ESPN Men's Basketball

ATLANTA -- North Carolina freshman P.J. Hairston was sure his shot was going in.

He got a good look. It felt good coming off his hand. It had a good line.

And although he said it was “the worst feeling in the world” when his game-tying 3-point attempt thudded off the back of the rim -- securing Florida State’s 85-82 victory in the ACC tournament championship Sunday at Philips Arena -- it didn’t take him long to regain his confidence.

“I feel like my shot is back,” the freshman said in the locker room about a half-hour later, as the Seminoles were still celebrating on the court. “And I’m going to be very dangerous over the next couple of weeks.”

The Tar Heels hope so. If they can take any solace in having their nine-game winning streak broken, it’s in the fact that it was Hairston, who hadn’t scored in double-figures since New Year’s Day, who helped fuel their comeback.

Trailing by 16 points in the first half to the team that had embarrassed them by 33 points in January, and still down by nine points at halftime, the Tar Heels said they were determined to flip their passive nature in the second half. Even though they weren't playing starting forward John Henson, who was in uniform but missed his second straight game because of a sprained left wrist, they wanted to prove again that they were tough enough to overcome adversity.

“At halftime, the coaches got into us a little bit,’’ said point guard Kendall Marshall, who finished with 15 points and nine assists. “They basically said, ‘We have a choice. We can pack our bags up, or we can go out there and play. We’re in the championship game as it is, so why not try to win it? And I think the players took that to heart.”

Hairston said he did.

When he checked in with 15:30 left, he said he was focused on playing with more intensity, more fortitude.

And with his team trailing by 11, he played with more accuracy, too, burying three 3-pointers in less than a three-minute span to cut his team's deficit to seven points.

It was a Hairston that hadn't been seen for months; as the slumping-to-that-point sharpshooter had buried only 7 of his 45 3-point attempts in regular-season ACC play, and was 1-for-5 in the league tournament.

But Sunday, “I was getting a rhythm, I was getting good passes for my shot,’’ Hairston said. “I was spotting up, Kendall was coming down the court, finding me in transition. And the 3s I hit were big for the team. And that’s all I wanted to do was help my team win this game.”

And he got his chance.

With 3.3 seconds left -- after FSU’s Deividas Dulkys buried two free throws to give the Seminoles an 85-82 cushion -- UNC set up a last pay, with Tyler Zeller (19 points, 12 rebounds) inbounding from the midcourt sideline.

Teammates Harrison Barnes (23 points, 7 rebounds), Reggie Bullock and Hairston were the options, and with the other two covered, Zeller passed to Hairston. The wing took two dribbles toward the arc, got some separation from FSU guard Luke Loucks, and launched.

“It was right on line, and when I let it go, I knew it was going in,’’ he said.

But even though it didn’t, it was an important game for Hairston, who finished with 13 points on 3-for-9 shooting (3-for-7 on 3-pointers). Because it renewed his belief that he can be a key factor in the NCAA tournament. And it reinforced the confidence of those around him.

“P.J. has such a pure stroke, that every time he shoots it, I think it’s going in,’’ Marshall said. “… When you have a player that can shoot the ball the way he can, you have faith in him. And to see him really shoot the ball today, that’s great for our team.”

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

ATLANTA – Florida State hasn’t looked at any of the film from its 33-point victory over North Carolina on Jan. 14.

“When you get big blowout wins like that, it’s probably not the best idea to go back and watch; you might get a sense of comfort, or forget that we have to play hard – or what got us that 33-point lead,’’ forward Bernard James said. “So we just put that one behind us, and chalked it up to Carolina not being ready.”

He knows the Tar Heels will be this time.

The Seminoles downright embarrassed the UNC two months ago, beating the Tar Heels on the boards, holding them to 37 percent shooting. The 90-57 rout marked the most lopsided loss of the Roy Williams era, and it was so irritating/befuddling/maddening that Williams and most of the team left the court early – leaving three walk-ons and two reserves to finish the game.

Since then, the Tar Heels have lost only once, to Duke on a buzzer-beater.

