Community Picks: Fla Gulf Coast 0% vs North Carolina 0%

North Carolina coach Roy Williams spent most of two seasons pushing - even begging - his team to play with more defensive intensity before the Tar Heels finally provided it in an impressive conference-title run. The trick now is getting the East Region's No. 1 seed to maintain that intensity in the NCAA Tournament, starting with Thursday's first-round matchup with Florida Gulf Coast. ''We've always had a chance and we've always had the talent since I've been here but we're really starting to put it together and become a complete team,'' senior Marcus Paige said Wednesday. Continue to Article

March 16, 2016 7:13:pm EST

North Carolina's Justin Jackson knows he's been guilty of overthinking on the court and letting past struggles or outside criticism get to him. How well he manages to let go and move on could determine how far the Tar Heels go in the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels played their best ball last season when the 6-foot-8 wing found a groove late in his freshman year. Continue to Article

March 15, 2016 4:20:pm EST

Thanks to the sort of defensive dominance coach Roy Williams has been seeking, North Carolina's longer-than-usual wait for its latest ACC Tournament championship is over. Now the Tar Heels can turn their focus to returning to their customary results in the NCAAs, too. No. 7 North Carolina held No. 4 Virginia without a field goal for more than 8 minutes in the second half to break open a back-and-forth Atlantic Coast Conference final, and tournament MVP Joel Berry II scored 19 points Saturday night, giving the Tar Heels a 61-57 victory for their first league title since 2008. Continue to Article

March 13, 2016 12:19:am EST

North Carolina closed the regular season with two wins in spite of some ugly shooting efforts, but so far in the ACC tournament it's had better luck offensively. Virginia has the potential to make the Tar Heels' life frustrating in the tournament title game once again. The conference's top two seeds collide Saturday night in the nation's capital, where seventh-ranked UNC looks for its first ACC tournament title since 2008 while the fourth-ranked Cavaliers try to make it two in three years. Continue to Article

March 12, 2016 2:12:am EST

With March Madness right around the corner, The Dagger is picking an all-time starting five from some of college basketball's most tradition-rich programs. Our picks were based on a variety of factors, including stats, tourney success, All-America selections, and of course, our opinions. [ Yahoo Tourney Pick’em is open. Sign up now and play for $50K ] Next up: North Carolina Tar Heels. Who was considered from North Carolina: 1. Michael Jordan, G, 1981-84 (17.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.8 apg) 2. Phil Ford, G, 1974-78 (18.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 6.1 apg) 3. Tyler Hansbrough, F, 2005-09 (20.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg) 4. James Worthy, F, 1979-82 (14.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.5 apg) 5. Antawn Jamison, F, 1995-98 (19.0 ppg, 9.9 rpg) 6. Sam Perkins, F, 1980-84 (15.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg) 7. Lennie Rosenbluth, G, 1954-57 (26.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg) 8. Charlie Scott, G, 1967-70 (22.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg) 9. Jerry Stackhouse, F, 1993-95 (15.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.3 apg) 10. Sean May, F, 2002-05 (15.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg) Continue to Article

March 09, 2016 8:26:pm EST