNC's Ty Lawson hit a pair of free throws with 49 seconds remaining, and then Clemson's Demontez Stitt matched him with 13.9 seconds to go to give Clemson an 88-87 lead in overtime. Roy Williams called timeout with 5.4 seconds left to set up a play, and Wayne Ellington buried the three.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Clemson is up by one here in overtime, but North Carolina has the ball after a loose-ball scramble that resulted in Ty Lawson calling a timeout while Wayne Ellington had the ball. This one looks like it could come down to the last shot, though two minutes is still a long ways to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- We're headed to overtime. After yet another Clemson missed free throw, Danny Green came down and buried a three-pointer to pull UNC within one, 81-80 with 1:37 to go. With a minute to go, Tyler Hansbrough went to the line and missed one before hitting the second to tie the game at 81. At the other end, Hansbrough drew a charge and suddenly the Tar Heels controlled their own destiny with 47 seconds to go. But Wayne Ellington missed and at the other end, a flurry of putback attempts rolled off the rim.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- You can taste the upset in the air now. Clemson leads, 76-70, with 3:41 to play and James Mays headed to the free-throw line after the TV timeout. Roy Williams looks flustered and frustrated with his North Carolina team, and the crowd here isn't doing the Tar Heels any favors.

UNC's offense can't get going inside -- Tyler Hansbrough has just nine points -- and there are no fast-break points to be had right now. This place is less than four minutes from breaking out in madness.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Missed free throws are killing Clemson right now. The Tigers have missed nine in the game, including three of five here in the second half, yet they still lead North Carolina, 70-67. K.C. Rivers is hot right now, having just bagged another three-pointer, but if UNC gets its break going in the final seven minutes, those misses at the line might come back to haunt Clemson.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- This game continues to get more and more physical, which about two weeks ago, might have favored the Tar Heels and their extensive depth. But with Alex Stepheson in California with an ill family member and Bobby Frasor lost for the season, UNC's depth has been depleted. That means Roy Williams' team will have to suck it up in a hostile environment if they hope to overcome Clemson's four-point lead midway through the second half and stay undefeated.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- These teams seem to love starting off halves at breakneck pace. Clemson came out with a big dunk by Trevor Booker before UNC rattled off six quick points in less than a minute. Carolina guard Wayne Ellington already has scored seven points in the opening four minutes of the second half, but the Tigers have been relentless and now own a 54-49 lead.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- The orange-clad crowd sporting the shirts that say O.P.P. -- Oliver Purnell's Posse -- are extremely excited at the half, and with good reason. K.C. Rivers scored the last basket of the half, and Clemson went into the locker room leading the No. 1 Tar Heels, 41-38.

Neither team is shooting great, but Carolina was also unable to capitalize on any of Clemson's misses for its usual fast-break offense. Despite the Tigers shooting 37.5 percent, the Tar Heels had just six fast-break points. Meanwhile, Clemson was able to score 15 points off of nine UNC turnovers. Clemson could really be in control of this game had it not missed six of 14 free-throw attempts in the first half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- At one point, Clemson led, 22-18, but since then the Tar Heels have gone on an 11-1 run and now lead by six. That forced Oliver Purnell to take a timeout to try to rally his troops. One thing North Carolina will have to watch out for, though, is foul trouble. Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green each have a pair of fouls so far.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- The good news for North Carolina is that Quentin Thomas is back after a two-game absence with an ankle sprain. The bad news is he isn't handling Clemson's press as well as Ty Lawson did since entering the game. But the Tar Heels have gotten their big men some touches and now have a narrow lead, 16-15, here at Littlejohn.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- The start to this game has been ridiculously fast. Ridiculously. With Clemson trying to press in the backcourt and UNC point guard Ty Lawson breaking the press almost single-handedly, the teams have been trading layups for the first four minutes, with the exception of a K.C. Rivers' three-pointer that has the Tigers up, 13-10, at the first TV timeout.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Last season, Clemson started out 17-0 before fading in conference play and falling short of the NCAA Tournament. In 2007-08, the No. 19 Tigers are 12-1 and have a perfect opportunity to make a statement in conference play. But it won't be easy since that statement will have to be made at the expense of top-ranked North Carolina.

Continue reading "Clemson Looks To Prove Itself vs. UNC" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Roy Williams wasn't interested in staying long after to speak with the media about tonight's convincing 93-71 victory over an overmatched Rutgers team with a sold-out crowd of 8,312 at the RAC, but the North Carolina coach is happy to be headed back home with a 9-0 record and seven straight road victories.

"We feel very fortunate," he said to the handful of reporters that stuck around after Rutgers coach Fred Hill's press conference. "We got them to turn the ball over, and [we] turned it into points at the other end that got us such a working margin that made it hard for them to come back from."

But Williams was also quick to credit a Rutgers team that held the Tar Heels to 42.5 percent from the field for the game.

"I loved Fred's kids," he continued. "They never stopped trying to play, and they competed the whole time."

