Duke mascot head stolen placed on spike on UNC campus
Game Of Thrones
The head of Duke’s Blue Devil mascot was stolen and placed on a pole above a University of North Carolina campus store prior to the teams Wednesday night showdown in Durham.
It’s evidently the latest prank in a long-running battle between the Tobacco Road rivals.
Last year, Duke students dressed Chapel Hill’s famous “Silent Sam” statue in a variety of Blue Devils gear. His head, mercifully, remained intact.
Duke basketball fans maintain the greatest act in the prank war was in 1998 when four students stole Michael Jordan’s retired jersey from the rafters of the Dean Dome and hung it inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Scissors Found On Field During Virginia Tech Game
Virginia Tech Hokies Dyrell Roberts found a pair of black-handled scissors near the 45-yard line late in the first quarter of Saturday’s game and waving them in the air, trying to get the attention of the officials so that the scissors could be taken safely off the field.
College Pop Tarts Coming
WAC Pop Tarts Have Been Discontinued
Forget Wheaties boxes. That was so 1990s. Pop Tarts have taken over cereal boxes in the cool athletics collectables category. Five universities have partnered with Kellogg’s on limited edition Pop Tarts.
The flavors are as follows: Michigan’s Pop Tart flavor is Go Blue Strawberry; Georgia is Bulldog Berry; Arkansas is Razorback Red; Florida is Florida Gators Strawberry; and North Carolina is Tar Heel Blue.
South Atlantic League To Host Home Run Derby On Aircraft Carrier USS Yorktown
Enough
With an inflatable batting cage installed on its deck, the USS Yorktown will host the opening round of the Class A South Atlantic League home run derby on June 18, as part of the league’s All-Star Game festivities, the league announced.
The 10 participants, five from each division, will get 10 swings each. The Yorktown is stationed in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, only a few miles from where the Charleston RiverDogs play; the championship round of the derby will be at Riley Park a day later.
Last fall, the college hoops season kicked off with North Carolina and Michigan State playing a regular-season game aboard the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego. This November, Syracuse and San Diego State will play on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, and the Yorktown will host the Carrier Classic, with Connecticut and an as-of-yet-undetermined opponent.
Attendance for the Yorktown portion of the home run derby is free, as long as fans remember to mention the All-Star Game at the gate. The RiverDogs have hired folks to use kayaks and jet skis to retrieve baseballs that splash down in the harbor. The U.S. Coast Guard will be on hand to make sure no sea life is disturbed.
Son Of NBA Hall Of Famer Chooses Notre Dame Football
Best Of Luck
Norte Dame football got a shot to the arm when they found out late Tuesday night that the son of NBA Hall of Famer David Robinson had chosen to play for the Fighting Irish.
Class of 2013 wide receiver Corey Robinson, 6-4, 195 lbs, from San Anthonio Christian received his offer from Notre Dame last month and held offers from Iowa, Kansas, North Carolina, Wake Forest and Navy, where his father was a basketball star. The Irish, however, were the first program to offer him a scholarship.
Last fall, Robinson hauled in 42 passes for 660 yards and 10 touchdowns. He has been praised not only for his pass-catching ability but for his blocking as well.
Robinson is the sixth pledge in three days for the Fighting Irish following their Junior Day and the ninth overall for the Class of 2013.
North Carolina Fans Make Lehigh Beat Duke T-Shirts
HILARIOUS
North Carolina are heavy favorites to win the NCAA tournament but that hasn’t stopped its fans in basking in the rivals Duke failures to number 15 Lehigh in the first round. The twist is that the shirts were actually made not by Lehigh but by North Carolina.
The shirt is already a hit in stores around Chapel Hill.
Peyton Manning Completes Passing Drills At Duke
Peyton Manning, Austin Collie, Dallas Clark, Jeff Saturday, Brandon Stokley were all at the Duke versus North Carolina game on Saturday. However the bigger news was Manning was supposedly throwing passing drills on their campus earlier that day but can your really tell since the camera phone video was taken all the way back in Indianapolis?
Austin Rivers Nails Game Winning 3 To Defeat North Carolina
The North Carolina vs Duke game is always pretty exciting because the two teams have such a great rivalry Duke’s Austin Rivers, son of Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, added another chapter to the rivalry after this three pointer to win the game. River finished the game 6 for 10 from the 3 point line to total 29 points.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski Recruiting Letter To Michael Jordan
Smart To Not Have Added Fuel To Fire
How did college basketballs eventually greatest coach Mike Krzyzewski handle rejection from arguably the greatest NBA player Michael Jordan in recruiting? As we all know by know Jordan chose North Carolina over rival Duke in 1980 but that didn’t stop a young coach for wishing Jordan the best.
