ACC: Duke vs. North Carolina, round one

It’s Duke vs. North Carolina. Enough said, right?

Not this time. The biggest game of the college basketball season to this point offers plenty of extra storylines.

There’s the what’s-at-stake angle, with No. 2 Duke (19-1, 7-0 ACC) and No. 3 North Carolina (21-1, 6-1) battling each other for conference supremacy and a potential No. 1 seed in the Charlotte Regional of the NCAA Tournament. There’s the will-he-or-won’t-he angle concerning UNC star point guard Ty Lawson, who has a sprained left ankle and is questionable for Wednesday night’s showdown at the Smith Center.

And then there’s the blood angle. Gerald Henderson hit Tyler Hansbrough with a forearm in the face near the end of the teams’ most recent meeting, breaking Hansbrough’s nose and causing blood to gush as the Tar Heels put the finishing touches on an 86-72 victory. Henderson was suspended for Duke’s ACC Tournament loss to N.C. State because of the blow, but he’ll receive punishment of a different sort when he returns to the Smith Center and faces UNC’s home fans for the first time since the incident.

“The people who are cheering for Carolina don’t want to forget about it,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, whose team has matched the best start to a season in school history. “That’s their prerogative. To me, I think Gerald got a lot of punishment. He’s handled it great, he’s an unbelievable kid, and he’ll grow from that.

“For us, that’s in the past. Anyone who wants to bring it up, that’s good. They can do that. People who always bring up the past a lot of times don’t pay attention to the present or the future.”

Unfortunately for Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils, Hansbrough and the Tar Heels don’t fit into that category. They, too, say they have moved forward.

UNC guard Wayne Ellington, who played on the same team with Henderson in high school, passed along Hansbrough’s phone number to his good friend after the incident. Ellington said his spot in the middle of the controversy was an awkward one, but he wanted to make sure Hansbrough and Henderson had a chance to talk.

They did.

“I think it was more of a thing that he just wanted to get his point across, that he didn’t really intentionally do it,” said Hansbrough, who tallied 26 points and 17 rebounds before Henderson knocked him down. “You know, it’s basketball, and I don’t really think he did it like that. It meant something to me, just because he was willing to call me, but my nose was still broken.”

The aftermath wasn’t pretty for Hansbrough — and not just because the protective mask he wore during the ACC Tournament wasn’t attractive. Hansbrough averaged just 10 points per game in UNC’s three ACC Tournament victories, and two of the six games in his college career in which he has failed to score in double figures occurred while he wore the vision-obstructing mask.

While Krzyzewski worried publicly that Henderson’s reputation would be permanently tarnished by the incident, UNC coach Roy Williams felt it was necessary to point out that Hansbrough — not Henderson — was the true victim.

The Hall of Fame coaches talked at ACC meetings and other gatherings — “There’s no cold shoulders going on,” Williams said — but they never discussed their most recent meeting on the court.

“Last year what happened with Gerald and Tyler, I regret that it happened,” Williams said. “I didn’t want it to happen. I wish it hadn’t happened. It hurt Tyler a great deal. No one is ever going to say things that are going to be perfect for the other party. What [Krzyzewski] said wasn’t perfect for me, and what I said wasn’t perfect for him. You just have to understand that.

“That was last year. I came out the very next day and said that Gerald Henderson is a great kid and it’s just something that happened in the heat of the game. It has not had any lasting effect on my relationship with Mike, on my end for sure. It’s just sometimes it’s OK to disagree. I don’t think we disagree greatly on even that part of it. I feel good about my relationship with Mike.”

As the Tar Heels try to beat Duke for a fourth consecutive time, Williams doesn’t have such a good feeling about his team’s situation at point guard.

Lawson sprained his left ankle early UNC’s game at Florida State on Sunday, and he did not return after leaving with 16:12 remaining in the first half. The Tar Heels defeated the Seminoles 84-73 in overtime, but they struggled for much of the game while totaling nine assists and 21 turnovers.

Lawson did not practice with his team Monday or Tuesday, although he did some light shooting on his own Tuesday afternoon while wearing an air cast. UNC backup point guard Bobby Frasor already is out for the season with a knee injury, so that leaves the team with senior Quentin Thomas as its lone healthy point guard.

Thomas delivered a career-high nine points along with five rebounds, six assists and two turnovers against the Seminoles, and he has had success against Duke in his career. But the Blue Devils play a suffocating man-to-man defense that helps them force an ACC-best 19.2 turnovers per game, so Thomas will have his hands full.