Since then, the Seminoles have lost three times, but won three games with last-second heroics.

"We can't necessarily worry about the games that we've played prior to this game coming up,’’ FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said. “Each game takes on a different personality and I'm sure the team that we played in Tallahassee will not be the team we play on Sunday."

UNC will be competing for its first ACC title since 2008; FSU will be vying for its first ACC title, period.

A few things to watch in the 1 p.m. EST showdown at Philips Arena:

WILL UNC’S JOHN HENSON PLAY?

The ACC Defensive Player of the Year sat out Saturday’s semifinal victory over NC State after spraining his left wrist during Friday’s quarterfinal win over Maryland.

His status will once again be a game-time decision – and his potential absence will hurt.

James, a former Air Force sergeant and all a member of the ACC’s All-Defense team, is a load for anyone to handle, and if Henson can’t go, James would probably match up with UNC’s James Michael McAdoo. The Tar Heels freshman has been more confident and aggressive lately, but got he into foul trouble during Saturday’s game against the Wolfpack.

3-POINTERS

One of the reasons FSU was so successful against UNC last time was Deividas Dulkys, who shot 8-for-10 from behind the 3-point arc and scored a career-high 32 points.

The Seminoles senior hasn’t approached anything close to that since (with 12 points being his high), but you get the point: UNC (which also lost to Duke at home when the Blue Devils shot 14-for-36 on 3s) can’t afford to let an opposing team get hot.

The Seminole to watch: Michael Snaer. He’s shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point land for the season, and buried two of those aforementioned game-winners this season.

THAT COMPETITIVE FLARE

One of the reasons UNC lost so badly – and looked so listless in doing so – in the last meeting, according to players, was that they bought into their own preseason No. 1 hype and didn’t compete as hard as necessary. That shouldn’t be a problem Sunday.

The last time UNC was looking for revenge was last weekend, when it went into Cameron Indoor Stadium and pasted the Blue Devils, building a 24-point lead by halftime en route to the ACC regular-season title.

FSU, though, has plenty of motivation, too. Lots of folks wrote the Seminoles off when they lost to two Ivy League schools, then opened the ACC season with a 20-point defeat at Clemson. Since then, they’ve beaten UNC and Duke, but winning the league tournament would prove that the conference is more than a two-team league.

“This has been our goal since the beginning of the season, and we want to accomplish it,’’ Dulkys said.

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

ATLANTA – According to North Carolina coach Roy Williams, star forward John Henson was feeling better Saturday after spraining his left wrist Friday.

But still not well enough to play during the Tar Heels' ACC tournament semifinal win over NC State.

And his status for Sunday’s championship game against Florida State will again be a game-time decision.

“He said today that he feels considerably better than he did yesterday,’’ Williams said after UNC’s 69-67 victory. “Now, is it going to improve at that same rate by tomorrow? I personally have my doubts, but we’ll just go with the same policy, the same procedure, tomorrow.”

Saturday, UNC’s procedure was to tape the wrist in the locker room once the team arrived at Philips Arena, and judge how Henson felt gripping a basketball, and trying to dribble it and catch it.

“If he had any pain or he felt uncomfortable, then we weren’t going to play him,’’ Williams said. “If he didn’t have pain or didn’t feel very uncomfortable, I was going to let him warm up, and then watch him as closely as I could and make the determination of whether he would be effective. And it didn’t get to that stage because John didn’t feel very comfortable.

“If it had been the Final Four, I think he probably would have played. But … that’s not Ol’ Roy stating anything about this tournament, that’s just a fact.”

Without Henson, freshman forward James Michael McAdoo started; he finished with 9 points but was in foul trouble most of the second half.

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

ATLANTA – North Carolina and Duke are still vying for a top seed in the NCAA tournament.

NC State is trying to solidify a spot in the field of 68.

And Florida State – which has already secured a spot in the NCAAs – would like to become only the second team not named “UNC” or “Duke” to win the ACC tournament in 16 years.