Sophomore Ty Lawson certainly competed during the 30 minutes of floor time that he saw tonight, dropping in a game-high 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting (2-of-5 from three-point range) in addition to six rebounds, five assists and four steals.

"In the first half, he was aggressive and did a great job defensively," Williams said of his standout point guard. "He's having a heck of a year for us. When he attacks the basket, he helps us get some easy baskets, and he also has the ability defensively to really bother the other teams' [point] guard and stop dribble penetration, so he's really having a good year for us."

Preseason Player of the Year favorite Tyler Hansborough came in behind Lawson on the scoring sheet with 20 points and 11 rebounds (and yes, I did predict that he would finish with that mark in my halftime post) but left the game with five minutes left after suffering a mild concussion when he fell to the floor and hit his head on a photographer's knee underneath Rutgers' basket.

"It's the first time in college basketball that a guy has got a concussion with no foul called, " Williams said with a few chuckles from his audience, "and that better be all I say."

The junior forward, however, looked to be relatively fine as he packed up his belongings in the North Carolina locker room and shared his thoughts on the Tar Heels' long stretch away from home.

"It just shows some toughness on our part," Hansbrough said about the seven straight road games. "This is a tough atmosphere, and Coach really pushed us to play hard. I think we worked off of that."

Going up against the 6-foot-9 UNC big man was Hamady Ndiaye, who finished with a game-high four blocks, which ups his season total to 91, to go along with seven rebounds and three points.

In the backcourt, freshman Corey Chandler was the biggest bright spot for Rutgers, finishing with a team-high 23 points and eight rebounds despite committing six turnovers.

"Corey is an extremely talented, athletic and quick kid," Rutgers coach Fred Hill offered about his 6-foot-2 point guard. "He's a scorer and has a scorer's mentality. Certainly you can see he has great ability and great talent. When he figures everything out he's going to be an outstanding player and scorer for us."

Anthony Farmer was Rutgers' other double-digit scorer with 17 points, but between the Tar Heels' defensive physicality and offensive efficiency, the Scarlet Knights never had much of a chance to test UNC's poise in a hostile and rowdy environment.

"There is a reason why they are ranked No. 1 in the country," Hill said of the Tar Heels. "That's an extremely talented ball club. They have great players at every position and great depth. They're a really hard team to slow down. The game plan was to control tempo, but that's a very difficult thing to do. We did it to the best of our ability, but that's a very deep and talented team."

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.C. -- Rutgers is trying to make this one a ball game with less than three minutes to play and the Scarlet Knights still trailing by double digits at 84-69. The Tar Heels, after all, will up its record to 9-0 when the final buzzer sounds in two minutes, and Roy Williams and company will be able to leave central New Jersey feeling pretty good about its upcoming home games against Nicholls State, UC Santa Barbara, Nevada, Valparaiso and Kent State.

Rutgers, in the meantime, will look to rebound with a couple of home games next week against Rider and Manhattan before the Scarlet Knights beginning Big East play at USF on Jan. 2. And from the way Fred Hill's team played tonight, there's plenty of work to be done. But that's just my own take on the way things unfolded.

The final horn just sounded, and No. 1 North Carolina has captured a 93-71 victory. I'll be back with some post-game thoughts, notes and quotes after we hear both coaches and players talk.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- In what's been a blowout for much of the first 35 minutes of play, North Carolina has managed to suck all life out of a raucous Rutgers crowd at the RAC with a double-digit lead throughout the second half.

But Preseason Player of the Year favorite and current leader of CSTV.com's Wooden Watch Tyler Hansbrough has just gone down under the basket after going for a defensive rebound.

The junior forward a few minutes later got up under his own strength but walked directly to the locker room with a couple trainers at each side. I doubt Hansbrough will be coming back on the floor with the Tar Heels leading, 77-56, at the 5:27 mark in the second half, but we'll see what North Carolina coach Roy Williams has to say about his standout big man when he addresses the media during his post-game press conference.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- North Carolina fans who are in attendance here at the RAC are starting to make their voices heard with the Tar Heels holding a dominating 73-47 lead with under eight minutes remaining in the contest.

As I was mentioning earlier, the RAC has started to clear out with the Scarlet Knights not putting up much of a fight against the No. 1 team in the country, and it's something that I certainly expected in making the drive down from the Big Apple.

Out of a timeout, Rutgers managed to turn the ball over again, something they did on 10 occassions in the first half, and Wayne Ellington finished at the other end to push the Tar Heels' lead up to 75-47.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Danny Green was pretty quiet in the first half after playing only seven minutes, but the junior guard-forward combo has just hit back-to-back threes on consecutive possessions down the floor, and the Tar Heels are cruising here at a very quiet and slowly emptying RAC.

JR Inman has managed to pick it up for Rutgers, getting a layup underneath and then draining a three from beyond the arc to up his point total to seven for the game, but the junior forward is going to do a lot more of that the rest of the way for Rutgers to even slice a 25-point lead in half.

