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(04/19/09 4:00am)
Levi Michael couldn't really say what it was that led to his three strikeouts in Friday's matchup against Miami.He wasn't sure if it was the fastball of Hurricanes' lefty Chris Hernandez.Or if it was the added pressure from the combined 5-for-7 performance of Dustin Ackley and Kyle Seager ahead of him in the lineup.But whatever ""it"" was"" it was gone by Saturday.""I just tried to focus a little harder" stop swinging at bad pitches and wait for my pitch and then don't try to do too much with it — just hit the ball back up the middle" Michael said after Sunday's 2-for-2 showing with an RBI and two walks.Michael got to base on seven of his eight chances in the series' final two games, including three hits with three RBI.That performance normally wouldn't be surprising from Michael, a freshman who joined the Tar Heels a semester early, and, until recently, led the ACC in RBI.But after striking out three times and only reaching base after getting hit by a pitch Friday, Michael was moved from the five-spot to the bottom of the lineup.We hit him ninth just because we've got to take the pressure off of him"" coach Mike Fox said. Get him out of situations where he feels like he has to do too much.""Michael was up with players on base in every one of his at-bats Friday" and he stranded six of UNC's eight batters left on base.Things looked better by the fourth inning Saturday" when Michael's single sent home Garrett Gore and Brett Thomas — giving the Tar Heels the tying run.""I changed my approach a little bit now" hitting at the bottom of the order Michael said Sunday. I've been patient trying to draw walks hit by pitches" and then obviously when I get a ball over the plate I just try to hit it somewhere.""Though Michael didn't score during the rest of the series" he left only one Tar Heel on base in Saturday's matchup. He stopped taking as many swings" as well — his only strikeout in the last two games came looking.""When he got in a funk a little bit" as it happens you start swinging at bad pitches. You try too hard Fox said. So I think more than anything else he calmed down in the batter's box and concentrated a little harder" looked at the ball a little better.""Third baseman Kyle Seager said Michael's play at the bottom of the order could prove crucial for UNC.""I mean" he's capable of going off at any time. He's such a good hitter" he said. Just having him at the bottom of the order will let him relax a little bit and maybe see a few more fastballs.""Michael graduated from North Davidson High School in January to join the Tar Heels this spring.He's started all of UNC's 41 games at second baseman" playing most in the top third of the lineup" but he's still getting used to the demands of college ball.""It's been a tough transition" but it's been fun he said.In high school I played shortstop so I've been learning to play second base a little bit. It's given me some struggles but I feel like I've kind of settled in a little bit and figured some things out" and I'm doing all right right now.""Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(04/14/09 4:00am)
Down two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning the top three batters of North Carolina's order prepared to face High Point closer Jeremy Berg.But none of the Tar Heels was prepared for what came next.Strikeout looking Ben Bunting.Strikeout swinging Ryan Graepel.Strikeout looking" Dustin Ackley.""That never happens to us" third baseman Kyle Seager said after the game. Especially with the three that struck out there" at the top of the order.""That three-and-out eighth inning put a quick end to UNC's hopes of a response to the Panthers' big frame — and just added to High Point's confidence.""I mean" we just had momentum going for us Berg said after the game.Playing well" just trying to keep that rolling and do our jobs every time we got the chance.""So facing UNC's top three — with a combined batting average of .333 — didn't faze him.""I mean" I was just concentrating on the next pitch hitting the glove every pitch I got" and I got my job done.""In the end" it was the play of Berg (two and two-thirds innings pitched one hit" three strikeouts) and the other High Point relievers that thwarted the Tar Heels.After totalling eight hits in the first five innings — and four in the first two — UNC recorded only two more for the rest of the game.""Looking back" that's probably where we lost the game. We had their left-hander (starter Brian Jones) off the hook way too many times" coach Mike Fox said.I thought we should have scored a few more runs earlier in the game and put a bit more pressure on them.""After Jones came out after the fourth inning"" High Point's three relievers combined to allow only two hits and two runs.""Those middle innings" those couple guys made some good pitches Seager said. We stalled for a little while" but I felt like we got a few runs across when we needed to.""And then we just couldn't get anything there at the end.""Thanks in large part to Berg" who threw 19 of his 27 pitches as strikes and dropped his season ERA to 1.82" the lowest on the team.""That kid has a good arm. He was pretty tough. You're not used to seeing a guy throw that hard from down that low"" Seager said. He was good.""As seen in the eighth inning — Berg's first full frame on the mound.""Ben looks at a close pitch" which he has a tendency to do" Fox said.And (Berg's) tough on righties — you don't see Dusty do that too many times.""That gave them some momentum"" certainly. It was a big inning for him. He pitched well.""And as his defense backed him up in the eighth"" Berg held his team to the lead it had been guarding so fervently since the seventh inning.""I just wanted to throw the ball as hard as I can in the right spot" pretty much" he said. And it worked. It definitely did.""Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(04/02/09 4:00am)
