CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina’s men’s basketball team, a Final Four favorite, will play for the first time this season against Vanderbilt — on Nov. 2 at the Smith Center.
But it’s not on the preseason schedule.
You can’t buy a ticket. It won’t be on TV.
And the score will never be made public — if one is even kept.
“We can’t publicize it, can’t let fans in, can’t give out any stats,” said UNC associate athletic director Larry Gallo, who wouldn’t even name the opponent, place or date.
So: Shhhhhhh.
Under a strange NCAA rule, Division I teams such as UNC can only scrimmage against other Division I teams if it is done in secret — doors locked, no media, no fans, no official scoring. Even when it’s conducted in a public building.
Typically, the top teams in the nation play two exhibition games against lower-division schools, foreign teams or club squads.
But teams can substitute an “informal practice scrimmage,” as it is called in NCAA rules, for a preseason exhibition. The caveat: The only people allowed in are coaches, players and staff members necessary to conduct the workout. Recruits making official visits can also attend.
The (secret) practice rule has been around for about a decade. Wake Forest, for instance, scrimmaged UNC-Greensboro last year and has another conspicuous blank spot on its current preseason schedule. Davidson, which scrimmaged at Texas last season and made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, will make a return trip to Austin in the coming weeks. Vanderbilt has also done it for the past few years.
But the private workout will be a first for the Tar Heels, who are looking to pit All-American Tyler Hansbrough and point guard Ty Lawson against better players than any Division II or III team can provide. Vanderbilt lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season and finished 26-8 under coach Kevin Stallings, a longtime friend of UNC coach Roy Williams.
Practice for NCAA teams officially begins at 5 p.m. today. The Tar Heels open the regular season on Nov. 15.
“[The private scrimmage] gives your guys an opportunity to practice against a top-ranked team, and sometimes to travel, be on the road, to go through the same routine and environment that you hope you’re going to see during the regular season,” said Davidson coach Bob McKillop, whose Southern Conference Wildcats have quietly worked out against a Division I foe for the past six seasons. He said he was not allowed to name the who and when of those opponents.
Why all the the secrecy? That remains unclear. NCAA spokeswoman Gail Dent said in an e-mail: “The motivation of the bylaw is the concern over the demands placed on student-athletes and the games/scrimmages they play.”
Exhibition games, she added, are similar to regular-season games which require media, and post- and pregame responsibilities. But not private scrimmages.
Read More:News & Observer
INSIDE THE GAME
Duke coach David Cutcliffe was surprised to see Duke execute poorly and play passively on offense in the loss at Georgia Tech, considering the team had such a good week in practice. “Which concerns me,” Cutcliffe said Sunday. “Something isn’t correlating. We have to address it quickly.” In the past, he has turned up the heat on a daily drill called an inside drill. Backs and the O-line run inside plays against linebackers and the D-line. “We can’t afford to beat ourselves up too much,” Cutcliffe said. “But we need some full-speed contact to gain a little confidence running the football.”
GAME BALLS
P KEVIN JONES, WR RAPHAEL CHESTNUT: Duke would have lost the field-position battle much sooner than late in the third without strong work from both. Getting more hang time than in recent weeks, Jones averaged 39.2 yards on eight tries — a long day for a punter. Chestnut stopped one return for negative yardage and downed another at the Tech 2.
PENALTY MARKERS
DEFENSE FOR 15-YARD PENALTIES: It’s tough to criticize a defense that kept Tech out of the end zone as long as it did. But the Devils agreed a roughing-the-passer call on DL Vince Oghobaase and pass interference on CB Jabari Marshall hurt. They represented another 30 yards the offense couldn’t make up on the other end, putting more pressure on the D, which pressed harder, then made mistakes, etc. Vicious cycle.
Read More:News & Observer
Tar Heels hope to stay grounded
CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina is back in The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since November 2001. And the No. 22 Tar Heels hope they have finally found the running attack to keep them there.
Converted safety Shaun Draughn accounted for 109 of UNC’s 146 rushing yards during Saturday’s 38-12 blowout against then-No. 24 Connecticut. Draughn is just the second Tar Heels player this season - and first tailback - to exceed 100 rushing yards in a game.
