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North Carolina's season came to an abrupt end Sunday afternoon at the Meadowlands as they allowed a late 10 point lead to disappear and fell victim to the Georgetown Hoyas in overtime. Tyler Hansbrough scored 26 points in a losing effort.
The game was nip and tuck in the early going and featured seven ties in the first eight minutes of play. The Tar Heels held a 15-11 advantage behind ten quick points from Hansbrough before the Hoyas reeled off 11 straight points to surge ahead 22-15 with 13:40 remaining in the opening half. Carolina matched that run with 11 straight points themselves to regain a 26-22 lead with 11:24 on the clock. Deon Thompson scored the last four points of the run which put UNC ahead to stay until the overtime. The first half lead reached as much as 40-30 after Brandan Wright sank a pair of free throws with 5:08 remaining. It was a 50-44 Carolina advantage at halftime.
Georgetown fought back to within 59-56 early in the second half before a 10-2 Tar Heel run increased UNC's lead to a game-high 69-58 with 12:23 to play. A pair of Marcus Ginyard free throws made it 75-65 at the 7:19 mark before the wheels fell off the cart. The Tar Heels made just one of their final 10 field goal attempts in regulation as the Hoyas fought back to eventually tie the game on a three pointer by Jonathan Wallace with 31 seconds to play. A last second attempt by Wayne Ellington to win the game missed and the game was headed to overtime.
Carolina's field goal woes extended into the extra period as well as they misfired on their first 12 attempts to complete a 1 for 22 stretch and seal their fate. Georgetown took advantage and pulled away to earn a trip to the Final Four next weekend in Atlanta.
Joining Hansbrough in double figures were Wright and Thompson with 14 points apiece. Carolina ends their season at 31-7 as Tar Heel fans say goodbye to Reyshawn Terry, Wes Miller, and Dewey Burke.
North Carolina rode an 18-0 second half run to wipe out a 16 point deficit and defeat Southern California to advance to the Elite against Georgetown. Brandan Wright led the way with 21 points in the victory.
The Trojans came out of the gates strong as they built an early 6-1 advantage. Tyler Hansbrough's only field goal of the game cut the margin to 7-5 but Southern Cal responded with an 11-2 run to take their largest lead of the half at 18-7 with 12:42 remaining. Carolina fought back to tie the game at 26 apiece on a jumper by Wayne Ellington at the 5:46 mark but the Trojans ended the half with a 16-7 run to take a 42-33 lead into the locker room.
Southern Cal also came out strong to start the second half as they scored the first six points to complete a 15-0 run and take their largest lead of the game at 49-33 lead with 17:43 to play. Carolina then began fighting back as a 12-4 run cut the deficit in half to 53-45 at the 13:18 mark. The Trojans then pushed the lead back up to 59-49 before the Tar Heels hit them with a sledgehammer and 18 straight points. Marcus Ginyard led the way with six points during the outburst. That gave UNC a 67-59 lead with just 4:40 to play and USC could get no closer than five points the rest of the way.
Joining Wright in double figures were Wayne Ellington with 12 and Ginyard with 10. The Tar Heels improve to 31-6 on the season and they will now face Georgetown in the Finals of the Eastern Regional on Sunday afternoon, also at the Meadowlands.
North Carolina took Michigan State's best shot and held off the Spartans behind 33 points from Tyler Hansbrough to advance to the Sweet Sixteen next weekend. The game featured six ties and 12 lead changes in an eight minute stretch of the second half and eight ties and 13 lead changes overall.
The Spartans went ahead 4-2 in the early going before seven straight Tar Heel points put Carolina ahead for the remainder of the first half. Back-to-back baskets by Tywon Lawson including a three pointer extended the lead to 17-9 with 14:03 remaining in the first stanza. The Spartans fought back to within two at 28-26 but five straight points by Hansbrough capped an 8-1 UNC run and the Tar Heels had their largest lead of the half at 36-27 at the 4:39 mark. It was still a 41-33 Carolina lead at halftime.
Michigan State came storming out of the second half gates with an 11-2 run to regain the lead for the first time since 4-2 when they surged ahead 44-43 with 15:09 to play. This began the see saw battle that saw the lead change hands 12 times in the next eight minutes. The Spartans took their largest lead of the game at 57-54 at the 8:48 mark before the Tar Heels took over from the free throw line. A pair of charity tosses by Lawson followed by two more from Hansbrough put Carolina back in the lead. Drew Neitzel then scored two of his 26 points on a jumper to put Michigan State back ahead before two more free throws by Reyshawn Terry got the Tar Heels back on top to stay with 6:54 remaining. Terry then took over the game down the stretch much the same way he has done in recent contests. With the Tar Heels on top 62-61, the senior scored 10 points down the stretch to help Carolina close the game with a 19-6 run and into the Sweet Sixteen.
In addition to Hansbrough's 33 points, Lawson added 20 and Terry finished with 14. The win was the 30th of the season for Carolina which now sports a 30-6 record. Next up is a matchup against the winner of the Texas-Southern California game to be played on Sunday afternoon. The game will be played in the Meadowlands on Friday evening.
North Carolina squandered all but four points of a 27 point lead before regaining their footing to win going away against Eastern Kentucky. All five starters scored in double figures for the Tar Heels, who advance to play Michigan State on Saturday evening in Winston-Salem.
It was all Carolina for the first eleven minutes of the game as they stormed out of the gates to take control early. Leading 7-3, the Tar Heels scored 15 straight points with five different players all scoring in the spurt to take command of the game at 22-3. Later in the half, UNC guards Wayne Ellington and Tywon Lawson each buried three pointers during an 8-0 run to increase the advantage to a game-high 39-12 with 8:44 remaining in the first half. It was then that the Colonels decided to change the script as they caught fire and outscored the Tar Heels 23-8 the rest of the half to pull to within 47-35 at the break.
Eastern Kentucky wasn't through either as they outscored Carolina 9-1 in the first four minutes of the second half to slice the UNC lead to just four points at 48-44. That burst culminated an incredible 32-9 run by the Colonels over 13 minutes and had the pro-Carolina crowd at Lawrence Joel Coliseum on the edge of their seats. It was then that the Tar Heels finally woke up and ended any dreams of the first number 16 seed to ever defeat a number one seed. All American Tyler Hansbrough scored seven points in a 12-4 UNC run including a three point play to stretch the lead back to 60-48 at the 10:47 mark. Then senior Reyhawn Terry took over and scored 14 points down the stretch as Carolina's superior depth finally took a toll on the Colonels. Terry's three pointer with 2:07 remaining capped a 36-14 Tar Heel run that put an exclamation mark on the win.
Hansbrough led the way as he appeared back to his regular form following a sub-par ACC Tournament due to wearing an uncomfortable mask to protect his broken nose. He scored a game-high 21 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds to complete a double-double. Terry was right behind him with 18 points while Brandan Wright scored 15 and Ellington and Lawson each added 12. The Tar Heels are now 29-6 on the year and will play Michigan State at approximately 8:20 p.m. on Saturday night as they attempt to make it to the Sweet Sixteen.
