Carolina crushes Cavaliers
UVa suffers worst-ever blowout at North Carolina
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
March 2, 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Less than four minutes into the second half of Wednesday night's Virginia-North Carolina game, UVa guard J.R. Reynolds fumbled a pass out of bounds that bounced right into the hands of UVa coach Dave Leitao.
When the official came to collect the ball, Leitao didn't want to give it back.

Could anyone blame him?

Leitao's team was trailing by 24 points and showing even fewer signs of life than it did in Saturday's loss at Clemson.

Unfortunately for Leitao and Wahoo Nation, things only got worse.

North Carolina, behind 26 points from senior David Noel - on Senior Night - crushed Virginia, 99-54.

It was the Cavaliers worst-ever loss to the Tar Heels, and their worst in the ACC since a loss at Duke in 1999. Virginia (14-12, 7-8) drooped into a three-way tie for sixth place in league.

"This was definitely a bad loss," said Virginia guard Sean Singletary, "but we have to turn the page and get ready for the next game."

The Cavaliers play host to Maryland in the last-ever scheduled game at University Hall on Sunday.

"Obviously this is not the same team it was a little over a week ago," Leitao said.

Reyshawn Terry added 17 for North Carolina (20-6, 11-4). Freshman sensation Tyler Hansbrough was held to 13 - five below his season average - but it didn't matter.

North Carolina shot a blistering 59 percent from the field, including 55 percent (11-20) from 3-point range.

"We didn't come out and execute on offense or play any defense," said Reynolds, who led Virginia with 19 points.

About the only suspense on Wednesday occurred late in the second half when North Carolina needed to crack the 100-point mark in order for its fans to receive free biscuits.

Virginia led 7-5 after a Jason Cain field goal - his only of the night.

But after that, North Carolina took control.

The Tar Heels, behind Noel, did pretty much whatever they wanted.

Noel, who had 19 points before the break, hit just about everything he threw up, including three 3-pointers.

"He can shoot the ball," Reynolds said, "and we just didn't get out on him."

North Carolina coach Roy Williams heaped lots of praise on his senior.

"Nobody's ever done anything better than David Noel," Williams said. "David Noel has never put anything in front of his team. He's pretty special."

Reynolds said Virginia's recent play in practice was a precursor for the team's poor performance.

In the second half, the game looked like a glorified scrimmage, as North Carolina's walk-ons got major minutes, much to the delight of the home crowd.

How bad were things for Virginia? Walk-on Mike Forkin checked into the game with more than eight minutes remaining.

For the second straight game, Cain found his way into Leitao's doghouse. Virginia's leading rebounder was benched for the entire second half.

"I just don't know anything," said Cain, when asked after the game why he did not play.

Virginia took better care of the ball than it did at Clemson when it committed 29 turnovers - the Cavs only had 12.

It was a combination of bricklaying and lackadaisical defense that did it in this time.

"We didn't pay attention to detail," Reynolds said. "We didn't come with lot of energy. It was a lot of things, but we have to stick together. We still have one more game."

 

Once again, UVa struggles on the road
Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
March 2, 2006
CHAPEL HILL, N .C.

There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that Virginia has petitioned the ACC to play all of its league games in Charlottesville next season. But, it's not a bad idea.

The Cavaliers ventured across the state border on Wednesday night looking for an answer to their woeful road problems. All they got was another frustrating setback in a 99-54 loss to 13th-ranked North Carolina, UVa's worst loss ever to the Tar Heels (167 games), surpassing a 108-64 loss to the Tar Heels at Carmichael Auditorium in 1968.

For the fourth consecutive season, UVa finished its ACC road schedule with a 1-7 record.

Not a total shocker

This one was most predictable. Coach Dave Leitao's young Cavs were coming off perhaps their worst performance of the year, a 94-60 defeat at Clemson.

But the Dean Dome isn't usually the place where teams go to get well, and this was no exception. Virginia has been cursed with Buzzard's Luck in Chapel Hill over the years - it can't kill anything and can't find anything dead.