With the way the Scarlet Knights keep missing layups in transition, though, that's even unlikely to happen. With 11 minutes remaining, UNC is way up, 69-42.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- At the 16:19 mark after halftime, No. 1 North Carolina has come out with the same firepower in the second half as it did in the first half, and the Tar Heels have upped their lead to 55-30.

Fred Hill's team knew how much a challenge it was going to be to stay with Roy Williams' club for all 40 minutes, but the Scarlet Knights didn't even make it 10 minutes before UNC had a double-digit lead on them. Maybe that's asking too much from a team that doesn't start a senior, but JR Inman has seemed to be non-existent so far for Fred Hill, registering just two points (1-of-4 from the field), two assists, one block and no rebounds in the first half.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- We're at halftime here at the RAC, and it right now it's No. 1 North Carolina with a commanding 47-26 lead over Rutgers before the second half starts in 15 minutes or so.

The Tar Heels ended the first half on a strong note, stringing baskets together on consecutive possessions to push its lead past 20, while the Scarlet Knights struggled to gain confidence in its offensive sets, often settling for tough shots from the perimeter.

And Fred Hill's team has caught a few bad breaks here and there, too, after a basket after the buzzer was called off by the officials.

I finally got my hands on a stat sheet from Rutgers media relations, and it's North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson leading all players with a dazzling 19 points. The sophomore Clinton, Md., native has also collected five rebounds and dished out two dimes. Wayne Ellington is the other Tar Heel to hit double-digit points in the first half, as the 6-foot-4 sophomore has 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field. Tyler Hansbrough surprisingly only has eight points, but don't be surprised when the junior power forward collects his regular 20 and 10 by the end of the night. Half of those eight points came at the free throw line for Hansbrough, who also grabbed five rebounds in his first 18 minutes of action.

For Rutgers, freshman guard Corey Chandler is pacing the Scarlet Knights with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting in addition to five rebounds, and Anthony Farmer has tallied six points in his 17 minutes on the floor.

With both teams back in their layup lines, we get ready for the second half.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- With just over three minutes to go before halftime, No. 1 North Carolina leads Big East foe Rutgers, 34-23, at the RAC, and it's been some gritty play by the Tar Heels that has got it done in the first 17 minutes of action here.

Rutgers, however, is shooting itself in the foot with a handful of missed free throws, and between that and its struggles matching up with UNC's frontcourt on the glass, it could be a rather long second half for the Scarlet Knights.

Ty Lawson has just made his third steal at midcourt and laid up an easy two in addition to a foul. The sophomore point knocked down the free throw, and it's 39-23 with 2:24 remaining before recess.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Since I was telling you about my earlier encounters back in Southern California with North Carolina forward Deon Thompson, the 6-foot-8 sophomore has since blocked back-to-back shots for the Tar Heels and is showing his physicality and strength against a smaller Rutgers team.

Jaron Griffin, however, got the ball back on the left wing and was able to can a three to cut North Carolina's lead to 10. Seconds later, it's Ty Lawson again with a steal in the backcourt and an easy layup.

With 5:16 remaining, it's No. 1 North Carolina leading, 32-20.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers is really try to hang with No. 1 North Carolina in the early going of this nonconference matchup at the ever-vocal RAC in central New Jersey.

Ty Lawson now has the Tar Heels holding onto a double-digit lead after stealing the ball at midcourt and laying up an easy one. Deon Thompson, the Torrance, Calif., native who I actually got to cover during his high school days in Southern California, tipped back a shot on the previous possession, and it's been UNC who has controlled the glass early. Rebounding is something that Rutgers coach Fred Hill will want to discuss with his team at halftime, but when you're going up against the strong and powerful bodies of Hansbrough and Thompson, it's never an easy night on the glass.

With about eight minutes remaining, it's North Carolina 25-16.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- No. 1 North Carolina has pushed its lead out to 18-9 with 12:03 remaining in the first half, and it's been the other guys on UNC besides Tyler Hansbrough that have gotten it done early. Alex Stephen just hit a smooth-looking jump hook off the glass from the right block before Rutgers coach Fred Hill called a timeout to take about some things over with his team. Rutgers had some looks at the basket, but a missed dunk on the possession before Stephenson's basket hurt the Scarlet Knights' chances of cutting into the Tar Heels' early lead.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Both teams started slow in its first few possessions down the floor but are starting to find a little more rhythm from the perimeter.

Sophomore point Ty Lawson just stroked a three from the right wing to give North Carolina a 5-2 lead, and Marcus Ginyard has added a pair of free throws to have the Tar Heels out in front by five with 16:21 left.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Hello everybody from the RAC, where tonight we see the Rutgers Scarlet Knights welcome the No. 1 team in the country in North Carolina on a cold and windy Sunday night in central New Jersey. It's certainly cold for this Los Angeles native, as I'm making my first visit to the RAC, a place that I've been told a lot about since I moved to the New York area a little over a year ago.