The North Carolina Tar Heels built a 16 point advantage over N.C. State and then held on for dear life at the end to win their first Atlantic Coast Conference championship since 1998. All five Tar Heel starters scored in double figures in the victory.
The game was tight the entire first half as the two teams combined for seven early ties and 10 lead changes. The Wolfpack built their largest lead of the game at 18-12 with seven minutes gone before an 11-3 Tar Heel run got them back ahead 23-21 on a Wayne Ellington basket. The Wolfpack recovered to regain the lead at 30-27 but the Tar Heels closed the half with a 15-4 run to take their largest lead of the half at intermission at 42-34. The run included a basket by Danny Green to put Carolina ahead to stay with 2:28 remaining followed by back-to-back three pointers by senior Wes Miller.
Carolina stayed hot to start the second half as they came out strong with an 8-2 run that was capped by a pair of buckets by Tywon Lawson. That made it a 50-36 game with 17:25 to play. Lawson also scored another field goal to complete a 6-0 run to give Carolina their largest lead of the game at 56-40 with 13:51 to play. The Wolfpack then began whittling the lead down beginning with an 8-0 run that made it 56-48. They got back to within a single point at 70-69 with five minutes to play before senior Reyshawn Terry scored eight straight points to give the Tar Heels some breathing room with a 78-72 advantage. A three point play by Brandon Costner got the Wolfpack back to within three but that's as close as State would get as Carolina made their free throws down the stretch.
Brandan Wright led the Tar Heels with 16 points and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Fellow freshman Ellington also contributed 16 points. Tyler Hansbrough scored 15 points including 11 for 11 from the free throw line and Lawson and Terry both finished with 13. Carolina is now 28-6 on the season and will now gear up to play next weekend in the NCAA Tournament. Their first round opponent is Eastern Kentucky on Thursday.
North Carolina waltzed into the ACC semifinals in Tampa, Florida and dismantled the Boston College Eagles on Saturday afternoon. The Tar Heels now advance to the championship game on Sunday afternoon against the winner of the Virginia Tech-North Carolina State contest later today.
For the second straight game, the Tar Heels never trailed as baskets by Brandan Wright and Reyshawn Terry staked UNC to an early 4-0 lead. After a BC three pointer, Carolina reeled off a 13-2 run to take command of the game at 17-5. The lead continued to grow and reached as much as 18 in the opening half when Wayne Ellington sank a pair of free throws in the final minute. The Tar Heels owned a 38-23 lead at intermission.
The Tar Heels were content to match baskets with the Eagles in the second half as the lead grew to no more than 20 points. A Danny Green bucket made it a 48-28 lead at the 16:30 mark to give Carolina their largest lead of the game. The Eagles countered with a 13-2 run to trim the margin to 50-41 but a three pointer by Terry stopped the bleeding and began a Tar Heel spurt that pushed the margin back up to 19 and the victory was in the bag.
Wright led the way with 20 points while Lawson and Ellington each chipped in 10. The Tar Heels are now 27-6 on the season and will play in the ACC Championship game tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. against the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
North Carolina rode an 18 point performance by Wayne Ellington to cruise past the Florida State Seminoles into the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. They will play Boston College tomorrow afternoon in an attempt to get to the championship game on Sunday afternoon.
The Tar Heels jumped out to an early 11-4 behind seven points by Ellington and they never trailed. The Seminoles were able to fight back and tie it one time at 13 apiece but a three pointer by Bobby Frasor put the Tar Heels ahead to stay and kick started an 8-0 UNC run. A three pointer by Danny Green pushed the lead to 30-19 with 3:36 remaining in the opening half and the Tar Heels took a 36-26 lead to the locker room at halftime.
The Tar Heels came out hot to open the second half with a 12-2 run to take their largest lead of the game at 48-28 with 15:42 to play. Florida State could get no closer to 12 points the rest of the way as UNC's superior depth came into play.
Joining Ellington in double figures was Tywon Lawson with 14 points, Brandan Wright with 11, and Reyshawn Terry with 10. UNC is now 26-6 on the season and headed to tomorrow's ACC semi-final. Game time is 1:30 p.m.
The North Carolina Tar Heels were coming off a pair of consecutive losses on the road to red hot teams and were knocked from their perch atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings. But they got a reprieve when Wake Forest upset Virginia yesterday and Clemson knocked off Virginia Tech earlier today. They took advantage of the situation and soundly defeated their arch rivals - the Duke Blue Devils - at the Smith Center. The victory enabled Carolina to earn a share of the regular season crown with Virginia and also the top seed to next weekend's ACC Tournament by virtue of their victory over the Cavaliers in the regular season.
Josh McRoberts got Duke on the scoreboard first but back-to-back buckets by Brandan Wright jump started a 12-0 Tar Heel run and Carolina never trailed again. Gerald Henderson then canned four straight baskets for Duke as the Blue Devils closed to within 14-10. However, Wright responded with another pair of baskets to start an 11-4 run and Carolina led 25-14 at the midway point of the half. After Duke trimmed the deficit to 27-22, UNC went on an 11-3 spurt to grab their largest lead of the half on a Tywon Lawson jumper with 1:01 remaining before the break. But Duke scored the final four points of the half to make it a 38-29 game at intermission.
A pair of Tyler Hansbrough baskets to start the second half got the Tar Heels back up by 13 points but Duke responded with their best play of the game. The Blue Devils outscored Carolina 13-4 to make it a two point game at the 12:48 mark. But Carolina's superior depth began to take over as the Tar Heels came roaring back with an 18-4 run to take their largest lead of the game at 68-52 with 5:14 to play. From there it was academic as Duke could get no closer than 11 points.
Hansbrough led the way with 26 points and a career high 17 rebounds. Senior Reyshawn Terry, playing in his final game in the Smith Center, scored 15 points. Marcus Ginyard contributed 13 points while Tywon Lawson scored 12 and Brandan Wright added 10. UNC is now 25-6 on the season while finishing 11-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The top seeded Tar Heels will play again Friday at noon when they take on the winner of the Clemson/Florida State contest.
North Carolina traveled to Georgia Tech with a chance to take sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference but left with their second straight loss as the Yellow Jackets downed the Tar Heels 84-77. Brandan Wright scored 22 points in a losing cause.
Carolina jumped out of the gates with the first seven points of the game and a Bobby Frasor three pointer had UNC ahead 10-3 early with all five starters scoring. A second bucket by Brandon Wright had Carolina ahead 12-5 when the wheels fell off the cart for the Tar Heels. Over the next twelve minutes, the Yellow Jackets outscored Carolina 38-17 to take command of the game with a 46-32 lead. The Tar Heels finally got it back together and outscored Georgia Tech 10-3 to end the half to trim their deficit to 49-42 at halftime.
Wright scored the opening basket of the second half to make it a five point game but the Yellow Jackets then began to rebuild the lead. They were able to match their largest lead of the first half of 14 points on two occasions - the last time coming at 73-59 with 8:07 to play. The Tar Heels then went on a 14-4 run to cut it to 77-73 with 1:55 remaining but could get no closer.
UNC drops to 24-6 overall and 10-5 in the ACC. Joining Wright in double figures was Tyler Hansbrough with 16 points and Wayne Ellington with 14. The Tar Heels close out the regular season on Sunday at home against the Duke Blue Devils. Game time is 4:00 p.m. and it will be televised by CBS.
