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
Lucas: Paige Gets The Point
Marcus Paige probably seemed more proud of his defensive effort than his nine assists. The Cowboys shot just 35.6% and managed only 17.6% from the three-point line. Combined, starting McNeese guards Dontae Cannon and Kevin Hardy shot 6-of-24. That’s a very nice way to go into the Christmas break. (GoHeels.com)
UNC-McNeese State Postgame Notes
P.J. Hairston led all scorers with a career-high 20 points. Hairston made 7 of 8 free throws today and is now 30 for 34 from the line this season. Freshman point guard Marcus Paige had a season-high nine turnovers and played his first game in which he did not commit a turnover. Junior Reggie Bullock had 17 points, the fifth straight game in which he scored in double figures. (GoHeels.com)
Player of the game against McNeese State: P.J. Hairston
In Saturday’s 97-63 victory against McNeese State, P.J. Hairston scored a career-high 20 points by not settling to merely bomb away from 3-point range. He hit three 3-pointers, but also showcased an aggressive style that helped him grab four offensive rebounds and go 7-for-8 from the free throw line. “It’s just a matter of making shots,” Hairston said. (Fayetteville Observer)
North Carolina Rolls Over McNeese State 97-63
P.J. Hairston scored a career-high 20 points to help No. 23 North Carolina beat McNeese State 97-63 on Saturday. Reggie Bullock added 17 points for the Tar Heels (9-3), who made 13 of 28 3-point attempts and never trailed. James Michael McAdoo scored 12 points, Leslie McDonald added 11 points, and Brice Johnson had 10 points for North Carolina. (ESPN.com)
Tar Heels Blast Cowboys
UNC gave its fans an early Christmas present Saturday by playing cohesively on both ends of the floor and making a bunch of shots on its way to a 97-63 triumph over visiting McNeese State. The Tar Heels (9-3) settled the issue quickly with an impressive first half, stretching out an 18-6 lead within the first eight minutes and stretching the lead beyond 30 points (54-23) by halftime. (Tar Heel Illustrated)
Raymond Felton looking to get out of slump
He’s still the unquestioned floor general, the engine to the Knicks’ race car, and an upgrade to last season’s predecessor, but something just isn’t right with Knicks’ starting point guard Raymond Felton. The veteran leader, who’s on his second stint in New York after being traded for Carmelo Anthony in Feb. 2011, Felton’s numbers have been off in recent weeks. It’s no longer a fluke. (Newark Star-Ledger)
Source: Rasheed Wallace has stress fracture
Rasheed Wallace’s mysterious “sore foot” injury is really a stress fracture, according to a Knicks source. Officially, the team is listing Wallace’s status as day-to-day, but privately it is optimistic that the injury won’t sideline the veteran forward for an extended period of time. Wallace missed his fourth straight game on Friday and hasn’t practiced or played in 10 days. (New York Daily News)
Source: Roy Williams Offers 2015 PF Ivan Rabb
Roy Williams has extended the first offer in UNC’s 2015 recruiting class to consensus 5-star power forward Ivan Rabb (6’9″, 200), according to Rivals.com recruiting analyst Clint Jackson. (Tar Heel Times)
Looking ahead, Isaiah Hicks vs. Jabari Parker
Chicago prep phenom Jabari Parker’s announcement Thursday that he will play at Duke next season sets up an intriguing head-to-head scenario for the 2013-14 season with Oxford Webb’s Isaiah Hicks, North Carolina’s top recruit. The two players have similar physical abilities, though Parker is about an inch shorter than the 6-foot-9 Hicks. The each project to play at about 220 pounds in college and neither is a strictly low post scorer. (Durham Herald-Sun)