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? Senditkeepingitheel@gmail.com
Louisville win is a win for the ACC, too
For anybody who still had doubts about Louisville joining the ACC, I suggest you go watch a replay of the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The Cardinals shut up every single one of their critics with a decisive 33-23 win against Florida on Wednesday night. What’s more, they showed they are a program on the rise, and not a one-hit wonder that is going to go crawling back into the basement of the Big East. Or the ACC when they join in 2014. (ESPN.com)
ACC Power Rankings: Final edition
3. North Carolina (8-4, 5-3) Bryn Renner, Gio Bernard and company scored a bunch of points and were a nightmare for opposing defenses, making the Tar Heels the third-best team in the conference. UNC could score on special teams, too. But its defense was poor-to-mediocre, and that’s what keeps the distance between Nos. 2 and 3 here the widest gap in the final rankings. (Fox Sports Carolinas)
Lucas: Tar Heel Basketball Notebook
The Tar Heels aren’t the only team with injury questions going into Sunday’s matchup. Guard Jontel Evans has missed nine of the Cavaliers’ 13 games with a foot injury, and head coach Tony Bennett says he won’t know until Saturday if Evans will be available against the Tar Heels. Darion Atkins, meanwhile, has been dealing with shin splints, but is likely to be available on Sunday. (GoHeels.com)
Weekend ACC Basketball Capsules
North Carolina (10-3) at Virginia (10-3): The Tar Heels have an opportunity to pick up a quality road win Sunday in Charlottesville, but it will require defensive discipline and quality shot selection. On the flip side, the Wahoos must crash the boards, limit turnovers, and keep Carolina from getting into its transition game. Pick: UNC, 74-68 (Fox Sports South)
Conference Power Rankings: ACC
4. North Carolina. We finally saw all that potential everyone was talking about when the Tar Heels beat UNLV last Saturday. Now they need to show some defensive, intensive consistency. Their patience — and offense — will be tested at Virginia on Sunday, especially if they have to play a second straight game without starting wing Reggie Bullock (concussion). (ESPN.com)
Rangy P.J. Hairston merits larger role with Heels
P.J. Hairston is smart enough to know how to respond when a reporter asks him, after a rather productive performance in his team’s most notable victory of the season, if he should start or at least get more playing time. Naturally, the North Carolina sophomore gave an answer his Hall of Fame coach would approve of, and probably the best response in general. (Fox Sports Carolinas)
New Jersey prep baseball player Joe Gatto commits to Diamond Heels
“It was a big family decision for me,” said Gatto, a 17-year-old Hammonton resident. “I felt North Carolina was a good fit for me.” Gatto said his final choice came down to UNC and LSU. “I loved both schools, but UNC had a better feel for me,” Gatto said. “I love (UNC). It has a different feel to it. It actually felt at home for me the first time I went there.” (Press of Atlantic City)
D’Angelo Russell Talks Recruiting
D’Angelo Russell, the 6-foot-4 Montverde (Fla.) Academy guard scored, 17 of his game-high 21 points in the second quarter as Montverde, the No. 1 team in the ESPN.com rankings, routed host Roselle Catholic, 77-51. Russell’s performance came in front of a packed house that included the likes of William Wesley, aka “World Wide Wes” and North Carolina assistant Hubert Davis. Russell plans to visit Missouri, Florida, N.C. State, North Carolina, Ohio State and Louisville soon. (Zags Blog)
Joel Berry set to return Friday following knee surgery
Junior point guard Joel Berry said Wednesday he will be back in the lineup after eight games out due to a knee injury when Lake Highland Prep (8-5) plays Tampa Wharton (10-1) on Friday at 6 p.m. and Tampa Berkeley Prep (13-0) on Saturday at 8 p.m. in the Berkeley Prep Invitational. (Orlando Sentinel)
UNC Basketball: An Early Look At The Virginia Matchup
UNC opens up their ACC season Sunday night against the University of Virginia. The first renewal this season of the “South’s Oldest Rivalry” should be an entertaining one and will tell us a lot about this young Carolina Team and their ability to be consistent and to get it done on the road. (KIH)