The Cavaliers, now 14-12 overall and dropping to sub-.500 in the ACC at 7-8, have won only five times in 66 trips to the North Carolina campus and have lost 19 of 21 times in the Dean Dome.

As the game progressed, Leitao's frustration mounted, watching as his team lost by a lopsided margin for the second straight outing. The 45-point blowout dwarfed last Saturday's 26-point implosion at Clemson.

This was UVa's worst ACC defeat since 1999 when the Cavaliers dropped two 46-point decisions.

"I don't think any coach in America could have seen this coming," said a dejected Leitao, who said his team wasn't prepared. "This is obviously not the same [Virginia] team as it was a week ago. My fear is that we've given and given and given. We've tried to draw more from them, and right now they're not giving it."

First-round knockout

This one was over early, much like UVa's loss at Clemson last Saturday. The Cavaliers' highlights ended less than four minutes into the game after they bolted to a 7-5 lead.

When Carolina (20-6, 11-4) responded with a 15-2 run over the ensuing four minutes, game officials should have called it a TKO.

It only got worse for Virginia. With Tar Heels senior David Noel bombing away for 19 points in the first half, UNC rolled to a 49-24 lead at the break en route to its 10th win in the last 11 games. The slaughter continued as Carolina went up by 30 (62-32) with 13 minutes to go.

"It was one of those nights where things kind of snowballed on Dave's team," said Tar Heels coach Roy Williams of Leitao's Cavaliers. "Our team has gotten better all season long."

UNC did it with defense, a suffocating man-to-man that threw a blanket over Virginia's shooters the entire game. Like a blinded prizefighter early in the bout, the Cavaliers came out each round swinging wildly but rarely getting a whiff of their target.

Leitao's team hasn't exactly wowed opponents with their shooting ability this season. They're the worst shooting team in the ACC (.430) for a reason.

On this night, the Wahoos couldn't have tossed a beach ball into the ocean had they been standing along the shore.

Meanwhile Noel supplied the firepower, finishing with a game-high 26 points to become the first Tar Heel since Phil Ford in 1978 to enjoy a career-high point total on Senior Night.

For the game, Virginia was held to 32.4 percent (22 of 68) and a mere 4 of 24 from beyond the 3-point arc. As has been the circumstance lately, Cavalier guards Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds combined to score 33 of the team's 54 points.

The rest of the team hit 9 of 36 shots, including Mamadi Diane, who played like a wide-eyed freshman, missing all 11 field-goal attempts.

Meanwhile, Carolina shot 59.3 percent for the game and dominated the boards by outrebounding UVa 45-28.

Leitao must have wondered what happened to the Cavalier team that handled these Tar Heels by a 72-68 count in Charlottesville on Jan. 19. But when Virginia has ventured outside the city limits, the results haven't been pretty.

The Wahoos are 11-2 at home this season, including 6-1 against ACC competition, but 2-10 on the road. While they have won the last six in a row at home, they've also lost their last six straight on the road.

Perhaps their only salvation is that Leitao's team has one more shot at home to right the ship and to rely on the last drop of University Hall magic to get back into the win column prior to next week's ACC Tournament.

"We have practiced the same way we have played the last two games," Leitao said, almost in disbelief. "We're going to get back in the gym and figure it out ... that is, if we have any confidence left."

 

Virginia lands first recruit of 2007 class
Woodside LB opts to play for Groh, UVa
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
March 2, 2006

Al Groh's football program didn't waste any time in starting the Virginia recruiting class of 2007.
Only a month after finishing up the 2006 class, the Cavaliers landed their first commitment for 2007 on Wednesday when Jared Detrick from Woodside High School in Newport News announced he would play for UVa. Detrick is a 6-foot-2, 235-pound inside linebacker who has 4.55 speed.

