ESPN Men's Basketball

Say what you will about how way-too-early Joe Lunardi's annual postseason Bracketology is -- and of course it's early; that's the point! -- it does provide a pretty sizable general snapshot of the also way-too-early expectations of the college basketball landscape as of this way-too-early date.

This is especially true of the top of the bracket. The bubble range is surely more unpredictable, but a look at the top three or four seed lines gives us a pretty decent idea of teams we can expect to be ranked in the top 10 to start the season, barring injuries and recruiting decisions and everything else that can happen in six months.

Myron and I discussed much of this earlier in the week, so why am I bringing it up now? Because after James Michael McAdoo announced his decision to return to North Carolina for his junior season, Joe slotted the Tar Heels in on the No. 3 line in his bracket. Expectations-wise, that strikes me as exactly right.

McAdoo is will receive the lion's share of attention in the offseason -- he is a former potential lottery pick who decided to stay two years longer than anyone expected, after all -- but the fact is his return isn't anywhere near as important as Marcus Smart's. Fact is, McAdoo had kind of a rough year. His counting numbers (14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game) look solid, but he shot just 44.7 percent from the field, turned it over on 18.2 percent of his possessions, grabbed just 8.5 percent of available offensive rebounds, and finished with a 91.3 offensive rating. It was pretty ugly stuff.

But even if McAdoo's return might receive outsized attention, he still has plenty of promise, and the same can be said of the rest of the Tar Heels. P.J. Hairston actually did have a pretty great offensive season (rating: 120.3). Point guard Marcus Paige should improve as a sophomore. Forward Joel James is a big body on the block who could benefit from just one go-to low-post move. And Roy Williams has a solid recruiting class -- featuring the No. 8-ranked power forward and five-star prospect Isaiah Hicks -- on deck.

The notion that North Carolina is routinely overrated in the preseason, simply because it's North Carolina, probably has at least some basis in fact; the Tar Heels are almost always expected to be a top-15 team whether or not their circumstances demand. It would be easy to make that case again here. But if McAdoo and Paige in particular make genuine strides in the offseason -- and that's a crucial if -- a No. 3 seed feels eminently doable. Fortunately, we've got a few months to settle the issue.

This is why Roy Williams made it clear, earlier this month, that North Carolina’s four-guard starting lineup was fine for now, but not forever.

This is why next year’s team -- no matter who stays or goes -- will almost certainly go back to boasting more of a traditional, two-big-guys look.

Leading top-seeded Kansas by nine points at halftime, the change that propelled UNC to the NCAA tournament is the thing that ultimately pushed the Tar Heels out in the end. The smaller, faster, higher-scoring offense went cold Sunday, with UNC making just 30.1 percent of its shots for the game (including only 28.6 percent of its 3-pointers). In the second half, in particular, it had no answer for Kansas 7-footer Jeff Withey who, finished with 16 points and 16 rebounds.

The eighth-seeded Tar Heels got out-rebounded by 17, and the tallest player in its starting line-up, 6-9ish James Michael McAdoo, was 5-for-19 from the field in the 70-58 loss in the NCAA Round of 32.

“It was definitely a nightmare in the second half, there's no question about that," Williams said during the post-game news conference. “You know, the change in the lineup, I tried to get the best five basketball players on the court for us. We knew we were giving up some rebounding, but we knew we were adding some things offensively from the perimeter.

“We decided to make that change. Down the stretch we basically decided to stick with it because we thought that was best for our team.”

And until Sunday, it was, what with young centers Desmond Hubert, Joel James and Brice Johnson never really establishing themselves during the season, while 6-5 sophomore wing P.J. Hairston -- finally inserted as the starting ‘4’ on Feb. 13, in place of Hubert -- often looked like the best player on the floor.

In the end, the Tar Heels won nine of their final 13 games with that starting lineup -- making the NCAA tournament, something that had been in doubt before the switch -- and giving this team something to build upon.

“For me, we had an unbelievably young team, and they tried and tried and tried," Williams said. “We've got a chance to be a sensational basketball team again.”

Indeed, the Tar Heels, who finished 25-11 overall, lose only one scholarship senior, starting shooting guard/backup point guard Dexter Strickland. But the status of several underclassmen is still up in the air.

Sophomore McAdoo, junior wing Reggie Bullock and Hairston all told The News & Observer after Sunday’s loss that they hadn’t thought about the NBA yet – comments you would expect them to make in the moments after their season ended so harshly. Traditionally, Williams meets with players in the weeks after the season to discuss their options, and talks to NBA team contacts on their behalves about where each player would possibly be drafted if they left early.

Williams reports back to each player, offers an opinion, and then it’s up to the athlete and his family to make the choice.

None of that threesome are currently listed among ESPN draft analyst Chad Ford’s list of top-20 draft prospects (although McAdoo was considered a lottery pick last year, had he left). And there’s not a whole lot of time to decide.

Although the NBA’s deadline to declare for the draft is April 28, the NCAA’s early-entry withdrawal deadline is April 16. Players also can apply to an NBA undergraduate advisory committee for their feedback before making a decision, but there no longer is any time to “test the waters,” so to speak.

Whatever the decisions of UNC’s top three scorers, the Tar Heels do have another triumvirate of incoming freshmen who could make an immediate impact. Nate Britt, ranked 20th on ESPN’s list of incoming ballhandlers, should be a strong back-up to Marcus Paige at point guard. Meanwhile, Williams will certainly look to Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks -- rated the No. 8 power forward prospect and No. 4 center, respectively -- to bolster a more traditional, comfortable, big-man-in-the-post approach.

“That [four-guard] line-up has been better for us, so we’ll stick with that right now,’’ Williams said before the ACC tournament. “But Ol’ Roy is not going to be small for the rest of his coaching career, I tell you.”

Sunday showed why: Going small got the Tar Heels to the NCAA tournament. It just couldn’t keep them there.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- At their shoot-around on Thursday and again during Friday’s win over Villanova, the North Carolina Tar Heels received rousing ovations from an unlikely group of supporters.