David Amerson Sets ACC Interception Record At Belk Bowl
N.C. State sophomore cornerback David Amerson had two interceptions Tuesday night, one that he returned 65 yards for a touchdown and another with 41 seconds left that sealed the Wolfpack’s 31-24 victory over Louisville in the Belk Bowl, to give him an ACC record 13 for the season.
Former North Carolina star Dre’ Bly set the previous mark of 11 in 1996.
Independence Bowl Trophy Gets Broken
- Original
Last night Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC with a 41-24 bowl win over the North Carolina Tar Heels. The trophy they were presented though had one slight problem, it was broken. The top piece was broken off after Mizzou’s mascot, Truman the Tiger, let it slip through his hands. When asked if he broke the trophy, Truman threw his hands in the air like he just didn’t care and then covered his eyes.
Remains
Vince Carter Gives $2.5 Milli Back To North Carolina
Look Ma, I Did It
NBA star Vince Carter was a star player at the University of North Carolina and more than a decade after his departure from the school continues to give back. Carter, a former All-America player for the Tar Heels and the No. 5 overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, donated $2.5 million to the Carolina Basketball Family Fund.
“Letterman’s Lane” a brick walkway that honors every player, coach, trainer and manager in the Tar Heel program, will be named for Carter who now plays for the Phoenix Suns.
“My days as a Carolina student, both pre-NBA and during the summers after I was drafted, will always be special to me,” Carter, who played from 1995-98 and graduated in 2001.
Marion Jones Cut By WNBA Tulsa Shock
TALENT
Former Olympic gold medal-winning sprinter Marion Jones has been cut by the WNBA’s Tulsa Shock. Jones spent 1 1/2 seasons as a guard for the Shock who had ran track and played point guard at the University of North Carolina in the 1990s. The Shock announced Thursday they had waived Jones to make room for former Oklahoma center Abi Olajuwon.
In her second season, Jones was averaging less than a point per game in 14 appearances for Tulsa, which is a league-worst 1-14 heading into the All-Star break.
“I want to thank the Tulsa Shock, Coach Nolan Richardson, the WNBA and my tremendous teammates for providing me the opportunity to fulfill a dream, and a platform to demonstrate to people, especially our youth, that if you have faith, life is full of second chances,” Jones said in a statement.
She became the second player waived since four-time Olympic basketball gold medalist Teresa Edwards took control of the team from Nolan Richardson. Edwards said bringing in Olajuwon the daughter of former NBA All-Star Hakeem Olajuwon was intended to bring size, defense and rebounding that the Shock are lacking.
LeBron James To Sponsor College Basketball Teams
Now Or Never
Miami Heat star LeBron James has struck sponsorship deals with the basketball programs of Ohio State, Kentucky and Miami to wear his Nike-branded gear. James will follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan, whose Nike gear is associated with his alma mater, North Carolina, California and Cincinnati through sponsorship deals.
James has close ties to each of the programs he will sponsor as he is from the state of Ohio, openly roots for the school and frequently wears Buckeyes gear. He also maintains a close relationship with Kentucky coach John Calipari and has scrimmaged against players from the Miami Hurricanes program since joining the Heat in 2010.
North Carolina Football Players Accrued Over $13K For Parking Fines
All Together Now
University of North Carolina on Thursday released records showing football players accumulating more than $13,000 in parking violations over a three-year period, records a judge ordered in April should be released under Freedom Of Information laws after numerous request.
It is not an NCAA violation for student athletes to accumulate parking tickets, unless they were given preferential treatment in paying off the fines or fines were canceled because they were student athletes. Research done by North Carolina’s student newspaper, The Daily Tar Heel, suggests that one football player accrued 93 tickets under nine license plate numbers.
UNC said student athletes “do not receive special treatment” and “are expected” to pay parking fines like any student, though it didn’t say whether fines were paid.
Incredible Lacrosse Hidden Ball Trick For Goal
Maryland’s men’s lacrosse team pulled off an unbelievable hidden ball trick goal in the middle of their 13-6 win over North Carolina in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Lacrosse Tournament.
Willie Parker Says The Washington redskins Are Only About Partying
Yoked
Willie Parker spent last season with the Washington Redskins after years and a Super Bowl win with the Pittsburgh Steelers but from the first day in the nations capital he saw things where different. Parker said that the Redskins are far off from restoring its days of championship glory.