And though it hosts a better women's program than it does a men's, the RAC is still an intimidating place for any visitor to play in. Luckily for North Carolina, this will mark the sixth straight game that the Tar Heels have played away from the Smith Center. UNC, in fact, has only played two games at home so far this season in wins over Iona and South Carolina State in the opening rounds of the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Invitational, so the Tar Heels definitely know how to win when they're not in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Scarlet Knights, in the meantime, have started the season at 7-3 and are coming off a 65-55 victory over NJIT just up Highway I-95 at the Prudential Center (or the Rock as it's often referred to as) in Newark. Corey Chandler was the big scorer for Rutgers on that night, as the 6-foot-2 freshman guard tallied 15 points on 9-of-9 shooting from the free throw line. Junior forward JR Inman notched his seventh double-double of the season with 14 points and team-best 13 rebounds, and sophomore center Hamady Ndiaye, the Big East leader in blocked shots (seventh in the nation), issued four rejections against the Highlanders.

The Tar Heels, on the other hand, have yet to lose this season at 8-0 and have claimed the No. 1 ranking in the AP pol for every week this season. Roy Williams' ball club is off to its best start since the 1998-99 season, when it also began the year at 8-0. The last team to start the year better was the previous year, when North Carolina reached the Final Four. And with the way Tyler Hansbrough has been leading the way with 21.4 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, the Tar Heels could just top that mark with a win here tonight against Fred Hill's Scarlet Knights. But UNC hasn't played a game since Dec. 4, when the Tar Heels stomped on Penn, 106-71, in the City of Brotherly Love, so for all of you watching this game on the Worldwide Leader right now, don't be surprised if North Carolina has to shake off a little rust before blowing it open on Rutgers.

But enough with all the babbling. The tip is here, so let's watch some good old-fashioned roundball.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Usually when Tyler Hansbrough has a big game, it bodes well for North Carolina. But against Kentucky, it seems like the worse Hansbrough's numbers look the better they fare against the Wildcats.

Hansbrough was just 2-of-8 from the floor -- though he did hit 10-of-12 free-throw attempts -- but Danny Green came to the rescue with 20 points off the bench to help the top-ranked Tar Heels to a 86-77 win at Rupp Arena.

Continue reading "Green Leads UNC To Win Off Bench" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 05:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Wildcats got as close as nine points in the final five seconds, but honestly it wasn't that close a game. As the last two minutes ticked off the clock, there wasn't much to do but listen to the woman sitting behind us complain rather loudly and try to figure out whether or not she was related to Kentucky's Patrick Patterson (she seemed to have a vested interest in him being in the game or not, being called for fouls, etc.).

Anyway, when it was all said and done, the Tar Heels stayed perfect on the season with a 86-77 win.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Carolina's lead is still comfortably in double digits, but Roy Williams is not happy with some of what he's seeing. And the crowd here is certainly not happy with the calls that keep going against the Wildcats.

Bobby Frasor appears to have his shooting touch back after an 0-for-5 night in UNC's last outing. He just hit another three to make it 75-56 before UK responded with a quick bucket of its own.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The crowd here got fired up when freshman Alex Legion was announced into the game. Then they booed heartily when he got yanked less than a minute later. Again, cheers when he returned seconds after that. Maybe Billy Gillispie is just bored and messing with the home fans.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- In the first post of the day for this game, I said how my cab driver thought this would be a blowout in favor of the Tar Heels. He's looking smarter by the moment. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Bobby Frasor capped a 13-0 UNC run and the Heels now lead 57-40.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- As predicted, those four fouls in the first half would come back to haunt Perry Stevenson. He just checked into the game and promptly fouled Tyler Hansbrough, so he is gone with 15:56 remaining in the game. That's one less body to keep UNC's big man in check, so we'll see how that changes the game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- North Carolina's starters shot just 5-of-24 in the first half -- making Danny Green's 12 points off the bench all the more important -- but they seem to be getting it together at the start of the second half. Deon Thompson and Wayne Ellington already each have a pair of buckets, Tyler Hansbrough hit a jumper and Ty Lawson just had a steal and layup to make it 50-39 Tar Heels three and a half minutes into the second.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lexington, Ky. -- Kentucky's Joe Crawford hit a 3-pointer a moment ago that made him the latest UK player to hit 1,000 career points. And the even better news for 'Cats fans is that they pulled within three points with less than two minutes to go in the half before Danny Green (who else?) got a rebound and bucket to push the UNC lead back to five. But Green couldn't bag a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, so the Tar Heels lead 37-32 at the break.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 03:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- After a couple of Kentucky three-pointers got the crowd reinvigorated, UNC reserve Danny Green quickly quieted them back down. Green hit back-to-back three-pointers and has scored eight straight for the Tar Heels, who lead 35-27 with 2:40 left in the half.