Kansas fans.

For nearly a decade almost anyone who called themselves a Jayhawk held resentment toward former coach Roy Williams for leaving KU in 2003 and returning to North Carolina, his alma mater. But if this week is any indication, Kansas fans have moved on and come to appreciate Williams for what he accomplished during his 15 seasons in Lawrence.

“Time heals all wounds,” Williams said Saturday. “The people have been really nice. There have been people driving by on the streets when we’re out walking in the morning that have been yelling and saying nice things.

“I’ve only had one person yell something that wasn’t quite as nice, but that’s part of it.”

Williams’ Tar Heels -- the No. 8 seed in the South Region -- will take on top-seeded Kansas at the Sprint Center on Sunday for a chance to go to the Sweet 16. The Tar Heels are 0-2 against the Jayhawks since Williams became their coach. KU beat UNC in the national semifinals in 2008 and again in the Elite Eight last season.

A lot of the attention leading into each of those games centered on the ill will that some Kansas fans held toward Williams for leaving in 2003, just two years after vowing he’d retire at Kansas. “Benedict Roy” shirts were a hot seller in Lawrence. One barbershop owner went so far as to hang Williams’ picture above his toilet.

This season, though, most of the buzz during Saturday’s news conference centered around the actual game. That had to have been refreshing to both Williams and KU coach Bill Self, who coached for three seasons at Illinois before taking over for Williams.

“Nobody can ever take away that he did a fabulous job and ran a first-class program [at Kansas],” Self said. “Anybody that doesn’t feel that way isn’t real, because that’s the reality of it.

“Since we’ve had a chance to play a couple of times in the tournament, I think there were some story lines [before] that probably aren’t as good of a story line now.”

Self has certainly made it easy for KU fans to move on. By beating No. 16 seed Western Kentucky Friday, Self became the first coach in history to guide his team to four consecutive 30-win seasons. (It should be noted that John Calipari accomplished the feat from 2006-09, but the Tigers’ wins from the 2007-08 season were vacated.)

Kansas has also won nine straight Big 12 titles under Self and one national championship. Self is 299-58 (.838) during his tenure at KU, while Williams is 282-78 with six ACC championships and two NCAA titles at North Carolina.

As much as he hopes to win Saturday’s game, Williams has made it clear that he doesn’t enjoy playing Kansas.

“It’s not immoral to love two schools,” Williams said. “Someone asked me the other day if I would ever consider coming and playing a home-and-home against Kansas. I said no. My athletic director would understand and the Pope will understand, because I will never walk out of that far tunnel. That will never happen.

“I said this before I left Kansas: 'The day I ever walk into Allen Fieldhouse and don’t get cold chills, I’ll know it’s time to stop.' I feel the same way about the Smith Center. If I walk out on game night and don’t have cold chills, I’ll quit."

Kansas City news and notes:

• North Carolina’s switch to a smaller lineup earlier this season could make things difficult for KU center Jeff Withey, who will likely have to guard players such as James Michael McAdoo outside of the paint from time to time. Withey said the shortage of true centers in the Big 12 has forced him to become a better perimeter defender. “I’ve definitely gotten used to it,” Withey said. “I’ve had to learn to guard and move my feet.”
• Kansas leading scorer Ben McLemore is averaging just seven points in his past three games -- more than nine points below his average of 16.2. He had just 11 points in 32 minutes against Western Kentucky on Friday, when he only attempted five shots. “He’s young,” Self said of McLemore, a redshirt freshman. “Obviously this is his first time on a big stage. He’s capable of doing it all. When he’s aggressive, we’re better. We’ve just got to get him to be more aggressive.”
• Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson celebrated Friday’s victory over Wisconsin by hanging out with some of his friends at a bar across the street from the arena. Photos of Henderson (who was holding a clear cup containing a red drink) ended up on Twitter, which prompted Rebels AD Ross Bjork to summon Henderson back to the team hotel. “It wasn’t like he was guzzling a beer,” Bjork said. Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy was asked if he approved of Henderson hanging out in bars in between NCAA tournament games. “He’s 22 years old,” Kennedy said of Henderson. “I didn’t give him an alcohol sobriety test. We didn’t make him recite his ABCs backward, but I know this. I know we had a pretty intense 10 o’clock meeting and he was involved in it, as they all were.”
• LaSalle coach John Giannini said playing in the “First Four” has been beneficial to his team. The No. 13 seed Explorers upset No. 4-seeded Kansas State on Friday. “You’re certainly in a better rhythm,” Giannini said. “If you look at yesterday’s game, it perfectly demonstrated the advantages and disadvantages. One team was really in a rhythm in the first half. There is an advantage to having played, working out some nerves and being comfortable on the court.”

 
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams picked up his 700th career victory when North Carolina defeated Villanova 78-71 at the Sprint Center on Friday. But after the game, Williams said he was equally as proud of another number.

Twenty-five.

That’s how many wins Williams’ current crop of Tar Heels has achieved during what some would call a transition year. Considering UNC had four players selected in the top 17 of last summer’s NBA draft, the coaching job Williams has done in 2012-13 is one of the more impressive of his career.

Friday’s victory propelled UNC to a third-round NCAA tournament game against either Kansas or Western Kentucky. That hardly seemed like a possibility three months ago, when the Tar Heels were manhandled by a struggling Texas team that a few weeks earlier had lost to Division II Chaminade.

“It was terrible,” guard Dexter Strickland said about the loss. “We didn’t have any experience. We didn’t know how to play with each other yet. We didn’t know the level of intensity we needed to play with as a team. We were just trying to find ourselves.”

Strickland paused.

“We’ve come a long way since then,” he said.

Indeed, North Carolina finished third in the ACC with a 12-6 record. During Friday’s first half, the eighth-seeded Tar Heels looked capable of making one of the more unlikely Final Four runs in school history.

Williams’ squad led by 20 points in the first half. The basket must’ve looked like hula-hoop to the Tar Heels, who shot 50 percent before the break.

North Carolina, however, became complacent in the second half and allowed the ninth-seeded Wildcats to take a 45-44 lead.