North Carolina never trailed until less than three minutes remaining but a late Maryland comeback lifted the Terrapins to an 89-87 victory in College Park Sunday evening. Tyler Hansbrough scored 22 points in a losing effort.
Wayne Ellington had the hot hand early as he scored 10 of the first 12 Tar Heel points to help stake UNC to an early 12-5 advantage. The lead grew to as much as 20-7 as Deon Thompson canned a pair of jumpers to complete an 8-0 run with 13:07 remaining in the opening half. The Terrapins then mounted a comeback and closed to within 34-32 at the 4:33 mark before Carolina took a 44-41 lead at intermission.
The Terrapins tied the game on two occasions early in the second half but a Brandon Wright basket put Carolina back ahead 54-52 at the 15:36 mark and it once appeared the Tar Heels were on their way to the win. Another Wright basket at the 7:13 mark had Carolina on top 77-65 and firmly in the drivers seat. However a 24-7 Maryland run ensued and the Terrapins were on top 89-84 in the final minute. An Ellington three pointer got the Tar Heels back to within two and a Maryland turnover gave the Heels one last chance but Wright missed a pair of free throws with three seconds to play.
Joining Hansbrough in double figures was Ellington with 17 points and Wright with 12. The Tar Heels drop to 24-5 overall and 10-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Things don't get any easier now as the Tar Heels must travel to Georgia Tech on Thursday to challenge the Yellow Jackets. Game time is 9:00 p.m. and Raycom has the call.
North Carolina broke open a tight game in the second half and went on to defeat North Carolina State behind a career high 24 points from freshman Brandan Wright. The Tar Heels assumed sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with the win following Virginia's loss to Miami earlier tonight.
The game began as a real dogfight as the two teams combined for seven ties and eight lead changes in the opening 20 minutes. The Tar Heels led for the first nine minutes and were able to push their lead to as much as 16-11 following a Marcus Ginyard three pointer at the 12:39 mark. However, the Wolfpack fought back and took their first lead on a Brandon Costner three pointer with 10:44 remaining in the half and then went on to complete a 17-6 run to take their largest lead at 28-22. An 8-1 UNC run got the Tar Heels back into the lead and started a see saw battle that saw Carolina go to the locker room on top 41-40 at intermission.
The second half was an entirely different story as the Tar Heels never trailed. The Wolfpack were able to tie it one last time at 45 on another three pointer by Costner but that was all they could do. A pair of Deon Thompson buckets completed a 10-2 run and UNC led by their largest margin at that point 55-47 with 13:54 to play. A Danny Green three pointer completed an 11-2 Tar Heel run that pushed the advantage to 68-54 at the 8:42 mark and a Wes Miller three pointer completed an 11-1 UNC run to give Carolina their largest lead of the game at 83-62 in the final minute.
In addition to Wright's 24 points, Tyler Hansbrough knocked down 20 as they were the only two Tar Heels in double figures. UNC improves to 24-4 overall and 10-3 in the ACC. Carolina returns to action on Sunday evening when they travel to College Park, Maryland to challenge the Maryland Terrapins. Game time is 5:30 p.m. and it will be televised by Fox Sports Net.
North Carolina bounced back from their disappointing loss in overtime on Tuesday night by taking out Boston College on the road on Saturday night. All five starters scored in double figures in the important conference victory. The win puts the Tar Heels in a tie for first place in the league with Virginia.
The Eagles got off to a quick start as Jared Dudley and John Oates combined to score the first 10 BC points to make it 10-6 in the early going. Danny Green then led an 11-0 Tar Heel run with four points and Carolina was ahead 17-10. The lead reached 24-16 before the Eagles put together a 13-4 run to regain the advantage at 29-28 with 6:17 remaining in the first half. Wayne Ellington scored five late points to help get the Tar Heels back ahead at halftime 44-38.
Carolina never trailed in the second half but there were certainly some anxious moments. A three point play by Brandan Wright opened the scoring and gave the Tar Heels their largest lead of the game. But a layup by Dudley tied the game at 61 at the midway point of the second half and set up an exciting finish. Senior Reyshawn Terry immediately countered Dudley's basket with a three pointer and Carolina was ahead to stay. The Eagles did cut it to one on two more occasions - the last time on a Tyrese Rice basket with 32 seconds to play. But Marcus Ginyard calmly sank a pair of free throws with 22 seconds remaining and Dudley missed a three pointer that could have tied the game.
Tyler Hansbrough scored 17 points in the win, followed by 13 from both Brandan Wright and Tywon Lawson, 12 by Ellington, and 10 by Terry. The Tar Heels are now 23-4 on the season and 9-3 in the ACC. Next up is a rematch with N.C. State on Wednesday night in the Smith Center at 9:00 p.m.
The Virginia Tech Hokies completed a regular season sweep of North Carolina as they edged the Tar Heels 81-80 in overtime at the Smith Center on Tuesday night. The game featured seven ties and 13 lead changes before Tech pulled it out with a defensive stop at the buzzer. Tyler Hansbrough scored 22 points in a losing effort.
Hansbrough sank a free throw to get Carolina ahead but a 6-1 run by the Hokies put them in control in the early going. Tech's lead reached as much as 21-13 with 9:00 remaining in the first half before a 10-2 Tar Heel run capped by a Reyshawn Terry three pointer tied the game at 23. The Hokies regained a 30-27 advantage before Carolina scored the final seven points of the half to lead 34-30 at intermission.
The Tar Heels held the lead throughout most of the second half and seemed to have the game well in hand with a 68-61 lead and Tywon Lawson going to the free throw line with a chance to stretch UNC's advantage to their largest of the game with 6:13 to play. However, Lawson missed two free throws and Tech converted a four point play on the other end to make it a 68-65 game and swing the momentum. The Hokies took their first lead of the second half at the 2:35 mark on a Zabian Dowdell jumper and Danny Green responded with a layup seconds later to put Carolina back ahead. A Nigel Munson free throw tied the game with 36 seconds to play to send the game into overtime.
The overtime period saw a back and forth battle and Dowdell scored a basket in close with 2:04 to play to put the Hokies ahead 79-78. A Hansbrough free throw tied it at 79 before a pair of Dowdell free throws had Tech ahead 81-79. Hansbrough made one of two free throws to cut the margin to one with 12 seconds remaining and a pair of misses from the charity line by Markus Sailes gave Carolina one last chance for victory. But Lawson was stripped of the ball in the closing seconds and the Hokies had completed the upset.
Besides the 22 points scored by Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington added 14 and Lawson contributed 13. North Carolina drops to 22-4 on the season and 8-3 in the ACC. Next up for the Tar Heels is a road game at first place Boston College on Saturday night. Game time is 9:00 and it will be televised by ESPN.
On celebration Saturday, the North Carolina Tar Heels rolled over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Smith Center. Senior Reyshawn Terry led the rout by scoring a game-high 23 points as 14 Tar Heels got in the scoring column.