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Hopefully Billy Gillispie didn't have big second-half plans for forward Perry Stevenson. The big man fouled Tyler Hansbrough at the 8:05 mark of the first half for...drum roll...his fourth foul of the game.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- With all that physical play, Carolina has drawn its fair share of fouls already in this one. Or unfair share if you believe the 23,000 fans here at Rupp Arena. The crowd has been enthusiastically making their feelings known to the referees -- especially since the Wildcats have eight fouls at the 11:40 mark and trail 13-9.

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

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- If Tyler Hansbrough is going to have a good showing against Kentucky, the Wildcats certainly aren't going to make it easy on him. In the first four minutes, Hansbrough has already been knocked to the floor twice and taken a shot to the face on an inbounds play. The good news for UNC is that he's already drawn three fouls in the process (none that resulted in any points for him, though). We're tied 7-7 right now.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 02:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- My cab driver this morning didn't seem to think Kentucky had much of a chance this afternoon with No. 1-ranked North Carolina visiting, but since driving me to my hotel doesn't qualify him as an expert, we'll just go ahead and assume that this matchup of the two winningest programs in NCAA history will be a good one.

Continue reading "Tar Heels Take No. 1 Ranking To Rupp Arena" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Though the final minutes have yet to tick away, many of the alumni faithful have already begun their mass exit after a tough defeat to the North Carolina Tar Heels. The Buckeyes fell 66-55 despite generating a 32-29 halftime lead, but in the end it was a streak of 17-straight misses from the floor that doomed them in the non-conference loss.

"We just had that 10-minute stretch in the second half where we couldn't score points." Ohio State's John Diebler said. "Against a team like that, you just can't do that."

Continue reading "No. 1 UNC Avoids Upset, Knocks Off Ohio State, 66-55" »

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- You know how I said the Buckeye faithful desperately needed something to cheer about? Well, they found it, and it was in the form of Diebler. Diebler and Lighty connected on back-to-back three-pointers to draw within eight points, then Diebler proceeded to take a breakaway all the way down the court and throw an emaphatic one-handed dunk to send the crowd into a frenzy. After the two traded buckets to draw a timeout, it's the Tar Heels 59, OSU 53 with just under four minutes left.

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 10:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Bad just doesn't explain the Buckeye's shooting woes this second half. Much like in their game against Texas A&M, they can't buy a basket. Ohio State has missed it's last 17 shots from the floor this half. Yes, I said 17. Ouch.

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Midway through the second half, it appears to be all UNC. The Tar Heels have come out of the half shooting the ball extremely well, while the Buckeyes have struggled to drain even the simplest of layups. With 11:31 left in the contest, UNC has a 49-40 lead.

Continue reading "Tar Heels Starting To Take Over" »

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Before I could get a chance to update my last post on Jon Diebler, he went and did it again. And then again. Ohio's leading scorer in high school drained two more treys to close out the first half, including a bank shot at the buzzer to hand the Buckeyes a 32-29 halftime lead.

Continue reading "At Halftime, It's Diebler Time: OSU 32, UNC 29" »

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 09:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- After miss firing on 31 of his first 35 shots from the floor this season, Ohio State freshman John Diebler couldn't have picked a better time to snap out of his slump. After nailing a trey to pull within one at 21-20, Diebler proceeded to fire off yet another basket on the Buckeyes' next possession, this time another deep trey on a fast break started by a Butler rebound. Instead of driving to the hoop for an easy layup, Diebler pulled up from 5-feet beyond the arc to hand Ohio State a 23-21 lead. The crowd at this arena is absolutely deafening, I've never heard it this loud before. Ever.

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- What was expected to be an offensive display has been anything but in the early going of this contest. This is largely due to the fact that neither team has shot well from the floor, but especially the Buckeyes. Ohio State is shooting just 20-percent from the floor at the mid-point of the opening half.

Continue reading "Buckeyes Struggling Offensivley" »

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- In front of the largest crowd all season, the Buckeyes have stormed out of the opening moments of the game with great defense and solid play from sophomore David Lighty, on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.

Continue reading "Packed Arena Spurs Early OSU Lead" »

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 09:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Tar Heels' Ty Lawson will not be in the starting lineup tonight, replaced by junior Bobby Frasor. Frasor has averaged 3.8 points this season in UNC's five wins.

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It may not have the same hype as last season's No. 3 Ohio State - No. 6 UNC matchup, but make no mistake about it, this year's ACC/Big Ten Challenge clash has the potential to be yet another high scoring affair. Both teams enter with high scoring offenses, and both are led by an abundance of talented youth.

Continue reading "Bucks Look To Avenge Last Year's 98-89 Loss" »

Posted by Matt Gottfried at 07:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Roy Williams hit the nail on the head in Saturday's post-game press conference.

"I thought it was ugly as all get out," Williams said of UNC's 73-63 win over BYU tonight. "The toughness is what you've got to have [in a game like this]...For a while we were playing football under our basket and football under the other basket."