A quick preview of today’s NCAA semifinals at Philips Arena:

No. 1 seed North Carolina vs. No. 5 seed N.C. State, 1 p.m. EST

Will he play or won’t he play? The status of UNC forward John Henson’s left wrist – which he sprained in the first half of his team’s quarterfinal win over Maryland on Friday – hasn’t reached the scrutiny level of “Ty Lawson Toe-Gate”, circa 2009 (when the starting point guard sat out the entire ACC tournament, and part of the NCAAs, en route to a national title).

But give it time.

Official word Friday was that the 6-foot-11 junior would test his pain threshold Saturday morning to see if he would be able to play against the Wolfpack. But frankly, it would make sense to be cautious with the ACC’s leading rebounder, blocker and defender. UNC, after all, has wrapped up an NCAA tournament berth, and it’s just a matter of whether it ends up with a No. 1 or No. 2 seed.

If Henson doesn’t play, it opens up more room the lane for NC State forward C.J. Leslie, who has come on particularly strong of late. He’s averaging 18.9 points and 11 rebounds over his past seven games – including 19 points and 14 rebounds in Friday’s quarterfinal victory over Virginia.

“He [Henson] is a great player – first-team All-ACC, Defensive Player of the Year; we want him to play,’’ Wolfpack guard C.J. Williams said. “We don’t want to give a team an excuse, ‘Oh, we didn’t have one of our best players.’ He’s definitely a matchup problem for us, with his length and his size … but we want him to play.”

The Tar Heels beat their in-state rival in both match-ups this season.

No. 2 seed Duke vs. No. 3 seed Florida State, approximately 3:30 p.m. EST

Duke, which lost to Florida State on its home court in January, offered up a little bit of payback last month, when it beat the Seminoles in Tallahassee, Fla.

Guard Andre Dawkins was 6-for-12 for 22 points that game, with all six of those made shots being 3-pointers.

But since then, however, he’s made only 1 of his 12 shot attempts over his past four games. Not a good stat for the Blue Devils, especially since they are also missing forward Ryan Kelly for the ACC tournament because of a foot injury.

The key for FSU will be to limit Duke’s outside scoring while taking advantage of the Devils’ thin depth inside.

And if it’s close at the end, they have a couple of clutch options in Michael Snaer and Ian Miller, who have both buried game-winners this season.

“We know we have a tremendous opportunity to do something great,’’ Snaer said. “My team is really confident in our abilities, and we’re playing like it. We’re playing together. … We know how important this game is to us, and to our program and to the history of our program. And I can’t wait for it to get started.”

Editor’s Note: To see our expert picks for each of the nation’s 12 top conferences, click here. To cast your vote in these races, visit SportsNation.

Here is a quick assessment of the player and coach of the year races in the ACC:

Player of the year

Tyler Zeller has been the most consistent Tar Heel in ACC play. Harrison Barnes has come up big when the team needed shots and has the most NBA potential. John Henson is averaging a double-double. And none of them would be as effective without point guard Kendall Marshall's 9.7 assists per game.

So which North Carolina star gets ACC Player of the Year?

Maybe none of them, especially if they divide the vote. Oh, there are other exceedingly worthy candidates, too. Virginia would never have pushed itself into the top third of the league without fifth-year forward Mike Scott (16.9 ppg). And Duke freshman Austin Rivers (15.5 ppg) beat UNC earlier this month with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

But it’s hard to downplay the 7-foot Zeller, who has averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in ACC play after a rather erratic nonconference season. Or ignore Barnes, the preseason ACC Player of the Year who leads his team in scoring (17.7) and has been hitting the boards harder of late. Henson (14 points, 10.4 rebounds) will get some consideration and is a pretty big shoo-in to repeat as ACC Defensive Player of the Year. And then there’s Marshall, who is on pace to break the UNC and ACC records for assists in a season.

In the end, my nod goes to Zeller, the senior who out-played foul-plagued Scott in their two matchups, and who bounced back with big games after Rivers buried that game-winning shot over him. Consistency matters, even on a team filled with NBA prospects. (As long as, in this case, those other NBA prospects don’t split the ballots.)

