Duke, Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Carolina goes into an attack, attack, attack mode to whip Duke

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UNC coach Roy Williams wrote three words on the chalkboard before the game – Attack, Attack, Attack.

Carolina came out with an aggressive intensity and set the tone for the game early, making it difficult for Duke – which wasn’t hitting threes – to come back this time.

Duke never led as the Heels held a commanding 18-5 lead by the first TV timeout. Instead of the break slowing the Heels down, James Michael McAdoo threw down a powerful dunk follow and Kendall Marshall threw down court to a streaking Tyler Zeller who scored on the fastbreak to put UNC up 22-5.

The only question that remained was whether or not Duke could throw in the threes like the Devils did in Chapel Hill to get back in it. Last time Duke scored 14 threes but this time the Devils managed only six and that wasn’t nearly enough to come back from Carolina’s Attack, Attack, Attack.

For more on the game, please click here.

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Senior Zeller stars during the game, Blue Team seniors star at the end

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UNC’s top senior, Tyler Zeller, was the star during the 88-64 final home game win over Maryland, scoring 30 points.

“It was a great way to go out,” Zeller said. “I was actually a little nervous before the game and I’m not usually nervous

A pair of seldom-used blue team seniors hit threes to star at the end of the game.

Greensboro senior David Dupont calmly drained a three at the buzzer to get the fans in the stands and the starters on the bench leaping for joy.

Coach Williams doesn’t like his team shooting last-second shots when the game is in hand but he didn’t have a problem with a senior taking and hitting that shot. Dupont said he had to take it.

“I had to do it,” Dupont said. “My teammates would have killed me if I hadn’t shot it. What more could you ask for – hitting a three at the buzzer on Senior Night.”

Dupont said it had already been a dream come true to be on the Tar Heels team and to actually start in his last home game.

While Dupont and Patrick Crouch, another senior who hit a three, probably won’t play anymore this year, Zeller still has a lot of playing to do including a regular-season finale at rival Duke.

“Duke is a great team. We gave one away here to them. Hopefully we can go over there and take one,” he said.

For more on the Maryland game itself, please click here.

Canes, Featured stories, The skinny

Hurricanes cap off their most successful month of the season with a win

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The Carolina Hurricanes capped off their most successful month of the season with a 4-3 victory over the Nashville Predators. The win was the Canes’ sixth this month, as they finish February with a 6-1-4 record, earning points in 10 of 11 games.

Cam Ward made 26 saves in his return to the crease, and Bryan Allen netted the game-winning goal. “They gave it us pretty good in Nashville last time, and it was a good lesson for us,” head coach Kirk Muller said. “We knew if we didn’t play hard tonight, compete and go after them that we wouldn’t be able to stay with them in this game.”

Allen scored his first goal in 94 games and first as a Hurricane in the third period, what turned out to be the game-winner. He came out of the box after serving a slashing penalty and was off to the races on a breakaway. He slid the puck through Anders Lindback’s pads and nearly fell while celebrating. Being rumored in trades just a day prior, you couldn’t write this script any better.

“Burst that bubble here, and you never know what’s going to happen in the last 20 games,” Allen joked about his goal-scoring prowess. And his breakway move? “I can’t let them all out,” he said with a toothless grin. “I guess that’s one of a couple.”

-News release

Featured stories, The skinny

Sorry to report that sports announcing legend Rich Brenner has died

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Rich Brenner, who was a sports reporter and anchor in the Triangle area for WRAL and WTVD in the late 1970s and 1980s, has died of a heart attack at the age of 65.

After his time in the Triangle, Brenner moved to Greensboro to be sports director for WGHP, a position he held for more than two decades. Brenner died at the American Red Cross “Salute to Heroes” event in Greensboro Monday night.

Brenner was known for his enthusiasm, his use of filmed highlights and his love of NASCAR. We attended several of the same events over the years and I found him to be very similar to the way he was on camera, which was, again, enthusiastic and fun loving. It’s ironic that on Monday I just watched an old video from the late 1980s of him covering the Diet Pepsi Tournament of Champions basketball event in Charlotte for Raycom. I thought how nice it was to be transported back to a time with a young Rich Brenner interviewing sports figures. And I wondered how he was doing.

“Rich stood out because he was always so professional,” said Dane Huffman, who worked in sports at the Raleigh News & Observer and WRAL and now works for NBC17. “When I worked at WRAL, people there still talked about points he had made and what he had taught them, even though it was decades since he had worked there.”

Huffman, who started CapitalSportsNC.com said that Brenner cared about sports but most of all he cared about strong journalism. “He loved seeing young people enter the field and had a real enthusiasm for sharing what he knew,” he said. “He had a gift for making those people around him better, and the viewers benefited in ways that went far beyond what they saw on camera.”