Tyler Hansbrough got the scoring started with a pair of free throws as Carolina got off to an early 7-6 lead. Then an 11-2 Tar Heel run ensued and Carolina was in charge at 18-8 with 11:06 remaining in the first half. Wake Forest then found another gear and stormed to a 13-2 run to take a 21-20 lead with 8:43 on the clock. After another pair of Hansbrough free throws put Carolina back on top, Ishmael Smith put the Demon Deacons back ahead for the final time on a short jumper with 7:46 remaining. It was then that the Tar Heels found a new gear themselves and outscored Wake 29-9 the rest of the half to take a 51-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The second half was all Carolina following the halftime celebration honoring the national championship squads of 1957 and 1982. The Tar Heels poured it on and saw their lead increase to 74-43 on a three point play by Marcus Ginyard with 14:26 to play and then 85-47 at the 10:46 mark when a Wes Miller three pointer capped an 11-0 spurt. The largest lead of the game came on a pair of Reyshawn Terry free throws to make it 91-52 with 9:09 to play.
Following Terry's 23 points were 16 by Hansbrough, 15 by Brandan Wright, and 11 by Wayne Ellington. The Tar Heels are now 22-3 on the season and 8-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The win temporarily gets Carolina into a first place tie with Virginia and Boston College in the league, pending Virginia's game at Virginia Tech later today. Next up for Carolina is a rematch against the Virginia Tech Hokies on Tuesday night at the Smith Center. Game time is 8:00 p.m. and Raycom has the call.
North Carolina fell behind by ten points and had to play catchup for most of the game but were able to come back and hand the Duke Blue Devils their third consecutive loss 79-73 at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday night. A layup by Reyshawn Terry put the Tar Heels ahead for the first time with 5:15 to play and clutch free throw shooting down the stretch clinched the game for Carolina.
The Blue Devils seemed to catch the Tar Heels off guard with a scorching start and were able to jump out to a quick 15-6 advantage with less than four minutes gone. Carolina spent the rest of the half trying to get back into it but the closest they would get would be on a dunk by Tyler Hansbrough that cut it to 24-21 at the 9:40 mark. Duke then went on an 11-4 run to take their largest lead of the game with 4:00 remaining in the half before a late Tar Heel rally trimmed the margin to 39-34 at intermission.
The Blue Devils came out of the second half gates strong as well and rebuilt their ten point advantage on two occasions - the last coming at 50-40 with 16:47 to play. A 12-2 Tar Heel run then ensued which was capped by a Hansbrough jumper that tied the game for the first time with 9:42 on the clock. Duke briefly reclaimed a 58-54 edge but a fresher UNC team eventually started wearing down the Blue Devils. After Terry's basket gave Carolina their first lead, Brandan Wright followed up with a short jumper to make it a 64-60 Tar Heel advantage. Duke got it back to one at 64-63 but Carolina scored the next six points to take control of the game.
Wright led the Tar Heels with 19 points, followed by 16 from Hansbrough, 15 from Tywon Lawson, and 10 from Terry. Carolina improves to 21-3 on the season and 7-2 in conference play. Next on the agenda is a rematch with Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon at the Smith Center. Game time is 1:30 and it will be televised by Raycom.
The Tar Heels suffered their third loss of the season at the hands of the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Saturday afternoon. It was Sidney Lowe's first encounter against Carolina since taking over as the Wolfpack's head coaching position. The loss knocks UNC from the top of the standings in the ACC.
The Wolfpack jumped out to an early 4-0 lead but three consecutive field goals by Brandan Wright put Carolina ahead 10-6. Five straight points by Tyler Hansbrough had the Tar Heels ahead 20-17 but a 12-0 run by State had the Wolfpack in charge with a 29-20 advantage. Carolina fought back on a 7-0 run including five points from Tywon Lawson to tie the score at 36 apiece but a Wolfpack bucket at the buzzer gave State a two point lead at intermission.
The Wolfpack built their lead up to 45-39 early in the second half a 10-1 Tar Heel run had Carolina back ahead at 49-46. State canned back-to-back three pointers to regain the lead but a basket by Deon Thompson gave Carolina the lead once again at 53-52. However, the Wolpack scored the next 11 points to regain the advantage for good. The Tar Heel deficit reached as much as 71-60 with 6:46 to play before they mounted one final comeback attempt. Carolina got back to within two points on three different occasions, the final time coming on a Wright basket at the 1:07 mark. But they couldn't quite get over the hump and the Wolfpack pulled off the upset.
Hansbrough led the Tar Heel scoring with 24 points followed by a career high 21 from Lawson. Wright added 15 and Wayne Ellington chipped in 11. The Tar Heels drop to 20-3 on the season and 6-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Next up on the calendar is a matchup against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday night. Game time is 9:00 p.m.
North Carolina reached their 20th win of the season on Wednesday night with a 105-64 victory over the Miami Hurricanes. Five Tar Heels scored in double figures in the blowout win.
The Tar Heels never trailed in this one as a Reyshawn Terry three pointer opened the scoring and put Carolina ahead for good. The lead steadily grew and reached 21-10 on a Brandan Wright layup at the 10:55 mark of the first half. Back-to-back three pointers by Wayne Ellington pushed the margin to 39-23 in the final minute of the half and a pair of technical free throws by Danny Green gave Carolina their largest lead of the opening half seconds later. It was a 41-24 margin at the break.
The second half was more of the same as the blowout only got worse. A 7-0 Tar Heel run extended the advantage to 54-32 with 13:50 to play and an Alex Stepheson layup completed an 8-0 run to make it 62-35 at the 12:26 mark. The largest lead of the game came at 101-58 on a three pointer by Dewey Burke with 1:10 to play.
Tyler Hansbrough led Carolina in scoring with 22 points, followed by Ellington with 14, Tywon Lawson with 13, Green with 12, and Reyshawn Terry with 10. UNC is now 20-2 on the season and 6-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Next on the agenda is a road game in Raleigh on Saturday afternoon against North Carolina State. ABC will televise the contest at 3:30 p.m.
North Carolina went on the road against a top 20 team on Saturday with two of their top players in street clothes due to illness and routed their opponent. The Tar Heels placed six players in double figures and never trailed in doling out Lute Olson's largest home defeat ever as UNC toppled Arizona 92-64. Brandan Wright and Marcus Ginyard missed the game due to illness.
The freshmen set the tone early as Wayne Ellington and Tywon Lawson each canned a three pointer to make it 6-0 Tar Heels. Alex Stepheson scored inside to complete a 7-2 UNC run to make it 15-6 at the 14:21 mark. The Wildcats then rallied to cut the deficit to 21-20 before Carolina found a new gear. The Tar Heels went on a game-breaking 22-3 run before a pair of Wildcat free throws in the last two seconds of the half made it a 43-25 game at intermission. The Tar Heel freshmen accounted for 36 of the team's 43 first half points even though their leading freshman scorer, Wright, watched from the sidelines.
Arizona started the second half with a 12-7 run to trim the lead to 50-37 but the Tar Heels scored the next 11 points to take their largest lead of the game to that point at 61-37. The lead eventually reached 29 points on an Ellington basket with 7:21 to play. Even the reserves played well down the stretch preserving the large margin.