“We thought we were good enough to win this game,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said.

The Wildcats (20-14) almost did, keeping it close until the waning minutes, when some timely 3-point shooting by Reggie Bullock, P.J. Hairston and Marcus Paige helped North Carolina to victory. The Tar Heels closed out the win by making their last seven field goal attempts.

“There were a few moments, to say the least, when we were really ugly,” Williams said. “I loved the mental toughness of our team in the last eight or nine minutes.”

Williams deserves credit for developing that toughness. Hairston, Bullock and James Michael McAdoo are NBA-caliber players, but certainly not at the level -- at least not yet -- of some of the lottery picks of UNC’s past. This team has needed more molding and grooming and coaching than recent Tar Heel squads.

That’s why, in some ways, win No. 25 (against 10 losses) felt just as fulfilling to Williams as victory No. 700.

“I’m human,” Williams said. “I wanted to get 700. I’d like to get 800, 900, 1,000, 1,500 ... but I know that’s not going to happen.

“My focus was not on that, it really wasn’t. I was trying to get No. 25 and have this team stay and play in another game.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- P.J. Hairston scored 23 points and James Michael McAdoo added 17 to propel North Carolina to a 78-71 victory over Villanova in the second round of the NCAA tournament at the Sprint Center. Friday's victory marked the 700th career win for Tar Heels coach Roy Williams, whose team advances to play either Kansas or Western Kentucky on Sunday for a berth in the Sweet 16.

North Carolina led by as many as 20 points in the first half, but let Villanova back into the game. The Wildcats took a 45-44 lead on a foul shot by JayVaughn Pinkston with 13:40 remaining, but Reggie Bullock responded with a 3-pointer on North Carolina's next possession. UNC would never trail again.

It took awhile for North Carolina to close out the game.

Villanova shaved the Tar Heels' lead to 54-50 on a layup by Mouphtaou Yarou with 8:31 left, but Hairston responded with a 3-pointer on the other end. Wildcats forward Darrun Hilliard countered with a basket to make it 57-52, but another 3-pointer by Bullock extended UNC's lead to 60-52.

Still, Villanova refused to go away. With 2:14 left, Pinkston pulled the Wildcats within a point, 67-66. A 3-pointer from Marcus Paige gave UNC a 70-66 advantage before Yarou struck back with a layup to make it a two-point game.

North Carolina refused to fold, however. The Tar Heels made their final seven field goal attempts en route to the victory.

Bullock added 15 points for the Tar Heels. Pinkston scored a team-high 20 for Villanova.

Turning point: UNC jumped out to a 72-68 lead on a pair of foul shots by Paige with 1:36 left. Villanova then missed its next three field goal attempts, and eventually the Tar Heels made the Wildcats pay. Hairston split a pair of free throws and then scored on a traditional three-point play to make it 76-68 with 42 ticks remaining. Ballgame.

Key player: North Carolina continues to get solid production from Hairston since the sophomore moved into the starting lineup. His 23 points came on 7-of-11 shooting, and he was 5-of-8 from 3-point range.

Key stat: North Carolina won despite being out-rebounded 35-23.

Next: North Carolina will play the Western Kentucky-Kansas winner Sunday. Williams coached at Kansas for 15 years before leaving after the 2002-03 season for North Carolina, his alma mater. He is 0-2 against Kansas, with both losses coming in the NCAA tournament.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- In a way, Miami is responsible for the team North Carolina has become.

That’s why, in a way, it’s fitting that the two teams will play for the ACC tournament title Sunday.

Feb. 9, the then-eighth-ranked Hurricanes trounced the Tar Heels so handily (by 26 points) that UNC coach Roy Williams knew something had to change. After meeting with his coaches in the BankUnited Center locker room, he opted to go to a four-guard starting lineup.

The result: An 8-2 record for the Tar Heels since the switch, and a faster, more confident, better scoring UNC team than the one Miami faced during its two-game regular-season sweep.

“The smaller lineup has helped us,’’ Williams said Saturday after his team beat Maryland in the semifinals. “We’re a better basketball team. Is it a world-beater, is it the newest thing that ever happened, the best thing that ever happened? No. ... But [going small] was the best thing for this team.

“Whether it presents any different problems for [the Hurricanes], we’ll have to wait and see what happens [Sunday].”

The Tar Heels are confident, though, pointing out how far they’ve come not just from that last game at Miami, but from their 0-2 ACC start. Who would have imagined back then that they’d be competing for the league’s tournament championship?

“We’ve had some ups and downs this year, and we went through a period where we struggled, and a lot of people kind of doubted us,’’ UNC point guard Marcus Paige said. “But the great thing about that is we stuck together as a team and we finally started getting things clicking.

“So to get a chance to play Miami [Sunday], who has beaten us pretty badly, and have a chance to cut down the nets and ... to win an ACC tournament championship -- it would just be awesome to see the season come full circle like that.”

A few things to watch in the championship game at Greensboro Coliseum:

MIAMI’S STARTING BACKCOURT

Hurricanes point guard Shane Larkin (a first-team All-ACC selection) and shooting guard Durand Scott (the ACC Defensive Player of the Year) combined for 55 points in their semifinal victory over NC State on Saturday.

UNC’s Paige and starting shooting guard Dexter Strickland -- who combined for 23 points against Maryland -- are going to have their hands full, even with the help of wing Reggie Bullock, the team’s best defender.

“We try to be the best backcourt every night, and I feed off his energy and he feeds off me,’’ Larkin said. “We play well with each other, and I know if he’s driving he’s going to have his head up and if I’m open he’s going to find me and hopefully he thinks the same of me. We challenge each other in practice; most of the time we are going against each other and we try to make each other better in practice. I’m just grateful that he’s on my team."

UNC’s ‘BIG’ MEN

Tar Heels forward James Michael McAdoo turned in his worst scoring game of the season the last time these two teams matched up, with six points on 3-for-12 shooting in 26 minutes. UNC’s leading scorer has been more aggressive of late, but he has battled foul trouble his last two games, something the 6-foot-9 sophomore will have to be wary of against Miami’s bevy of big guys.