Rich Brenner died at the age of 65 leaving behind a wife, a son, a daughter and two grandchildren. I only learned after his death that he served in the Marines. Thank you for your service to your country, your community and the sports world. You will be missed.

Rich Brenner’s last day spent helping charities

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

UNC football schedule released; seven home games

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In Larry Fedora’s first year as head coach at North Carolina in 2012, the Tar Heels will play a seven-game home schedule that includes games against in-state opponents East Carolina (Sept. 22) and NC State (Oct. 27). The home slate also features games against ACC opponents Virginia Tech (Oct. 6), Georgia Tech (Nov. 10) and Maryland (Nov. 24) and non-conference games vs. Elon (Sept. 1) and Idaho (Sept. 29).

Season tickets go on sale Thursday, March 1 at TarHeelBlue.com.

“Our team is looking forward to the challenges of the 2012 season,” said Fedora. “I challenge our fans to fill Kenan Stadium every week and support the Tar Heels. This will be an exciting year as we unveil new schemes on special teams, offense and defense. I’m already looking forward to the Spring Game on April 14 and our home opener on Sept. 1.”

The Tar Heels will go on the road to face Wake Forest (Sept. 8), Louisville (Sept. 15), Miami (Oct. 13), Duke (Oct. 20) and Virginia (Thursday, Nov. 15). Carolina faces a quick turnaround from its home game against Georgia Tech on Nov. 10 to travel to Charlottesville for its first road Thursday night game at Virginia since 2006. The Virginia game will betelevised nationally by ESPN.

Carolina returns eight starters on offense, including quarterback Bryn Renner, who threw for a school-record 26 touchdowns last season, and tailback Giovani Bernard, the first Tar Heel to rush for 1,000 yards since 1997. UNC also returns four of its five starters on the offensive line. On defense, Carolina welcomes back five starters, including standoutlinebacker Kevin Reddick and defensive tackle Sylvester Williams.

North Carolina kicks off the 2012 season with the Spring Game on April 14 at 3 p.m. at Kenan Stadium. Admission is free.

Schedule Notes
• This is the first time Carolina has faced Maryland since 2008 and the first time the two teams have met at Kenan Stadium since a 16-13 UNC victory in 2007. This is the first time Carolina and Maryland have met in the final game of the regular season. It is the first time Carolina has played an opponent other than Duke or NC State in the final game of the year since playing at Virginia Tech in 2005.

• This is the first time game at Duke has not been played on the final weekend of the regular season since 1998. That year, the Tar Heels played NC State in Charlotte on Nov. 28.

• The Tar Heels will play five opponents from the state of North Carolina – Elon, Duke, NC State, Wake Forest and East Carolina – for the first time since the 1940s.

• Carolina and East Carolina will be meeting for the fifth time in the last six years. The Tar Heels are 3-1 in the four previous meetings, including a 35-20 win in 2011 and a 42-17 win in 2010.

• Carolina will travel to Louisville for just the second time in school history and the first since 2005. The series with the Cardinals is tied at three.

• The meetings with Elon and Idaho are the first in school history.

2012 North Carolina Football Schedule

Sat. Sept. 1 Elon Chapel Hill

Sat. Sept. 8 at Wake Forest Winston-Salem, N.C.

Sat. Sept. 15 at Louisville Louisville, Ky.

Sat. Sept. 22 East Carolina Chapel Hill

Sat. Sept. 29 Idaho Chapel Hill

Sat. Oct. 6 Virginia Tech Chapel Hill

Sat. Oct. 13 at Miami Miami Gardens, Fla.

Sat. Oct. 20 at Duke Durham, N.C.

Sat. Oct. 27 NC State Chapel Hill

Sat. Nov. 10 Georgia Tech Chapel Hill

Thur. Nov. 15 at Virginia (ESPN) Charlottesville, Va.

Sat. Nov. 24 Maryland Chapel Hill

– NEWS RELEASE

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Red Sox Crawford meets with former UNC baseball coach

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Boston Red Sox outfielder Crawford met with former University of North Carolina baseball coach Mike Roberts Saturday to work on his baserunning.

Roberts has worked with Crawford before but he was approached this time because Crawford stole just 18 bases last season, the fewest of his major league career. The two spent time on a practice field in Fort Myers, Fla. going over footwork.

Roberts, who manages the Cotuit Kettleers in the Cape Cod League, is the father of Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts. He became the UNC coach at the age of 26 and coached the Heels for 24 years.