""If you want your careers to end tonight" like this" keep playing this way.""So said North Carolina coach Roy Williams during a tense timeout in the second half of Tar Heels' second-round matchup with LSU in Greensboro.That night" the team took his message to heart spurred by Ty Lawson in obliterating the Tigers' five-point lead and continuing to a romp of the team 84-70.Since then the Tar Heels have never been ready for their careers to end that night in that game.So they haven't played that way.Thanks" coach.""Whatever he says is what we do" Lawson puts it simply enough.We just trust him. We always just go out there and do his gameplan — because the last couple years" whatever he says works.""The one blip on coach Williams' resume: last season's matchup with Kansas"" what Williams has called ""the most unreal basketball game I've ever been involved in.""""I've been criticized more for that game than any of the games I've coached in 21 years" Williams said Monday. It's a game that has bothered me" will bother me forever.""It bothered me because of the scenario"" it bothered me because of the way we played.""It bothered me because I thought we would really play well."" Coach Williams was criticized for his use of timeouts. He was criticized for what appeared a lack of a game plan. He was criticized — more than anything else — for what we all now know as ""Sticker-gate."" ""I felt it was very" very very very" very — add as many as you want — unfair treatment of me two days later (for wearing a Kansas sticker to the national championship game).""I'm going to remember it after you guys are all dead and gone.""Williams added another element to his Final Four woes on Monday: he was throwing up in the locker room. And on the court"" in a towel.""It's the first time in 21 years as a head coach I've ever leaned over to an assistant and told him stand up and call a play.""His players said Monday that many of the perceived issues have been corrected.""I think the last couple of games that he's been using his timeouts really well — not to say he hasn't been using them well before that"" Deon Thompson said.Tyler Hansbrough mentioned his coach's constant presence as helping keep the Tar Heels' eyes on their game-to-game play and not the expectations of the public.We really try to stay within our team and just listen to the coaches.""When Danny Green was having shooting troubles"" he immediately went to coach Williams — ""obviously"" — so that they could discuss how to fix them.Williams always has been a motivator for his teams" none seen so clearly as his year at the helm of the national championship team in 2005. This year his technique and their talent — if anything the years prior to that championship proved talented players aren't enough — could equate once again to a national title.Overall this year's Tar Heel players say that little has changed in his approach to the Final Four and that he isn't doing anything differently to motivate them.There is one plus they see from last year" though.""He's been the same. His demeanor hasn't really changed" Thompson said.I don't think he's broken a clipboard yet this year" so that's a good thing.""
(04/02/09 4:00am)
Coach Roy Williams said it at the team's first practice of the year. He said it the first time he met with the media. And he'll say it to his team just before it opens play against Villanova on Saturday.Defense wins championships.""From the first day I've tried to push this team to concentrate and to invest in it on the defensive end of the floor"" he said Tuesday.And over the course of the last month we've had some good moments defensively.""Before the NCAA Tournament" UNC was primarily known for its offensive prowess. Consequently the team defense could never equal those standards. Yes they would score 108 points against Maryland in February — but they gave up 91 too.They went into the postseason with the hopes of changing that.North Carolina currently is ranked 71st in the nation in field goal percentage defense allowing opponents to go 41.3 percent from the field (of the Final Four teams only MSU is lower — allowing 41.4 percent).But the Tar Heels have stepped up their defensive edge in the NCAA Tournament holding Radford to 27.5 percent shooting and Oklahoma to a 10.5 mark from behind the arc.And more importantly — it's become a team effort. Before the postseason Bobby Frasor and Danny Green had combined for 19 of the team's 30 Defensive Player of the Game honors.But in the ACC and NCAA Tournaments Frasor has garnered only one and Green zero. Instead their teammates are getting the recognition. Ed Davis doubled his season total with three in a row" while Deon Thompson and Tyler Hansbrough both received their first — Hansbrough for his work against Blake Griffin in Sunday's Oklahoma game.Such improvements beg the question: Can the Tar Heels play strong defense after all?""We can. When we turn that switch" we definitely can Wayne Ellington said after that game. We can get some big-time stops" and that's what we did today.""They'll have to against a guard-heavy Villanova team — a team with players similar to those who have burned the Tar Heels in the past.UNC has struggled against the strong guards in the ACC — Toney Douglas" Tyrese Rice" Jeff Teague and Greivis Vasquez come to mind.In six games against those teams — three of them losses — those players lit up UNC with 50.5 shooting and an average of 28 points per game.Williams hopes those performances won't be repeated by the talented guards of Villanova.""We've had some times we didn't play as well and didn't have that sense of urgency" he said.But we've had some games where at big moments we've really stepped up. So that itself" has given the coaching staff and players some confidence that they could do it.""The next push was to try to get them to do it consistently.""Thompson" for one" thinks they've started that.""I think our defense has improved"" he said. And I just think our defense just always gets knocked on just because we can score the ball so well. ""So definitely" our defense does need to be good — I don't know if it necessarily needs to be great" because we can score the ball so well.""But it definitely has to be above average to beat good teams.""
(03/23/09 4:00am)
9:55 p.m. MONDAY March 23 -- The third-seeded North Carolina women's basketball game lost an 85-70 match-up to Big Ten runner-up Purdue on Monday the Tar Heels' first loss to Purdue in four tries between the two teams.UNC failed to reach the regional semifinals for the first time in five years with the loss.Italee Lucas was UNC's leading scorer with 21 and Jessica Breland added 10 boards. But the Tar Heels shot worse than 37 percent from the field and the Boilermakers better than 57 percent.Read The Daily Tar Heel tomorrow for the full story.