Coach of the year

This award will probably go to a guy whose team overachieved. The question is: Which one?

At Duke, coach Mike Krzyzewski lost the nucleus of his squad from last season, never saw this season's Blue Devils find consistent defensive footing -- yet has still won 26 games, is ranked in the top 5 and has a chance at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

At Virginia, coach Tony Bennett has done it with defense (plus a heaping help from Scott), pushing his team into the Top 25 with a slow, methodical, frustrating-to-opponents offensive pace.

But my choice is Florida State’s Leonard Hamilton. His Seminoles -- left for dead after losing to two Ivy League schools, then at Clemson by 20 points -- beat the Big Four North Carolina programs (Duke, UNC, Wake Forest and North Carolina State) in the same season for the first time in program history. His team excelled with defense, too, after losing its top two scorers from last season and returning no one who averaged double-digit points. Hamilton's Noles fell out of the ACC regular-season race by losing two games last week, but he's still my pick.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- After the ball swished through -- yet again -- midway through the second half Saturday afternoon, Florida State guard Deividas Dulkys shrugged his shoulders and grinned as he ran down the court.

The senior’s reaction wasn’t about making yet another 3-pointer. (In a game in which he connected on a career-high eight shots from behind the arc as part of a career-high 32 points, he’d gotten pretty used to that.)

It was about what it all meant.

“I just thought, at that moment, 'We got 'em,'" Dulkys said, grinning again at the memory. “It wasn’t about any individual -- it was about beating North Carolina.”

Beat the third-ranked Tar Heels? FSU mauled them 90-57. Pasted them. Blew them out so totally that Noles coach Leonard Hamilton suggested UNC coach Roy Williams and his players leave for the locker room early, lest they be caught in the frenzy of fans rushing the Tucker Center floor.

And UNC did, leaving only the walk-ons on the court with 14.2 seconds left.

It marked the biggest loss of the Williams era, worse than even the 32-point shellacking the Tar Heels suffered at Duke in 2010, the season they lost 17 games and failed to make the NCAA tournament.

It was, UNC shooting guard Dexter Strickland said, “embarrassing.”

But for the Seminoles, it was a bit of sweet revenge.

Dulkys was watching from the bench as a freshman in 2009 when point guard Ty Lawson made a running 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer to lift UNC to a three-point victory.

Then he was inches away from Harrison Barnes last season when the Tar Heel’s 3-pointer with three seconds left upended the Noles, again.

“The memory of losing those close games hurt,’’ said Dulkys, whose team had dropped five straight at home to the Tar Heels before Saturday. “But it also showed us we could win.”

And at the right time.

Florida State, a veteran team with six seniors, was supposed to be a top-25 squad, a contender to push Carolina and Duke in the ACC standings this season after blocking, rebounding and defending its way to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen last March.

Instead, the Seminoles have been struggling to get their groove back -- losing to two Ivy League schools and at Clemson by 20 points before showing some of their old cohesiveness in a win over Virginia Tech earlier this week.

Part of the problem had been offense, and part of that, Dulkys admitted, was on him. One of the hardest workers on the team, he’d been in the gym every day, shooting (and making) shots before most of the rest of the team arrived.

But it hadn’t translated to games; he’d connected on only seven of his 26 shot attempts over his previous six outings, and his team entered the game with the poorest 3-point shooting mark in the ACC (30.2 percent).

Until UNC came back to town.

When Dulkys buried a 3-pointer on FSU’s first possession, and two more eight minutes into the game to give his team an eight-point lead, you got the sense things might be a little different.

“When you get hot, your teammates look for you, and you just keep shooting -- and the rim gets bigger and bigger,’’ said Dulkys, who tied his season high of 16 points by halftime.

And when he followed a layup with a 3-pointer five minutes into the second half, giving his team a 21-point lead, you knew things were different (and that the rim must be looking like a swimming pool).