For his part, new Red Sox coach Bobby Valentine approves of the extra coaching. “I’m for whatever works for my players,” he said. “I have my coaches keeping an eye on him because I don’t want him to pull a hamstring. But if Carl is happy with it, so am I.’’

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

No. 4 Tar Heels sweep Wright State 3-0 to start season at 5-1

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No. 4 North Carolina won its fourth straight game Sunday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium by downing visiting Wright State, 3-0. R.C. Orlan retired all 12 batters he faced to earn his second win of the year and improve the Tar Heels to 5-1 on the season. Click here for a photo gallery.

The Tar Heels ran their shutout streak to 20 consecutive innings by keeping Wright State off the scoreboard Saturday and Sunday along with the final two innings Friday night.

The 20 straight scoreless innings is the longest streak for the Tar Heels since the 2008 squad posted 25 scoreless frames from March 15-19.

Orlan kept his season ERA spotless by tossing four shutout innings as he came on in relief of starter Chris O’Brien who opened the game by tossing four scoreless frames.

Sophomore Tom Zengel paced the offense Sunday with a pair of hits and scored two runs.

O’Brien worked around a leadoff single in both of the opening innings to keep the Raiders off the scoreboard before finding himself in a real jam in the top half of the third.

Wright State notched three consecutive singles to load the bases in the third with one out. O’Brien buckled down and was able to strike out cleanup hitter Tristan Moore before getting a nice play from his defense. Garrett Gray hit a bouncing ball up the middle as shortstop Tommy Coyle ranged to his left and snared the grounder and flipped to Mike Zolk at second base to end the threat.

The Tar Heels carried the momentum into the bottom of the third when Tom Zengel opened the inning by lining a ball down the left field line for a lead off double. Mike Zolk moved Zengel to third with a sacrifice bunt before a throwing error on the pitcher allowed Zengel to score and Parks Jordan reach second base.

A walk to Chaz Frank and a fielder’s choice by Tommy Coyle put runners on first and third with two outs in the inning. With Coyle on the move, Wright State backstop Garrett Gray was unable to corral a Lee Valencheck offering allowing Jordan to score from third before Coyle was cutdown attempting to reach third.

O’Brien worked around another lead off single in the fourth by getting a pair of nice running grabs in the outfield from Frank and Michael Russell before making way for Orlan in the fifth inning.

Zengel got things rolling again in the fifth when he singled to right field but the ball snuck by the right fielder allowing Zengel to get to third with nobody out. A wild pitch would allow Zengel to score with ease and up Carolina’s lead to 3-0.

That is all the Tar Heels would need as Orlan would retire the next nine batters he would face, while striking out three on the day to earn the victory.

Junior right-hander Michael Morin worked a scoreless ninth for his first save of the season as he picked up a pair of strikeouts.

Carolina improves to 5-1 on the year and has won four straight, including 21 consecutive non-conference series.
The Tar Heels will host St. John’s in their first midweek tilt of the year on Tuesday at 3 p.m. before welcoming in USC for a three-game set Friday in the final non-conference series of the year.

Featured stories, The skinny

Fan Fest to kick off Durham Bulls season

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To kick off the season, the Durham Bulls will host Fan Fest 2012, presented by University Ford and University Kia, on Friday, March 2nd and Saturday, March 3rd from 11 am to 2 pm at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The annual event serves as the opening day of ticket sales, giving fans their first opportunity to purchase individual game tickets.

During Fan Fest 2012, fans will have exclusive access to one of the most celebrated ballparks in Minor League Baseball when they can take batting practice and play catch on the field at the DBAP. The Bulls box office will be open during the event, selling tickets for individual games including Opening Day on April 5th and the 4th of July fireworks extravaganza. By purchasing at least one ticket to a 2012 regular season Bulls game at Fan Fest, fans will get a free lunch at the concession stands.

In addition to the activities on the field, there will be several opportunities for fans to rack up Bull City BUCK$ points. Bull City BUCK$, a new Downtown Durham focused rewards program sponsored by University Ford and University Kia, gives participants the ability to earn reward BUCK$ by scanning QR codes at participating businesses and hidden locations. Those BUCK$ can then be redeemed for great prizes and discounts at partnering restaurants and entertainment spots.

A special Pepsi Ticket Package will be available at Fan Fest 2012, including four tickets to any regular season Bulls game, four Bulls caps and four six-packs of Pepsi for only $48.

Other events scheduled for Fan Fest 2012 include:

• Wool E. Bull posing for pictures and signing autographs
• Up to 50% off selected Bulls merchandise in the Ballpark Corner Store, including select fitted caps
• Full range of inflatables for young Bulls fans to enjoy
• Select-a-Seat event highlighting available season ticket and mini-plan seat locations

The Durham Bulls open 2012 International League play at home on Thursday, April 5th when they host the Gwinnett Braves. Season ticket and mini-plan packages are now available at durhambulls.com or by calling 919.956.BULL.