"Virginia was the first to offer me and I really like the direction of the football program," Detrick said Wednesday night. "They have a great coaching staff and are an upcoming team. I really like the potential of the next recruiting class to play for a National Title."

Detrick, who was recruited chiefly by new UVa defensive coordinator Mike London, was offered on Feb. 20, the only offer he received, although he had drawn strong interest from North Carolina, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee and others.

"I talked to my brothers and my mother about it and we all liked the great academics and the football program," the recruit said. "It took me a couple of weeks to decide, but figured I could be a good fit in their program."

Detrick had more than 60 tackles last season for the Wolverines. According to sources, he was one of the top inside linebacker targets on Virginia's recruiting board.

"Coaches liked my physical presence and how hard I play the game," Detrick said. "I bring leadership, hard work and discipline. I lead by example. I believe I can be a physical football player there, and I like Virginia's great history of linebackers."

The Cavs have produced several NFL linebackers in recent years, including Matt Farrior, Jamie Sharper, Wali Rainer and Angelo Crowell. Kai Parham has bypassed his final season of eligibility to enter this April's draft.

Detrick was scheduled to attend Virginia's Junior Day a couple of weeks ago but didn't make it due to the snow.

He still hasn't made a visit to the school but said he talked to Groh and other UVa coaches on Wednesday, and they invited him to come up for the first spring practice this month and any other time he wanted after that.

The Woodside standout, who also plays basketball and runs track, has a solid 3.0 GPA and plans to take the SAT next month. He competes in the high jump and the 800-meter relay.

 

Pumped Tar Heels roll over Cavaliers
Virginia falls behind early and never threatens host North Carolina on an emotional senior night.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- No more than 10 minutes had elapsed Wednesday when news of Duke's first ACC loss was flashed across four giant Smith Center video boards.

Periodic updates on the Duke-Florida State game were the only suspense the crowd experienced until North Carolina's reserves tried in vain to lift the Tar Heels over 100 points.

For the second time in five days, Virginia trailed by 25 points before halftime and its fortunes did not improve in the second half as 13th-ranked North Carolina celebrated the most lopsided of its 119 victories over the Cavaliers, 99-54.

It wasn't as lopsided as a 115-69 loss to Duke in 1999, but only because Virginia walk-on Drew Shiembob was awarded a field goal on a goaltending call against the Tar Heels with one second remaining. UVa had trailed by as many as 49 points, 99-50.

"I don't think any coach in America could have seen a 50-point loss coming," first-year UVa coach Dave Leitao said.

Nevertheless, the Cavaliers (14-12 overall, 7-8 ACC) have become significantly less competitive on the road and practiced poorly after Saturday's 90-64 loss at Clemson.

"That's how it's been all year," said guard J.R. Reynolds. "We never have really good practices. Sooner or later, it had to catch up to us."

Reynolds had 19 points -- his 20th consecutive game in double figures -- and went over the 1,000-point mark for his career, but it was no time for celebration.

Carolina senior David Noel matched his previous high of 19 points by halftime and finished with 26 points, including five 3-point field goals.

"When the game started, we gave him two open jump shots and he probably felt like he could conquer the world," Leitao said. "We didn't defend him and that's what good players do."

The Cavs defeated the Tar Heels 72-68 on Jan. 19 in Charlottesville and left Carolina coach Roy Williams complimenting their rebounding. On Wednesday, UNC outrebounded Virginia 45-28, but Leitao said that was no more damaging than the Tar Heels' 59.3-percent field-goal percentage.

"Take your pick," Leitao said. "It's all in the same pot of stew."

Junior Jason Cain entered the game as the Cavs' leading rebounder and fifth in the ACC. But after picking up his second foul with 8:20 remaining in the second half, he did not play again.

Cain made the only field goal he attempted and finished with three points and three rebounds in six minutes. A reporter pressed Leitao for a "specific" reason for Cain's fall from grace after averaging 30 minutes in ACC play.

"Coach's decision," Leitao said. "That's very specific."

