John Henson News

No. 11/12 North Carolina will play its second of three straight home games against Nevada .

Pulling off the earth-shattering upset - as Gardner-Webb did two years ago at Kentucky and nearly accomplished at the Dean E. Smith Center in 2005 - was a tall order for the current Runnin' Bulldog squad.

The three men clearly had come to Madison Square Garden straight from some sort of high-powered business jobs.

Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy analyzes what Saturday's buzz means to college basketball.

About 10 days into North Carolina's practices, coach Roy Williams said freshman John Henson, a 6-foot-9 small forward, had attempted more 3-pointers than 6-2 point guard Larry Drew II.

Let's not sugarcoat it. This North Carolina team isn't a legitimate Final Four contender - as well they shouldn't be.

St. Petersburg Times staff writer Brian Landman previews the men's season. 5 favorite players to watch 1. Ed Davis So., F, North Carolina .

This is the one piece of advice Marcus Ginyard wishes someone had given him before his freshman year at North Carolina: "Coach Williams is right 100 percent of the time, no matter what," Ginyard said.

Bob Huggins is building a football team at West Virginia. Dunkin' Donuts oughta sponsor Drexel's game on Tuesday.

Marcus Ginyard matched his career high with 17 points to help No. 6 North Carolina beat North Carolina Central 89-42 on Wednesday night in the 2K Sports Classic.

" Marcus Ginyard stole the ball near midcourt, drove to the basketball, then elevated over two Florida International defenders for an explosive dunk that brought the less-than-capacity crowd at the Smith Center to its feet.

The Big Ten is up, or so we think, with two Final Four contenders among six ranked teams.

North Carolinaa TMs Tyler Zeller blocks a shot by Florida Internationala TMs Phil Gary as North Carolinaa TMs John Henson assists during the second half.

Is it Harrison Barnes or bust for the North Carolina Tar Heels? Speaking of busts, are there a couple at the top of the 2005 rankings? Is Indiana on the verge of landing some intriguing talent out of the 2010 class? National Recruiting Analyst Jerry Meyer answers these questions and more in this week's mailbag.

As the college basketball season officially kicks off today, I can't believe that there's one name going under the radar.

Published: Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. North Carolina may have to battle its struggling mid-major opponent for attention as the Tar Heels open their season as defending national champions.

" Preseason prognostications for No. 4 North Carolina have centered around the program's immense talent and depth in the frontcourt, and the Tar Heels further cemented those beliefs in Friday's 107-59 exhibition victory over Belmont Abbey behind Deon Thompson's 23 points and eight rebounds.

For years, Larry Drew told his son, Larry II, that he needed to work on his shooting mechanics in Basketball.

OUTLOOK: Thanks to North Carolina's dominance, the ACC added another national title to the trophy case in 2008-09. The Tar Heels ripped off 34 victories en route to the national championship, but weren't the only squad in-conference with banner seasons.

The ACC media poll named North Carolina and Duke co-favorites to win the league.