“I have to give some credit to my rebounder this morning; I hit 28 in a row,’’ Dulkys said, referring to his warm-up prior to the game. “I guess it was a good sign."

Ya think?

“There’s no question that he’s capable of doing this,’’ Hamilton said. “... Deividas is a very hard worker, a great teammate, a great student-athlete. He tries so hard that sometimes when he misses that first shot, he gets a little tight. ... I thought he relaxed tonight and played with an extreme amount of confidence and gave us a performance that we needed for us to be successful.”

Dulkys, a team leader who knocked on teammates’ doors during the summer to remind them of voluntary workouts, credited his team’s defense, “and everyone playing the way they’re capable of,” for his strong performance.

The Seminoles (11-6, 2-1 ACC) -- who also got 17 points from Michael Snaer and a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) from Okaro White -- swiped 12 steals, helped force 22 UNC turnovers, held the Tar Heels to 37.3 percent shooting and won the rebounding war 43-35.

“We had no answers for them on the court; I had no answers for them on the sideline,” said Williams, whose Tar Heels (15-3, 2-1) seemed complacent early after nine straight games at home.

Particularly when it came to Dulkys, whom he called “sensational.”

The 6-foot-5 shooter -- who said he hasn’t scored this many points since he was playing for his hometown team as a 17-year-old -- also said one of the best parts of the game was that his parents got to watch it, live.

Back home in Lithuania, he explained, his folks get only one ESPN channel. With "College GameDay" in town, they were able to tune in at 9 p.m their time.

He hadn’t checked his messages before talking to reporters, but he figured he had one (or more) from them.

That made him shrug and grin, too, kind of like when he was on the court.

“I think somebody said, ‘If I wake up tomorrow morning, it was awesome. If not, it was a dream,’’’ he said. “It’s great. I think everybody dreams about this when they were a little kid, of having a moment like this.”

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A quick look at Florida State’s 90-57 blowout win over No. 3 North Carolina at the Tucker Center on Saturday:

What it means for FSU: Sweet, sweet redemption. UNC had won five straight at FSU, the last two on late-game shots. Earlier this week, Seminoles forward Bernard James said he hoped his team was so far ahead that there would not be a worry about a buzzer-beater -- and there wasn’t. The Seminoles, a Sweet 16 team last season, had people doubting their prospects after losses to two Ivy League schools and a 20-point defeat at Clemson. But they just might be back on track.

What it means for UNC: A wake-up call. A slap in the face. And, perhaps, a kick in the pants. UNC coach Roy Williams said he thought his team had grown complacent during its nine-game homestand, and it looked like it. This one will raise comparisons to last season’s 20-point loss at Georgia Tech. But in some ways, it’s so much worse -- because so much more is expected of a veteran team. This was Carolina’s most lopsided loss ever under Williams. Wow.

How it happened: FSU -- the team that managed only 10 first-half points against Princeton on its home floor a couple weeks ago -- led the Tar Heels 36-28 at halftime on the strength of 16 points from senior guard Deividas Dulkys. He and the Seminoles didn’t stop there.

FSU outscored UNC 22-4 to open the second half. While Florida State fed off its crowd, North Carolina seemed to panic, rushing shots as it struggled to find ways to score through, over or around the Seminoles’ D.

It was a blowout in every sense of the word. FSU outrebounded Carolina by eight and shot 48.4 percent. The Tar Heels turned the ball over 22 times and shot only 37.3 percent. Harrison Barnes led the team with 15 points, but no one stood out during this lackluster effort.

Star of the game: Gee, who could this be? Dulkys scored a career-high 32 points, hitting 12 of 14 shots and making 8 of 10 from long range. To put that in perspective: In his previous nine games, Dulkys posted a total of 32 points on 10-of-40 shooting (25 percent) and 5-of-29 (17 percent) from 3.

Injury report: UNC shooting guard Dexter Strickland, who sprained his ankle Wednesday, didn’t practice Thursday and returned to practice Friday, started but finished with four points in 21 minutes. Reserve forward Desmond Hubert, who also sprained his ankle Wednesday and didn’t practice Thursday or Friday, did not play.