“Being in Washington, they don’t care about football. I didn’t feel good from Day 1 there,” Parker told Pittsburgh FM radio station KDKA. “They weren’t about football. They were about partying. You appreciate Pittsburgh a little bit more after going somewhere else.”
Parker was an undrafted of North Carolina in 2004 and has played in two Pro Bowls.
Jay-Z’s Locker Room Visit Costs New Jersey Nets $50,000
Smartin Up Hov
The New Jersey Nets were hit with a $50,000 fine following minority owner Jay-Z’s impromptu visit to the locker room of Final Four squad the Kentucky Wildcats last month. The expensive slap on the wrist from NBA officials was due in part to a ruling set in stone by the league that professional team personnel must avoid any contact with collegiate athletes that are not yet draft eligible. Video surfaced of Jay-Z congratulating Kentucky team members at the Prudential Center after the squad clinched a Final Four berth by defeating the North Carolina Tarheels.
Michael Jordan Tells Tar Heel Players To Wear Jordans Not Kobe’s
The University of North Carolina Tar Heel players recently bumped into alumni and NBA great Michael Jordan where he had a few things to tell them,. First was stop wearing the Kobe Bryant Nike shoes and starting wearing Jordan’s and second if they made it to the Final Four of March Madness tournament his promise to give them any shoe they want.
Mike rides a bike?
Savon Huggins Screws With North Carolina Tar Heels
I understand not a lot of people actual keep up with the recruiting of high school football players but I do and on Friday the nations number 5th overall running back Savon Higgins of St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, New Jersey, who rushed for 1,893 yards and scored 35 touchdowns his senior season picked his hometown college Rutgers over North Carolina.
However, Higgins took on the ever look-at-me route like that of Kobe Bryant and Jimmy Clausen did when they showed up with the sunglasses and choosing to arrive in a limo. Higgins faked out everyone in attendance after putting on a North Carolina Tar Heels hat and having the crowd cheer for his decision before removing the hat and placing and making Rutgers his final choice.
National Signing Day is Wednesday and the other top recruits who have yet to commit are No. 1 Jadeveon Clowney, a defensive end from South Pointe (Rock Hill, S.C.), No. 3 Cyrus Kouandjio, an offensive lineman from DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.), No. 4 Stephone Anthony, a linebacker from Anson (Wadesboro, N.C.) and No. 6 Tony Steward, a linebacker and running back from Menendez (St. Augustine, Fla.).
Former NBA Player Plays A Bi-Sexual Gangster
Rashard McCants a former 14 overall draft pick back in 2005 has seen his basketball career come to an almost for certain close after failed stints in the NBA, NBA Developmental League and China. So what has McCants been up to this days in efforts to earn a check? He’s turned to the life of a bi-sexual shoplifting gangster in his acting debut for a web series titled “Booster Club.”
I’m sure he can get some acting tips from porn star Traci Lords?
Primetime College Football: Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl
TALENT
This game goes down on the ESPN network and it features the University of Tennessee Volunteers taking on the University of North Carolina Tar Heels in the 12th annual Franklin American Mortgage Music City Bowl at LP Field in Nashville, Tennessee.
North Carolina, 7-5, 4-4 ACC, started off the season with high expectations only to find itself in an 0-2 hole amid a slew of NCAA suspensions that involved 12 players due to receiving benefits and being associated with agents.The NCAA’s evaluation dragged well into the second month of the season and weighed heavily on the Tar Heels, who eventually saw the dismissal of senior defensive tackle and All-American candidate Marvin Austin and were handed permanent ineligibility rulings on top returning wideout senior Greg Little as well as first-team preseason All-American defensive end Robert Quinn and senior starting cornerback Charles Brown.
Tar Heels persevered under head coach Butch Davis to gain a bowl bid for the third straight year, but dropped its last three to end the season. Under a season of turmoil the play of senior quarterback T.J. Yates, who holds UNC career records for completions, attempts, yards and completion percentage and is second in touchdowns, was very consistent and rose up to the occasion at times. Yates threw for 3,184 yards and 18 touchdowns with just 8 interceptions while completing 67.6 percent of his passes. Yates favorite target down field was junior wideout Dwight Jones, who had 895 yards and 4 touchdowns scores on 57 catches.
Senior running back Anthony Elzy has come on strong for the Tar Heels since taking over as the starter in the backfield averaging 177 all-purpose yards over UNC’s final three games and finished as the team’s second leading receiver with 338 yards.
The Tar Heel defense took the biggest hit via off field incidents giving up 338.5 yards per game.