Meanwhile, 6-foot-5 P.J. Hairston, inserted to create the smaller starting lineup after the last Miami loss, will have to play big even with his left hand still bandaged after needing eight stitches between his fingers on Friday night. Miami’s starting backcourt stands 6-11 (Kenny Kadji) and 6-10 (Julian Gamble), with a 6-10 wide body (Reggie Johnson) coming off the bench.

THE INCENTIVES

Both teams are NCAA tournament locks, but a victory would mark the Hurricanes' first ACC tournament title -- and make a better case to the NCAA selection committee that they should be a No. 1 seed.

“We’re a hungry team and we want more and more,’’ Larkin said. “We’re not satisfied with winning the regular season, we want the ACC and eventually we’re going to make the national championship game. We’re hungry and not going to settle for less. Hopefully we can get out there and get it done.”

The Tar Heels are looking for their 18th ACC tournament title, to strengthen their NCAA seeding and to prove they are ready to make a run as the postseason continues.

“Everyone had their doubts,’’ Hairston said. “... But once we started clicking together and playing as a team and just playing North Carolina basketball, that’s when everything came together and we started playing with different intensity and a sense of urgency.”

 
GREENSBORO, N.C. – P.J. Hairston's hand hurt after North Carolina’s 79-76 ACC tournament semifinal victory over Maryland on Saturday. But the Tar Heels sophomore, who needed eight stitches Friday to close a bloody laceration between two fingers, said he would have hurt more if he didn’t play.

And so, frankly, might have his team.

The wing-turned-power forward wasn’t the Tar Heels’ highest scorer; both Reggie Bullock and Dexter Strickland finished two points ahead of him, with 15 apiece. And Hairston didn’t make the most noteworthy plays down the stretch, when the Terps cut a double-figures lead back to within upset distance. Those moments came from forward James Michael McAdoo, who converted two clutch free throws; point guard Marcus Paige, who scored a couple of key buckets; and Terrapins guard Logan Aronhalt, who opted to throw up long, desperation 3 that found nothing but air with time left on the clock.

Still, Hairston’s ability to start despite a heavily bandaged left hand -- and finish with 13 points and four rebounds -- allowed the Tar Heels (24-9) to stick with their four-guard starting lineup.

And to continue competing the way they’ve grown most comfortable.

“I think it was huge just for him to be able to be out there,’’ McAdoo, who finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, said of Hairston. “We didn’t know if he was going to be able to contribute, but just to have him out there on the floor gave our team a lot of confidence … because having him there is what we’ve grown used to.”

And been successful with. The Tar Heels now are 8-2 since coach Roy Williams opted to insert the 6-foot-5 Hairston for 6-11 Desmond Hubert, and no one really wanted to mess with that faster, more confident, better-shooting mojo, if possible.

“I wanted to help my team, and I wanted to make sure we won and advanced,’’ Hairston said.

There was some doubt, though, about how much help he could be after he left Friday’s win over Florida State with about four minutes left, blood dripping all over the court. Hairston sustained the cut between the middle and ring fingers on his non-shooting hand when a Seminole was trying to make a steal, and he didn’t immediately know the extent of his injury.

“When it happened, I didn’t know it happened,’’ Hairston said. “I was running back … and I wiped my face, and I happened to look at my hand, and I was dripping blood all over the floor. I’m like, ‘OK,’ and when I got to the bench, no one knew where the blood was coming from. But as soon as we wiped the blood off, I saw that it was split straight down the middle of my hand [between the fingers]. It was weird.”

And a little bit scary.

“Last night I thought I was going to die,’’ he said. “I was in the training room with my mom holding my hand. They told me, ‘OK, we’re going to clean it out and stitch on it,’ … and as soon as the alcohol and soap hit my hand I screamed for my life.”

Thus, Williams didn’t know if he was going to be able to play Hairston until just before the game, when the player was able to dribble, catch and pass without any problem. But even then, he told Hairston his playing time would be dependent on how effective he could be.

So the scorer hit his first 3-point try just 73 seconds into the game.

And he played 36 minutes.

“He was one tough sucker today,’’ Williams said. “I think the hand bothered him a little bit … he was 3-for-10, he had some good looks, but at the same time, I think what he helped us do out on the court was extremely important."

And will continue to be important Sunday, when the third-seeded Tar Heels face top seed Miami in the tournament championship game.

UNC lost to the Hurricanes twice during the regular season -- the second time, in mid-February, leading to Williams’ decision to make the switch to go smaller with his opening five. Since that move, the Tar Heels have become more cohesive than the crew that started ACC play 0-2.

And they say they were even more inspired Saturday, watching Hairston play well despite the stitches and cushioned bandage and post-game soreness.

“Right now it hurts pretty bad,” he said, “but I’ll be fine. On the court, when my adrenaline gets going, it feels like a regular hand.”

 
GREENSBORO, N.C. –- With Friday's night 83-62 ACC quarterfinal victory over Florida State, North Carolina appeared to heal the wounds of last weekend’s blowout loss to Duke -- shooting sharp, sharing the ball, aggressively running the court.

Until someone got hurt.

Sophomore P.J. Hairston, the catalyst for the four-guard starting lineup that now has gone 7-2 since it was instituted, sustained a blood-dripping cut to his left hand late in the blowout. It’s unknown whether he’ll be able to play in Saturday’s semifinal matchup against Maryland.

“We’re extremely concerned right now,” coach Roy Williams said after the game. “His hand is torn up. … We have no idea, I have no idea, won’t have any idea [if he’s going to play]. I’ve told you everything I know. It doesn’t look good.”

The wing-turned-power-forward left the game -- blood dripping on the Greensboro Coliseum court -- with 4:14 remaining, after he sustained a cut between the middle and ring fingers on his left (non-shooting) hand. The Greensboro native, who left the game (briefly) earlier in the half with a stinger to his left shoulder, was not available for comment after the game. But the school said he needed eight stitches between those fingers.

