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.