Tennessee, 6-6, 3-5 SEC, came on strong to win its last four games under the first year of head coach Derek Dooley after Lane Kiffin up and bolted after one year. The Volunteers are handled by freshman quarterback Tyler Bray, who the Vols offense has flourished with 50 and 52 points in consecutive weeks in wins over Memphis and Ole Miss. Bray appeared in eight games and threw for 1,537 yards and 14 touchdowns with 7 interceptions and connected on 54.7 percent of his throws.
Bray had quite a few options to work with, mainly junior Tauren Poole who racked up 994 rushing yards with 11 touchdowns on an averaging 5.2 yards per carry. Senior Denarius Moore led the receiving corps with 912 yards and 9 touchdowns. Gerald Jones, Luke Stocker, and freshman Justin Hunter where stellar as well this year especially Hunter who only made just 15 catches but had 6 touchdowns, a UT freshman record, and gained 407 yards with a 27.1 yard average.
The Tar Heels are 12-16 all-time in bowl games with losses in each of their last three postseason appearances. Tennessee is 25-23 all-time in postseason play and making its 49th bowl appearance, which is tied for second in NCAA history alongside Texas.
PICK: University of Tennessee Volunteers
New York Giants Hakeem Nicks Accused Of Providing Benefits To UNC Players
$5,000?
The University of North Carolina has accused former Tar Heel and current New York Giants receiver Hakeem Nicks of providing improper benefits to players at the school. According to a press release from the school, the benefits include “gifts of cash and jewelry and impermissible assistance with lodging, travel, transportation and entertainment expenses.”
Nicks was reportedly one of five people named and allegedly gave current Tar Heel players a total of $3,300. Vernon Davis, San Francisco 49ers tight end, was also named in the report. Davis allegedly provided $20. The school was also said to have accused former players Omar Brown and Mahlon Carey of giving money.
The university discovered the violations while conducting a different investigation involving players accepting benefits from agents.
Primetime College Football: Tar Heels vs Hurricanes
TALENT
This game goes down on the ESPN2 network and it features University of North Carolina Tar Heels takes on the University of Miami Hurricanes at Sun Life Stadium.
Head coach Butch Davis takes his Tar Heels down to Miami where they are 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC. The Tar Heels continue to play solid football even though their program has been marred by allegations and suspensions from the start of the season due to players accepting improper benefits from agents. Davis has gotten his Tar Heels to win its last four games including last weekend’s 44-10 beating of Virginia. North Carolina is scoring 28 ppg while gaining 376.8 total ypg.
The Tar Heels have struggled in the running game this season as they are only generating just 125.3 ypg behind the legs of seniors Johnny White, 464 yards 4 touchdowns, and Shaun Draughn, 287 yards 4 touchdowns. As for the passing attack senior T.J. Yates, 1495 yards 11 touchdowns 1 INT, is completing 66.5 percent of throws. Senior wide receiver Zack Pianalto, 311 yards 1 touchdowns, was leading the team in the receiving department but was lost for the season last week with a broken fibula. They will now have to lean on junior wide receiver Dwight Jones, 302 yards 3 touchdowns, who exploded last week for 198 yards.
Defensively, UNC has been able to limit opponents to 19 ppg and 332.0 total ypg despite missing many key components for much of this season including Marvin Austin. The Tar Heels have excelled against the pass though this season as they have come up with 11 interceptions and just 6 passing scores allowed.
Head coach Randy Shannon also has his Hurricanes at a 4-2 overall record and 2-1 in ACC play after coming off a 28-13 victory over Duke last weekend. Miami is generating 32 ppg and 370.5 total ypg. Junior quarterback Jacory Harris, 1344 yards 11 touchdowns 9 INTs, has only completed 57.1 percent of his passes. Harris often looks to senior wide receiver Leonard Hankerson, 388 yards 6 touchdowns, when he goes to the air. The ground attack is lead by senior Damien Berry, 327 yards 3 touchdowns, and his 4.8 ypc.
Moving the ball and scoring points against the Miami defense has proven to be difficult, as the team is limiting opponents to 15 ppg and only 3.2 yards per rushing attempt. A total of 17 sacks is solid, and the Hurricanes have come up with 10 takeaways as well. Junior linebacker Sean Spence has recorded a team high 38 tackles including 8 tackles for loss is the star to watch on that side of the ball.
North Carolina owns an 8-5 series lead over Miami, which includes three straight wins over the Hurricanes.
PICK: University of North Carolina Tar Heels