(03/17/09 4:00am)
It wasn't really surprising that freshman left fielder Seth Baldwin wasn't starting games for the No. 1 North Carolina baseball team.After six appearances as a designated hitter Baldwin had a .143 batting average and one hit.But after a two-home-run and six-RBI performance in Tuesday's matchup with Princeton" UNC coach Mike Fox might think about starting him again.""Yeah" I'm not very smart" am I?"" Fox asked with a grin after the game.Baldwin earned his first career start and his first home run — on a sixth-inning grand slam" no less — in Tuesday's game and he said it all came down to relaxing at the plate.With the bases loaded and one out already up on the board" that probably wasn't easy.""I really didn't try to think about it too much"" he said. I just wanted to do my job and hit the ball hard — somewhere.""I was really anxious. I just had to settle in.""Fox said that's the problem that's plagued the freshman all year — it's been nerves" not potential" that's held him back.""Seth's got the most power on our team" offensively. We all know that because we've watched him in batting practice and in the cages Fox said. But he's just a freshman" and it's just taken him awhile to figure it out.""For Baldwin"" ""awhile"" seemed as though it would never end. When asked"" he'll tell you that not only did he struggle — he ""really" really really really really struggled" all the way through the fall and the spring.""Despite coming in as one of the leading home-run scorers of his high school team — a team that won the state championship his junior year — he still had a lot to learn.""I got used to the pitching in high school" because it's not as fast he said. When I came up here it was a lot faster" so I had trouble adjusting for a while.""But as he's become more comfortable at the plate and on the campus"" Baldwin has been able to enjoy the ride a little more.And for a guy who's ""always"" wanted to come to UNC"" that's a welcome feeling.""I was really dead set on coming here" so when they talked to me I committed immediately" Baldwin laughed. This is a really good place to be.""Baldwin went to high school with former Tar Heel Chad Flack — now a student coach for UNC — and he said he and Flack sat down for 30 minutes to talk about the program during Baldwin's senior year.The freshman isn't promising to mirror the success of Flack" who sits at third all-time in home runs for UNC but Tuesday's performance — four runs" four hits and six RBI in five at-bats — did show what's possible.""The ball going out of the ballpark didn't surprise anybody in our dugout" 'cause we've seen it Fox said.He's got just unbelievable juice in his bat. And now he's got a little bit of confidence" so we'll see.""And it's the support of Fox and his teammates that kept him going through the early season when the hits didn't come" Baldwin said.As they gathered to meet him near the plate after Tuesday's grand slam" the struggles were all worth it.""They were just like" ‘Congratulations. It's good to have you back"'"" he said.""They told me over and over" ‘Good job' and that just really makes you feel good when everybody on your team backs you up" no matter what.""That was really nice. That's probably what made it the best"" because of them.""Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/06/09 5:00am)
Joe Breschi was brought to the North Carolina lacrosse program to win a national championship.Eventually.For now" he'll settle on the team's first ACC victory in almost five years — or even just a win this weekend against Notre Dame and a perfect 7-0 start to the season.""Pressure? I had pressure at Ohio State for 11 years. There's no difference" Breschi says with a laugh.It's just a matter of how much pressure you put on yourself and I think with us as a coaching staff — we understand expectations" but nobody has greater expectations than us.""Breschi is largely known as the architect of the Ohio State lacrosse program" where he spent 11 years before returning to his alma mater.There he turned a mid-level school into a consistent NCAA Tournament competitor with several key upsets along the way. That includes of course" last year's win against one University of North Carolina.Breschi ""can't wait"" for that rematch. ""I would expect nothing but just a tremendous battle" and you know they're going to be favored going in" because they beat our tails last year.""Note the pronoun change.Breschi already has taken ownership of the UNC program"" and he's started by changing its entire underlying philosophy.Practices are earlier. Community service is mandatory. Players are recognized not for scoring the most goals or assists but for acting with the best attitude or most enthusiasm.""Coach is constantly talking to the guys about not what it takes to necessarily win lacrosse games" but how we want to be perceived and how we want to act off the lacrosse field" says assistant coach Pat Myers, who played for Breschi at OSU and who joined his Tar Heel team this summer.We want to set the standard at North Carolina for leadership" for class for respect. And when people think of Carolina lacrosse players" we want them to think of those things.""Breschi" a 1990 UNC alumnus was hired in July after it was announced that the previous coach of eight years John Haus would not return for another season.Haus ran a very different program" and the team was criticized at times for what was seen as an undisciplined atmosphere and a lack of emphasis on academics.Breschi came in with a plan to change all of that.""When we talked with Joe" what was easy to see was that he had a vision for the program athletics director Dick Baddour says.He could articulate the strategies that he would use whether it be from recruiting to bringing in the alums to interacting with the players. He had a prescription for success" I would say.""First on Breschi's to-do list? Start forming those relationships" especially with his seniors.Two weeks after he made the move" he was meeting with his players to talk about coming changes. He and his family were hosting dinners at his house throughout the fall.All that was part of what Breschi credits as his main philosophy with his programs: creating a family atmosphere on and off the field.""That's really what we are. It's what we're becoming" is a family senior captain Bobby McAuley says. Everyone" you've got their back — everyone's your brother out on the field and off the field.""And that's new. It hasn't always been that way. That hasn't always been our thing.""But it has always been Breschi's thing"" Myers says.""He's always been a family-type guy" from the first day he recruited me to playing for him to working with him as an assistant" he says.The new head coach knows a UNC national championship won't come in his first season — or probably even his second. After all, the program he inherited hasn't won an ACC matchup since April 10, 2004. That's first on his plate.Everyone talks about the ACC" he says with a shrug. The program hasn't won an ACC game in four" five years. But this is a new program.""With a new style of play — ""running and gunning.""For months" the Tar Heel team has focused on implementing and improving an entirely new system.Their offense focuses on speed their defense on special situations — two minutes left one goal down" extra man opportunity.""Everything's different" McAuley says. We like to dictate the tempo of the game" and I think that we're going to do that a lot this year.""They've started out winning six games by an average of more than nine goals and a No. 3 ranking.And Breschi has his players prepared for almost anything any team can throw against them.And his one goal is to see his seniors leave content with the way their UNC careers unfolded.If that means" for them winning an ACC game Breschi will do everything in his power to make it happen as long as they put in the work" too.""Our focus is on today and tomorrow" and if we continue to get better then the expectations at the end will take care of themselves he says.Whether we win a national championship or an ACC championship or whatever I want these seniors to go out of here saying ‘You know what" I really enjoyed my UNC experience.'""