Williams said the injury occurred when an FSU player was trying to steal the ball.

“He [Hairston] had the ball and said the guy slammed into the ball and he felt like the ball jammed between his fingers right there,” Williams said.

The injury could hurt the Tar Heels in more ways than one.

If Hairston can’t play for a stretch, UNC would certainly miss the aggressive scorer who recorded 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting during Friday's victory (and who helped UNC shoot 10-for-22 from 3-point land as a team, after its awful 1-for-14 effort against the Blue Devils last weekend).

But the team would also miss the spacing and speed that this four-guard lineup provides. Since the switch, point guard Marcus Paige (career-high 10 assists Friday) and shooting guard Dexter Strickland (10 points) have had clearer lanes to the basket, forward James Michael McAdoo (12 points in a foul-plagued 14 minutes) has enjoyed more room down low and junior wing Reggie Bullock (17 points, nine rebounds) has been racking up more stats in more categories.

Williams said after the game he hasn’t had a chance to think about what he might do if Hairston can’t play. But he likely would return to a more traditional two-post approach.

“We could play Marcus at power forward, possibly,’’ he said, kidding about the possibility of moving his starting ballhandler to the 4-spot, “but the conventional wisdom would say you have to go big because you can’t teach Reggie the out-of-bounds plays from the 4-spot between now and tomorrow at 3:00. It’s already so ridiculous that it’s midnight and we have to be back at 3. The 9 o’clock game started at 9:40 again.”

No matter the hour, the timing isn’t good to lose Hairston, who has posted four games with 20 or more points since he was inserted into the starting lineup. It could be a similar situation to last March, when now-NBA-rookie John Henson injured his wrist in the league quarterfinals.

“Last year James Michael stepped up for John and played great in the ACC tournament,’’ Williams said. “So if we can’t have P.J., we’ve got to have somebody step up and play great.”

Or things could start hurting, again.

North Carolina junior wing Reggie Bullock and sophomore forward James Michael McAdoo were named to the All-ACC second team on Monday. Sophomore P.J. Hairston earned honorable mention honors, and Tar Heels point guard Marcus Paige was named to the All-Freshman team.

These awards are voted on by the Atlantic Coast Conference Sports Media Association; individual awards will be announced later this week.

The full list:

FIRST-TEAM ALL-ACC

• Mason Plumlee, Duke (73 first-place votes)
• Erick Green, Virginia Tech (72)
• Shane Larkin, Miami (72)
• Joe Harris, Virginia (67)
• Richard Howell, NC State (46)

SECOND TEAM ALL-ACC

• Seth Curry, Duke
• Kenny Kadji, Miami
• Lorenzo Brown, NC State
• Reggie Bullock, UNC
• James Michael McAdoo, UNC

THIRD TEAM ALL-ACC

• Michael Snaer, Florida State
• C.J. Leslie, NC State
• Ryan Anderson, Boston College
• Quinn Cook, Duke
• Devin Booker, Clemson
• Akil Mitchell, Virginia

HONORABLE MENTION ALL-ACC

• Durand Scott, Miami
• P.J. Hairston, UNC
• C.J. Harris, Wake Forest
• Travis McKie, Wake Forest
• Ryan Kelly, Duke
• Olivier Hanlan, Boston College
• Alex Len, Maryland

ALL-ACC FRESHMAN TEAM

• Olivier Hanlan, Boston College
• Rasheed Sulaimon, Duke
• T.J. Warren, NC State
• Marcus Paige, UNC
• Devin Thomas, Wake Forest

ALL-ACC DEFENSIVE TEAM

• Shane Larkin, Miami
• Daniel Miller, Georgia Tech
• Alex Len, Maryland
• Durand Scott, Miami
• Jontel Evans, Virginia

 
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Seth Curry scored 20 points. Mason Plumlee had 23.

It was a memorable Senior Night at the Dean Smith Center -- for Duke.

The third-ranked Blue Devils decimated their in-state rivals 69-53 Saturday, snapping the Tar Heels’ smaller-lineup-led six-game winning streak while winning their third straight since the return of their other starting senior, Ryan Kelly. It marked the regular-season finale for both teams.

A quick look at the blowout:

Turning point: Ummm … tipoff? Duke, paced first by Curry, got off to a 14-0 run before UNC scored (on a James Michael McAdoo free throw). McAdoo scored five consecutive points before the Blue Devils took off again. Curry was 7-for-7 with 15 points before he recorded his first miss and had 18 points by halftime.

With his team leading 42-24 at the break, it was Plumlee’s turn to take off, scoring the Devils’ first 10 points of that half.

How lopsided was the disparity? With about nine minutes left, Curry and Plumlee had combined to outscore UNC’s entire team 41-36.

The Tar Heels tried to rally, putting together a 13-2 run that included their first 3-pointer of the game (from P.J. Hairston), with 5:01 left. But that only cut Duke’s lead to 63-49, and Blue Devils guard Quinn Cook quickly re-padded his team’s cushion with back-to-back buckets.

Player(s) of the game: Curry reached the 2,000-career-points mark in the first half, and finished 8-for-13. Plumlee was 10-for-15 and had 13 rebounds.

McAdoo led the Tar Heels with 15 points.

Number(s) to know: Hairston, Reggie Bullock and Marcus Paige were a combined 0-for-11 for UNC in the first half, when the Tar Heels shot 27.3 percent and Duke shot 69.2.

Etc.: Kelly, averaging 27 points in two games since his return from a foot injury, was plagued by foul trouble in the first half and finished with eight points. … As per Senior Game tradition at UNC, senior walk-on Frank Tanner started. He played 41 seconds before usual starter Paige checked back in. UNC trailed 7-0 by then. … Saturday marked the first time a Roy Williams-coached UNC team has lost on Senior Night.

