Previewing Mississippi State
Mississippi State is considered by many to be the favorite to win the NIT, and the Bulldogs are hosting the Tar Heels in Saturday's second-round matchup. Tip-off in Starkville, Miss. is scheduled for noon (ET) and will be televised by ESPN. Mississippi State enters Saturday’s contest with a 24-11 record. The Bulldogs' signature non-conference win was a 69-55 victory over Old Dominion on Nov. 28.
(Inside Carolina)
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MSU's Bost motivated for North Carolina
Dee Bost is looking forward to Mississippi State’s game against UNC in the second round of the NIT. The sophomore point guard, of Concord, N.C., believes he has something to prove Saturday. Bost was the Class 3A Player of the Year in North Carolina and he wants to play well because of what he perceived to be a lack of attention from UNC coach Roy Williams and his staff when he was being recruited.
(Commercial Dispatch)
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Time for another Groza award winner?
After a season filled with inexperienced place-kickers, the ACC now has some legitimate talent returning. Here are the top five Groza candidates this year in the ACC: Casey Barth, North Carolina: He led the ACC in field goals and finished 12th nationally, making 21 of 25 field goals and 34 of 35 PATs for 97 points. Barth ranks 13th among all returning place-kickers in career field goal accuracy (31-40, .775).
(ESPN.com)
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Friday Roy Williams Quotes
What’s your overall opinion of MSU? “It’s a well-rounded team. You’ve got to think about Varnado inside; he’s such a relentless rebounder and even on the offensive end, he gets his hands on so many balls. You’ve got to be concerned about him dominating that area six or eight feet around the basket.And then their ability to shoot the 3-point shot; four guys in the game all of the time that can shoot the 3-point shot and shoot it effectively."
(Inside Carolina)
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Sherrod Peace reaches plea deal on drugs, weapons charges
A former Durham police officer on Thursday agreed to a plea deal on federal drugs and weapons charges, according to court documents. Sherrod Peace, 35, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. A charge of distributing less than 5 grams of crack cocaine will be dismissed. Peace was a defensive lineman for the UNC football team in 1998 and 1999.
(WRAL.com)
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Tournament Tales: Jawad Williams
Is there pressure on UNC players during tournament time by the high-profile alumni? Williams: A little bit. But you feel most of the pressure in the summertime, when the older guys come back. ‘Twan (Antawn Jamison), Vince (Carter) and all those guys came back and called us the “Chapel Hill Lakers” because we had all the talent in the world, but we didn’t win. That was a tough one. And we took that one to heart.
(NBA.com)
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What Julius Peppers could do for the Chicago Bulls
With the Chicago Bears’ signing on March 5 of Julius Peppers, there may be a way to redeem Bears GM Jerry Angelo (and maybe even Chicago Bulls GM Gar Forman) in Bulls’ fans’ minds: Get the Bears’ GM to allow Peppers to suit up this spring for the Bulls. With the Bulls’ playoff chances slipping away by the day, the team could do a lot worse than to get Peppers in uniform and onto the court for the remainder of the regular season.
(SLAM Online)
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Michael Jordan talks for first time after buying Bobcats
Thursday night Michael Jordan spoke publicly for the first time since becoming the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. The press conference at Time Warner Cable Arena took place one day after NBA owners approved Jordan's $275 million purchase of the team. Jordan stressed his North Carolina roots. He talked about growing up in Wilmington and playing for UNC, where he helped the Tar Heels win the 1982 championship.
(WMBF News)
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Day of madness a great argument for keeping NCAA Tournament as is
In a 96-team tournament, none of the games that produced these results would have been arranged. It won't be a 13 vs. 4 any more. It will be 13 vs. 20. Where's the charm in that?
(Sporting News)
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With NCAA Tournament under way, Danny Green, Jawad Williams recall their college days
Players who play four years in college and make the NBA are nearly extinct. Most first-round picks are players who leave college early or from Europe. That holds true with the Cavs' three four-year players. Danny Green and Darnell Jackson were second-round picks and Jawad Williams was undrafted. This time of year, though, few of their peers have the same depth of memories and pride as Jackson, Williams and Green.
(Cleveland Plain Dealer)
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Carolina Unveils Baseball Hall Of Honor
The University of North Carolina baseball program announced the opening of the Carolina Baseball Hall of Honor Thursday. The Hall of Honor, which celebrates the rich history of North Carolina baseball, will open Friday, March 19 before Carolina's game against Florida State. The Carolina Baseball Hall of Honor will be open every game day as soon as the gates open until the game's first pitch.
(Tar Heel Blue)
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North Carolina Announces Fastest Tar Heel On Campus Contest at Football Spring Game
UNC students are invited to compete in a 40-yard dash to determine the "Fastest Tar Heel On Campus" during Carolina's nationally televised ESPN Spring Football Game on Saturday, April 10 at 3 p.m. Six finalists (three male, three female) will race against some of the fastest Carolina varsity student-athletes at halftime. Linebacker Zach Brown, who earlier this semester set the school record in the indoor 60-meter dash, is tentatively scheduled to represent the football team.