Coach Butch Davis reiterated Sunday that the Tar Heels (4-1) need all three of their running backs — including Greg Little (three carries for 6 yards Saturday) and Ryan Houston (three carries, 39 yards, one touchdown)– to play well in order to be successful. Even so, it appears that Draughn, a sophomore from Tarboro who had netted just 97 yards total in his previous four games, has earned the right to be a bigger part of the attack.
“He’s got some real quickness, some explosiveness; he’s got some speed,” Davis said after Carolina matched last year’s win total. “Prior to this season, he was an unknown commodity; we had no idea what he would bring to the football team. He’s protected the ball well, and he’s run the ball well and he’s making some plays.”
Quarterback Cameron Sexton said the tailbacks and offensive line “made it a mission to be better” against the Huskies.
“We’re winning games, but these guys are hearing, ‘We can’t run the football, we can’t run the football,’ and [they] were getting tired of hearing about it,” Sexton said. “So I think those guys said, ‘We’re going to go run the football. We need to do it.’ ”
And they did it from the beginning.
After UNC’s first offensive series of the game — during which Little rushed once for no gain — Draughn entered for the second series and carried four times for 27 yards, pushing the Tar Heels into field-goal range.
Davis said Draughn was inserted early because “he played well against Miami; he popped a big, long run against Miami that was unfortunately called back by a holding call. Somewhat like how the quarterback situation went against Miami - he got in, he got hot. He made some runs, and we kind of stayed with it from that standpoint.”
A shuffle along the offensive line might have been a factor. Lowell Dyer made his first start of the season at center, allowing Aaron Stahl (who had missed time in practice after having two wisdom teeth removed) to shift back to left guard. Alan Pelc started there, in place of the injured Bryon Bishop, but Stahl was in the game early at the position he played last season.
Draughn, who also scored on a 39-yard touchdown sprint in the third quarter, said the line and tailbacks didn’t do anything different from early in the season. “We’re just getting better at it,” he said.
“We always make an emphasis on running the ball, because we need to have two threats coming in.”
Read More:News & Observer
Tar Heels dominated game against Rutgers after so-so win over McNeese State
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - North Carolina coach Butch Davis was pleased by his team’s dominating Thursday night performance at Rutgers Stadium.
But what might bode the brightest for the Tar Heels’ continued rebuilding effort — and their ACC opener against Virginia Tech next weekend — is what they did before the 44-12 victory.
“The preparation we had prior to tonight’s ballgame was about as good as we’ve had in the 18 months I’ve been a head coach,” Davis said after his team broke its 20-game losing streak outside the state of North Carolina.
“We were very disappointed in ourselves and the way we played a week ago against McNeese State, and I think our players really responded.”
Davis said the coaches were tough on the players after UNC’s unimpressive season-opening victory Aug. 30. The Tar Heels went full speed, he said, and “we had four practices last week that were probably harder than any practices we had during training camp. It was old-school football; we went out and we worked and we hit and we tackled; we did a lot of stuff. And they responded.”
Indeed, the Tar Heels players credited the focused, sometimes grueling workouts for their most lopsided victory since beating Duke 52-17 in 2001.
Although the defense gave up 383 yards, the Scarlet Knights didn’t convert a play of more than 25 yards and finished 0-for-9 on third downs. Most important: UNC’s secondary was noticeably more physical than in Week 1, making hard hits and snagging four interceptions — something they focused on during the previous 10 days on the practice field.
“If the scout team gained one yard, we got blessed out about it,” said cornerback Kendric Burney, who grabbed one of the picks.
UNC still didn’t have an individual 100-yard rusher, but the offensive line was more cohesive and consistently opened more holes. The Tar Heels gained 157 yards on the ground, and quarterback T.J. Yates was sacked only once.
Another product of some intense workouts.
“Coach Davis was jumping everybody,” tailback Shaun Draughn said after a practice several days after the McNeese State win. “All that losing — that mentality — we need to get it out of our head.”
Read More:News & Observer
DURHAM - In years past, Duke’s football team would not have defeated Navy on Saturday in Wallace Wade Stadium.
Instead of a 41-31 Duke win, here’s what would have happened:
* Navy would have forced a couple of turnovers late.
* The Blue Devils defense would have gone into a surrender posture during the fourth quarter.
* What few fans in the stadium at kickoff would have found relief from the steamy heat at halftime, never to return.
* The little things would have gone the other way — the Navy way — and Duke would have gladly settled for the consolation of a competitive loss.