Lawson led the way with a career high 18 points, senior Reyshawn Terry added 15, and Ellington, Deon Thompson, and Tyler Hansbrough all pitched in 14. Stepheson came off the bench to contribute 10 points to account for the sixth player in double figures. UNC improves to 19-2 on the season and will next lace 'em up against the Miami Hurricanes in the Smith Center on Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN.
North Carolina placed five players in double figures in a blowout victory over Wake Forest in Winston-Salem on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels improved to 18-2 including 5-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The game was tight in the early going and a see saw battle produced eight lead changes. Then a three pointer by Danny Green with 7:21 to play in the first half put Carolina ahead to stay and started a 12-2 run. Wayne Ellington capped the run with a basket that made it 34-25 with 3:39 to play in the period. A bucket by Brandan Wright extended the lead to double digits at 40-30 which represented the largest lead of the first half. At intermission the scoreboard read 42-37 UNC.
A score by Wright upped the lead to 52-41 before the Demon Deacons reeled off five straight points. Then a 30-8 UNC run ensued to stretch the difference to 82-54 at the final television timeout and the Tar Heels won going away.
Ellington took scoring honors with 18, followed by Tywon Lawson with 15, Tyler Hansbrough with 13, and 12 each by Wright and Green. Next on the agenda is a date on the road against the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday afternoon. Game time is 1:00 p.m. with CBS scheduled to televise the contest.
The Tar Heels rolled over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 77-61 in the Smith Center Saturday night to improve their record to 17-2 and 4-1 in the ACC. Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 24 points in the blowout victory.
The Yellow Jackets got on the board first but Carolina scored the next 11 points and led the rest of the way. Tech got within two points twice but no closer and then a pair of three pointers by Wes Miller and Tywon Lawson pushed the lead to double figures for the first time at 30-20 with 5:16 remaining in the first half. Both teams then went cold until halftime with the Tar Heels owning a 34-23 advantage at the break.
A Hansbrough basket extended the lead to 42-27 early in the second half as the Tar Heels continued to keep the Yellow Jackets at bay. A three pointer by Danny Green capped a 13-2 Carolina run to give UNC their largest lead of the game at 71-46 with 5:06 to play and it was lights out from there.
Joining Hansbrough in double figures was senior Reyshawn Terry with 16 points. This game also marked the first time this season that Brandan Wright failed to score in double figures as the freshman sensation ended up with nine. Next up on the Tar Heel schedule is a date with Wake Forest in Winston-Salem on Wednesday night. Game time is 7:00 p.m. and it will be televised by ESPN.
North Carolina rebounded from their disappointing contest at Virginia Tech to soundly thrash 19th ranked Clemson on the road Wednesday night. Once again the deadly frontcourt tandem of Tyler Hansbrough and Brandan Wright led the way as the duo combined for 33 points in the victory.
The game was tight in the opening minutes and resulted in three early ties and four lead changes. But a three point play by Deon Thompson put Carolina ahead to stay with 10:54 remaining in the first half. It was still only a 35-29 UNC advantage late in the opening period before a 9-2 spurt just before halftime made it 44-31 at the break.
After a Clemson bucket to open the second half, the Tar Heels reeled off eight straight points to extend their lead to 52-33. The Tigers were never able to put a decent run together and Carolina eventually saw their lead grow to as much as 73-48 on a free throw by Hansbrough with 2:40 to play.
Wright led the way with 17 points while Hansbrough was close behind with 16. Wayne Ellington tossed in 11 points while Danny Green added 10. The Tar Heels improved to 16-2 with the victory and 3-1 in the ACC. The next game for North Carolina will come Saturday night at 9:00 p.m. when Georgia Tech visits the Smith Center. The game will be televised by ESPN.
The Tar Heels traveled to Blacksburg, Virginia and took it on the chin from a quick Virginia Tech team and lost 94-88 on Saturday afternoon. The Hokies built a 23 point second half lead and held off a furios UNC rally to hang on for the victory.
It was Carolina who got off to a hot start and built an early 17-9 advantage in the first four minutes of the contest. However, Tech outscored the Tar Heels 38-20 the remainder of the half to take a 47-37 lead at the break.
The Hokies weren't done and came out hot in the second half and outscored Carolina 21-8 to take their largest lead of the game at 68-45 with 11:29 to play. It was still 83-64 with just 3:30 to play and seemingly over when the Tar Heels put on a stunning rally. The Heels closed to within 91-88 with 17 seconds left but the comeback fell short.
Tyler Hansbrough led the Tar Heels in scoring with 19 points, followed by Tywon Lawson with 15, and Brandan Wright and Wayne Ellington each with 13. Carolina drops to 15-2 with the loss and will certainly relinquish their number one ranking. Next up for the Tar Heels is another road contest when they take on the Clemson Tigers on Wednesday night. Game time is 7:00 p.m. and it will be televised by ESPN.
North Carolina fell behind by nine points in the first half but eventually wore down the Virginia Cavaliers in the second half to pull out a ten point victory in the Smith Center Wednesday night. All American Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 18 points in the win.
The Cavaliers jumped out to an early 17-9 advantage behind the strong play of J.R. Reynolds. Carolina got back to within four but a three point play by Sean Singletary gave UVA their largest lead of the game at 27-18 midway through the opening half. UNC fought back with a 13-3 run capped by a Tywon Lawson three pointer at the 6:43 mark to give the Tar Heels their first lead of the game. A layup by Brandan Wright just before the buzzer put Carolina ahead 39-37 at intermission.
The Cavaliers opened the second half with a 9-2 spurt to regain a 46-41 advantage but the Carolina depth soon began to take over. The Tar Heels scored 22 of the next 28 points and a Danny Green three pointer pushed the Carolina lead to 63-52 with 9:22 to play. The largest lead of the game came on a Wright free throw at the 2:59 mark to make it 72-58.
Wright added 16 points behind Hansbrough's team leading 18 while Lawson chipped in 10. The top ranked Tar Heels improved to 15-1 on the season and 2-0 in the ACC. Next up is Carolina's first road game in the conference as they travel to Blacksburg on Saturday afternoon to challenge the Virginia Tech Hokies. Game time is 3:30 p.m. and it will be televised by ABC.
North Carolina was impressive in their ACC debut as they turned back the Florida State Seminoles at the Smith Center on Sunday night. Tyler Hansbrough and Brandan Wright combined for 45 points in the victory.
The game started in a see-saw battle that saw eight early lead changes. Then a basket by Hansbrough at the 11:20 mark put the Tar Heels ahead for good and began a 14-4 UNC run. A three pointer by Wes Miller pushed the lead up to 32-20 with 4:26 to play in the first half but the Seminoles responded with eight straight points. Bobby Frasor's layup sent Carolina to the locker room with a 36-30 advantage.
Hansbrough went to work early in the second half and scored eight straight Tar Heel points to work the lead back up to 46-34. A three pointer by Danny Green increased the margin to 51-36 at the 15:45 mark and another Hansbrough bucket made it 70-49 with 6:53 to play. The final margin was the largest of the game.
Hansbrough scored 25 points and Wright added 20 to pace the way. UNC improved to 14-1 with the victory and they are now poised to take over the number one ranking in the nation. Next up is a home date against the Virginia Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Game time is 9:00 p.m. and Raycom has the call.
