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

UNC Basketball Recruiting: Tar Heels Need To Offer Rashad Vaughn
Rashad Vaughn is waiting on an offer from North Carolina. Vaughn scored 51 points in front of Carolina assistant coach C.B. McGrath and head coach Roy Williams went to watch him on January 5th but had to board a plane and didn’t have time to talk with Vaughn after the game (KIH)

UNC Basketball: Tar Heels Pull Even In The ACC With 62-52 Win
Player of the game: From the opening tip this was Reggie Bullocks game. Bullock scored the teams first eight points and ten of their first 11. Bullock scored 21 of the teams 40 first half points. He finished with 24 pts besting his previous career high of 23. But it was James Michael McAdoo who came up big in the second half coming up with big buckets and rebounds when the team needed them the most. McAdoo finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds including five offensive to go with two blocks and steals, and emerged as our player of the game. (KIH)

Tar Heels putting it together in Chapel Hill
Something clicked in between North Carolina’s lousy final five minutes in a home loss to Miami on Jan. 10 and when it won at Florida State 38 hours later. Move forward a week and the Tar Heels picked up where they left off versus the Seminoles is dispatching Maryland 62-52, and it may be fair to say the light finally went on with them. And the lesson learned. The message: Intensity matters. (Fox Sports South)

Stars have to play like stars, for more than just a half, for UNC to realize potential
Coach Roy Williams’ team will only go as far this season as its veterans take it. That could be a long way if the duo of Reggie Bullock and James Michael McAdoo play the way they did in combining for 32 points in the first half against Maryland on Saturday. The problem is that both are just as likely to fade into the woodwork at any given time. (Wilmington Star News)

Nice win over Maryland, but let’s still use caution when talking UNC
I’m getting closer to believing this team has the ability to pull itself into form and make a run at the NCAA tournament. Roy Williams’ team — which didn’t have bench player Leslie McDonald for a third straight game due to a knee injury — led wire to wire on Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill, fending off a Maryland squad that was only a few days removed from defeating NC State. (CBS Sports)

North Carolina’s half empty win
The numbers tell you everything you need to know. Offensively, Reggie Bullock hit Maryland with a 21-point first half onslaught, hitting 3 of his 4 shots from outside the 3-point arc, and James Michael McAdoo added 11 points on a variety of smooth, mid-range shots. But, it was when Maryland had the ball that this game was decided. (WRAL Sports Fan)

Isaiah Hicks, Kennedy Meeks, Nate Britt Nominated for McDonalds All-American Game
North Carolina’s trio in the class of 2013 Isaiah Hicks, Kennedy Meeks and Nate Britt have been nominated to play in the McDonalds All-American game. All three prospects have signed letters of intent to play for UNC next season. The Tar Heels 2013 recruiting class is currently ranked #6 in the nation and could receive a significant boost if they are able to land #1 prospect Andrew Wiggins. (KIH)

2014 SF Justin Jackson hosts UNC on in-home visit
One week after performing in front of the North Carolina coaching staff, small forward Justin Jackson received an in-home visit with head coach Roy Williams on Wednesday evening. Jackson, who includes the Tar Heels along with Arizona, Ohio State, Texas A&M, Virginia and Washington, has held an offer from North Carolina since the completion of the AAU season. (Rush the Court)

Terps had no answer for Reggie Bullock
Saturday’s ESPN-televised matchup turned into the Reggie Bullock Variety Hour. The junior swingman notched 10 of North Carolina’s first 11 points, outscoring the Maryland basketball team by himself in the first half, making the afternoon’s biggest mystery not, “Will the Terps win?” but rather, “Will they even have more points than Reggie Bullock?” (Washington Post)

UNC shows potential in first half of win
At the end of Saturday’s first half, North Carolina’s Reggie Bullock paused near midcourt, waving his hands above his head to incite more cheers from the raucous crowd before running into the tunnel. By the end of his team’s 62-52 win against Maryland, however, he looked content to grab the final rebound, shake hands and escape. (ESPN.com)