Up next: Duke will be the No. 2 seed in next week’s ACC tournament. The Blue Devils will have a first-round bye Thursday and play the winner of Thursday’s No. 7-No. 10 game on Friday at 7 p.m. in Greensboro. North Carolina will be the No. 3 seed, also have a first-round bye and will play the winner of Thursday's No. 6-No. 11 (Florida State-Clemson) game at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Friday in Greensboro.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Who would have thought, as little as a month ago, that Duke and North Carolina would've been the two hottest teams in the ACC?

Yet that’s exactly where things stand entering Saturday’s rivalry showdown at the Smith Center, thanks in part to the return of Blue Devils forward Ryan Kelly a week ago and the Tar Heels’ switch to a four-guard starting lineup last month.

“We’ve accomplished a lot that hasn’t been seen, just coming together and working a lot harder than we did initially,” said UNC forward James Michael McAdoo, whose team has won six in a row since losing at Duke last month. “... After all those games, when you used to interview us, we used to say, ‘We need to learn from our mistakes.’ It took us long enough, but we’re at a point now where we don’t want to go back and have that feeling again.”

A few things to watch when the game tips off at 9 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN:

KELLY VERSUS P.J. HAIRSTON

UNC coach Roy Williams said he was wowed by the performance of Kelly, the third-ranked Blue Devils’ 6-foot-11 senior, when he scored a career-high 36 points against Miami last weekend; after all, it was the player’s first game back after missing 13 straight because of a foot injury.

With Kelly in the lineup, “their team changes drastically,” said Williams, whose Tar Heels lost to a Duke team sans the forward last month.

“You’ve got Seth [Curry] and Mason [Plumlee] and Quinn [Cook] and Rasheed [Sulaimon] and all of those guys who have played really well. And all of a sudden they’ve got a huge shot of adrenaline here two weeks before the tournament starts -- [with the return of a player] who, according to Mike [Krzyzewski], may have been their best team defender, best talker on the defensive end of the floor. [Who] gives them another rebounder, a guy who can take charges and block shots.

“And he gets 36 points in the first game back, that’s mind-boggling to me.”

Kelly has averaged 27 points in the two games since his return, and his matchup with 6-5 UNC sophomore Hairston -- who has averaged 17.6 points since he was inserted into UNC’s starting lineup during the Tar Heels’ last game at Duke -- will be key.

Especially considering that Krzyzewski himself has been a bit wowed by Hairston.

“Hairston’s played great -- not good, he’s played great,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s taken advantage of his matchup, and that matchup hasn’t taken advantage of him, because he’s really a tough kid, he’s strong. I just think he’s tough-minded. A bigger player hasn’t hurt him on his defensive end of the court, and he’s really hurt that other player. Really, he’s been one of the best players in the conference the last few weeks.”

DEXTER STRICKLAND

Saturday will mark the final game at the Smith Center for shooting guard Dexter Strickland, UNC’s lone scholarship senior.

His career has been a roller coaster -- from an NIT season as a freshman, to a rebuilding season as a sophomore, to an ACL tear in 2011-12. But after settling for an inconsistent outside shot all too often earlier this season (he was still recovering from that knee injury, sometimes hampering his ability to drive to the basket), Strickland seems to be getting his speed and confidence back.

And at the right time.

“He’s a tough kid, he’s handled some tough times,” Williams said. “He’s really done some good things, and I’m really pleased that lately, things have gone a little bit smoother for him.”

Strickland, who also serves as backup point guard, has recorded 31 assists and only three turnovers during the Tar Heels' six-game winning streak -- a pretty impressive stretch for a player who had limited ballhandling experience when he first came to UNC.

THE ACC SEEDING RAMIFICATIONS

The Tar Heels have earned a first-day bye in the ACC tournament, but could still finish with the third or fourth seed. Duke will have the second seed, but still has a chance to share the regular-season league title.

Here’s the breakdown of scenarios for UNC entering Saturday:

• If the Tar Heels win, they will tie Duke for second place in the regular-season conference standings, and be the No. 3 seed in the tournament. (Tiebreaker explanation: Duke and UNC split their series during the regular season, and the second tiebreaker is based on winning percentage against the top seed. Duke split its series with Miami, while UNC went 0-2 against the Hurricanes.)
• If the Tar Heels lose and NC State beats Florida State on the road Saturday, then UNC and the Wolfpack would tie for third place -- but UNC would drop to the No. 4 seed in the tournament. (Tiebreaker explanation: The teams split with each other during the regular season, and neither beat top seed Miami. But NCSU went 1-1 against second-seeded Duke, while UNC would have finished 0-2.)
• If the Wolfpack lose to the Seminoles, UNC gets the No. 3 seed in the tournament no matter the outcome against Duke.

And here's the breakdown of scenarios for Duke entering the game:

• If the sixth-ranked Hurricanes win at home against Clemson on Saturday, they win the regular-season title outright.
• If Duke beats UNC and Miami loses, the Blue Devils and Hurricanes tie for first place in the conference standings, but the Blue Devils get the second seed in the ACC tournament. (Tiebreaker explanation: The teams split, and both swept UNC, but Miami has a better winning percentage against both NC State and Virginia.)
• If Duke loses to UNC, the rivals tie for second place in the league standings, but the Blue Devils earn the second seed in the ACC tourney (as explained above).

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- With about 2 seconds left at Cameron Indoor Stadium last month, newly installed North Carolina starter P.J. Hairston briefly cut through the roar of the crazy, celebrating crowd with a driving, rim-rattling jam.

The emphatic bucket, itself, didn’t mean anything to the final outcome of the rivalry game: Duke 73, UNC 68. But it was a sign -- and a statement -- of what was to come.

“I wanted to show that we weren’t going to stop being aggressive, we weren’t going to stop trying,” the sophomore said recently. “And we haven’t.”

Indeed, since that game, UNC’s first with a four-guard starting lineup, the Tar Heels have reeled off six straight wins; secured a first-day bye in next week’s ACC tournament; seemingly played themselves off the NCAA tournament bubble; and are just a few votes short of being back in the AP top 25.

The change hasn’t always been seamless, but it has so far been successful.

In the rematch with No. 3 Duke at the Smith Center on Saturday, the Tar Heels are out to prove that their smaller lineup will be a big force to be reckoned with in the postseason.