The Cavaliers shot 32.4 percent from the field, including an 0-for-11 performance by freshman Mamadi Diane, who came into the game shooting 41.7 percent at home and 31.5 percent on the road.

Those numbers are common for a Virginia team that is 1-7 on the road in ACC play. In Roy Williams, the Cavs were taking on a coach whose teams at Kansas and UNC have won 18 straight games on senior night.

"I don't know how many teams could have come in here and won tonight," Reynolds said. "They did a tremendous job knocking down shots."

 

Groh: Brooks still with Cavs for now
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

Virginia football coach Al Groh concedes that former All-ACC linebacker Ahmad Brooks has some issues to work through before he plays for the Cavaliers next fall.

"I think that's fair to say," Groh said. "That has been the case from the outset, whether it's eligibility issues or training issues or whatever the case may be."

Brooks, who played in six of 12 games in 2005 while dealing with three different injuries, did not apply for the NFL Draft by the Jan. 15 deadline and said he planned to return in 2006 for his final season of eligibility at UVa.

In response to Internet reports that had questioned Brooks' status, Groh confirmed this week that Brooks is enrolled in school and remains in the football program.

Brooks missed spring practice last year while rehabilitating a surgically repaired knee and he might miss spring practice again this year.

"I'm going to see," Groh said. "I'm going to see what his physical condition is. What I don't want is, 'He's in, he's out, he's in.' That just becomes distracting to everybody. This has been my approach since about this time last year, when we became aware that the surgery was necessary.

"There are other players on the roster whose availability for the spring will be assessed as we get closer to it. What the greater objective is that we make sure that we get everybody to training camp healthy and ready to go. I'm anxious to see what these midterm [grades] bring."

Groh said he has not spoken recently with safety Tony Franklin, left home from the Music City Bowl after his Dec. 4 arrest for misdemeanor possession of marijuana. Franklin's case continues to be listed as "pending" after a Feb. 21 hearing, in which he was placed on probation for one year.

Groh said Franklin also remains a member of the program.
 

Coach of year becomes clear: It's Roy
David Teel
March 2 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Well, that was tidy. A three-horse race for ACC basketball coach of the year was settled in about four hours Wednesday night.

That's the time it took Florida State to end Duke's undefeated conference run, and North Carolina to embarrass Virginia.

The evening began with three legitimate candidates: Virginia's Dave Leitao, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina's Roy Williams.

Krzyzewski had the Blue Devils within two victories of the ACC's first 16-0 record since 1999. But they lost at Florida State 79-74, a defeat overdue given Duke's subtle flaws (sketchy perimeter defense; little interior depth).

Leitao inherited the conference's last-place team from former coach Pete Gillen, while Williams lost his top seven scorers, an ACC first. Yet entering their game late Wednesday at the Dean Dome, the Cavaliers and Tar Heels resided in the conference's upper half.

Now we know who most belongs there.

For the third consecutive road game, Virginia was awful. The Cavaliers fell behind by 25 in the first half and staggered home 99-54 losers. Leitao substituted like a madman. He called three first-half timeouts. To no avail. Virginia (14-12, 7-8 ACC) finishes 1-7 in conference road games for the fourth consecutive season (sorry, no extra credit for consistency and no excuses next year).

At the conference's annual preseason bash, media picked Virginia for last place among 12 teams, North Carolina for sixth. That speaks not only to the media's dimness and the ACC's decline (only six of 15 all-conference selections returned), but also to the coaches' acumen.

Entering Sunday's regular-season finale against Maryland, Virginia is a victory away from doubling last season's conference win total (4-12). The Cavaliers play harder and smarter than in years past.

Oh, there are moments on the road - case in point Wednesday - when Virginia absolutely resembles a last-place squad. But at home the Cavaliers have defeated North Carolina, Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech. Not bad. Not bad for a team too dependent on the scoring of guards Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds. Not bad for a team whose most versatile returning player, Gary Forbes, transferred amid academic issues.

