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.  Have a link to suggest?  Senditkeepingitheel@gmail.com


No. 16 Tar Heel Women Rout ETSU, 85-44
Tierra Ruffin-Pratt had 18 points and a career-high nine assists and North Carolina forced 36 turnovers as the No. 16 Tar Heels ran past East Tennessee State, 85-44, Friday afternoon at Carmichael Arena. UNC blew open the game with a 28-2 run that crossed halftime to improve to 12-1 ahead of Sunday’s Atlantic Coast Conference opener at Clemson. (GoHeels.com)

UNLV’s progress will be put to the test Saturday at North Carolina
No matter what the 20th-ranked Rebels may have seen on tape or heard others say about their opponent, the important fact to remember is they’re still going to play a college basketball game at North Carolina. And the road team rarely walks away from the Dean Smith Center with a victory. In fact, the last non-conference opponent to go to Chapel Hill and defeat North Carolina was Illinois. In 2005. (Las Vegas Sun)

Preview: UNLV at North Carolina
UNLV seeks a 10th straight victory Saturday when it visits the unranked Tar Heels in the last non-conference game for both teams. Mike Moser’s 16 points and 18 rebounds helped UNLV pull off a 90-80 upset of No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 26 of last season, but a dislocated right elbow suffered in a win over California on Dec. 9 will keep him from attempting to repeat that performance. (CBS Sports)

UNLV at North Carolina: What to watch
Coach Roy Williams saw it happen his first season at North Carolina in 2003-04, when a three-point victory over top-ranked Connecticut boosted his team’s assuredness and bond. He’s hoping the same sort of thing happens Saturday, when the unranked Tar Heels face No. 20 UNLV at the Smith Center. (ESPN.com)

Tyler Zeller: Rookie Rising
As is the case with most rookies, Tyler Zeller’s first couple months have been a whirlwind. But the calm, cool and collected Zeller has taken it all in stride and looks to have found his NBA footing – and his comfort level is revealing itself on the floor. He had his best game before being concussed in L.A. and has gradually gotten better since his return. (NBA.com)

ACC-Maryland exit fee suit could stall power conference realignment
If the ACC collects its $50 million — and it believes the deal is ironclad — the league can point to security. If that total somehow gets negotiated down significantly, the ACC might want to issue another press release about a unified front. “I think (the Big Ten) will stay quiet until that happens,” said an athletic director from a power conference who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. (CBS Sports)

UNC History: Blast From The Past – The Top 20 UNC Basketball Teams of All-Time (12 through 9)
When people talk about the greatest teams in the history of North Carolina basketball, the 1981 Tar Heels are never mentioned. This team had the same starting lineup as the 1982 national championship team (Jimmy Black, Matt Doherty, James Worthy, Sam Perkins), with the exception of Michael Jordan. Al Wood was the starting shooting guard as a senior. (KIH)

UNC Basketball Recruiting: Roy Williams Watches Isaac Copeland Again
North Carolina started showing mild interest in 2014 big man Isaac Copeland this summer and recently their interest has grown with several stops by head coach Roy Williams and his assists to watch Copeland over the last month or so. (KIH)

UNC Basketball: Previewing UNLV
The Tar Heels enter an almost must win situation against UNLV Saturday at the Dean Dome. North Carolina sits at 9-3 and is now unranked after being bounced from the Top 25 this week after an ugly loss to the Longhorns in Texas. The Runnin’ Rebels are ranked 20th in the nation with a 11-1 record. (KIH)