But Duke is no longer the Duke of old, and certainly not the Duke football program of the past several years. Such is the influence of first-year coach David Cutcliffe, who quickly has convinced one of the country’s most downtrodden programs that there can be no real comfort in defeat.
“We’re a different team,” star receiver Eron Riley said. “Last year, when we played them, we lost [46-43], but we thought we were the better team. It’s about how you close the deal. We didn’t do that then. Now, we can.”
So different are the Blue Devils that they now will take a 2-1 record into this week’s open date.
The one loss — 24-20 against Northwestern — hardly was the sort of embarrassment that Duke fans have come to expect, and accept, and there’s not strong reason to think the Blue Devils can’t move on to 3-1 and 1-0 in the ACC when they face Virginia here on Sept. 27.
Heck, Cutcliffe is probably no more than three or four more wins away from wrapping up ACC Coach of the Year, and he’s doing it without Sarah Palin serving as an assistant or with a single pit bull wearing lipstick on the defensive line.
“They’re getting it done; give them credit,” said Navy’s first-year coach Ken Niumatalolo. “Coach Cutcliffe has done a great job of getting them to believe in what they’re doing.”
What Cutcliffe is doing isn’t all that exotic. Yes, he has opened up the passing game more than was the case under previous coach Ted Roof, but Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis is still a ball-control passer who looks first to Riley (three touchdown receptions against the Middies) and then to various other short-route receivers.
The Duke ground game still doesn’t scare anyone, but it is productive enough to keep opponents honest.
Read More:News & Observer
The three UNC players who were testing their status in the NBA draft all said they would return to campus for next season, setting the Tar Heels up for a national title run.
Point guard Ty Lawson, forward Wayne Ellington and last year’s sixth man, Danny Green, withdrew their names from the draft Monday, the deadline for doing so. The players had entered the names in the draft, but did not hire agents to leave open the possibility of returning to school.
In statements released by UNC, the players spoke of a desire to capture the national title, something that eluded the Heels this season in a Final Four loss to Kansas.
Said Ellington: ““I am looking forward to working toward our goal of winning a national championship.”
“I look forward,” Lawson said, “to playing next season and trying to win a national championship.”
Coach Roy Williams said he supported the players’ decisions, no matter what they had been. Williams had been involved in talking with NBA teams about where the players might be drafted.
“Everyone should have the right to be evaluated in terms of possibly reaching his dreams,” Williams said in a statement. “I feel strongly that all of these young men will eventually be NBA players. The timing was just not exactly right at this point.”
The three join All-America center Tyler Hansbrough, who earlier announced he would return to UNC for his senior season.
Lawson, a rising junior, has averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 assists in his first two seasons
Read More:News & Observer
(ARA) - Warmer weather brings more outdoor sports – and with them, the increased risk of eye injury. Every year in the United States more than 40,000 sports-related eye injures require emergency room attention, with almost half happening to people younger than 15. The majority of these injuries could be prevented simply by using appropriate protective eyewear when playing sports.
“Even if they’re just playing a quick pickup game in the park, eye protection should be a major concern for kids,” says Florida optometrist and former University of Miami football player Dr. Pat Del Vecchio. “This is very important when playing certain sports – like baseball, basketball or football – where there is a higher risk of eye injury.”
When choosing eye protection for children, first make sure the eyewear is specifically designed for sports, Del Vecchio advises. Conventional frames and lenses can shatter and turn a small impact into a sight-threatening injury. “The eye protection should also be comfortable and not obscure vision during the game” he adds. “If it doesn’t meet these two criteria, then kids just aren’t going to wear it.”
While on-field collisions remain the most frequent cause of sports-related eye injuries, sometimes the playing field itself can be the culprit. Playing outdoors kicks up dust and dirt that can adhere to the eye and cause scratches or even more severe problems. This is a particular concern for young contact lens wearers. For these situations, Del Vecchio recommends taking along a multi-purpose solution in case you need to remove your lenses. “A good multi-purpose disinfecting solution, like OPTI-FREE RepleniSH MPDS, removes the irritants, and is an effective way to kill the germs that can cause eye infections,” he says.
Ultimately, the most important tip of all is to see your eye doctor at least once each year, Del Vecchio says. “Your eyes need to be taken care of just like any other piece of athletic equipment. As a former athlete, I can tell you they are the most important part of any sport, so a yearly visit to the eye doctor can identify any problems early, help maintain healthy vision and ensure you’re able to keep your eye on the ball.”