But not good enough for Leitao to be coach of the year. And while Duke's record (27-2, 14-1) remains remarkable, Krzyzewski, as if he cares, will lose the vote because he coaches the conference's overwhelming preseason favorite.

Which brings us to Williams.

Show of hands, Carolina haters: How many of you pegged the Tar Heels for the National Invitation Tournament or worse this season? How many of you relished the notion of cuffing North Carolina around like Western Carolina?

Understandable but, oh, so misguided. Sure, the top seven players on last season's national-championship team - Sean May, Raymond Felton, Rashad McCants, Marvin Williams, Melvin Scott, Jackie Manuel and Jawad Williams - either completed their eligibility or bolted early for the pros. Yes, Carolina's top returning scorer was senior forward David Noel at a robust 3.9 points per game - seven total points in six NCAA tournament games.

But with journeymen Noel (career-high 26 points Wednesday in his final home game) and Reyshawn Terry averaging double-figure points, freshman Tyler Hansbrough emerging as a dominant big man, and James Madison transfer Wes Miller hitting pressurized 3-pointers, the Tar Heels (20-6, 11-4) are ranked 13th nationally and ensconced in second place behind Duke.

Goes to show us yet again: Williams can coach his backside off; never underestimate Carolina's talent - remember, each of the Tar Heels' four freshmen were national recruits.

North Carolina, which closes the regular season Saturday at Duke, has won six consecutive games, all in conference, three on the road. The Tar Heels will not repeat as national champs, but they will not decline markedly after overwhelming player turnover and they may just make a bunch o' noise in the NCAA tournament.

Sounds like a coach of the year profile to me.
 

Noel finishes strong with career-high 26 points as heels pound Cavs
By NOLAN HAYES : The Herald-Sun
nhayes@heraldsun.com
Mar 2, 2006 : 1:02 am ET

CHAPEL HILL -- Much of this season has been about North Carolina's freshmen.

Wednesday night was about the team's seniors. The No. 13 Tar Heels sent out David Noel, Byron Sanders, Will Robinson and Thomas Wilkins in style, defeating Virginia 99-54 in men's basketball on senior night at the Smith Center.

Noel was the evening's featured performer, drawing the loudest applause during pre-game and postgame ceremonies, and he turned out to be the star of the night. The former Southern High star scored 19 of his career-high 26 points in the first half -- the biggest scoring output for a half during his career -- to lead the Tar Heels to the most lopsided win over Virginia in the history of the series.

"We got the win," said Noel, who became the first UNC player since Phil Ford in 1978 to score a career-high in their final home game as a senior. "That was the biggest thing. Regardless of how I played, as long as we won, I was going to be all right. But it put the icing on the cake that I played well."

The Tar Heels (20-6, 11-4 ACC) reached the 20-win plateau for the second consecutive season and for the 33rd time in the last 36 years. They also clinched no worse than the No. 3 seed in the ACC Tournament, winning for the ninth time in their last 10 games.

UNC avenged an earlier loss to the Cavs (14-12, 7-8), a 72-68 setback at Virginia on Jan. 19.

"They were a thousand times better," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said of the Tar Heels, who shot 59 percent from the floor and led by as many as 49 points. "The stats prove it. Obviously their play proves it, as well."

Noel had to fight back tears during warmups when he realized he was running through the tunnel for the last time to start a game, but he came out firing on his way to 8-of-11 shooting in the first half. Starting the game with his three fellow seniors and freshman point guard Bobby Frasor, Noel took UNC's first three shots from the field. Two of them were blocked, but the one that wasn't banked in for the first three points of the game.

"It started feeling good after the bank shot, and I kind of knew it was my night," said Noel, who shot 10-of-16 in the game and finished with four assists and three rebounds. "After that, the ball started feeling really good in my hands. It felt like everything I let go was going to go in, and most of the time it did."