(03/05/09 5:00am)
BLACKSBURG, Va. — For two minutes, North Carolina looked like a defensive team.Then for five minutes. Then for three.It wasn't a perfect defensive performance by any standard. But Wednesday, it was enough.Simply: We guarded" coach Roy Williams said.We did a better job on the defensive end. We've picked on our defense all year long and I've probably done more of it than anybody" but defensively we were more alert.""Yes" they gave up scoring runs uncontested baskets and rebounds. Yes" they couldn't stop Virginia Tech's A.D. Vassallo from scoring 25.But they weren't trying to.""Basically we were just going to try to rotate" point guard Ty Lawson said. We knew their three main scorers were going to take all the shots" and our main focus was on them.""A couple times we lost them — they ran one of our plays and got open"" knocked down a couple 3's — but we just played D. I think we played well on defense.""Those runs are exactly what the Tar Heels expected from this team — or" at least from Vassallo Malcolm Delaney and Jeff Allen" who combined for 62 of the Hokies' 78 points.And those three scored all of the Hokies' final 16 — in a five-minute span.""Last three minutes and 45 seconds we were like" we have to get stops Lawson said. The game was getting close toward the end" and we had to play against the clock and them.""And as usual" the Tar Heels' offense bailed them out when their defense didn't.Twice in the second half Vassallo tied the score for the Hokies. Twice UNC answered with a basket of its own" stopped the ensuing VT possession and downed another score just for good measure. ""They score 74 percent of their points" and I think they probably did that tonight Williams said. They're a load to guard" and I feel very fortunate to get out of here with a win.""And after last week's poor defensive performance against Maryland" Williams and his team were happy — relieved even — with any win on the road particularly one with any defensive gems.UNC forced the Hokies to call timeout after stifling in-bound passes — twice. Freshman Ed Davis came up with monster blocks that helped preserve the Tar Heel lead twice in a minute late in the game (Davis ended with six). UNC finished with five steals and 18 points off Hokie turnovers.And most importantly" the Tar Heels could leave Cassell Coliseum feeling good about the defense they played Wednesday.""I mean" basketball is just a game of runs Davis said. The other team is going to be hot" you're going to be hot.""You just try to withstand the other team's runs and try to just bounce back.""We tried to slow them down when they do get hot.""Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(02/24/09 5:00am)
North Carolina baseball coach Mike Fox knows his team isn't going to outscore many opponents.For weeks he has preached one thing to his players as they start their season: defense.So when things went sour in the ninth inning of the Tar Heels' matchup with No. 18 Coastal Carolina there was one thing to blame.Defense.Up 3-1 at the top of the eighth inning all UNC needed was two innings of solid pitching and defensive work.Instead" the Tar Heels gave up an eighth-inning home run to tie and four unearned runs in the ninth that gave CCU a 7-3 lead the Chanticleers wouldn't relinquish.""Well" we didn't play defense Fox said. And we've talked about" we need to play good defense to have a chance to win."" After seven innings of solid pitching from starter Patrick Johnson and his reliever" Brian Moran closer Colin Bates came in and things began to unravel.First Bates gave up a long bomb on the second batter he faced sending CCU catcher Jose Iglesias and one base runner home to tie.In the ninth inning" a bunt attempt by CCU's Taylor Motter spurred a two-base throwing error by UNC catcher Mark Fleury.""Coach Fox always says pitching and defense is what's going to win games for us" Fleury said. And we'd won eight innings worth of a game" with five hits. …""You know" you want to look at these guys in the face and say" I did everything I could to help my team win — and something like that happens.""Suddenly" the tide had turned. With no outs Bates faced CCU's Tyler Bortnick with men on second and third. Bates walked him.Then the Tar Heels' lack of defense burned them again. A fielding error by shortstop Ryan Graepel sent home the go-ahead run" and a single and a walk by Bates put Coastal Carolina up three.""(Graepel) squibbed one" and we don't make a play Fox said. Next thing you know they've got the lead. … As good as their baseball team is" they're going to take advantage of that.""Bates took the loss in the game after giving up five runs — only one earned — on three hits and two walks in one inning of work.""It's hard for me not to take responsibility out there. I'm not ever going to put it on our defense"" he said of his teammates' two fielding errors.I don't know. It was just a tough day.""UNC's offense struggled throughout the game" recording only seven hits and leaving eight men on base.One of UNC's few offensive highlights came from freshman second baseman Levi Michael who in the sixth inning hit the Tar Heels' first home run in the new Boshamer.But as coach Fox stressed" offense isn't UNC's game yet.And Michael's milestone isn't what the Tar Heels will remember from this game.""This is going to taste bad for a while"" Fleury said. We don't like losing. Especially to those guys.""Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(02/12/09 5:00am)