Number to know: FSU is 3-1 in its last four games against teams ranked in the top three of the Associated Press poll. It also beat top-ranked Duke in January 2011, and No. 1 UNC in March 2009.

Hubbub: Saturday marked ESPN College GameDay’s first trip to town. With the DirecTV blimp flying overhead, fans showed up early to watch the show, and eventually the game. … FSU forward Bernard James’ mom, Beverly Cook, performed the national anthem before the game. And did a beautiful job.

What’s next: The Tar Heels travel to Blacksburg, Va., to face Virginia Tech on Thursday. The Seminoles will host Maryland on Tuesday.

Correction: An early version of this story stated that FSU beat Ohio State in 2010. That was incorrect, and has been deleted.

Follow Robbi Pickeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- No, North Carolina, you’re not in the Smith Center anymore.

Florida State -- the team that only managed 10 first half points against Princeton on its home floor a couple of weeks back -- leads the third-ranked but listless-looking Tar Heels 36-28 at halftime at Tucker Center.

UNC, which hasn’t played a road game since Dec. 3, has committed 12 turnovers, while making only 2-of-10 3-point shots. Senior forward Tyler Zeller was the only Tar Heel who looked fully engaged early; he and forward John Henson each have 8 points.

FSU, meanwhile, has made 7 of 13 3-point attempts behind senior guard Deividas Dulkys (6-for-7, 4-for-5 from 3-point range), who has already matched his season high with 16 points.

The Tar Heels have won their past five games at FSU, but the past two have come on game-winning shots.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – How much did third-ranked North Carolina learn during its nine-game homestand?

It should find out when it hits the road at Florida State on Saturday.

The Tar Heels (15-2, 2-0 ACC) haven’t left the friendly confines of the Smith Center since Dec. 3, when they lost by a point at Kentucky. Since then, UNC has cruised -- winning eight of its past nine games by at least 15 points, while working to better its defense and balance its offense.

Although coach Roy Williams does worry his team might have become a tad too comfy, at times.

“In my opinion, probably we may have gotten a little complacent here so I'm hoping we'll have a better attention span and maybe a higher level of attention to what we need to do [on the road],’’ Williams said Friday. “… I don't think we played complacently. I think we just expected things to be easy.”

That won’t be the case against the Seminoles (10-6, 1-1 ACC), who haven’t had the start to their season (losing to two Ivy League teams, as well as at Clemson by 20, for example) that many projected after their run to the Sweet Sixteen last March. But they have a habit of playing the ACC’s top teams tough. Although UNC has won five straight at FSU, the past two were on game-winning shots. Williams knows his squad must be prepared.

“I think they give everybody the dickens, not just North Carolina,” Williams said of the 'Noles. “You look at their record – they’ve been pretty good. They’re a good basketball team. They make it difficult for you to get open shots. They make it difficult for you to get second shots.”

A few things to watch:

HARRISON BARNES

It was Barnes, now a sophomore, who hit the 3-point shot in the final seconds that gave the Tar Heels a 72-70 victory at the Tucker Center last season. And after recording his worst scoring performance of this year Tuesday – he was 2-for-12 with 6 points in a victory over Miami – expect some solid numbers.

“I think Florida State is a great team to play,’’ said Barnes, who had scored 20 or more points in three of four games prior to Miami. “I always get up to play them. I had a good experience with them last year and I think this team will rise to the occasion.”

THE BENCH

UNC’s usually swish-worthy bench has averaged only 13.5 points in two ACC games, more than 10 points fewer than the rest of the season. It hasn’t helped that freshman forward James Michael McAdoo has been playing on a sprained ankle, but reserve wings Reggie Bullock and P.J. Hairston have to connect more. They’ve shot 3-for-12, combined, in each of their past two games.

“You always need more,’’ Williams said of his reserves. “‘Want more’ is probably a better way to put it.”

REBOUNDING

According to FSU, in the Seminoles' 10 victories, they have averaged a plus-9.9 rebounding advantage. In their six losses, they have a a minus-2.6 margin, and haven’t won the battle on the boards in any of those game.