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

Zeller named Academic All-America of the Year; Duke’s Plumlee on 1st team

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University of North Carolina senior forward Tyler Zeller has been named the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America of the Year for men’s basketball, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Zeller, a business administration major with a 3.62 grade point average, becomes the first Tar Heel to earn first-team Academic All-America honors in two seasons. Averaging 15.6 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots, he has led the seventh-ranked Tar Heels to a 24-4 overall record and 11-2 mark in ACC play.

“This is a great honor and something I have worked for my entire four years at Carolina,” says Zeller. “To be the first Tar Heel to win this award at a school with so much tradition and prestige adds to the honor. It truly means a lot to my family. My parents brought me up with the belief that academics are moreimportant than athletics, so as much as it means to me, it may mean even more to my mom and dad. And I thank them for the guidance and support they’ve always given my brothers and me.”

Zeller, a three-time Academic All-ACC selection, was the 2011 recipient of the Skip Prosser Award as the ACC’s top men’s basketball scholar-athlete.

The Washington, Ind., native currently leads the ACC in offensive rebounds, and is second in field goal percentage and double-doubles, third in rebounding, seventh in scoring and eighth in blocked shots. He has won Carolina’s defensive player of the game award a team-high 11 times and scored 20 or more points seven times. He is Carolina’s leading active career scorer with 1,316 points.

“We are ecstatic for Tyler and his family,” says UNC head coach Roy Williams. “He is the ultimate example of a true student-athlete. We’ve been very honored to work with Tyler these past four years and have seen the attention and commitment he’s given to both phases of being a student-athlete. He’s a first-class young man who comes from a great family and is an outstanding basketball player and student.”

Carolina’s first-team Academic All-Americas include Billy Cunningham (1965), Charles Scott (1970), Dennis Wuycik (1972), Steve Previs (1972), Tom LaGarde (1976), Steve Hale (1986), Eric Montross (1993) and Zeller (2011 and 2012).

Zeller is the seventh ACC player to earn multiple first-team Academic All-America honors. The others include three-time honorees Mike Gminski (Duke) and Tom McMillen (Maryland) and two-time recipients Shane Battier (Duke), Todd Fuller (NC State), Terry Gannon (NC State) and Jim Spanarkel (Duke).

An early childhood education major with a 3.60 grade point average, Delle Donne has led Delaware to the best season in school history. The Wilmington, Del. native has led the No. 9 Blue Hens to a 24-1 record and their first-ever national ranking. A two-time All-America who averages 28.1 points per game, she is the leading scorer in NCAA Division I.

Joining Zeller on the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America Division I men’s basketball first team are Ohio State guard Aaron Craft, Saint Mary’s (Calif.) guard Matthew Dellavedova, Wofford guard Brad Loesing and Duke forward Mason Plumlee.

The five members of the Capital One Academic All-America Division I men’s basketball first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.62.

To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, visit www.cosida.com.

Canes, Featured stories, The skinny

RBC Center becomes PNC Arena on March 15

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On March 15, the home of the National Hockey League’s Carolina Hurricanes and North Carolina State University’s men’s basketball team will become PNC Arena. The Hurricanes and PNC Bank, a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., will mark the occasion with special activities surrounding the team’s home game on March 15 against the St. Louis Blues.

On the morning of March 15, new PNC Arena in-ice logos will be unveiled prior to the Hurricanes’ 10:30 a.m. morning skate. Exterior building signage will be revealed following the team’s media availability, around 11:30 a.m. As always, the Hurricanes’ morning skate is open to fans and the media.

Prior to that evening’s game against the St. Louis Blues, fans will enjoy special on-ice projections of some of the top moments in the building’s history. During the game, promotions will focus on the building-name change, including a commemorative puck, more than 200 PNC Arena gift card giveaways and more.

The building-name change comes as PNC Bank’s acquisition of RBC Bank (USA), subject to customary closing conditions. The conversion of customer accounts and branches is scheduled for March 2-4, with branches re-opening as PNC Bank on March 5.

Leading up to the building’s name change, www.CarolinaHurricanes.com will count down the top 25 Hurricanes moments in RBC Center history, as one clip is unveiled each day, with the No. 1 moment being unveiled the morning of March 15.

The Carolina Hurricanes host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday at the RBC Center (7 p.m., FOX Sports Carolinas HD, Hurricanes Radio Network) in the second game of a six-game home stand.

– News release