The North Carolina Tar Heels defeated the Penn Quakers 102-64 at the Smith Center on Wednesday night in their final tuneup before ACC action begins this weekend. Five Tar Heels scored in double figures in the rout.
The Quakers got off to a hot start as they took it to the more talented Tar Heels and built an early 18-8 lead. Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams benched his starters for several minutes and a UNC comeback began with the reserves on the floor. Bobby Frasor, back from a foot injury after missing six games, got things started with a pair of long field goals. That began a 31-7 Tar Heel run that culminated with a Tyler Hansbrough basket that made it a 39-25 Carolina lead with 2:00 to play in the first half. Penn scored the final five points of the period to slice their deficit to 39-30 at the break.
North Carolina slowly and deliberately extended the lead throughout the second half. The advantage reached 52-36 on a Wayne Ellington three pointer at the 16:37 mark and then 62-43 on a Hansbrough basket with 13:54 to play. A pair of free throws by Danny Green at the 2:18 mark completed an 11-0 run to push the lead up to 92-58 and a pair of three pointers by Dewey Burke in the final minute made the final score the largest lead of the game.
Hansbrough and Reyshawn Terry each scored 19 points and Wayne Ellington added 17. Brandan Wright finished with 12 points and Alex Stepheson came off the bench to contribute 11. UNC is now 13-1 on the season and will play their conference opener on Sunday against Florida State. Game time is 7:00 p.m. and it will be televised by Fox Sports Net.
North Carolina continued to tune up for ACC play as they defeated the Dayton Flyers 81-51 at the Smith Center on Sunday afternoon in a non-conference battle. The Tar Heels improved to 12-1 with the victory with just one more contest before the conference season begins.
The Flyers got on the board first but Wayne Ellington capped a 12-0 Tar Heel run with a pair of three pointers to make it 12-2 early. Carolina then went cold from the field as Dayton clawed back to within 17-12. A three pointer by Danny Green got UNC going again and they outscored the Flyers 17-6 to head to the locker room with their largest lead at 34-18.
The second half was more of the same as a Tywon Lawson free throw completed an 8-2 start to push the lead to a game-high 42-20. The lead continued to grow and reached 54-27 on a Wes Miller three pointer that capped a 12-2 Tar Heel run and finally topped out at 78-42 on a Marcus Ginyard basket.
All American Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 17 points, followed closely by Brandan Wright with 16 and then Ellington with 15. The Tar Heels will play Penn in their next game on Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN before ACC play begins next weekend against Florida State.
North Carolina overcame a sluggish start to defeat the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers by an 87-48 score at the Smith Center on Thursday night to improve to 11-1 on the season. Brandan Wright led the way with 19 points in the victory.
Rutgers grabbed an early 5-2 advantage but a pair of Wayne Ellington free throws put Carolina ahead to stay at the 14:25 mark of the first half. The Scarlet Knights were still within 16-13 when Carolina hit another gear and began pulling away. The Tar Heels outscored Rutgers 17-6 the remainder of the half to head to the locker room with their largest lead of the opening period 33-19.
Ellington nailed a pair of three pointers in a 13-0 Tar Heel run early in the second half to push the lead up to 53-25 with 13:53 to play. Ellington's fifth three pointer of the game made it 66-35 with 8:21 to go and a Reyshawn Terry trey gave UNC their largest lead of the game at 82-39 with 3:50 on the clock.
Following Wright's 19 points were 17 by Ellington and 13 by Tyler Hansbrough. Next up for the Tar Heels is another home game on Sunday afternoon as Dayton comes to town for a 3:00 p.m. contest.
Sophomore Tyler Hansbrough led North Carolina with 15 points and 13 rebounds in his "homecoming" game as the Tar Heels defeated Saint Louis 69-48 Friday night. It was the first true road game of the season for UNC but a sellout crowd of 22,000 + consisted of many Tar Heel fans.
Carolina got off to a rugged start as the Billikins jumped out to an early 5-0 lead. Danny Green's second three pointer put Carolina ahead for the first time at 14-12 but a 12-4 Billiken run gave Saint Louis their largest lead of the game at 24-18 with 5:23 remaining in the first half. However, a three point play by Brandan Wright put Carolina back ahead 27-26 just before intermission.
After Tommie Liddell scored a layup to tie the game at 28 early in the second half, Wright responded with a jumper to put the Tar Heels ahead to stay. Green's third trey of the game gave UNC some breathing room at 41-32 and then Tywon Lawson drilled a pair of three pointers to begin and end a 14-2 run that made it 55-38 at the 8:12 mark. The final margin of the game was also the largest as the men in blue won going away.
Following Hansbrough in the scoring column was Green with 14 and Wright and Lawson with 12 apiece. The Tar Heels are now 10-1 on the season and will return to the court on Thursday night when they host Rutgers at 7:00 p.m. ESPN2 has the call.
The Tar Heels destroyed the Florida Atlantic Owls in a nonconference game at the Smith Center on Tuesday night. All five starters were in double figures for Carolina in the blowout win.
The Owls made it respectable for the first few minutes and only trailed 10-5 in the beginning. However, Carolina then scored 24 consecutive points to put this one away before the midway point of the first half. The lead continued to steadily climb until a long range three pointer by Wayne Ellington at the buzzer sent the Tar Heels to the locker room with a 65-18 advantage.
The second half was more of the same as a Brandan Wright bucket completed a 10-0 run to make it 78-21 with 16:35 to play. Roy Williams emptied his bench shortly after a Tywon Lawson breakaway dunk made it 87-27 with 13:11 to play. The largest lead of the game was 94-28 with 9:00 minutes to play.
Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 20 points followed by Brandan Wright with 15. Also reaching double figures were Ellington and Reyshawn Terry with 14 apiece, and Lawson with 11. The second ranked Tar Heels improved to 9-1 with the win and will get back into action on Friday night when they play Saint Louis on the road.
North Carolina defeated their second straight in-state opponent as they sent the UNC Asheville Bulldogs home with a 93-62 defeat at the hands of the Tar Heels. Brandan Wright matched his season high with 21 points to lead the way.
The Bulldogs played it tough in the beginning as they forced three early ties among two lead changes and held a 7-5 advantage. That's when the Tar Heels stepped it up and went on a 22-1 blitz to take a commanding 27-8 lead midway through the first half. The lead reached as much as 22 points at 35-13 on a Tywon Lawson basket at the 8:01 mark and the Tar Heels led 56-39 at the break.
A pair of free throws by Wayne Ellington pushed the margin up to 67-41 with 16:21 to play before the Bulldogs got their act together and outscored Carolina 15-11 over the next nine minutes. However, the Tar Heels then went on a 15-2 spurt to take their largest lead of the game at 93-58 with 3:17 remaining on a basket by Deon Thompson.
Joining Wright in double figures was Ellington and Tyler Hansbrough with 15 apiece and Reyshawn Terry with 13. The Tar Heels improved to 8-1 on the season and will get back into action on Tuesday night when the host Florida Atlantic at the Smith Center. Game time is 7:00 p.m. and it will be televised by ESPNU.
