Carolina Basketball
Unbeaten North Carolina will move to the second part of its season today for games that should test all of its resources and determine if it is worthy of its No. 1 national ranking.
UNC will open its ACC season at 5:30 p.m. at the Smith Center against improved Boston College and sharpshooter Tyrese Rice. UNC has won its first 13 games by an average of 26.4 points, with no team coming closer than 15.
Tar Heels say they are wary of Eagles
The Winston-Salem Journal
Tyler Hansbrough’s eyes grew wider than normal Friday when he was asked what he remembered about North Carolina’s game at Boston College last March.
“Tyrese Rice,” Hansbrough said. “I remember that. The guy had a performance.”
How could anyone forget?
Heels’ first ACC test against Rice, Eagles
The Fayetteville Observer
North Carolina senior Danny Green doesn't think Boston College guard Tyrese Rice will have another mammoth game today against the Tar Heels, as he did last March.
But then again: "Knock on wood," he added.
The feisty, speedy ballhandler lit up the Tar Heels for a career-high 46 points -- including 34 in the will-he-ever-miss first half -- to put UNC back on its heels. North Carolina completed a second-half comeback to beat the Eagles 90-80, but Rice's performance left a lasting impression.
UNC wary of Eagles' Rice
The News and Observer
This is how well North Carolina's season has gone so far: Friday, senior swingman Danny Green admitted it would be nice to play in a close game or two, if only for the practice.
With the Tar Heels racking up wins by double-digit margins, they have so far managed to exceed even the highest expectations that were placed up on this team.
Tar Heels could use close call
The News and Observer
Tyrese Rice's masterful first half from a season ago is scorched in North Carolina's collective memory bank. Thirty-four points including seven 3-pointers. Rice fanning himself off after one 3-pointer and shrugging his shoulders after another. Boston College building an 18-point lead thanks to Rice's exploits. Rice finishing with 46 points, the third-highest point total for a UNC opponent ever.
Who's got Tyrese? Heels hope there's no repeat performance for BC star
The Durham Herald-Sun
About an hour before practice and two days before this afternoon's Atlantic Coast Conference opener against Boston College, North Carolina coach Roy Williams was casually fielding questions about his players from the local media.
Williams talked about how much better Tyler Hansbrough has gotten defensively, how much more Danny Green needs to concentrate, how much better a team that turned the ACC into a hardwood relay race last season could get.
He said, "If you don't get better each year, it's either you don't want to, you're not paying enough attention, or the coach is a dummy. And I don't think it's the third one."
And he couldn't have been more serious.
Tar Heels present good test
The Boston Globe