For the first time in school history North Carolina will host a Thursday night football game. And all it took was discussions among Athletics Director Dick Baddour Chancellor Holden Thorp other faculty leaders" officials from UNC Hospitals — and the ACC.An Oct. 22 game against Florida State highlights a Tar Heels schedule that includes another Thursday night game only a week later and seven home games at Kenan Stadium.""The fans and student body have been a huge part of creating a great game day atmosphere" and I'm thrilled we will play seven times at Kenan Stadium for the second straight year coach Butch Davis said in a UNC Athletics release.I know our fans players" and staff are excited about the opportunity to host the first Thursday night game against an outstanding Florida State team.""UNC has not played Florida State in Chapel Hill since a 37-0 loss in 2003.Only seven days after this year's matchup" UNC travels to Virginia Tech for another prime-time game the first time the Tar Heels have been featured in back-to-back slots.In past years the Athletics department has resisted Thursday night games because of the strain the crowds would put on the campus and the town Baddour said.This time" he thinks they've figured it all out.""The ACC also worked with us to select a game on the Thursday of Fall Break" thus there are no classes that day or the following day" Baddour said.In working with University officials, he said they will be able to minimize the effect on UNC services.Plus, he said the benefits and exposure of a Thursday game help outweigh any inconveniences.It's the college version of Monday Night Football — it is the only show in town"" and football fans across the nation are watching."" 2009 UNC Football schedule:Sept. 5 vs. The CitadelSept. 12 at ConnecticutSept. 19 vs. East CarolinaSept. 26 at Georgia TechOct. 3 vs. VirginiaOct. 10 vs. Georgia SouthernOct. 17 — Open dateOct. 22 (Thurs.) vs. Florida State (ESPN)Oct. 29 (Thurs.) at Virginia Tech (ESPN)Nov. 7 vs. DukeNov. 14 vs. MiamiNov. 21 at Boston CollegeNov. 28 at NC StateContact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(02/08/09 5:00am)
MEN'S LACROSSERobert Morris - 4UNC - 16
(02/01/09 5:00am)
A standing-room-only crowd packed Koury Natatorium on Friday composed of those unlucky enough to be standing in the back craning their necks to see the nine seniors standing poolside below.With families and friends by their sides all nine graduating swimmers and divers were honored in a pre-meet ceremony and watched a video tribute to their successes in the past four years.The live swimming that followed wasn't too shabby either.Three seniors — Whitney Sprague Yi-Khy Saw and Kimmy Davis — all managed individual wins and helped lead the Tar Heels to wins against Duke 182-101 for the men and 169-123 for the women.In their last home dual meets of their careers the seniors went out in style — due to the hard work of the underclassmen. The teams set 59 season bests and 24 career bests combined.One of those career bests came from Davis whose time of 56.01 also earned her a win in the 100- meter backstroke.Davis also kicked off the scoring for the Tar Heels participating in a win in the women's 200- meter relay in the first event of the night.The men's relay that followed further cemented the Tar Heels' advantage with UNC's first 1-2-3 finish of the evening.Sprague opened her evening strong with a second-place finish in the 1000-meter freestyle that came less than one second off her season best.She followed that performance with a win in the 500-meter beating her closest competitor by almost half a second.Senior Yi-Khy Saw took home a win in his final home meet in the 200-meter butterfly another race in which the Tar Heels finished in the top three spots.UNC women won 14 of their 16 total events and the men won 15 of 16 after sweeping the diving events.The win also earned North Carolina two points in the Carlyle Cup which pits UNC and Duke athletes against one another in a yearlong competition. UNC now leads 8.5-2.5 this year.The Tar Heels next face up against N.C. State in Raleigh on Tuesday with the ACC Championships coming up Feb. 18.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(01/15/09 5:00am)
When quarterback Cameron Sexton was given his second chance as a starter for the Tar Heels this season he won five games and threw for a career-record 1261 yards.Now after announcing he will graduate in May" he could look for a second chance as a starter at a Division II school next year.Sexton will leave North Carolina with a degree in communication studies even though he still has one year of eligibility remaining from his redshirt season.""I have always been a competitor" and I have more goals I want to accomplish on the football field" Sexton said Wednesday in a statement released by UNC Athletics. I'll always be grateful for the opportunities I had at North Carolina.""Though NCAA rules state Sexton would not be able to use his final year of eligibility at a Division I or I-AA school" he could play one more year at a D-II school" which he named as a possibility.""I don't know what the future holds for me"" Sexton said. I'm considering all my options.""An injury to North Carolina starter T.J. Yates early in the season gave Sexton the opportunity to play for UNC again this year" despite seeing little success in his first seasons.Sexton won his first game in 2008 at Miami" after coming in off the bench.""More or less I was just so excited about that win" Sexton said after the Sept. 27 game. There have been a lot of struggles over the years" and then that moment was emotional.""I don't even really know what I was thinking. I was just excited.""The starting spot was his from then on" and Sexton had a 5-2 record until Yates recovered from his fractured ankle.Sexton's departure means UNC will have limited experience at backup quarterback next year with now-freshman Mike Paulus the sole QB behind Yates with game experience.Paulus' totals in his first campaign don't bode well in the case of another Yates injury — 4-of-13 passing with two interceptions.But Sexton's numbers did not indicate the success he'd have during his junior year either. After throwing four touchdowns and eight interceptions in eight games in 2006" Sexton threw for nine scores and six picks last season.""Cam was an inspiration to our football team for his perseverance and determination" coach Butch Davis said in the statement. He gave everything he had to this program" and Carolina fans will always remember the highlights he provided in 2008."" Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(01/11/09 5:00am)
