State awaits UAB game time; UNC at Mississippi State Saturday at noon
Deon Thompson leads the fastbreak after a steal during North Carolina's 80-72 victory over William and Mary in the first round of the NIT at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill on Tuesday, March 16.
Mar 17, 2010
In a year where just one Triangle team is representing the area in the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in nearly 30 years, the other two are off to a great start in the NIT.
North Carolina opened the doors to Carmichael Arena and played its first official game in the venue since Jimmy V took the final lay-up there in 1986. The Heels survived William & Mary's 16 three-pointers in an 80-72 to move out of the first round.
N.C. State got late lay-up from freshman Richard Howell, survived a clock malfunction, and defended on the final possession to outlast South Florida on the road 58-57. That's just one way the ACC can stick it to Skip Holtz's new employer.
The Wolfpack and the Tar Heels will both hit the road to play their second round match-ups on Saturday. N.C. State will take on second seeded Alabama-Birmingham and Carolina will play top seed Mississippi State at noon on ESPN.
UAB got out to one of the hottest starts in the nation this year. At 20-2, the Blazers already had wins over Butler, Kent State, Arkansas, Cincinnati and Georgia. The 5-6 finish to the season didn't earn Mike Davis' team a slot in the NCAAs. UAB is led by a talented 6-foot-6 junior guard Elijah Millsap (yes, brother of star forward Paul Millsap of the Utah Jazz). Millsap is averaging nearly 16 points and 10 rebounds per game on the season. The Blazers beat up Coastal Carolina 61-44 in round one of the NIT.
Mississippi State (24-11) was considered to be one of the last teams left out of the NCAA field. The Bulldogs used wins over Florida and Vanderbilt in the SEC Tournament to put itself on the bubble. They barely lost an automatic bid with a 75-74 overtime heartbreaker loss to Kentucky in the finals. That's what you get for fouling the Wildcats when you're up three in the final seconds of regulation.
The Bulldogs beat Jackson State in the first round to set up the date with the Heels. We all know we're just one game away from a dream NIT match-up, if there is such a thing. If State and Carolina both win in the second round, they will play each other and guarantee that a Triangle team is in the semi-finals in New York City.
State was the last opponent in Carmichael in 1986, maybe they could be the last opponent in 2010.
Most Recent Comments
Posted Mar 18, 3:27 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 13574
Joined: Dec, 2007
Location: Southern Pines, NC
RE: State awaits UAB game time; UNC at Mississippi State Saturday at noon
Miss. State should have been in the NCAA tourney. They will win this one.Posted Mar 17, 9:17 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 1897
Joined: Nov, 2009
Location: La Grange, NC
RE: State awaits UAB game time; UNC at Mississippi State Saturday at noon
I think officiatin on the whole is just terrible in the college game. Plus, you know all the "best" refs are going to be working the NCAA tourney leaving the chaffe for the NIT. Go State and UNC. I would love to see Pack and Heels go at it in Carmichael just like in the good ol' days when BOTH teams were nationally relevant. My one complaint is that, if UNC manages to upset Mississippi St., Roy needs to find the old manual scoreboard and set it up in the corner again. It just didn't feel quite right without it.- Posted by kennywalters
I would love to see this too. The manual scoreboard was a fixture in Carmichael. But, let's take it one step further and bring in the ole noise meter from Reynolds Coliseum. Boy, basketball was fun back then, win or lose. Good luck KW.
Posted Mar 17, 8:02 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 6193
Joined: Feb, 2007
Location: Winterville, NC
RE: State awaits UAB game time; UNC at Mississippi State Saturday at noon
- Posted by The Dire_WolfHey there TruthBKnown Returns,- Posted by 5-113 FA Retired
Can you believe these UNC characters? Their out-of-the-box thinking could be minutely valid providing they were once actually IN the box to start with. Good luck with UAB. NCSU is a respectable program, much more than I can say for Roy's little boys.
Roy had more class the day he threw out a Presbyterian than Calipari has anyday of the week. Hate to break it to you, but Cal's track record is shady at best. I cringed at the thought of him coming to State. Maybe you can swing by the Murphy House to drown your sorrow in some good food off the buffet when the story breaks.
When you sell your soul to the Calipari, you eventually have to pay the piper. But then again, Kentucky's tradition of NCAA infractions and penalties are part of the legend aren't they???
Posted Mar 17, 7:32 p.m.
Rank: Towel Boy Posts: 22
Joined: Jun, 2007
Location: Zebulon, NC
RE: State awaits UAB game time; UNC at Mississippi State Saturday at noon
Why the heck would state play at carmichael, tarheels should not get home court advantage if they meet again ,what about RBC center, tarheels always get their spoiled way!Posted Mar 17, 6:08 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 29209
Joined: Jan, 2008
Location: Raleigh, NC
RE: State awaits UAB game time; UNC at Mississippi State Saturday at noon
Hey there TruthBKnown Returns,- Posted by 5-113 FA Retired
Can you believe these UNC characters? Their out-of-the-box thinking could be minutely valid providing they were once actually IN the box to start with. Good luck with UAB. NCSU is a respectable program, much more than I can say for Roy's little boys.
Carolina fans are not generally known for their great knowledge of the game. ;)
