Carmichael Auditorium was LOUD on Saturday afternoon. The North Carolina Tar Heels hosted Maryland. Both teams were ranked, 3 or 4, depending on which poll you looked at. Sylvia Hatchell's Tar Heels were up big in the first half before falling behind by 7 late in the game. A fortuitous Erlana Larkins steal and LaToya Pringle layup plus 1 tied the game, and the Heels dominated the second overtime to pull out the victory.

Check out the excellent article by Lauren Brownlow here.

The Tar Heels travel to Wake Forest on Tuesday before heading to Cameron Indoor Stadium next Monday. It's a great time for the seniors to step up and lead this team.

I had a chance to stop by the Carolina Basketball Museum on Tuesday. My article about the museum is posted over at TarHeelBlue.Com.

Now, you're in the huddle. At the Carolina Basketball Museum, you'll be
immersed in the Tar Heel experience. Your first stop is the theater,
where you're taken inside the Smith Center as it fills on game day. The
band is warming up. The cheerleaders are ready. And you're in the
huddle with the Tar Heels. Here Comes Carolina . . . and you with them. . .

Check out the rest of the article here

After nearly two years, the HeelsBlog podcast is back! Join me as I recap the Maryland and Miami games, look ahead to Maryland for the women's team, and pick the next ten ACC games.

Subscribe in iTunes by clicking here.

Ever been on a long walk, and been walking a while, and realize that walking's just too easy? So, you start a light jog. And that's easy, too. So, you start skipping. And that's easy, too, at first. But then your foot starts to slip a bit. You catch yourself, but you keep skipping along. But then you trip and fall. You're still on your walk, but you get up, dust yourself off, and realize you need to just walk for a while, and look out for things that might trip you up.

Traveled with the Tar Heel women to Blacksburg on Thursday. You can read my notebook on the game here. Erlana Larkins is still playing brilliantly, even with a cast on her left hand, and Rashanda McCants continues to fill up the box score.

The Tar Heels do miss Rebecca Gray, out a few games with a stress fracture in her right foot. She fills a valuable role with her outside shooting and minutes at the off-guard spot. The Tar Heels trailed heading into the break until McCants' three with seven seconds to go tied the score. A quick start to the second half took the crowd out of the game and left the Hokies behind.

Another big test on the road Sunday at N.C. State. The Pack aren't great, but they always get up to play the Tar Heels, and Reynolds Coliseum will be rocking. At 15-1, the Tar Heels need to get some wins in tough environments and gain some confidence before they head to undefeated #1 UConn on January 21.

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Box score from ESPN

The media guide will tell you that his middle name is 'Robert,' but for our purposes, Wayne Ellington has earned a new one: Freaking. As in Wayne Freaking Ellington. Ellington's career-making performance at Clemson might have been a footnote had it not been for the final, icewater-in-his-veins dagger in overtime. With the Heels trailing by one point, Ty Lawson found Ellington on the wing - the Tigers' David Potter overplayed looking for a steal - and #22 had an open look. All net. Wayne Freaking Ellington.

Have to give a lot of credit to Clemson. They are a great team, and came in to that game believing they could win it. And they could have. I think that's the first game of the season since Davidson that the Tar Heels' opponent actually believed they could win. And that makes teams dangerous. Clemson will win a lot of games in conference, and Carolina ought not look past them when they come to the Smith Center looking to end that streak of futility in Chapel Hill.

Need Alex Stepheson back - Clemson's big bodies had their way with Tyler Hansbrough for most of the game. Of course, Tyler's big rebounds late in the game were key in pulling the win out.

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The Tar Heels beat Kent State last night, 90-61 to move to 14-0. Looking pretty good so far. Every team in the country would love to be 14-0. Every team in the country would love to be #1 in both polls.
But a rash of injuries and illnesses has tested this team. Losing Bobby Frasor hurt. Missing Alex Stepheson to a family illness hurts. Missing Quentin Thomas hurts.

Ty Lawson played 32 minutes last night against Kent State, nearly seven more than his average. With his first two backups out, Roy Williams runs into a quandary with Lawson: He's got to be protected because he's the only point guard on the roster, but he's got to play more, again because he's the only point guard on the roster. Williams has been using Marcus Ginyard some at the point, but employing some creative substitution patterns to keep Lawson from wearing out. This has worked in two games without Frasor so far, but the rigors of ACC play (a once-beaten Clemson team hosts Carolina Sunday) will test Lawson even more. Ty doesn't play half-speed - and he's a great player because of it. So having a capable backup behind him is that much more important.

Deon Thompson's recent improved play is a good sign, but losing Alex Stepheson indefinitely places even more pressure on his mercurial classmate. . . Mike Copeland looked solid playing above-average minutes against the Golden Flashes . . . Losing Frasor on the perimeter has given opportunity to redshirt freshman Will Graves. If Graves would defend with the same intensity with which he approaches the offensive end of the floor, he will see the court more as the season progresses. . . Williams said he expects Quentin Thomas to play Sunday at Clemson.

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