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.”

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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.

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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

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(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

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HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. — A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the inaugural game of golf at the 18-hole championship Nicklaus Design Golf Group golf course at 12 Oaks, Wakefield Development Company’s newest master-planned community in Holly Springs. Builder representatives and city officials joined Wakefield Development Company employees to witness John Myers, president of Wakefield Development Company, and Steve Sandler, president of L.M. Sandler & Sons, Inc., the parent company of Wakefield Development Company, cut the ribbon at this championship golf course. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a dozen foursomes participated in the course’s first round of golf. “The opening of the 12 Oaks golf course is a huge milestone for this community,” said John Myers, president of Wakefield Development Company. “The course complements the lifestyle offered in this Holly Springs community, and we are eager to complete the other amenities offered here.”

About Wakefield Development Company
Signature Communities. Ideal Opportunities.

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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

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

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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.

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.

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RALEIGH, N.C. – The Wake Tech Board of Trustees approved a proposal to add competitive athletics to the community college’s programs, starting this fall. The Board’s approval allows Wake Tech to join the National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) as a Division I member of Region 10.

Initially, Wake Tech will rent facilities for practice and games. The Wake Tech Foundation will look for private donors to help pay for future athletic facilities, including new fields at the college’s Northern Wake Campus. Wake Tech has never had a formal athletics department, although the college did sponsor competitive teams in the late 1960s and 1970s, including baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, golf, and bowling.

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Deacons freshman Jeff Teague scores 26 points

WINSTON-SALEM – The Duke Blue Devils, the No. 2 team in the nation, got to that point because they haven’t let games end the way Sunday’s game against Wake Forest did.

Trailing the deepest into a game since a loss to Pittsburgh on Dec. 20, the Blue Devils couldn’t make up an eight-point deficit in the final 1:54 of the game and the Deacons beat the ACC’s first-place team 86-73.

The fans didn’t need prompting; they stormed the court to celebrate Wake Forest’s biggest win of the season and its biggest under first-year head coach Dino Gaudio, who replaced Skip Prosser after Prosser’s death last summer.

The last time Wake Forest put down a top five-ranked team, Prosser paced one sideline against the then-No. 4 Blue Devils at Joel Coliseum back in 2005.

This time, Wake Forest freshman guard Jeff Teague ran the Devils from baseline to baseline while scoring 26 points in the upset victory.

Duke freshman guard Nolan Smith, with a career-high 21 points, bravely stepped in when the Devils were feeling the pain of 8-for-28 shooting night from 3-point range and the discomfort of seeing so many starters deal with foul trouble.

“I don’t think we just laid down and died,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said, praising the way the Deacons played defense. “I think Wake had something to do with it. … We haven’t always played like we needed to win. … That’s part of learning.”

Duke falls to 22-2 but still holds a one-game lead in the ACC standings at 10-1. Wake Forest improved to 16-8 and 6-5 in the conference, with one very pretty win to hold onto in case the NCAA Tournament committee comes knocking next month.

All five Duke starters played with four fouls at some point during the final 10 minutes of the game, and all left with five — the fifth time in school history five players have fouled out.

But Teague and forward James Johnson, who had 24 points and 16 rebounds, owned a stretch in the second half that pushed the Devils further than they’d been pushed in nearly two months.

Wake Forest came out of the locker room after halftime running hard. When Ishmael Smith hooked up with L.D. Williams for an alley-oop jam, the coliseum crowd went appropriately insane.

Williams, after forcing Duke senior captain DeMarcus Nelson to step out of bounds while guarding him along the baseline, dropped a 3 a few seconds later, giving the Deacons a healthy 52-44 lead.

But Kyle Singler isn’t getting praise as one of the nation’s best for nothing. He calmly knocked down an important 3 — for three of his 17 — to answer Williams.

That’s how the second half went, back and forth with the teams trading leads several times.

Nelson added 18 points, but the way he, Gerald Henderson and Jon Scheyer kept driving the baseline and the lane and the way Johnson or Jamie Skeen kept turning them away or forcing the Devils to take off-balance shots was the story of the game.

That’s how Duke wins games. Wake beat Duke by taking that away.

Though Duke scored 42 first-half points, the Devils found the middle of the court closed to dribble penetration.

The Devils didn’t deal well with the pressure either. They committed 13 turnovers in a win over Maryland on Wednesday and had 13 in the first half against the Deacons while trailing 47-42 at halftime.

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