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(10/08/10 4:53am)
North Carolina wingman Will Graves was dismissed from the men’s basketball team Thursday after failing to comply with team rules, coach Roy Williams said in a statement released by the UNC athletic department.
(10/08/10 1:55am)
If there were an elevator that North Carolina’s defense took to the field before a game, it would take forever to get off the floor.
(10/04/10 2:47am)
Shaun Draughn flopped innocently to the ground after officials whistled North Carolina freshman tackle James Hurst for a false start in the fourth quarter.
(10/02/10 10:46pm)
North Carolina defeated ECU 42-17 Saturday afternoon.
(09/28/10 2:04am)
North Carolina’s 17-13 win against Rutgers was big for a number of reasons.
(09/27/10 2:25am)
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The North Carolina football team was a bull enclosed by a sea of red against Rutgers on Saturday.
(09/26/10 1:38am)
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — North Carolina held on to win a closely contested 17-13 game against Rutgers on Saturday. The Tar Heels trailed for most of the game after falling behind 10-0 early in the first quarter. It took UNC the entire first quarter to finally get into an offensive rhythm, but once it did, the defense responded.
(09/24/10 2:39am)
Brennan Williams is a sophomore offensive tackle on North Carolina’s football team. But Williams is not the “typical” football player. Assistant Sports Editor Mark Thompson sat down with Williams to discuss the New England Patriots, the bass guitar and Halo.
(09/24/10 1:51am)
Against North Carolina’s newfound aerial attack, Rutgers’ last line of defense is its best.
(09/10/10 4:47am)
_Erik Highsmith is a sophomore wide receiver from Vanceboro. As a freshman last season, Highsmith was second on the team in receiving yards with 425 yards and two touchdowns.
(09/10/10 4:38am)
Jheranie Boyd has a new nickname.
(09/03/10 4:22am)
Football has been swallowed up in Chapel Hill.
(09/03/10 12:53am)
On Saturday, North Carolina might play the most important game in the history of its program.
(08/31/10 1:41am)
Butch Davis hasn’t slipped any information about the NCAA’s investigation of his football program, and that didn’t change Monday.
(08/26/10 5:28am)
An interest meeting today might put students one step closer to becoming varsity athletes.
(08/23/10 9:58pm)
Eddie Ababio wasn’t going to let an injury keep him from his natural position on the North Carolina men’s soccer team: leader.
The senior defender has always led on the field, but last season Ababio was forced to take his guidance to the sidelines. Unable to perform, Ababio was no less a teammate off the pitch as he was on it.
(04/26/10 4:35am)
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — When Maryland attackman Grant Catalino received a pass on the left side of the field late in an ACC tournament semifinal game, he was immediately met by two North Carolina defensemen.But even two defenders weren’t enough to slow him down. The junior had already matched the No. 3 UNC’s men’s lacrosse team goal-for-goal. Five goals, all by himself. And he wasn’t done.Catalino started left, dug his heels in the turf and cut back right. While falling, Catalino used his 6-foot-5 frame to whip the ball straight into the empty net from 25 yards out.UNC junior goalkeeper Chris Madalon was out of position, waiting to cut off a pass that never came.“Most people don’t usually can that shot from out there,” he said. “Much less take that shot.”Fifth-ranked Maryland (9-2) scored with ease against the Tar Heels (11-2) in a 13-5 blowout win Friday night. But the game didn’t start that way.North Carolina midfielder Milton Lyles set an early tone, flattening a Maryland player within the first 30 seconds of the game and receiving a one-minute penalty for an illegal body check. But the Tar Heels failed to match that intensity for the remaining 3,570 seconds of the game.Maryland got on the scoreboard midway through the first quarter on a Catalino shot and again late in the quarter courtesy of a Ryan Young score to take a 2-0 lead.“We’ve been finishing strong, but we haven’t been starting fast,” said Maryland coach Dave Cottle. “To start off the way we did really gave our kids some confidence.”The Terrapins continued their dominance in the second quarter, recording three goals to UNC’s two. In the seventh minute of the quarter, UNC midfielder Jimmy Dunster scored the Tar Heels’ first goal with an assist from sophomore attackman Thomas Wood. Four minutes later, Catalino scored his second goal of the evening.The Maryland midseason All-American scored at least once in each quarter, while the Terrapins held UNC All-American Billy Bitter scoreless for the first time since May 10, 2008.