Morning Heel: UNC Tar Heels Daily News Links
By Matt Hamm
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. Have a link to suggest? Send it keepingitheel@gmail.com
Forget the Heisman hype: Gio should take the money and run
As a redshirt sophomore three years removed from his high school graduation, UNC star Giovani Bernard is eligible for entry into next spring’s NFL draft. Though he stands to improve his stock considerably by coming back, not to mention putting himself into legitimate contention for some prestigious hardware, he’d be crazy not to go. (Wilmington Star News)
No contact between Tennessee and UNC about talking to Fedora, source says
Amid speculation that North Carolina football coach Larry Fedora would interview today for the head coaching vacancy at Tennessee, a source close to the UNC athletic department said there has been no contact between Tennessee and UNC about Fedora, and that neither Tennessee, nor any entity representing it, has requested permission to interview Fedora. (Raleigh News & Observer)
Final ACC Football Power Rankings, Dec. 4
4. UNC (8-4, 5-3): Some folks were pushing Larry Fedora for ACC Coach of the Year, and on the surface I get that argument. In his first season he had UNC scoring points in bushels. And if not for the bowl ban, the Tar Heels would have been the team playing in Charlotte against FSU. (ACC Sports Journal)
Candidates for chancellor presented
A group of candidates was privately presented to the chancellor search committee Monday, narrowing the search for UNC’s next leader. “The pool of candidates that have expressed interest and we’re looking at is very impressive,” said Wade Hargrove, chairman of the committee. (Daily Tar Heel)
ACC bashing should stop
OK, so let me get this straight. The ACC became the butt of national jokes last week when 6-6 Georgia Tech made the league championship game. Then folks pointed and laughed when said Jackets nearly upset No. 13 Florida State. But over in Indianapolis, a 7-5 Wisconsin team rolled up 70 points on the No. 12 team in the nation in the Big Ten title game and that was, well, cool! I mean Wisconsin racked up 70 on Nebraska! (ESPN.com)
Where are they now? Donald Williams
While his playing days are over, basketball still plays a main part in Donald Williams’ life. He has now thrown himself into coaching the game. “It is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Williams said. “Even when I was playing in Europe, I would come home in the summer and run camps.” Williams also formed a non-profit organization named the Donald Williams Basketball Academy. (NCAA.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)
NCAA Basketball: Why in the World do we have 2 Top 25 Polls?
The North Carolina Tar Heels dropped to 20th in the rankings if you pay attention to the AP poll or they are 16th if you prefer the USA Today Coaches Poll. (KIH)
UNC commit T.J. Logan makes huge leap in Rivals.com rankings
Several prospects in the Rivals100 made big gains in terms of team rankings point value. Each 0.1 bump up in RR rating is worth 15 points, and additional points are gained via the Rivals250 Bonus Scale (Learn our point system here). North Caroliina commit T.J. Logan leads a group of six prospects who gained 35 points or more. (Rivals.com)
UNC Baseball Announces Signing Class For 2014
The UNC baseball program continued its strong showing on the recruiting trail by signing 14 of the nation’s top prep baseball student-athletes to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period, head coach Mike Fox announced Thursday. Included in this class are three of the nation’s top 100 prospects according to Baseball America and six of the top 200 prospects according to Perfect Game. The 14 student-athletes will enroll at UNC in August 2013 and will take the field for the Tar Heels in the 2014 season. (GoHeels.com)