Tonight's win over a good BYU team was 180 degrees from the vintage fast-breaking offensive showcase Carolina put on in a 99-82 victory over Old Dominion on Friday. And it was good for Carolina.

Continue reading "UNC Leaves Vegas With Very Different Wins" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- North Carolina got all it could handle from a very tough BYU squad but held on for a 73-63 victory to secure the Las Vegas Invitational title and likely its No. 1 ranking. Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 21 points while Wayne Ellington dropped in 15, including the clutch 3-pointer down the stretch that secured the victory.

Danny Green and Wayne Ellington earned All-Tournament honors while Tyler Hansbrough was named MVP. I'll check back in one more time after hitting up the press conference.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- After struggling all night from the field, Wayne Ellington picked a clutch time to find his stroke. With about two minutes left, he launched a shot from well behind the NBA 3-point line to give UNC a 67-61 lead, his first make in five attempts from long range.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Carolina holds a 64-61 lead with 2:46 to go. BYU is clearly not going to back down. This one's coming down to the wire.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Carolina almost just got two points without putting the ball in the hoop. Quentin Thomas drove the lane and drew a blocking foul, and the officials put up two points on the scoreboard after his shot missed. Of course this put BYU coach Dave Rose into fits. It's a good thing he was paying attention.

Had he not loudly protested, the refs probably wouldn't have reviewed the game tape to make the correction. In the mean time, BYU holds a 59-58 lead with about seven minutes left.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- I know it's only November, but this is starting to feel like a tournament game. Players are almost getting into fights battling for balls, the pro-Carolina crowd has gotten irate over some calls that went BYU's way and both teams are fighting back and forth in the post trading blows as Carolina holds a 51-50 lead with 11:30 to go. This game is shaping up to have a great finish. The only thing missing is the pep bands.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- While a basketball game has broken out at the Orleans Arena, the fans were just treated to the timeout entertainment antics of Roger Clamens, a ridiculous blow-up doll of a giant clam wearing a baseball uniform.

His act consisted primarily of playing fetch with a giant pearl and evidently eating a man. I love this town.

Meanwhile the game is tied at 46 and Tyler Hansbrough and BYU guard Ben Murdock almost got into a fight battling for a loose ball.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- It's taken BYU four minutes to turn a 38-31 halftime deficit into a 44-42 lead. Joe Tavernari just hit his sixth 3-pointer of the night to take the lead and force UNC Head Coach Roy Williams into taking a timeout. Trent Plaisted is leading the way for the BYU run with seven quick points during the run.

With Ty Lawson out for the game, Carolina could be in trouble.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- UNC SID Steve Kirschner just told me that Ty Lawson will likely not return to action tonight because of his rolled ankle.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- North Carolina goes into halftime with a 38-31 lead, but news is not all good for the Tar Heels. They've been able to slow down a fast-paced BYU attack primarily through forcing 13 turnovers. But they don't have an answer for Joe Tavernari who hit his fifth 3-pointer of the game at the buzzer to up his scoring total to 15.

Ty Lawson was still sitting in his warmups at halftime and we don't know yet if he'll be back in the second half. UNC SID Steve Kirschner says trainers will test his rolled ankle out at the half to determine if he can come back in the game. Bobby Frasor has filled in for most of Lawson's minutes with Quentin Thomas and Will Graves seeing extra time as well.

The Tar Heels obviously miss Lawson as they settled more into a halfcourt set than you normally see out of Carolina.

Tyler Hansbrough has been the top threat for UNC with 11 points, including 7-of-7 shooting from the line.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Neither team has kept up the torrid pace of the first five minutes as UNC holds a 31-25 lead with 3:29 left in the first half. With Ty Lawson on the sidelines it's a completely different game. Where it started with a run-and-gun style, both teams have settled into a halfcourt rhythm.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- The pace has slowed down a bit at the Orleans Arena as Carolina goes into the third media timeout holding a 26-21 lead over BYU with 7:53 left in the first half. As usual, the Heels are going early and often to Tyler Hansbrough who has nine points and two rebounds.

But Carolina can't find and answer for BYU star Joe Tavernari, who already has 12 points. Tavernari lit up Louisville for 29 and looks intent on campaigning for Most Outstanding Player honors.

As for Ty Lawson, he appears to be walking comfortably on his rolled ankle, but is still wearing his warmups on the sideline. It's not looking like he'll see any more action tonight.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- I just got an assist from Sports Illustrated writer Seth Davis who spoke with UNC SID Steve Kirschner about Ty Lawson's injury. The Carolina point guard rolled his ankle and is going to try to come back in. He just put his right shoe back on and walked down the tunnel to test it out.