DEC. 14 FRISCO Texas — The North Carolina men's soccer team shouldn't even have been playing in the NCAA championship game.That would mean the Tar Heels had beaten Wake Forest the first win against the Deacons in six tries. That would mean the No. 13 seed had upset the No. 1 seed — a team with only one overtime loss on the season. That would mean last year's national champion hadn't made it past the semis.But there they were the Tar Heels" lining up Sunday with everything to play for.""It was an amazing feeling" senior captain Michael Callahan said of making it to the College Cup in Frisco. I just couldn't be happier to in my senior year" get this opportunity to compete for a national title.""And although the Tar Heels' magic stopped in the finals with a 1-0 loss to Maryland" it was still a run to remember. But even for Callahan" that didn't make a hard-fought loss in the finals any easier.""I don't know. It's tough to find positives out of a time like this"" he said after the finals. And I'm disappointed in myself.""Though Callahan's play was one of the stronger facets for the Tar Heels on Sunday" that didn't change the outcome. Maryland midfielder Graham Zusi's goal in the 67th minute gave the Terrapins their second title in four years and ended North Carolina's surprising run to the championship game.After an evenly matched first half the Terrapins came out gunning in the second with Zusi's goal coming on a second-chance try with 23 minutes remaining. Maryland's Jeremy Hall rocketed a shot toward the goal which was blocked by North Carolina defender Eddie Ababio. The rebound fell straight to Zusi's feet.As UNC keeper Brooks Haggerty stretched to stop Zusi's shot" the ball slammed into the lower left corner of the net.""That was a hard game for us" and I felt like we had a hard time getting into the rhythm especially in the first half coach Elmar Bolowich said. In the second half with the wind in the back I thought we might do a little bit more" but Maryland's defense held strong.""The postgame tone was in obvious contrast to the jubilant manner in which Friday's game had concluded — and in which it started.Only 3:56 into the match" Brian Shriver caught a cross from midfielder Zach Loyd on the left side of the box and headed the ball in from 6 yards out. Wake Forest keeper Akira Fitzgerald got a hand on the ball but couldn't stop it from bouncing into the side of the net.That was all the scoring UNC would need and this time there would be no repeat performance of the teams' October meeting when WFU scored three goals in six minutes and beat the Tar Heels 4-2.In large part" the deficit remained this time because Haggerty was constantly on the move.""In the end" obviously I was the most nervous he said. But when I made the save on Marcus (Tracy's shot in the second half) when I dove it was to my left side and I tipped it over the goal" I just knew our team was going to get it done.""And so a team that didn't make the tournament in 2007 could claim second-best in the nation in 2008.Since then" three rookies were named to Soccer America's Freshman Team of the Year and Callahan was named second-team All-America and earned a spot on the NSCAA Scholar All-America team.After individual honors and only the second finals appearance in school history" UNC's season was still one to be proud of.""I want to congratulate Maryland" Bolowich said. And I want to congratulate our team for putting out an outstanding effort. I think we left everything on the field" and I cannot ask for anything more.""Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(01/11/09 5:00am)
Hakeem Nicks spent three years living his dream in Chapel Hill.What's left but to continue The Dream in the National Football League?After a record-setting season and jaw-dropping performance in North Carolina's Meineke Car Care Bowl loss" it took Nicks only nine days to announce he would forgo his senior year of eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft.""After the bowl game" just based off that I felt like I was ready for a new challenge in my life" Nicks said. I felt like it was another challenge for me that I was ready to step up to.""Though Nicks won't return for the 2009 spring semester" he still plans to graduate.Nicks said he expects to be picked on the first day of the draft which consists of the first two rounds.And that prediction isn't without merit. UNC coach Butch Davis who coached in the NFL for eight years" made several inquiries to coaches in the league and also submitted the pre-draft paperwork to the league's advisory committee.""The role that I tried to play was to help educate Hakeem on the many aspects of this decision"" Davis said — that included money, agents and education. Most everybody feels pretty confident that he's going to have a chance to be a first-day selection.""Considering the show Nicks put on for the 15 NFL scouts who attended UNC's bowl game" that is. The Charlotte native had three touchdowns and 181 yards — in the first half. He even won ESPN's top play of bowl season for the behind-the-back" one-handed catch he made on a third down in the second half. ""I just wanted to contribute to the offense the best way possible" Nicks said. When they called my name" I just wanted to make plays in front of my home crowd.""And make plays he did though he'd be the last to tell you. Nicks repeatedly credited the ""team effort"" and the plays his teammates made — something that didn't go unnoticed by his coach.""You talk about love — I don't know if there's been very many players that I've been around that I respect as much as Hakeem" Davis said.You want to talk about humility" and being humble — to be as big as a star as he is and with all of the great performances that he has over the past three years?""The Meineke Car Care Bowl was Nicks' greatest performance. He set personal highs in receiving yards and touchdowns in the first half and finished with two UNC bowl records. West Virginia coach Bill Stewart said he told the defensive coaches at halftime to encourage double coverage or plays over the top to contain the seemingly unstoppable Nicks.""We tried to bring a little bit more pressure in a different way" he said. I said ‘My God" we have no one that can cover him. Nobody.'""As a matter of fact" Nicks ends his UNC career with 14 school records including marks for career receiving touchdowns (21) and receptions (181). And he did it in only three years.Nicks became UNC's first-ever 1000-yard receiver — he finished 2008 with 1222. He sits No. 1 in career receiving yards — with 387 yards to spare.And now UNC has to find his replacement. Nicks' departure means the Tar Heels' receiving corps is almost completely depleted with seniors Brandon Tate" Brooks Foster and Cooter Arnold all graduating.""It's not going to be as good" quarterback T.J. Yates said after the bowl game when asked about the effect of Nicks' departure on the receiving game.But you trust his decision and whatever he does" I'll support him 100 percent.""While Nicks plays on Sundays"" he'll still be cheering for UNC on Saturdays.""I love Carolina"" he said. I'll always be a Tar Heel. I'll always root for them in the future.""I felt this was just another challenge for me to step up to.""Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(12/03/08 5:00am)