Noel, who hit the winning 3-pointer in UNC's 83-80 victory over Gardner-Webb to start the season, also was there to carry his team in its final home game. He left the court for the final time with 5:35 left in the game, with Coach Roy Williams thanking him for "four great years" before he sat down.

"It's poetic almost," Frasor said. "He starts of the year with that, and this game he starts it off by banking in a 3. You kind of knew it was going to be his night."

Said junior guard Wes Miller: "He's the heart and soul of our team. He deserves it."

The score was tied at 7-all 3½ minutes into the game before Noel took over. He hit a jump shot from the right wing and followed with a layup on UNC's next possession to put the Tar Heels up by four points, and Virginia never led again. After a 3-pointer by Frasor, Noel scored nine consecutive UNC points in a span of 82 seconds to give the Tar Heels a 14-point lead.

Seven minutes into the game, it was Noel 16, Virginia 9.

UNC fans were thrilled about what they were watching, but the sellout crowd of 21,750 seemed even happier about something it couldn't see. When Duke's loss to Florida State was posted on the video boards in the arena, the crowd erupted into its biggest cheer of the night to that point.

"I looked up there and saw the Duke score, and I was like, 'Wow. These people cheer pretty loud when Duke loses,' " Frasor said.

After that hysteria died, the Cavaliers found themselves trailing UNC 31-19 with 5:49 left in the first half. The Tar Heels put them away with an 18-2 run. UNC scored on seven of eight possessions during the spurt, which Virginia's J.R. Reynolds (19 points) snapped by hitting a 3-pointer just before halftime.

Junior forward Reyshawn Terry scored 17 points for the Tar Heels, and Marcus Ginyard added 10. Freshman post player Tyler Hansbrough tallied 13 points and eight rebounds as his streak of scoring at least 14 points in 20 consecutive games ended.

Still, with UNC outrebounding Virginia 45-28 and racking up 24 assists and only 10 turnovers, there was little reason to complain.

"It was a great night to be a Tar Heel," said Williams, who improved to 19-0 on senior day as a head coach. "There's not too many things I can be disappointed about, to say the least."



 

.Va. reeling after loss
Second consecutive blowout all but kills Cavs' NCAA dreams
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Mar 2, 2006
UNC 99 U.VA. 54

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Forget the NCAAs. At this rate, the University of Virginia men's basketball team will be fortunate to make the National Invitation Tournament.

With its rout of ACC foe Boston College at University Hall last week, U.Va. seemingly put itself in position to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Those hopes have vanished for the Cavaliers, who are reeling after back-to-back blowout losses on the road.

The latest came last night, where 13th-ranked North Carolina embarrassed U.Va. 99-54 before a sellout crowd of 21,750.

"Obviously this is not the same team that it was a little over a week ago," said Dave Leitao, U.Va.'s first-year coach, "and we've got to get back in the gym and try to correct that."

In a series that dates to 1911, U.Va. has lost 119 times to North Carolina. Last night's defeat was the most one-sided. Virginia (7-8, 14-12), which has only eight scholarship players, was coming off a 26-point loss at Clemson.

"My fear is that we've given, we've given, we've given," Leitao said. "I'm trying to draw more from these guys, and right now they're not giving it."

The Tar Heels (11-4, 20-6), with six straight victories, are the ACC's hottest team. Carolina led by 25 points at halftime last night, and things only got worse for U.Va. This UNC team looked nothing like the team that lost at U-Hall last month. How much better are the Heels now?

"A thousand times better," Leitao said.

Not since the 1998-99 season, the Cavs' first under Pete Gillen, Leitao's predecessor as coach, had they been beaten soundly. Duke whipped U.Va. twice by 46 points that season. The Heels led by 49 with 1:15 left.

"It was one of those nights that kind of snowballed on Dave's team," Carolina coach Roy Williams said.

On Senior Night, UNC forward David Noel bowed out with the finest performance of his college career. The former walk-on scored a career-high 26 points and added four assists, three rebounds and one blocked shot. Noel, who'd never made more than three treys in a game, was 5 for 7 from beyond the arc last night.