North Carolina fought off a rusty performance following exam week to defeat in-state rival High Point 94-69 at the Smith Center on Saturday night. All American Tyler Hansbrough led five Tar Heels in double figures by scoring 24 points. With the victory, head coach Roy Williams reached his milestone 500th career win in the quickest time ever in NCAA history.
The Panthers held tight in the early going and forced four early ties, with the last one coming at 10 apiece. Hansbrough then scored a basket to put Carolina ahead for good and kick start a 15-2 run to give the Tar Heels some breathing room. The first half lead reached as much as 45-26 in the waning moments of the half and a Panther bucket sent the teams to the locker room with the Tar Heels ahead 45-28.
High Point fought very aggressively to stay in the game in the second half and it played dividends. The Panthers outscored the Tar Heels for most of the second half and cut their 19 point deficit down to 13 on several occasions. A pair of baskets by Hansbrough finally got the lead up to the 20 point mark at 80-60 and after a Panther score, Brandan Wright scored three times from in close for the first six points in an 8-0 UNC run that pushed the lead to a game high 88-62. Coach Williams emptied his bench at the end of the game.
Following Hansbrough's 24 points, Wright, Tywon Lawson, and Reyshawn Terry each scored 11 points and Marcus Ginyard added 10. The Tar Heels are now 7-1 on the season and hope to improve upon that next Saturday when they welcome UNC-Asheville to the Smith Center. Game time is 2:00 p.m.
The Tar Heels switched gears from their high octane style and picked up their defense to stymie Kentucky Saturday afternoon at the Smith Center. Carolina forced 22 Wildcat turnovers in defeating Kentucky for the third consecutive year.
A Brandan Wright dunk got things started and the Tar Heels never trailed. Kentucky was able to tie the score at 5 and then again at 10. But a Tyler Hansbrough free throw put the Heels ahead to stay before a three pointer by Tywon Lawson ended an 8-0 run and Carolina led 18-10. That was the largest lead of the first half as UNC took a 31-24 advantage into the locker room at the break.
The Wildcats clawed to within three points early in the second half before Coach Williams benched his starters for lackadaisacal play. That ignited an 18-6 Tar Heel run that featured a trio of three pointers by senior Reyshawn Terry to push the margin up to a game-high 54-39 with 11 minutes remaining. The Wildcats could get no closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Wayne Ellington led Carolina in scoring with 17 points while Terry and Wright each finished with 16. The Tar Heels improved to 6-1 with the victory and now get a week off for exams. They will next take to the court on December 9 with a matchup against High Point in the Smith Center. Game time is 7:00 p.m.
North Carolina trailed the entire first half but rode a strong second half performance to defeat the top ranked Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday night at the Smith Center. Eleven different Tar Heels scored in the win including four in double figures.
The Buckeyes struck quickly and built an early 12-4 advantage in the first three minutes of play. A basket by Tyler Hansbrough followed by a three pointer by Tywon Lawson cut the margin to 12-9 but a 10-4 run by Ohio State pushed the lead up to 22-13 at the 14:00 mark. Three straight Tar Heel baskets made it a three point game but an 11-4 Buckeye run made it a double digit deficit for Carolina at 33-23 with 7:33 remaining in the first half. A 19-10 Tar Heel run was capped by a Danny Green dunk to get Carolina to within one at 43-42 and the Buckeyes took a 48-44 lead with them to the locker room at the break.
It was the Tar Heels to storm out of the gates to start the second half as a 9-0 burst put them ahead. A pair of buckets by Hansbrough tied the game before a putback by Reyshawn Terry moved Carolina ahead for the first time. Wayne Ellington then nailed a pair of three pointers and suddenly the Tar Heels led 56-50 with 15:46 left in the game. Ohio State then went on a 14-2 blitz capped by a trio of three pointers by Ivan Harris to regain a six point advantage at 64-58 with 12:42 to play and suddenly it was gut check time for Carolina. They responded to the task with a 26-8 run to seige control and take their largest lead of the game at 84-72 with 4:44 on the clock. The Buckeyes could get no closer than six points the rest of the way and the victory over the nation's top ranked team was secure.
Hansbrough led the way with 21 points and was followed by 19 points by Ellington on his 19th birthday. Lawson finished with 13 and Brandan Wright contributed 11. Carolina is now 5-1 on the season and will get back on the court on Saturday at noon when they host the Kentucky Wildcats. CBS will televise the contest nationally.
North Carolina fought back from their first loss of the season to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers 101-87 for a third place finish in the NIT Season Tipoff at Madison Square Garden. The Tar Heels never trailed and were led by All-American Tyler Hansbrough with 27 points.
UNC came out smoking just as they did in the semi-finals against Gonzaga as they built an early 11-4 lead. A trio of Volunteer three pointers trimmed the advantage to 16-15 but Carolina methodically built a sizeable lead from that point. The lead reached 27-16 on a pair of Danny Green free throws midway through the opening half and 46-28 on a Tywon Lawson basket at the 4:24 mark. The 56-35 halftime score represented the largest Tar Heel lead of the half.
A pair of free throws by Tyler Hansbrough pushed Carolina's lead to 23 points to open the second half before the Volunteers began to dig into the margin. A 22-12 Tennessee run cut the lead to 70-57 at the 14:21 mark but the Tar Heels responded to drive the lead back to 94-73. One last Volunteer run of 11-2 got them to within 12 but that was as close as they would come.
Following Hansbrough's 27 points were 19 by Brandan Wright, 14 each by Lawson and Wayne Ellington, and 10 by Reyshawn Terry. The Tar Heels are now 4-1 on the season and will next face Ohio State in the Smith Center in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.
The Tar Heels traveled to storied Madison Square Garden and lost their first game of the season to Gonzaga in the semi-finals of the National Invitational Tournament Season Tipoff. Carolina rallied in the second half to trim a 16 point deficit to just two but couldn't get over the hump against the Bulldogs.
Brandan Wright scored six points in a 14-2 Tar Heel burst to open the game before Gonzaga brought their "A" game. The Bullogs outscored Carolina 25-12 to take their first lead of the game on a layup by Josh Heytvelt with 5:05 remaining in the first half. A three pointer by Tywon Lawson tied the game at 33 but a Jeremy Pargo layup put the Zags ahead to stay. Gonzaga took a 40-37 lead into the locker room at halftime.
After a pair of free throws by Tyler Hansbrough made it a 49-44 Gonzaga lead early in the second half, the Bulldogs went on a 16-4 blitz to take their largest lead of the game at 65-49 at the 12:25 mark. The Tar Heels then began their comeback and clawed back to within 70-68 on a Hansbrough dunk with 4:16 to play. But Pargo converted an old fashioned three point play to put a halt to the rally and the Tar Heels could get no closer than four points the rest of the way.
Wright led the Tar Heels with 21 points while Lawson and Bobby Frasor each had 11. Carolina drops to 3-1 on the season and will face Tennessee on Friday at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN.
The Tar Heels opened up the Smith Center for the 2006-07 season in grand fashion with a 103-50 shellacking of Gardner-Webb Sunday afternoon. Three Tar Heels scored in double figures in the victory.