Quick Tips for Protecting Your Eyes
* Wear protective eyewear. Do not substitute ordinary glasses for appropriate protection. Sports-protective eyewear is specifically tested to meet rigid impact standards.
* Know your eye safety options. If you are not sure what protection works best, visit your eye doctor to see what is available.
* Add eye protection to other protective gear. If you are playing a sport that requires a helmet, consider wearing a helmet with full face protection.
* Take out contacts before getting in the water. Don’t wear your contact lenses while swimming. Certain organisms present in the water can attach to contact lenses and can cause eye infections. Remember to always care for your contact lenses with a Multi-Purpose Disinfecting Solution, like OPTI-FREE RepleniSH.
* Protect your eyes from the sun. To prevent eyes from being over exposed to UV rays, give your eyes a break by wearing sunglasses when not playing on the field.
It was a trying year for N.C. State basketball coach Sidney Lowe. The Pack finished 15-16 in his second season, closing with nine straight losses. There also were serious issues he had to deal with away from basketball. On Thursday, Lowe talked with staff writer Chip Alexander.Q: What do you think N.C. State fans want from you and the basketball program?
A: I think they want a winner. Bottom line, they want a winner. With the tradition and history we’ve had, the national championships, we’ve had runs where we’ve really been good consistently, year in and year out, and I think they want to get back to that point. So that every year they know we’re going to be in the hunt. Whether it’s in the hunt for the ACC championship or in the hunt for the NCAA.
Q: Every year is a big year for a coach, but in your mind how big is next year for you given this past season?
A: It’s a very important year. They’re all important, but any time you’re coming off of a tough year that next year is important. But I think you still have to keep things in perspective, in terms of where you are and what you’re trying to do.
It’s like injury situations. If Farnold [Degand] doesn’t get hurt last year, who knows what we would have done this past year and we wouldn’t be discussing having a tough year. So we have to be healthy. But it’s an important year. It’s important because, you know what, we don’t want to come back and duplicate what we did this year.
I know a lot of people were disappointed this year. I know my AD [athletic director Lee Fowler] was disappointed. But I’ll tell you that no one hurt more than I did.
Q: You had so much happen in the last year away from basketball [Lowe’s father died and his mother suffered a heart attack. Lowe’s oldest son, Sidney II, still must face felony charges of kidnapping, possessing drugs and armed robbery stemming from a shooting incident last March in Greensboro]. Did that affect any basketball duties, practice time, game preparation, recruiting, your concentration, anything like that last season?
A: Not really. Because I’ve always been this way, and I try to tell my players the same thing, that when I have something to do, that’s what I’m focused on. This is my job and this is going to take precedence right now.
I never, ever, bring a personal situation to work. Anyone who has been around me will tell you, inside I’m going to be dying but you’re going to get the same smile, get the same hello, the same greeting. I don’t do that. I don’t think it’s right to bring your personal life to work with you and have other people have to adjust to your mood that day. I don’t think that’s right.
So, no, it didn’t. When I got away from the office, I dealt with that. But I still watched the same amount of film, had the same meetings, the same everything. I kept it the same.
Q: How rough has the year been? Has it almost been too much for you to stand at times?
A: It’s been a very rough year. My dad passing, certainly that was very tough on me. But I thought about the good times. My dad lived a long life and was a great father. In the background, not saying too much, but proud and wore his N.C. State hat everywhere he went.
Q: A lot of people were concerned about you because of your dad’s death, but also because of your son. …
A: And that means a lot. So many people have come to me and expressed themselves to me and it means a lot. You worry, but that’s when I get away from it. I can’t say [the job] is therapy for me but this is my focus. I have one son there and I have 13 or 14 here. I just came to work and never let it interfere with my work
Read More:News & Observer
Raleigh, NC – March 12, 2008 - McClatchey Broadcastings’ Sports Radio 850 The Buzz (WRBZ), and 620 The Bull – ESPN (WDNC) the leading sports-talk radio stations in the Raleigh-Durham area, announced today they have secured the exclusive radio broadcasting rights to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
Coverage of the tournament will begin on Tuesday, March 20th with the “play – in” game at 7:15pm and resume on Thursday, March 22nd. Coverage of the tournament will continue through the National Championship game taking place on Monday, April 7th, 2008.
