DETROIT — It all started when they decided to come back. Four players declining the riches of the NBA, motivated to make one more run at history. One more run at a national title.
DETROIT — It all started when they decided to come back.Four players declining the riches of the NBA, motivated to make one more run at history. One more run at a national title.And everything that happened this season — the expectations, the No. 1 rankings, the blowout wins — pointed toward this one signature moment.
After already suffering four possible defections to the NBA, the North Carolina men's basketball depth took another blow with the announcement of Alex Stepheson's transfer May 16. The Los Angeles native decided to transfer to be closer to his family due to several health concerns, according to a University athletic department press release. "My family is dealing with some health challenges at this time and as a result I have made the decision to transfer to be closer to home," Stepheson said in a statement.
CARY - It's tempting to make the comparison. Same school. Same coach. Same compliment of cagey veterans and raw underclassmen. It's only natural to gauge just where this year's North Carolina baseball team fits in with the past two squads that came so close to winning the Men's College World Series. But all those thoughts and connections disappear after a few minutes with UNC coach Mike Fox. "I'll let people compare when the year is over," he said Sunday.
On a night meant for laughter and fun, fans of the North Carolina men's basketball team had to be reminded of such during the middle of UNC's annual end-of-year awards ceremony Thursday night at the Smith Center. "This is a night about celebration," assistant coach Steve Robinson pleaded to a group of forlorn-looking Tar Heel fans. He went on to tell the attendees about his days at Florida State, where people would "cut some arms and legs off to have a 36-win season" just to lighten up the mood.
After another white-washing of a conference opponent Thursday - Miami the latest victim - the North Carolina women's basketball team sits atop the ACC, unscathed at 12-0. And now that the Tar Heels have approached the season's stretch run toward March Madness, it's only natural to wonder where this team should be placed in the pecking order of the previous UNC elite. "Oh wow - I don't know," coach Sylvia Hatchell said Tuesday when asked how this year's edition stacks up against her previous two squads.
Friday night at Virginia, North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell chided her team for its lack of first-half intensity. Less than 48 hours later, UNC had no such early game issues. Against Florida State, the UNC women's basketball team sprinted to an early double-digit lead en route to a 97-77 win Sunday afternoon at Carmichael Auditorium. The Tar Heels (24-2, 11-0 ACC) found open shooters and crashed the boards on offense. They shut down Seminole passing lanes and pressured the ball on defense. Apparently, Hatchell had made her point.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Halftime couldn't come soon enough for the North Carolina women's basketball team Friday night. The Cavaliers (18-7, 6-3 in the ACC) stormed out of the gates, scoring the games first seven points, and within the 10-minute mark the team had built an 11-point lead. Leading the attack was the UVa. trio of Lyndra Littles, Aisha Mohammed and Sharnee Zoll who combined for 32 of Virginia's 41 first half points.
View the slideshow. Not all games are created equal. When a team blows a chance at knocking off the No.1 team in the nation and then has a shot at redemption five days later against the country's fourth-ranked squad, the contest carries a little more weight in the hearts and minds of every player.
For about 10 minutes Saturday, it looked as though the North Carolina men's basketball team might have a game on its hands. N.C. State was only down 16-11 and was doing a good job of keeping the Tar Heels from settling into a offensive rhythm, and UNC point guard Ty Lawson had missed the previous five minutes because of a sprained right ankle. But at the 10:47 mark of the first half, Lawson checked back in and the Tar Heels began to execute their game plan with brutal precision.