"He's what college basketball is supposed to be about," Leitao said.

Carolina shot 59.3 percent from the floor and held the Cavaliers to 32.4-percent accuracy. UNC outrebounded U.Va. 45-28, in part because starter Jason Cain played only six minutes. Cain, a 6-10 junior who entered as the ACC's fifth-leading rebounder, didn't get off the bench in the second half.

"Coach's decision," Leitao said.

Against Clemson, Virginia never led. The Cavs led twice last night, at 5-4 and 7-5, but UNC went ahead for good on Noel's jumper with 16:23 left in the first half. Barely 7 minutes into the game, Noel had outscored the Cavs 16-9.

On a night when freshman swingman Mamadi Diane went 0 for 11 from the floor, junior guard J.R. Reynolds led U.Va. with 19 points. Sophomore guard Sean Singletary (14 points) was the only other Cavalier to score in double figures.

Virginia dropped into a three-way tie (with Miami and Maryland) for sixth in the ACC. Leitao's team closes the regular season Sunday against Maryland at University Hall. The Cavaliers finished 1-7 in ACC road games. They're 6-1 at home against ACC opponents.

 

Noel simply sensational in Smith Center finale
Robbi Pickeral, Staff Writer

Three and a half months ago, David Noel had to hit a game- winning 3-pointer to push unranked North Carolina past Gardner-Webb.
That he scored a career-high 26 points Wednesday in a 99-54 blowout against Virginia showed just how far he has led his 13th-ranked team.

Noel, a senior from Durham, was simply sensational in his final game at the Smith Center, making 10 of his 16 shots while fueling a tenacious defense that has become the signature of this team.

"It's poetic, almost,'' said freshman point guard Bobby Frasor. "He starts off the year by doing that, and then this game, when he started off by banking in a 3, you knew it was going to be his night, you know?"

The win keeps UNC (20-6, 11-4 ACC) second in the league standings, a half-game ahead of Boston College. It also guarantees the Tar Heels at least a third seed in the ACC Tournament; a win at top-ranked Duke on Saturday would give them the second seed.

Carolina, which has won nine of its past 10 games, earned the 48th 20-win season in school history. Both are feats many thought impossible when three of Noel's classmates left school early for the NBA last summer.

Many ... except Noel.

"This team has grown a vast majority,'' said the former walk-on, who also had three rebounds and four assists. "The freshmen have become sophomores, the seniors have become better leaders, the juniors have become seniors, and everybody's stepping up in better roles."

Keeping with tradition, coach Roy Williams started all of his seniors on Senior Day, as Byron Sanders and walk-ons Will Robinson and Thomas Wilkins joined Noel, who has started every game this season.

The Tar Heels looked for their leader early and often; at one point in the first half, Noel scored nine points in a row to give his team a 23-9 cushion. By the time Noel made a step-back 3-pointer with 2:47 left in the first half, he had as many points as the Cavaliers, who were trailing 41-19.

"It got away from us before the jump ball,'' said Virginia coach Dave Leito, whose team has lost three of its past four games.

UNC led 49-24 at the break and after the best scoring half of Noel's career, the only real question was whether he could bypass the previous career-high 25 points he had at N.C. State.

That was solidified when Noel made back-to-back 3-pointers to give his team an 80-43 cushion with 8:34 left. When he checked out of the game, for good, about three minutes later, he did so with a standing ovation from the crowd and an appreciative embrace from Williams, who called Noel's senior season "sensational."

Not since Phil Ford in 1978 could team officials find a Tar Heel senior scoring his career high on senior night; Ford finished with 34 points that game.

"Man, it was a blast,'' Noel said after thanking everyone from Rameses to the millionaires in the front row during his mid-court speech.

J.R. Reynolds led Virginia (14-12, 7-8) with 19 points.