“Did he not score? No way,” Cottle said of the attackman’s performance. “We put a good athlete on him, and he’s banged up. You can see he’s still banged up.”Despite an uncharacteristically bad first half, UNC entered halftime down 5-2 and still within striking distance. But the third quarter would be all Maryland.The Terrapins notched three more goals and held the Tar Heels scoreless. UNC’s second-ranked defense, known all season for its towering size and strength, never looked smaller and more porous. UMd. attackmen found cutters and open shooting lanes, leaving Madalon overwhelmed with pressure. Maryland also found his soft spot, scoring about three-fourths of its goals on shots below his waist.“I think that’s one of the toughest saves for any goalie,” Madalon said. “You have to bring your stick from all the way stick-side-high to the bottom left corner.”After Maryland scored two quick goals in the fourth quarter, UNC constructed a comeback, scoring three goals in less than two minutes. Following that, Bitter carved his way around the back of the net and launched a diving shot that would have made it a 10-6 game, but it was called off because he was in crease.Catalino put an end to the run, scoring twice in the next two minutes — including his did-that-really-just-happen-shot from 25 yards out.“I don’t know how he got open so many times,” Madalon said.The loss was the largest losing margin since UNC coach Joe Breschi took over the program last season.“I credit Maryland 100 percent for just absolutely dominating the game,” Breschi said. “In every statistical category, we got humbled, so we weren’t ready to play, and that’s on me.”From the start of the season, the Tar Heels had two goals: to win both an ACC and a national title. Only the latter of its two goals is attainable now.With time off and a regular season matchup against Ohio State left before nationals, that’s where the Tar Heels will turn their attention.“You win championships in May, too,” Breschi said.Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/31/10 4:08am)
Jesse Wierzbicki hit two balls where no one could get to them. The first was a two-run blast over the right field wall during a fifth inning rally.But the second seemed like the more frustrating play for Winthrop’s defense.In the sixth inning, North Carolina had two outs, and Wierzbicki was coming off his towering homer. His swing was similar but too low, and he popped the pitch up high in the air behind second base.Winthrop’s center fielder, shortstop and second baseman all scuttled to the ball as it continued to hang in the air. Then, it dropped. It fell a few feet from each fielder, all three triangulating its location on the shallow outfield grass.“They had their outfielders played really deep, so I was fortunate enough to get one to fall in,” Wierzbicki said.By being too spaced out to reach the ball, Winthrop forfeited another hit. It got worse for the Eagles after they composed themselves. When they looked back, Wierzbicki was on his way to second.“Nobody was really covering the bag,” Wierzbicki said. “I think sometimes teams look at me because I’m a catcher, I don’t have much speed, so I can kind of catch them off guard sometimes and turn a single into a double. When I got that opportunity, I just went for it.”While opposing teams might rarely expect Wierzbicki’s feet to make any plays, all should recognize his playmaking ability with a bat in his hands.That’s why Winthrop was so spread out to begin: it recognized who held the bat.Entering the game, the junior catcher had been batting .364 and led the team with five home runs, and he only added to that Tuesday night, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a homer.“He’s probably our hitter right now that’s seeing the ball the best,” UNC coach Mike Fox said. “We need a couple more of those, but Jesse has really been playing well for us lately.”Wierzbicki’s long shot was just as impressive. It’s natural for a batter to want to drive through a ball, normally resulting in a shot to left field for right-handed hitters. But Fox said it isn’t too unusual to see the righty hit opposite field.“We’ve seen him hit home runs in practice the other way, like he did tonight,” he said.No matter what side of the field the ball went, it slammed the brakes on Winthrop’s hopes of winning. Winthrop was beginning to watch its lead slip away, and then Wierzbicki stole it altogether.After watching the ball sail over their heads, the Eagles looked finished.“That’s what Jesse has been doing,” senior shortstop Ryan Graepel said. “That was a really big hit for us. I think that really deflated their team a lot.”Wierzbicki had another would-be home run late in the game, but he pulled it foul. Regardless of the missed opportunity, he said he was happy with his play. Tuesday night’s game was one in a string of solid performances for the junior.And in baseball, that level of play doesn’t usually stop on a dime.“He’s been hitting a lot of balls on the nose,” Fox said. “He’s hot.”Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