“Even though we lost that first game [against the Blue Devils], I felt like that was a turning point for us,” senior Dexter Strickland said. “We saw what type of team we could be if we continued to play like that. ... And we have.”

MAKING THE CHANGE

When the 6-foot-5 Hairston was announced as part of the opening five instead of 6-9 sophomore Desmond Hubert on Feb. 13, it was somewhat of a surprise. Fans had been clamoring for the sophomore to start; he was, after all, the most productive player off the bench, and an offensive spark on a team whose starting five had lacked consistent scoring punch.

But coach Roy Williams -- trying to build freshman point guard Marcus Paige's experience, and keep his only scholarship senior, Strickland, confident at shooting guard -- was hesitant to make any switches to his starting backcourt. The Tar Heels had used smaller, four-guard lineups during some games. But Williams, whose offenses have always gone through the post, preferred to keep a traditional big man in the mix.

That is, until Feb. 9, when the Tar Heels were embarrassed by 26 points at Miami.

After watching his team yet again fall behind early; get only 10 points out of its center-by-committee trio of Hubert, Brice Johnson and Joel James; and show a lack of cohesiveness, the frustrated Hall of Famer knew something had to change. So he gathered his assistants in the bowels of BankUnited Center and asked for their input on how to jump-start a season that seemed in danger of free-falling in the wrong direction.

“We were sitting in the locker room and I said, ‘Guys I’m going to do something,’” said Williams, whose squad also had previously trailed big in losses to Butler, at Indiana, at Texas and at NC State. “We talked about it at that time, that neither Marcus or Dexter were shooting a great percentage. Our fifth starter, one of the big guys, wasn’t giving us a lot offensively, and James Michael [McAdoo] wasn’t shooting the percentage we wanted him to either.”

The coaches traded ideas and were given the night to ponder. Then the following day, they met back in Chapel Hill and solidified the decision to move Hairston into the starting five for Hubert -- hoping a smaller lineup would result in a bigger offensive assault.

The players learned about it the next day, when the name of the wing-turned-power forward was written on a board in the locker room as part of the opening five.

“I’m not sure there really was that big of a reaction,” McAdoo said. “It was more like, ‘OK, let’s play.’”

The move was an experiment, Williams would say later, one that made his team instantly look more comfortable -- but took him out of his comfort zone. But even in the loss at Duke, he saw the potential when Hairston scored 23 and helped get the team off to a more energetic start.

And he saw results against Virginia and at Georgia Tech, both 12-point victories.

“I’m still uncomfortable with part of it, there’s no question,” Williams said of his lineup the following week, after those wins. “But I think it gives us the best chance to be successful.”

A CHANGE IN RESULTS

That success continued with wins against NC State, at Clemson, versus Florida State and at Maryland. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski called Hairston one of the best players in the ACC over the past few weeks, but it isn’t just the sophomore’s 17.6 PPG since he entered the starting lineup that has fed the streak -- but also what his presence does for the team as a whole.

Because defenses must guard another 3-point shooter, he has opened up more driving lanes for Paige and Strickland. McAdoo, too, has more room to move.

Rebounding has had to become more of a concern and an emphasis, but junior wing Reggie Bullock, in particular, has helped on that front, recording three double-doubles in his past four games. And Williams has credited Hubert, who has averaged about four minutes per game off the bench since the switch, with having a team-first attitude that has carried over to the rest of the squad.

The result is a faster, more confident, more offensive Tar Heels team that is averaging 10.1 more points per game since the switch. And a team that has taken on Hairston’s swagger.

“When you put those five guys on the court, they can play with anybody and they can score with anybody,” Krzyzewski said. “They’re very good -- they’re very good.”

In Saturday’s rematch with Duke (26-4, 13-4), the Tar Heels (22-8, 12-5) face an also-very-good Blue Devils team that has changed since last month’s game, too. Starting forward Ryan Kelly, out for two months with an injured foot, has returned with a flourish, averaging 27 points over his past two games. At 6-11 and 6-10, respectively, he and Mason Plumlee make for another tall test for the shorter Tar Heels.

But it’s a challenge UNC players say they’ve looked forward to since Hairston’s statement dunk at the end of the last matchup.

“Of course we wanted that game bad, and losing by, like, five [hurt],” Hairston said. “But now, we’re more team-oriented ... we’ve got this confidence now where we feel like we can’t be beat. Right now, we just have this intensity that we bring to the game, a different focus than what people have seen from the beginning of the season.”

//

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina coach Roy Williams said he is “concerned” about forward James Michael McAdoo, who sat out a shortened shooting-only practice Thursday because of a sore back.

But prior to practice on Friday, the sophomore starter said his lingering back issues won’t impact him during Saturday’s regular-season finale against No. 3 Duke: “No, not at all. I can honestly say that.”

McAdoo, UNC’s leading scorer and rebounder, confirmed that he was diagnosed this season with a bulging disk in his back, and a hard fall during Wednesday’s victory at Maryland caused it to stiffen up (although he did return to the game).

"You saw, I played in the game, and I was fine,'' he said. "I took a little spill, didn’t feel good. [But] I’m OK, I’m tough."

He said he doesn’t know exactly when his back problems started, but the Tar Heels have limited some of the things he does in practice over the past month, Williams said. And the player has learned to play through the stiffness and twinges.

“It might have happened in high school, and I just played through it to this point,’’ McAdoo said. “… It’s definitely something that I want to eventually get healed, but that will only come with time, and we don’t really have the time right now.”

Indeed, a win against rival Duke on Saturday would mark the Tar Heels' seventh straight victory, and secure the third seed in next week's ACC tournament.

McAdoo said he doesn't think his back will require surgery.

 
On Wednesday, North Carolina earned a first-day bye in next week’s ACC tournament.

Maryland, meanwhile, took another step closer to saying bye-bye to its NCAA tournament hopes.

Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston combined for 41 points, 20 rebounds and 6 steals to help push UNC’s winning streak to six.