A layup by Reyshawn Terry began an 11-2 UNC start and the Tar Heels never trailed. The lead reached 20 points at 29-9 on a three pointer by freshman Tywon Lawson to complete an 18-2 run. It reached 40-12 on an old fashioned three point play by fellow freshman Wayne Ellington at the 8:26 mark and finally the largest lead of the half came on a Lawson layup that sent the teams to the locker room with Carolina ahead 57-19.
Gardner-Webb came out ready to play in the second half and quicky outscored Carolina 9-2. Then after a pair of baskets by Ellington and one by Tyler Hansbrough, the Bulldogs knocked down consecutive three pointers to complete a 15-8 run. But the Tar Heels responded with an 11-2 run capped by a three point play by Brandan Wright to take a 40 point lead at 76-36. A Wright free throw completed an 11-0 run to make it 96-47 with 4:44 to play and the final score was the largest margin of the game.
Wright led the Tar Heels in scoring with 21 and he was followed closely by Ellington with 19 and Hansbrough with 18. Carolina is now 3-0 on the season and will resume play in the preseason National Invitational Tournament on Wednesday night against Gonzaga in Madison Square Garden.
The Tar Heels fell victim to a 15-0 Winthrop run late in the first half but fought back on the strength of a trio of 9-0 runs in the second half to overcome the Eagles and advance to the semifinals of the NIT next week at Madison Square Garden. All American Tyler Hansbrough led the way with a double-double as he racked up 20 points and 10 boards.
Carolina got out of the gates quickly for an early 9-3 lead but it would turn out to be their largest lead until the closing minutes of play. The Eagles fought back to force an 11-11 tie and eventually took their first lead of the game at 19-17 on the fourth of six first half three pointers by Torrell Martin. A basket by Wayne Ellington had Carolina ahead 26-23 but the Eagles then put together their 15-0 blitz to grab a 38-26 advantage with 2:42 to play in the half. The Tar Heels then scored the final four points of the period to end the half down by a 38-30 count.
A Brandan Wright layup cut the deficit to 40-36 before the Eagles pushed back ahead 45-36. The Tar Heels then reeled off their first 9-0 run to tie the score for the fourth time at 45 on a Tywon Lawson three pointer at the 13:45 mark. Winthrop regained the lead by scoring the next four points but Carolina responded with their second 9-0 spurt to surge ahead 54-49 and they never trailed again. The Eagles cut the lead back to one at 56-55 before Hansbrough scored back to back baskets to cap off the third and final 9-0 run and the Tar Heels held their largest lead of the game at 65-55 wiht 2:49 remaining. The Eagles could get no closer than six points the rest of the way.
Following Hansbrough's 20 points were 13 by Ellington and 12 by Wright. Carolina is now 2-0 on the young season and will get back into action on Sunday afternoon against Gardner Webb in the Smith Center.
The much anticipated 2006-07 season is finally under way and the Tar Heels roared to a 103-81 victory over Sacred Heart to get things started. The Pioneers hung tough for over a half but a 21-4 run shortly after the break opened things up and Carolina pulled away for the win.
Sacred Heart came out swinging and jumped ahead 16-11 in the early going behind a trio of three pointers. The Tar Heels were a two man show to begin with as Tyler Hansbrough and Brandan Wright scored the first 14 points. But five different Heels scored in a 9-0 run and Carolina surged ahead for good with a 25-18 advantage with 11:04 remaining in the opening period. The Pioneers clawed back to within one at 35-34 but a Wright basket gave the Tar Heels their largest lead of the first half at 42-34. Tavio Hobson then banked in a three pointer at the buzzer to make it a 42-37 game at intermission. Hansbrough led the way in the opening half with 18 points on 8 for 8 shooting from the field.
It was still a five point game early in the second half when Reyshawn Terry, who went scoreless in the first half, decided to get in on the action. The senior scored 14 points in the explosive run that catapulted Carolina's lead to 70-49 midway through the second stanza. Sacred Heart kept battling and whittled the lead back to 81-67 but a 15-3 UNC run was capped by a three pointer by Wes Miller that gave Carolina their largest lead of the game at 96-70 with two minutes to play.
Hansbrough led five players in double figures with 29 points while Terry finished with 18. The highly touted freshmen trio of Wright, Wayne Ellington, and Tywon Lawson each contributed 10 points in their first games in a Tar Heel uniform. Carolina will now face Winthrop on Wednesday night in the second round of the preseason NIT. Game time is 7:00 p.m. and it will be televised by ESPN.
The Tar Heels roared to a 55 point lead and then cruised to a 140-101 victory over the Pfeiffer Falcons on Saturday evening at the Smith Center. Sophomore Tyler Hansbrough led the way with 24 points while eight Tar Heels scored in double figures.
The first three minutes saw competitive action as their were a pair of ties and a pair of lead changes and the Falcons were leading 9-8. However, a basket by Brandan Wright put the Tar Heels ahead to stay at the 17:00 mark of the first half. A Hansbrough bucket completed a 19-0 run and it was 27-9 Carolina with 13:07 remaining in the half. The biggest Tar Heel lead of the opening period came on a Deon Thompson field goal with 1:32 remaining to make it a 66-29 lead and the Tar Heels took a 70-35 lead into the locker room at the break.
The second half was more of the same as the lead gradually worked its way up to a game high 122-67 on an Alex Stepheson basket with 5:13 to play. A pair of Thompson free throws made it 129-81 before the Falcons capitalized on the Tar Heel reserves to mount a 26-8 spurt near the end of the game.
Following Hansbrough's 24 points were 19 by Wayne Ellington, 16 by Danny Green, 15 by Tywon Lawson, 12 by Wright, 11 by Thompson, 10 by Marcus Ginyard, and 10 by Stepheson. This was the final exhibion tuneup before the official season opener Tuesday night against Sacred Heart at Charlotte in the opening round of the preseason NIT. Game time is 7:00 p.m. on ESPNU.
The North Carolina Tar Heels opened up their exhibition season with a 110-79 thrashing of the Saint Augustine Falcons at the Smith Center on Wednesday night. Freshman Brandan Wright led the way with 19 points.
It was all Wright in the early going as the blue chip freshman scored the first eight Tar Heel points and 10 of the first 13 including four dunks. Five straight points by Tyler Hansbrough pushed the lead to 27-8 at the 10:50 mark. Marcus Ginyard then took over on the offensive end by scoring 11 points to keep the Falcons at bay and a three pointer by Wayne Ellington put Carolina ahead by their largest margin of the half at 56-34 with 1:30 on the clock. A Falcon three pointer at the buzzer sliced the lead to 58-39 at the break.
Saint Augustine outscored Carolina 7-3 to start the second half before the Tar Heels caught fire and played their most impressive ball of the game. A basket by Reyshawn Terry ignited a 24-5 run that culminated with a three pointer by Ellington to make it 85-51 with 11:45 to play. Carolina then went cold and was outscored by the Falcons 24-15 over the next ten minutes as they trimmed the final margin down to 31 points.
Following Wright's 19 points were Hansbrough and Ginyard each with 14, and Ellington with 13. Fourteen different Tar Heels scored in the victory. Carolina plays their second and final exhibition game a week from Saturday when they entertain Pfeiffer at the Smith Center at 5:00 p.m.