Morning Heel: UNC Tar Heels Daily News Links

Welcome to another edition of the Morning Heel, a daily feature here at Keeping It Heel.  Along with The Hub we want to bring you not only our original content but a collection of all the best UNC news.


Woody Durham To Receive Lombardi Honor
Former University of North Carolina play-by-play broadcaster Woody Durham will be presented with the first-ever Lombardi Excellence in College Broadcasting award at the 43rd annual Vince Lombardi Award ceremonies on Dec. 5. The event will be broadcast live from Houston on the CBS Sports Network at 9 p.m. “I’m excited and honored,” said Durham, who retired last year. (GoHeels.com)

X-rays negative for UNC’s Marcus Paige
X-rays on North Carolina freshman Marcus Paige on Monday were negative, coach Roy Williams said during his radio show, and he’s hoping the point guard will be able to play when UNC faces East Tennessee State on Saturday. Paige sat out last Saturday’s win over UAB after officials said he jammed his left shoulder during Friday’s practice. (ESPN.com)

Tar Heels fall in latest polls
North Carolina — which was blown out at top-ranked Indiana last week before beating UAB big on Saturday — fell Monday to No. 20 in the Associated Press poll, and to No. 16 in the USA Today coaches poll. Around the ACC, Duke (which beat three top-five teams in November) stayed at No. 2 in both rankings. NC State fell to No. 25 in the AP ratings, and to No. 24 in the coaches poll. (ESPN.com)

Kendall Marshall prepares for D-League debut
Last Thursday, Kendall Marshal flew from Detroit to Bakersfield, Calif., a long-time oil and farm town in the southern end of theSan Joaquin Valley. It’s there the Dumfries resident will try to change his fortunes at basketball’s highest level, joining the Bakersfield Jam, an NBA Development League affiliate. Marshall’s first game experience with the Jam is expected to come on Monday. (Inside NoVa)

NBA Rookie Diaries: Tyler Zeller
“Last Tuesday was fun. We played my brother Luke’s team, the Phoenix Suns. It was weird seeing him in an NBA uniform because he’s been trying so hard for three years to make it to the league, and he finally got there. We didn’t play at the same time, but it was cool he got a few minutes during the game. I was a little nervous about it.” (NBA.com)

ACC Basketball Power Rankings
6. North Carolina (6-2): The Tar Heels aren’t nearly as good as many expected before the season began. North Carolina has point guard issues, defensive problems, rebounding questions, and the Tar Heels lack leadership. The good thing for UNC is that it’s plenty talented and Roy Williams should eventually find the right combinations. (Fox Sports South)

Leslie McDonald finds new way to entertain
When North Carolina’s Leslie McDonald walked onto the court for his first career start Saturday night and noticed no gyrations in front of the bench, he thought about doing the pre-tip “Jump Around” dance near mid-court. But instead, the junior guard concentrated on entertaining the Smith Center crowd in other ways. (ESPN.com)

During his standout career, guard Jonathan Cooper learned many lessons
Enduring early mornings on the practice field, a tough course load and a two-year NCAA investigation into the program to which he devoted himself have ensured that Jonathan Cooper isn’t the same man he was when he first walked onto UNC’s campus three and a half years ago. It’s likely that soon, after a few life-changing words from the NFL commissioner next spring, he’ll finally be able to see just how far he’s really come. (Daily Tar Heel)