(Tar Heel Blue)
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Bryn Renner splits time between football, baseball teams
As designated hitter Bryn Renner approached the batter’s box in his first collegiate at-bat, the crowd at Boshamer Stadium rose to their feet. UNC quarterback T.J. Yates and offensive coordinator John Shoop rose to encourage their teammate. Renner has been moonlighting this spring, splitting his time between baseball and football, where he red-shirted last season at quarterback and is vying to start next season.
(Daily Tar Heel)
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UNC prepares to take on Mississippi State in NIT
The throwback uniforms and relocation to Carmichael Arena were good for one win, and next up for UNC is a stiff road test. The Tar Heels, a No. 4 seed in the NIT, won their tournament opener by beating No. 5 seed William & Mary in the smaller and decidedly more intense Carmichael. UNC even hit 80 points for the first time in 2010. But for this success to continue, UNC will have to hit the road for Saturday’s second-round NIT matchup.
(Daily Tar Heel)
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Dustin Ackley sent to Double-A
The Seattle Mariners have sent second overall draft choice Dustin Ackley to the Double-A West Tenn Diamond Jaxx, where the impressive 22-year-old will likely begin his first full professional season. In August, the Mariners and Ackley agreed on a five-year major league contract worth $7.5 million. Seattle has since tried the sweet-swinging former first baseman and outfielder at North Carolina at second base.
(Raleigh News & Observer)
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North Carolina, Florida State Meet in Top-25 Clash
No. 17 North Carolina (14-4, 1-2 ACC) will host No. 4 Florida State (13-3, 1-2 ACC) in a pivotal ACC series this weekend. Games are slated for Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Saturday's and Sunday's game will both be broadcast live with Carolina All-Access via tarheelblue.com. Both teams will look to improve their conference records after a tough opening league weekend.
(Tar Heel Blue)
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Mixed Reaction: Coaches' opinions split on proposal to expand NCAA Tournament to up to 96 teams
Some big-time coaches can't seem to make up their minds. "A lot of things, I really do have a strong feel for, but I really don't on this one," Coach Roy Williams of North Carolina said.
(Associated Press)
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Why the NCAA tournament is the best sporting event in America
We might not know what to do about health care, and maybe we ignored the risks of derivatives and pretended not to see the housing bubble and told ourselves that Titanic was really the best picture of that year, whatever year it was. But dammit, we do one thing right in this country: the NCAA tournament. It is, from start to finish, the best sporting event in America.
(SI.com)
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Video: UNC-William & Mary highlights
Highlights of Carolina's 80-72 NIT win over William & Mary in Carmichael.
(ESPN.com)
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Around the Bases with Brian Goodwin
Brian Goodwin's freshman season is off to quite a start. The speedster is batting .365, and leads the team with 22 RBI and a .683 slugging percentage. Inside Carolina caught up with UNC's starting right fielder. What has been the biggest adjustment for you in college baseball? "I think the biggest adjustment would probably be base-running. Everything is a lot more aggressive than you typically would be used to."
(Inside Carolina)
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Julius Peppers Says Critics Always 'Nitpick'
On one of the local sports talk radio stations in Chicago, Julius Peppers did his best to shoot down this criticism he doesn't feel he deserves. "Sometimes in your career, people have to nitpick about things because they have nothing else to say," Peppers told hosts Tom Waddle and Marc Silverman. "They can't say there's a lack of production, or anything else, but a lack of motivation. That's the thing people try to nitpick at."
(Bear Report)
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Tar Heels present enticing challenge for Mississippi State
Mississippi State advanced to Saturday's game by beating Jackson State Tuesday. The Tar Heels earned a first-ever trip to Starkville by beating William & Mary. Seeing big-time programs isn't anything new for State basketball fans. Arkansas, Florida and Kentucky have all won national titles from the SEC. But apart from its SEC brethren, Mississippi State has never hosted a program that has won a national title.
(Clarion Ledger)
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No. 17 North Carolina Baseball Upends Princeton 12-5
Bryant Gaines (1-0) earned his first win of the season to lead No. 17 North Carolina over Princeton 12-5 Wednesday. Seven different Tar Heels had at least one hit to help Carolina improve to 14-4 overall this season. The Tigers were plagued by four errors defensively as Princeton falls to 1-8 on the young season.
(Tar Heel Blue)
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North Carolina women will be first-round underdogs
The Tar Heels sweated out an at-large bid after an uncharacteristic seventh-place finish in the ACC before sliding in as the No. 10 seed in the Sacramento Regional. They will open at 10:30 Saturday night in Seattle, against No. 7 seed Gonzaga. The Tar Heels (19-11) will make their 22nd appearance. They're one of six ACC teams in the field, the eighth straight year that the conference has had at least that many.
(Winston-Salem Journal)
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Tar Heel women earn shot to prove it vs. Zags
A fresh start is something North Carolina is looking forward to as it gets ready to play Gonzaga in the first round of the NCAA Women's Tournament on Saturday in Seattle, Wash. The Tar Heels have gone through an unpredictable season that has left Coach Sylvia Hatchell grasping for answers. Her team enters the tournament facing one of the questions that been around since the start of the season: Who is the starting five?
(Durham Herald-Sun)
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