Meanwhile, UNC has a 26-19 lead with 10:45 left in the first half.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Bad news for the Tar Heels. Starting point guard Ty Lawson is out of the game and icing his right ankle on the bench and does not look like he's coming back in. I'll check back in as we find out more details.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- As expected, North Carolina and BYU are lighting up the scoreboard early as the Tar Heels hold a 15-11 edge at the 14:27 mark. BYU runs the secondary break that Roy Williams has made famous at Kansas and Carolina, so neither team is using much of the shot clock. Deon Thompson has been the go-to guy for the Tar Heels with five points as he's looking for his first breakout game of the season.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- The anthem has been sung and Elvis is blaring over the loudspeakers, so that means we're about to tip off for the Las Vegas Invitational championship.

BYU enters the game fresh off an impressive win over sixth-ranked Louisville on Friday to face an even stiffer test against top-ranked North Carolina. Though it's the second of six straight games away from Chapel Hill for Carolina, tonight should feel like a home game with baby blue shirts filling most of the Orleans Arena.

For BYU, it's a chance to pull off another top 10 upset and truly enter the national spotlight. For Carolina, it's one of the first of a slew of tough non-conference matchups as trips to Ohio State and Kentucky are on the slate for next week.

Posted by Jason Owens at 10:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- In the end, it was a convincing win for UNC as it dropped Old Dominion, 99-82, to advance to face BYU in the Las Vegas Invitational final on Saturday. But Head Coach Roy Williams found some points for his Tar Heels to work on as they struggled to defend the Monarchs and came out with a 30-24 rebounding deficit.

"I think we had the effort," Williams said. "We have to be smarter and we have to anticipate more...We have to play defense early."

Continue reading "Williams: Heels Need To Play Smarter Defense" »

Posted by Jason Owens at 02:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- The Las Vegas Invitational final has been set as UNC advances to Saturday's championship round against BYU with a 99-82 win over Old Dominion. I'll check in on the press conference and be back to wrap things up.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- OK, this one's officially over. Roy Williams just cleared his bench with UNC holding a 99-82 lead with 34.2 seconds left. The arena D.J. proceeded to blare 'Who Let the Dogs Out' over the loudspeakers. That doesn't seem appropriate.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- UNC looks comfortably in the lead, but every time it looks like its going to pull away, Old Dominion hits another big shot to stay within striking distance. With 2:36 remaining, Carolina holds a 92-79 lead.

Don't get me wrong; I'd be stunned if the Monarchs made up that much ground in so little time, but I'm sure Roy Williams would rather his team be up by 23 than 13 at this point in the game. And he'd certainly rather his team play better defense.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- North Carolina is slowly pulling away from ODU, but the Monarchs are still within striking distance facing a 65-54 deficit at the 11:53 mark of the second half. UNC looks great on defense but still can't slow down the Monarch offense as ODU has hit 6-of-8 second-half field goals.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Deon Thompson hit a pair of strong buckets to kick off the second half as UNC has opened up its four-point halftime lead to 55-48 at the 15:56 mark. Carolina is still hot on offense and has managed to make a few stops on defense. First-half Monarchs star Brandon Johnson is also on the bench with his third foul. ODU needs to respond to keep the Tar Heels from pulling away.

Posted by Jason Owens at 01:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- A Danny Green three-pointer as time ran out in the first half gives UNC a 43-39 halftime edge over Old Dominion, but the Tar Heels can't be happy with how they've played so far. Old Dominion was strong from the field and on the offensive glass to keep pace with top-ranked UNC.

The fact that North Carolina is shooting 68 percent from the field and only has a four-point lead is the most telling stat. Tyler Hansbrough has been a force down low with 12 points and four rebounds, but Brandon Johnson has been equally effective on the other side, logging 14 points and a pair of assists. ODU is shooting 50 percent from the field and hit four 3-pointers in the first half. And when they miss, they've gotten second chances with 11 offensive rebounds. Carolina just has 10 rebounds total. Roy Williams has some adjustments to make at halftime.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- With the heavy pro-Carolina crowd behind them, the Tar Heels just came up with a much-needed defensive stop. UNC forced Old Dominion into a bad shot with the shot clock winding down that led to a Marcus Ginyard rebound and outlet pass to Wayne Ellington for a breakaway dunk.

On the next possession, UNC forced a quick turnover and holds a 36-34 lead at the 3:36 mark for the final media timeout of the first half. This looks like it could be the beginning of a run to build some separation before the half.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- It's now the third media timeout and North Carolina hasn't figured out how to slow down the ODU offense as the Monarchs hold a 30-26 lead at the 6:44 mark of the first half. They're shooting a blistering 60 percent from the field and floor leader Brandon Johnson hasn't missed a shot on the way to a 14-point start.

Carolina looks great on offense, shooting 11-of-19 behind nine points from Ty Lawson and eight from Tyler Hansbrough. But the Heels have to make some adjustments on the defensive side of the ball.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- We just saw some vintage Tyler Hansbrough. With the ball on the baseline under the basket, he took a shot in traffic and missed. He got his own rebound and took another challenged shot. He missed again. But he got the rebound again and didn't miss on the third shot.