Senior Garry Lewis couldn't keep the grin off his face.He and the North Carolina men's soccer team had just won their Round of 16 matchup in overtime. And he had scored the winning goal.""Joy. I was just — I mean" it was just overwhelmingly awesome he said after the game. I mean that's what it's about. Not giving up" ever.""That's a lesson this Tar Heel team has learned well.Last season" UNC missed the cut for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years.But even after a season-ending double overtime loss in the ACC Tournament" coach Elmar Bolowich knew this season would be different.""If everything goes right" we will be a very very different team" he said in November 2007. Things look good. I'm very optimistic. I'm very enthusiastic.""Turns out" Bolowich had a right to be excited. The team has gone 13-7-1 this season with six of the seven losses coming against ACC teams.Now they're playing at home in the Elite Eight round fighting for a chance to head to Frisco Texas" for the College Cup for the first time since 2001.""Any game in the NCAA Tournament" especially the Elite Eight is exciting especially at home senior Ryan Adeleye said Tuesday. It means a lot in front of our home crowd lot of fans" family even — it's very exciting for everybody.""But the Tar Heels' two wins in the second and third rounds (they were granted a first-round bye as the No. 13 seed) at times looked in doubt.North Carolina floundered into the postseason with five straight losses" the longest such streak in program history. Three of the five were against the No. 1 and 2 teams in the country in Wake Forest and Maryland" but the losses were still in black and white.""The bad streak was just that the results didn't come. But actually we didn't play so poorly"" Bolowich said Tuesday.We were just not fortunate enough to get the results or score one more goal than the opponents did.""That all changed in the Round of 16" when UNC rebounded from two one-goal deficits against the University of Illinois at Chicago to take the game 3-2" in overtime.""For certain players it might have reignited this flame in them that we saw earlier in the season"" Adeleye said.That's a needed spark for the Tar Heels, who need to return to their success of the early season against a Northwestern team that already has managed three upsets in this year's tournament.Coach Bolowich thinks the guys can handle it.We just have to be upbeat about ourselves" he said. You know" we got ourselves into a little bit of a rut of not having the results we wanted late in the season.""Then we corrected a few things" the guys are positive" and we are looking forward to playing this game again on Saturday.""Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(12/01/08 5:00am)
CARY — Down 2-1 in the NCAA third round with only 3:28 left"" there was no doubt in senior captain Michael Callahan's mind what needed to be done.""The ball comes down to you in the box and you're down a goal in the closing minutes?"" he said. ""I mean" yeah you say ‘I'm taking this on myself" no ifs ands or buts about it.""Callahan did take it on" and he rocketed a rebound into the lower left corner of the goal from about 12 yards out to tie the score.From there" it took only eight more minutes and a Garry Lewis header shortly into overtime to finish North Carolina's 3-2 win against a fiery University of Illinois at Chicago team and send the Tar Heels (13-7-1) into the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005.None of them could keep the grin off his face.""We go into every overtime and every close game just with the mentality that there's just — I don't know" it's hard to explain — it's just ‘Never say die' and just totally believing that we're going to pull it out" Callahan said.UNC's offensive seniors provided much of the pull for their comeback, and the group finished with five shots — three of them on goal — two goals and two assists.And in the end Callahan and Lewis were the heroes, particularly after Lewis' golden goal with 6:42 remaining in the first extra period.Freshman Kirk Urso took a corner kick cross to the far post, where freshman defender Sheanon Williams was waiting. Williams rocketed a pass back outside the box, and Shriver hit it back inside to Lewis. And for Lewis, it felt good.Joy" he said. I was just — I mean" it was just unbelievably awesome.""The Tar Heels had fallen behind 19 minutes in when UIC midfielder Matt Spiess headed in the rebound off a corner from the right post" but less than two minutes later Urso settled the score with his own header.The game then was matched for the next 50 minutes before UIC striker Baggio Husidic blasted a rocket into the left corner of the goal from 25 yards off.Lewis admitted that for a time" he thought his team might lose to the Flames (12-4-6).""Towards the end" it might have creeped in a little bit but we had our chances he said. And if we were going to get a goal it was going to happen within the last couple minutes" because we were just going to pack guys forward.""Then Callahan came into the picture.""Cally came up with a huge goal that gave us life" Lewis said. That's what it's about. Not giving up" ever.""UNC didn't give up in Tuesday's 1-0 win against Jacksonville" either after being held without a goal despite 11 shots for 55 minutes.Fast forward to Sunday and none of it — the scoring struggles against JU the rocketing goals from UIC — was on the Tar Heels' minds.All that was important was the dogpile with Lewis on the bottom.After Northwestern's upset against No. 5 Akron" UNC will return to Fetzer Field on Saturday as the favored team — and the home team after Sunday's rain moved what would have been a home game to Cary's WakeMed Soccer Park.But coach Elmar Bolowich isn't sure if a higher seed matters.""Northwestern's a good team. There's a reason why they're in the final eight.""But for Callahan" Shriver Lewis and the rest of the UNC senior class" playing the last home game at Fetzer is the only thing that matters.""To have the chance to go to the Final Four"" to play on Fetzer … "" Lewis said. ""It's going to be an amazing afternoon. I can't wait.""Contact the Sports Editorat sports@unc.edu.