(03/17/10 4:45am)
Billy Bitter didn’t resemble an All-American at all Tuesday night. North Carolina’s star junior lacrosse player looked frustrated, confused and indecisive against Princeton.The Tigers switched defensive sets throughout the game and kept an eye on Bitter at all times. Princeton’s man-to-man defense held him in check, but its zone was the true catalyst to Bitter’s 57-minute identity crisis.“That’s one way to try and neutralize Billy a little bit, to play some zone, because then there’s six guys playing him instead of one,” head coach Joe Breschi said.It’s hard to be Bitter, especially with all the extra attention he gets from defenses, but it’s even harder to beat him.When UNC needed last year’s leading goal-scorer the most, it simply put in the request.“Coach (Pat) Myers came to me in the fourth quarter and tells me he needs me and the team needs me,” Bitter said.The Tigers had stormed back to score five straight goals and tied the game at 10 with 4:46 left in regulation, but one minute later, Bitter had possession behind the net. He looked for an opening before exploding to his right. Bitter scrambled around the back of the net, already eyeing his shot. He knew where he was going and so did the defense, but Bitter was too quick this time.“Well, he’s so quick,” Breschi said. “I think that’s what separates him from most. … You’ve got to stay on him until he gets rid of the ball, and I think he’s so quick in his change of direction that he loses some defensemen.”Bitter turned the sharp corner behind the net, protected his stick and got under his defenseman to deliver the dagger: the go-ahead goal with 3 minutes left.And he wasn’t done yet. After a jostle for the face-off, Princeton sophomore John Cunningham came away with the ball in pursuit of his own tying goal. Bitter wasn’t going to let anyone ruin his opus. He chased Cunningham down, raised his stick and swatted the ball out, leading to a turnover and another UNC possession.“Billy’s always got a big play in him somewhere, and thank God he had another one up his sleeve tonight,” senior Gavin Petracca said. “He fights every single second of every play of every game.”While Bitter recorded two assists before his goal, it just wasn’t until the final three minutes that he showed his true identity. “It’s really just great being on his team,” Petracca said.
(03/17/10 4:45am)
Billy Bitter didn’t resemble an All-American at all Tuesday night. North Carolina’s star junior lacrosse player looked frustrated, confused and indecisive against Princeton.The Tigers switched defensive sets throughout the game and kept an eye on Bitter at all times. Princeton’s man-to-man defense held him in check, but its zone was the true catalyst to Bitter’s 57-minute identity crisis.“That’s one way to try and neutralize Billy a little bit, to play some zone, because then there’s six guys playing him instead of one,” head coach Joe Breschi said.It’s hard to be Bitter, especially with all the extra attention he gets from defenses, but it’s even harder to beat him.When UNC needed last year’s leading goal-scorer the most, it simply put in the request.“Coach (Pat) Myers came to me in the fourth quarter and tells me he needs me and the team needs me,” Bitter said.The Tigers had stormed back to score five straight goals and tied the game at 10 with 4:46 left in regulation, but one minute later, Bitter had possession behind the net. He looked for an opening before exploding to his right. Bitter scrambled around the back of the net, already eyeing his shot. He knew where he was going and so did the defense, but Bitter was too quick this time.“Well, he’s so quick,” Breschi said. “I think that’s what separates him from most. … You’ve got to stay on him until he gets rid of the ball, and I think he’s so quick in his change of direction that he loses some defensemen.”Bitter turned the sharp corner behind the net, protected his stick and got under his defenseman to deliver the dagger: the go-ahead goal with 3 minutes left.And he wasn’t done yet. After a jostle for the face-off, Princeton sophomore John Cunningham came away with the ball in pursuit of his own tying goal. Bitter wasn’t going to let anyone ruin his opus. He chased Cunningham down, raised his stick and swatted the ball out, leading to a turnover and another UNC possession.“Billy’s always got a big play in him somewhere, and thank God he had another one up his sleeve tonight,” senior Gavin Petracca said. “He fights every single second of every play of every game.”While Bitter recorded two assists before his goal, it just wasn’t until the final three minutes that he showed his true identity. “It’s really just great being on his team,” Petracca said.