A quick closer look at the Tar Heels’ 79-68 win over the Terps at Comcast Center:

Turning point: Trailing 27-24, UNC ended the first half with a 10-0 run of five different scorers, while the Terrapins went zero for six and committed two turnovers. UNC then extended that breakaway to 15-2 to open the second half, taking a 39-29 advantage on a Bullock 3-pointer.

The Tar Heels led by as many as 16 points, but Maryland cut it to 63-57 with less than six minutes left, at which point it pressed UNC into back-to-back turnovers. Tar Heels point guard Marcus Paige buried a 3-pointer, however, to help his team get its cushion back, and the Terps got no closer.

Player(s) of the game: Hairston finished with 22 points and eight rebounds, and Bullock added 19 points and 12 rebounds, marking his third double-double in his past four games.

Dez Wells led Maryland with 18 points, and Nick Faust added 16, but the Terps shot just three for 23 from the 3-point line and outrebounded UNC by only one despite their size advantage.

What it means for the Tar Heels: More momentum. More confidence. UNC is now 6-1 since it went to a four-guard starting lineup, and although it finished just outside of the Associated Press Top 25 this week, it’s looking more and more like a top-20 team. Because of various possible tiebreakers, the victory secured a top-four finish in the ACC standings -- and thus, an off-day during the league tournament’s first day. That’s important, because no team has ever won four games in four days at the ACC tourney.

What it means for the Terps: Another bounce downward in their yo-yo late season. Maryland looked NCAA tournament-bound not too long ago -- Feb. 16 -- when it upset then-second-ranked Duke. But since then, the Terps are 2-3, with road losses to Boston College and Georgia Tech. With a No. 68 RPI entering this game and now a 2-4 record against teams with a top-25 RPI, Maryland needed this win as a résumé booster. Now, it may have to win the ACC tournament’s automatic bid to become NCAA-bound.

Etc.: UNC got a couple of injury scares early in the second half. With 18:41 left, Hairston’s right leg slid out from under him on a drive to the wing, and he left the game briefly with a strained groin. He returned a couple of minutes later, only to have teammate James Michael McAdoo slip under the basket and land hard on his already-sore back. McAdoo returned shortly thereafter, too, and finished with 10 points.

Next up: The Tar Heels host No. 3 Duke on Saturday in the regular-season finale; the Terps play at Virginia on Sunday.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- James Michael McAdoo, the catalyst of North Carolina’s 79-58 victory over Florida State on Sunday, has a body language problem.

He occasionally projects a demeanor of indifference.

When his team seized a 69-48 edge following Reggie Bullock's layup with 5:08 to play, most of the Tar Heels gathered near the sideline and celebrated.

McAdoo walked across the floor the way one might stroll through the shopping mall on a quiet Sunday afternoon. But body language lies sometimes.

At times, McAdoo lacked the outward enthusiasm that his teammates demonstrated as they punched the Seminoles in the mouth for 40 minutes. But he led them with his aggressiveness.

His offensive outburst in the first half turned a close game into a thumping. McAdoo’s 17 points on 8-for-10 shooting before the break fueled the Tar Heels’ 29-11 run in the final 8:14 of the first half.

At halftime, the Tar Heels led 46-27. McAdoo started that drive and finished with 21 points.

“I really just felt really confident coming into this game. Just felt a good vibe just even during warm-ups,” McAdoo said after the game. “Just coming off that game at Clemson where I felt like I didn’t play very good. God is good. My shots were able to fall early. Everyone else played phenomenal.”

It was a fluid performance void of the theatrics some players employ in similar performances. No chest-beating, no hand signals, no 3-point goggles after big shots or scowls after his fierce dunks. Just good basketball by a young star.

“He’s not the type of person that if he dunks on somebody he’s going to yell at the top of his lungs,” said Dexter Strickland. “But he shows it through his play. And I think it was big for us tonight to come out that aggressive. It motivates everybody to have the same energy.”

McAdoo’s energy, teammates and coaches agreed, was a critical element in North Carolina’s fast start. Sure, the Tar Heels played one of their best games of the year against a struggling Florida State squad (55.4 percent from the field). But Roy Williams’ team is still adjusting to a smaller lineup that features a 6-7 guard playing forward (Reggie Bullock) next to the 6-9 McAdoo. The starting lineup also includes three guards -- P.J. Hairston, Marcus Paige and Strickland.

In a league with a 7-1 NBA prospect at Maryland (Alex Len), a pair of 6-11 forwards at Duke (Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly) and a 6-10, 300-pound wall named Reggie Johnson at Miami, North Carolina’s rotation is built for problems.

But the Tar Heels are also quicker and more versatile on offense compared to the bulk of their ACC foes. Still, McAdoo has been forced to adjust to his role in the team’s new undersized lineup.

“I’m still just getting used to matching up against a guy that’s a lot bigger than me,” he said.

The Tar Heels, however, demonstrated the lineup’s strengths against the Seminoles. McAdoo’s combination of size and athleticism frustrated Leonard Hamilton’s program. As McAdoo excelled in the post, Bullock (20 points, 4-for-7 from the 3-point line) and Hairston (16 points, 4-for-6 from beyond the arc) torched the Seminoles from the perimeter. Both Hairston and Bullock said McAdoo’s early intensity changed the entire team’s vibe.

“10-for-15 -- I want him to do that every game,” said Roy Williams. “The bottom line is he knows I want him to be aggressive, but you’ve got to make shots. And 10-for-15, to do that when the defense is aimed to stop you is pretty doggone impressive.”

In early February, McAdoo was not aggressive. He scored just 24 points combined in a rough three-game stretch. Since then, he’s recorded 14 or more in three of the team’s past four games.

The Tar Heels won’t thrive if McAdoo regresses.

As the postseason approaches, the McAdoo that led North Carolina to a win over Florida State on Sunday is the player they’ll need in the coming weeks.

“We never have energy to burn,” McAdoo said. “We’re out there trying to play as hard as we can.”

And as long as he continues to produce, McAdoo should be judged by his numbers and not his body language.