The North Carolina baseball team needed a couple of shovels at Boshamer Stadium on Wednesday.First, the Tar Heels needed them to spread sand on the field after rain caused a 74-minute delay in the first game of their double header against Towson.Then they needed the shovels to help dig out of early deficits in both games.
Duke assistant basketball coach Chris Collins uttered a word of caution to the Blue Devil team Sunday afternoon."Walk off like we came here to win," Collins said.The reminder, which came with 1:15 left in the game, was one that many didn't expect No. 2 Duke to need in its matchup against fourth-ranked North Carolina.That's because the Blue Devils entered the game as an underdog."At Duke, you're not put in that position.
Imagine Jason Williams breaking down his defender and kicking the ball out to Joseph Forte, who gracefully swishes a 3-pointer.The ACC's best point man feeding the league's top point producer. Two of the nation's best guards playing together.It almost happened."If (Williams) didn't come here, he probably would have ended up at Carolina," Duke forward Shane Battier said.Former North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge recruited Williams out of St. Joseph's High School in Plainfield, N.J.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia guard Donald Hand dribbled around the 3-point line midway through the second half. The shot clock ticked down to one second. Hand hurled a wild shot toward the goal. It hit the backboard and caromed in. Three points for the Cavaliers.That's the kind of day it was for No. 9 Virginia. The Cavaliers made 11 of their 22 attempts from behind the arc as they blew out No. 2 North Carolina 86-66 at University Hall.Virginia led by 14 at the half and never let the Tar Heels trim the lead to single digits after intermission.
CLEMSON, S.C. -- And Round 2 goes to Will Solomon.Clemson's junior shooting guard scored 26 points to lead his team to a 75-65 upset of No. 1 North Carolina. "I took shots that I normally take and they just went in," said Solomon, who shot 9-for-21 from the field and made 5-of-12 behind the 3-point line.
North Carolina baseball coach Mike Fox trotted out his third freshman starter in as many games Wednesday afternoon.And left-hander Daniel Moore answered the call, turning in the best pitching performance of the young season for the Tar Heels.Moore put seven bagels on the scoreboard and picked up his first collegiate victory as UNC shut out William & Mary 8-0 at a damp Boshamer Stadium."It's a big relief, you come out after three other guys have gotten wins and the team's counting on you to give them a quality start," Moore said.
Freshman point guard Adam Boone became the 16th North Carolina basketball player to start his first game for the Tar Heels.Then after seven games, Ronald Curry returned to the court from the football field, pushing Boone into the role of backup.And lately, Boone has been excelling in that role."When I go in for Ronald, I expect out of myself to keep things at the same level if we were playing well," Boone said.
Brendan Haywood had a message for his North Carolina teammates before Saturday afternoon's tilt against Georgia Tech."I just went out there and told the guys, 'Listen, what happened Thursday is in the past,'" the senior said referring to UNC's 85-83 win against No. 2 Duke. "'If we focus on it too long, we're going to get smacked in the mouth, so we need to get out there and focus on this game.'"The Yellow Jackets delivered that blow to the jaw, grabbing an early 11-3 lead. But the No.
The first thing people notice when they see Shane Battier playing basketball is his head.North Carolina fans love to pick on the shape of the Duke forward's cranium. They say Battier looks like a California Raisin or an alien.But those who know the game admire Battier's head because of the way he uses it. ESPN commentator Dick Vitale calls him college basketball's smartest player.The senior thinks things through on the court and, as a result, always seems to be at the right place at the right time.
