function openSlideShow3956(){window.open(slideshowpath + 3956,'selectUser',config='scrollbars=No,resizable=Yes');}Click here to view a David Noel slideshow It was finished - the possession, the half, the game, the four-year career in which David Noel had risen from football star to basketball walk-on to inspirational leader of an inspirational team.
RALEIGH - As Quentin Thomas drove the lane and looked back for an open kick-out pass late in the first half, he met the eyes of Wes Miller, North Carolina's long-distance specialist, open behind the arc. But Miller wasn't looking for the ball. He was pointing frantically at David Noel, the even-more-open sharpshooter to his right. Thomas delivered the pass without hesitation, and Noel stroked an easy-looking 3.
Want to be compared to Kirk Hinrich and Paul Pierce? There's a simple formula - miss a few shots, throw a few bad passes and ignore a few defensive assignments. That's what it took for North Carolina coach Roy Williams to compare Danny Green's early struggles to his former Kansas stars. "They had some really bad games," Green said. "He was just making a point that you're going to have bad games - shake it off and play the next game, play harder, and don't worry about the last game."
The way Boston College moved the ball between its guards and its forwards, opening up gaps in the defense long enough for uncontested 3-pointers and dunks alike, it might as well have been running drills in practice. It was fitting, really, because the mentality of practice is exactly what North Carolina seems to need to bring to its game situations. Behind 17 points from forward Jared Dudley and 16 from reserve guard Tyrese Rice, the No. 20 Eagles extended their winning streak to four games with an 81-74 victory against the unranked Tar Heels.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Open behind the 3-point arc, the game on the line, the ball in his hands. This was a play Wes Miller had seen before. He just hadn't been awake the previous few times. "I've had dreams about this," he said, a wide grin on his face after North Carolina's victory at Florida State on Sunday. "It's great. My teammates found me tonight, and I was able to hit some shots. It's such a big win for our team." The big win wouldn't have been possible without such a big effort from Miller - including two critical 3-pointers in the last three minutes.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Suddenly, none of it mattered. Not the turnovers, not the defensive lapses, not the back-to-back losses against Miami and Virginia. Not even the fact that he'd almost been yanked from the starting lineup mattered to Reyshawn Terry at that moment. Standing at the free-throw line with 23 seconds remaining, all that mattered to Terry was hitting the front end of the one-and-one he'd earned with his most important offensive rebound of the season thus far.
Dec. 2 - As he rolled across the Lane Stadium grass on a cart Saturday, his left leg in an air cast, Kyndraus Guy clapped his hands together and shouted encouragement to his North Carolina teammates, imploring them to continue to compete against a Virginia Tech team rolling to a 30-3 victory. The Tar Heels (5-6) never quit, swarming to the ball and fighting until the final whistle, but they ultimately had no hope of prevailing in the face of overwhelmingly superior talent on the other side of the ball.
The North Carolina football team has faced a variety of offensive looks this season: the vertical attack of Georgia Tech, the bruising run game of Wisconsin, the run-and-throw balance of N.C. State. But in no way do any of those come close to simulating the complexity of Utah's spread option attack. "You've got to be patient, but at the same time, you've got to be aggressive," said defensive end Tommy Davis. "With them, if you're too aggressive, they will hurt you. We'll have to be disciplined, real disciplined this week."
RALEIGH - This, they'd seen before. Two seasons ago, North Carolina put up a valiant effort to hang tough for one half at Carter-Finley Stadium before a blown coverage paved the way for an N.C. State touchdown and eventual rout. Faced with a similar situation Saturday, however, the Tar Heels wouldn't let that happen. With a quarterback who suddenly couldn't miss and defenders who suddenly wouldn't relent, North Carolina stormed back from the brink of disaster for a 31-24 win.
Steven Bell only narrowly edged Ben Lemming for the starting spot at center in the final week or two of training camp, and North Carolina Coach John Bunting promised both players would see their share of snaps at the position. But once Lemming went down with a right shoulder injury against Georgia Tech, Bell found himself in sole possession of one of the most important jobs on the field. The loss of Lemming, one of the offensive line's most versatile players, depletes the unit's depth at more than one position.