But the Monarchs still hold the lead with a 21-20 edge thanks to 3-for-6 shooting from behind the arc.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Another media timeout and Old Dominion has taken the lead over Carolina. Behind strong shooting and a 12-point effort from point guard Brandon Johnson, the Monarchs hold an 18-16 lead at the 11:38 mark of the first half. Both teams are red hot on offense and shooting better than 50 percent from the field, which was expected of UNC.

If ODU can keep up the pace, this could be an interesting game.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- Ty Lawson has North Carolina out to an early lead over Old Dominion, but it's not by much. The Tar Heel point guard hit his first three shots to tally seven points and open up an 11-10 UNC lead at the first media timeout. ODU guard Brandon Johnson has one-upped Lawson with eight points of his own as the Monarchs look strong early on offense.

Posted by Jason Owens at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LAS VEGAS -- No. 1 North Carolina takes the court hoping for a different outcome than sixth-ranked Louisville faced in the early game upset at the hands of BYU. The Tar Heels are starting a stretch of six straight games away from Chapel Hill that will surely test their mettle as the nation's top-ranked team.

One thing is for sure. They won't be looking bast the Monarchs tonight toward Louisville with BYU advancing to the championship round of the Las Vegas Invitational.

A "Let's Go Tar Heels" chant has filled the Orleans arena as Carolina and ODU are set to square off. I'll check back in with some game updates.

Posted by Jason Owens at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Leading up to North Carolina's season opener against Davidson, the Tar Heels couldn't stop talking about just how dangerous they knew the Wildcats were. It took a down-to-the-wire finish to truly get them to believe it.

Continue reading "Davidson Puts Scare Into UNC" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- You could feel the momentum shift somewhere around the three-and-a-half-minute mark when Ty Lawson hit a driving layup to put Carolina up 64-61. But Davidson still had a chance, holding the ball down three with less than a minute left. That was until a wild miss from Andrew Lovedale gave the ball back to the Tar Heels and Lawson hit a pair of free throws. Then it was on to score-and-foul time, which Carolina survived. The final: UNC 72, Davidson 68.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 09:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A minute after Hansbrough picked up his fourth foul for UNC, Davidson guard Stephen Curry picked up his fourth. Both are on the bench at the moment, but with this game tied at 61 with less than five minutes to go, it won't be long before we see them again.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Moments after Davidson retook the lead, 57-56, on a Stephen Curry 3-pointer, UNC's Tyler Hansbrough fouled Curry going for a loose ball. That sent Curry to the line and was Hansbrough's fourth foul -- and there's still more than six minutes to go.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The scoring had slowed for a bit here -- UNC had just two field goals in the second half with nine minutes to go -- but a Will Archambault and Danny Green just traded 3-pointers, and the score is 50-49 Wildcats.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- UNC backup guard Bobby Frasor just entered the game, and the public-address guy announced him as "Brendan Fraser." No word on whether Pauly Shore or Sean Astin will be suiting up for the Tar Heels.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tyler Hansbrough had managed to stay out of foul trouble, but picked up a quick pair at the 17:07 mark of the second half when he was called for a personal foul and then a technical when he objected. On top of that, the Tar Heels' halftime lead quickly disappeared, though they just hit a layup to retake the lead 40-39.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 08:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- During all of North Carolina's preseason, reporter after reporter has asked coach Roy Williams about his team's ability to shoot from the outside. Don't worry, he told them, "we can shoot the crap out of the ball." Well, the last three minutes of the half sure made Ol' Roy look pretty smart.

Continue reading "UNC Shooting Heats Up Before Half" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Hardly anyone in the nation can match Tyler Hansbrough under the basket, and Davidson is learning that the hard way. Ever since the Wildcats opened up the seven point lead, Hansbrough has been a maniac snatching rebounds and drawing fouls. Now he's got 12 points (and eight boards, by my unofficial count) and the Tar Heels are have tied the game at 28 with four minutes to go in the half.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Senior point guard Quentin Thomas is seeing plenty of action for the Tar Heels as things just keep getting worse for Ty Lawson. Lawson finally checked back in after a lengthy absence only to quickly pick up his third foul of the game on a charge at the 10:29 mark. And now Thomas has two fouls himself, as Jason Richards is really giving the UNC point guards a run for their money. Davidson's got it's biggest lead, 19-12.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Right now nobody can hit anything outside of about six feet. And even inside six feet hasn't been much of a guarantee. Davidson is leading 11-8 at the 11:46 mark, but to call the shooting by both teams atrocious would probably be generous. The Tar Heels have even missed four consecutive free throws. Yikes.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson is off to a rough start. He picked up two fouls in the first three minutes, including getting absolutely abused on a baseline move by Davidson point guard Jason Richards that went for a layup. Moments later, he got called for a travel at the other end, and Davidson is up 7-4 early.

Posted by Evan Markfield at 07:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- For the second year in a row, North Carolina opens its season in Charlotte. But this time the opponent is going to be a little bit tougher than Sacred Heart.

Continue reading "Heels Open With Davidson" »

Posted by Evan Markfield at 06:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)