(11/25/08 5:00am)
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(11/23/08 5:00am)
SANTA BARBARA Calif. — It was a sight North Carolina fans players and coaches had waited a long time to see.Tyler Hansbrough surrounded by three defenders under the basket ripped down a dunk complete with requisite double fist pump to cap it off.After all it had been a while — six months of off-season two regular season games 23 minutes and 32 seconds of Friday's match-up with the University of California at Santa Barbara to be exact.But aside from his second-half dunk Hansbrough couldn't find his form in the Tar Heels' 84-67 win against a feisty UCSB team.Hansbrough finished with 13 points — one of six Tar Heels who hit double digits in the game — but only four from the floor" and his dunk provided his only points of the second half.""I mean" it felt good but obviously everybody knows that I didn't play my best" he said after the game. But I was just trying to come out there and get back in the groove of things.""And he didn't have much time to get used to the idea. Coach Roy Williams said he told Hansbrough he would start 15 minutes into warm-ups.""He's felt great about it (in practice)" Williams said after the game. Tonight I couldn't keep him out — every time I took him out" he'd tell me he was ready to go back in.""But Hansbrough had plenty of help Friday. Fellow forward Deon Thompson finished with 12 points and 10 boards. Thompson's six-point run in the second half helped UNC keep at bay UCSB's upset bid.Midway through the first half" a UCSB 11-0 run put the Gauchos up five" the largest deficit UNC has faced this season.""I mean" we expect every team to come out and give us our best shot but we didn't expect them to shoot that high a percentage" Danny Green said of the Gauchos' 52 percent in the first half. But we knew they were going to come out gunning.""So" the Tar Heels quickly answered with 13 points of their own.Green Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington finished a combined 6-for-12 on 3-pointers" highlighted by Lawson's two in less than a minute to claim the lead back for UNC.""We just tried to move the ball a little bit" Green said. Once we started getting into a little rhythm" they started getting some shots down — Ty did and Wayne did — and I hit one.""But it was a nice one. Green knocked down the three after rebounding his own miss to put the Tar Heels ahead 38-29.Williams said he couldn't say whether he will play Hansbrough in the Maui Invitational — which starts today with UNC's opening-round matchup against Chaminade. Williams doesn't ""know that (he) can think about playing him three days in a row.""Even if he doesn't play or" as was the case Friday doesn't make an effort he's happy with having Hansbrough back is worth more than numbers on a box score" Williams said.""He brings a lot to our team" not just points and rebounds. I mean" he is a very intense young man.""Contact the Sports Editorat sports@unc.edu.
(11/21/08 5:00am)
There was nothing else for coach Roy Williams to call the loss of Tyler Zeller in Tuesday's win against Kentucky.""It's another big blow for our team"" he expressed in a statement Wednesday. It's more adversity that we have to overcome together.""With Tyler Hansbrough's status uncertain" Marcus Ginyard out until December and Mike Copeland still raw" Zeller's injury adds to a long list of UNC ailments and another name to what Danny Green calls the UNC bench's ""suit crew.""Williams has not announced who will start for Zeller against Santa Barbara" said Steve Kirschner spokesman for UNC Department of Athletics on Thursday.Hansbrough began practicing lightly this week" and Williams said after the Kentucky game that the senior ""probably could have already played."" But Williams repeatedly has said he will not play last year's National Player of the Year until he is 100 percent.The other likely replacement for Zeller's starting spot is fellow freshman Ed Davis" who has excelled off the bench in his first two games.Zeller has 20 points to Davis' 19 while Davis has excelled on the boards grabbing 24 to Zeller's three. Both have averaged 22.5 minutes in the first two games.Zeller didn't travel to Santa Barbara with the team Wednesday but the Tar Heels next head to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational" which starts Monday.Kirschner said Zeller will be making the trip to Maui ""as long as he feels up to it.""Zeller was lost" most likely for the season after fracturing two bones in his left wrist Tuesday. He underwent surgery successfully Wednesday.Because he has only played in two games Zeller still has the option to take a medical redshirt and keep all four years of eligibility.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.