Remember: UNC was outrebounded in each of its two losses, to UNLV and at Kentucky. Both were played away from the Smith Center, and rebounding was a focus during the Tar Heels’ homestand. Expect a bruise-worthy battle around the boards.

Follow Robbi PIckeral on Twitter at @bylinerp.

What’s more debatable: How to rank the first two ACC teams, Nos. 3-4, or the jumble of the following seven? Only one thing’s certain: Boston College is at the bottom of the bunch.

1. North Carolina
2. Duke

I wrote earlier this week that polls -- and in this case, power rankings -- should be about what teams have done, and not necessarily what they have the potential to do. So at first, I had Duke in the top spot. And a strong case could be made for the Blue Devils, considering their league-high RPI and lone loss.

But that loss was in ugly fashion at Ohio State. Plus, the Devils only beat Belmont at home by a point in their season opener. And Wednesday, they still looked like they were trying to bounce back from the thumping they took from the Buckeyes.

UNC, meanwhile, crisscrossed the nation twice before playing like one of the top three teams in the country during a one-point loss at Kentucky. The Tar Heels’ 10-point defeat to then-unranked UNLV in Las Vegas makes for a rub -- but that’s the only rub. Carolina is playing better right now.

3. Virginia: What a difference a fifth year makes. Forward Mike Scott, back for an extra extra season of eligibility, has led the Cavs to their first 8-1 start since 2004, averaging 15.3 points and 9.1 rebounds. They get the nod over FSU because of their double-digit win over Michigan.

4. Florida State: What does it say about the ACC that its fourth-best team managed only 41 points, and missed its first 15 shots, in a loss to Harvard? Yikes. But FSU still ranks among the national leaders in field goal percentage defense and blocked shots.

5. NC State: Three days after the Pack let a seven-point lead against Indiana evaporate, they allowed Stanford to come back from a dozen-point deficit. With C.J. Leslie consistently scoring in double figures, new coach Mark Gottfried boasts a team with a bunch of potential. But it must learn to finish.

6. Virginia Tech: Seth Greenberg had to have a toughness talk with his team after it lost its second straight, to Kansas State, earlier this week. It seemed to kick in during the Hokies’ victory at Rhode Island, where Erick Green scored 24 points.

7. Maryland: Point guard Terrell Stoglin continues to lead the Terps -- and the ACC -- in scoring (22.5 ppg), but he could use the addition of center Alex Len, who becomes eligible later this month, and the (hopefully) post-holiday return of guard Pe'Shon Howard from a broken left foot.

8. Miami: It’s hard to come up big when your big men are in street clothes. With senior forward Julian Gamble out after tearing his ACL over the summer, and junior center Reggie Johnson not expected back until next month because of knee surgery, the Hurricanes have had to make do with a lineup that includes three transfers. It didn’t work against Memphis, its best test yet this season.

9. Wake Forest: Deacs coach Jeff Bzdelik thought his team took a step in the right direction when C.J. Harris buried a game-winner to upset Nebraska on the road Nov. 20. Then, three days later, Wake fell behind by as many as 23 points and lost to Richmond at home. It’s going to be that sort of year in Winston-Salem.

10. Clemson: The Tigers have lost by three points or less to Charleston, Coastal Carolina and South Carolina. Sure, they’ve had to replace last year’s veteran leaders, Demontez Stitt and Jerai Grant. But with two seniors and two juniors in the starting lineup, it has been a disappointing beginning -- even for a team that was only projected to finish seventh in the preseason.

11. Georgia Tech: With no seniors on the roster except for a couple of former walk-ons, the Yellow Jackets have had to count on Glen Rice Jr., who was suspended the first three games of the season for violating team rules. He leads the team in scoring with 14.3 ppg.

12. Boston College: Only one player, junior Oregon transfer Matt Humphrey, has started each of the Eagles’ first eight games. Before Thursday, the difference between two wins and being winless? Seven points.