For the most part, the tournament will be carried on 620 The Bull – ESPN Radio (WDNC) – exact station and broadcast times will be released on a weekly basis throughout the tournament. In addition to play-by-play coverage of the tournament, 850 The Buzz and 620 The Bull on-air talent will be covering the local teams throughout the tournament with exclusive interviews and on-site broadcasts. 850 The Buzz/620 The Bull NCAA Men’s Tournament Schedule (subject to change):
Sunday, March 16th
Selection Sunday Special
6:00pm
WRBZ – 850 The Buzz
Tuesday, March 18th
Opening Round – Single Game 7:15pm
WDNC – 620 The Bull
Thurs-Sun March 20th- 23rd
Rounds One & Two
Times Vary
WDNC – 620 The Bull
Thurs-Sun March 27th – 30th
Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight
Times Vary
WDNC – 620 The Bull
Saturday, April 5th
Final Four Show
3:30pm
WDNC – 620 The Bull
Saturday, April 5th
Final Four Games 1 & 2 5:00pm
WRBZ – 850 The Buzz
Monday, April 7th
Championship Preview
7:00pm
WDNC – 620 The Bull
Championship Game
8:00pm
WRBZ – 850 The Buzz & WDNC – 620 The Bull
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
RALEIGH - There is no city in America better suited to host the excitement, spirit and fun of March Madness than Raleigh, N.C., the nation’s hotbed for college basketball. That’s the message Raleigh’s NCAA tournament Local Organizing Committee (LOC) intends to make loud and clear when the teams, fans, media and VIPs roll into town for the men’s first and second rounds at the RBC Center beginning March 21.
For nearly a year the LOC, comprised of representatives from 12 public and private entities based in Raleigh, has been working with N.C. State, the NCAA’s official host institution, to develop ways to welcome and entertain visitors and build excitement for the event in the local community. Their efforts have led to the creation of the “Raleigh Roundball Roadshow.”
The Raleigh Roundball Roadshow is a fan entertainment program developed by the LOC for both visiting and local fans, with or without tickets, to know where to go to watch all the opening round action from around the country. Ten sports bars located throughout Raleigh and Cary will be showing all the games live and welcoming fans with food and drink specials, special signage and souvenir premiums. There will be a Roadshow web site and promotional materials available providing information and venue locations.
“This is part of a community-wide effort to roll out the red carpet for all fans, participants and special guests in town for the opening rounds being played at the RBC Center,” said Scott Dupree, director of sports marketing for the Greater Raleigh Convention & Visitors Bureau and co-chair of the LOC. “Our goal is to create an exciting, welcoming environment that’s in keeping with the area’s reputation as the epicenter of the college basketball world, and demonstrate that when it comes to hosting a top-tier sporting event, no community works harder to put on a first class show than Raleigh does.”
Roadshow venues located in the downtown area include Woody’s in City Market, Hi-5 and Stool Pigeons on Glenwood South, and nearby Napper Tandy’s. Outside the beltline, venues include Sky Box at the Hilton North Raleigh, Fox & Hound at North Hills, Blinco’s on Glenwood North and Carolina Ale House at Brier Creek. Cary venues include Woody’s and Carolina Ale House on Walnut St.
Led by N.C. State, the Greater Raleigh CVB, the Greater Raleigh Sports Council, Gale Force Holdings (operators of the RBC Center), the City of Raleigh and the Centennial Authority, the LOC has worked throughout the year to raise the level of excellence it hopes to showcase to the NCAA, and to strengthen the bids that will soon be submitted for hosting either opening rounds or regional finals in 2011 and 2012.
The LOC has also organized a series of special events for visiting media and fans attending the first and second round games at the RBC Center. In addition, pole banners and signage will be seen throughout the city, from RDU International Airport and the RBC Center to the Glenwood South corridor and downtown, as well as in the 10 designated host hotels and the 10 Raleigh Roundball Roadshow venues. Special guests and VIPs, including the presidents, athletic directors and basketball coaches of the eight universities competing at the RBC Center, will receive special hospitality gifts as will the visiting NCAA tournament committee member and staff.
Visitor information locations will include the RBC Center, each of the official hotels, all three airport terminals and the new downtown Visitors Center on Fayetteville St. The News & Observer, represented on the LOC, plans to produce a special tournament wrap for the newspaper each day of competition, which will be delivered to every guest room in all 10 host hotels.
Read More:CarolinaNewsWire