Center Tyler Hansbrough chipped in 17 for the Tar Heels, who held Virginia to 32.4 percent shooting.

Still, the night belonged to Noel, who teammates credit for bringing them this far.

"I think guys maybe weren't as comfortable on the floor against Gardner-Webb and a little uneasy, because none of us had been there besides Dave,'' said junior Wes Miller, recalling the first game of the season. "And thank God he was there to bail us out; it seems like he's been there to bail us out in any situation we've been in all year."

 

Virginia goes from bad to worse
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
March 2, 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - It was North Carolina that provided the death knell to the Pete Gillen era last season, exposing all of Virginia's flaws at University Hall in a game it led at one point by 50.
The Tar Heels happily provided the Cavaliers with their most embarrassing moment again this season.

North Carolina rolled to a 99-54 win over Virginia at the Dean Smith Center on Wednesday, the Cavaliers' worst ACC loss since a 46-point drubbing at Duke in 1999.

Only a goaltending call on a shot by walk-on Drew Shiembob in the last second prevented it from being UVa's worst ACC defeat since a 64-point loss to Duke in 1965.

It was still UVa's worst loss to the Tar Heels in 167 meetings.

"It got away before the jump ball today," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. "We were not prepared. Physically, mentally we were not prepared."

UNC's David Noel scored a career-high 26 points on his Senior Night, the first Tar Heel to have a career-high in his final home game since Phil Ford in 1978. The forward, who a week and a half ago set a career-high with 25 points against N.C. State, went 10 of 16 from the field in 29 minutes.

Noel scored 19 in the first half, going on a personal 9-0 run with a baseline fadeaway, two fastbreak layups and a 3-pointer that gave UNC (20-6, 11-4 ACC) a 23-9 lead. He sank back-to-back baseline 3-pointers 10? minutes into the second half to set a new career-high before heading to the bench.

"We gave him two early jump shots and he made them," Leitao said. "He probably felt like he could conquer the world. The rim got larger for him. We just didn't defend him. That's what good players do."

Virginia (14-12, 7-8 ACC) dropped to 1-7 on the road in the conference. Everything that's gone wrong for them away from University Hall this season did so on Wednesday, too.

The Cavaliers shot poorly from the tip (32.4 percent ), couldn't get a defense stop (UNC shot 59.3 percent) and dug themselves into an first-half hole (25 points) that was insurmountable.

"It was one of those nights where it kind of snowballed on Dave's team," UNC coach Roy Williams said.

J.R. Reynolds led UVa with 19 points on 7 of 17 shooting. Sean Singletary was the only other Cavalier in double figures with 14 points.

The rest of team shot 25 percent (9 of 36).

Forward Jason Cain played just six minutes, sitting out the second half in what Leitao said afterward was a coach's decision.

Freshman wing Mamadi Diane typified UVa's night, going 0-for-11 from the floor.

North Carolina, which lost 72-68 in Charlottesville on Jan. 19, looked like a different team Wednesday. The Tar Heels were 11 of 20 from 3-point range and outrebounded the Cavaliers 45-28, UVa's largest rebounding deficit this season.

The Tar Heels have won six straight and nine of their last 10.

"They're a thousand times better (than in January)," Leitao said. "The stats prove it. Obviously, the play proves it as well."

Rayshawn Terry scored 17 points for UNC and Tyler Hansbrough added 13. The Tar Heels' 99 points were the most since they scored 112 against Cleveland State in November.

It was Virginia's fourth straight double-digit road loss. The Cavaliers lost by 26 at Clemson on Saturday, but Leitao didn't see it as a sign of things to come.

"I don't think any coach in America sees a 50-point loss coming," Leitao said.

The Cavaliers have one regular season game left - at home against Maryland on Sunday - with a chance to finish .500 in the conference for the first time since the 2000-01 season. Whether they can come up with a bout of amnesia before then remains the question.

Said Leitao: "We're going to get in the gym and figure out if we have any confidence left in us."