And his backup, junior swingman Marcus Ginyard, is not healthy. Ginyard, who is not a natural point guard, has been limited in practice by turf toe on his left foot and has been wearing a protective boot.

Williams isn’t counting on having Lawson available against the Blue Devils — “I don’t think the chances are real good,” the coach said — but Krzyzewski expects to see the blur that is UNC’s No. 5 on the floor.

“I believe he’s such a competitor that it’d be tough to keep him out of that game,” Krzyzewski said. “Hopefully, he will be able to play. So we’ll prepare for with Lawson. The thing is, if he did not play, they’re not going to change their style.”

Dickie V to make return

It’s awesome, baby! ESPN analyst Dick Vitale is returning to the airwaves for the Duke-North Carolina game.

Vitale had been unable to work after having surgery Dec. 18 to treat noncancerous lesions on his left vocal cord. Count UNC coach Roy Williams among those who is happy to have Vitale back.

“In my opinion, he is the best ambassador of college basketball that we have,” Williams said. “His enthusiasm, his passion for the college game is unmatched by anybody else. He’s willing to say it, he’s willing to show it, he feels it. I think that is great for us.

“And the other thing is that here’s a guy who’s had some adversity and he’s bouncing back and coming back to something that he loves. I think we should all be proud of that and feel good about his feelings toward the college game.”

Vitale wasn’t allowed to talk between his surgery and a trip to the doctor Jan. 13, so he scribbled notes to his wife as his primary means of communication. Prior to this leave of absence, the 68-year-old Vitale had not missed an assignment since he joined ESPN in 1979.

“He’s coming back on a pretty big stage,” Williams said. “But he can handle it.”

Zoubek on the mend

Duke would love to have 7-1, 260-pound center Brian Zoubek available to battle UNC’s Tyler Hansbrough, but that’s not going to happen. Still, Zoubek is making progress as he recovers from a fractured bone in his left foot.

Zoubek, who was averaging 4.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game before getting injured in practice Jan. 7, is scheduled to have more x-rays this week.

“There’s a chance he could play a little bit against Boston College [on Saturday], but I’d say he’s doubtful for that,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “But he’s coming along really well.”

Clemson’s Stitt out

Clemson was glad that Trevor Booker recovered from his sprained ankle in time to play against Boston College on Saturday, but Oliver Purnell’s team still wasn’t at full strength. Freshman point guard Demontez Stitt tore knee cartilage in practice last Wednesday and is out for two weeks after having arthroscopic surgery the next day.

Stitt, who started each of Clemson’s first 20 games, averages 8.9 points and 3.1 assists per game. He also shoots 80.8 percent from the free-throw line, noteworthy on a team that shoots a collective 63.5 percent on free throws.

“Obviously this is a big loss for us, but thankfully only for a short period of time,” Purnell said. “This means everyone now has to hitch up their belt so that as a team we can make up for his absence as we continue to compete in the ACC.”

The Tigers had to juggle their starting lineup without Stitt in their 78-56 win over Boston College, with forward Sam Perry starting his first game of the season and senior Cliff Hammonds sliding over to point guard from shooting guard. Hammonds is a dreadful free-throw shooter (38.8 percent), but he is a capable ball handler who leads the ACC in assist-turnover ratio (2.89:1).

“There is a comfort level with him at the point,” Purnell said. “I think he is one of the most underrated players in the league and the country, and he will do anything he is asked and do it well.”

New ’do

With his long dreadlocks, Virginia Tech senior Deron Washington had one of the most recognizable hairstyles in the league. But Washington made a change before the Hokies’ 72-65 overtime win over Virginia, allowing his girlfriend and one of his teammates to shave his head and create a mini-mohawk of sorts.

“When he took the hat off, whew,” Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg said. “I was as shocked as anyone. But the person who was most shocked was when his mom came rolling in. She was like, ‘What did you do to my son?’ I said, ‘I had nothing to do with it.’

“All I know is that we had Deron Washington. Now we have little Deronnie Washington from New Orleans — because he looks about 10 years younger.”

Washington said he wanted to shock some people, so he accomplished his goal there. He also made some big plays against the Cavaliers, including an acrobatic putback dunk that put the Hokies ahead 54-52 with 13.9 seconds remaining in regulation.

Greenberg wasn’t sold on Washington’s new hairstyle initially. But after watching Washington tally 15 points and 12 rebounds in 43 minutes, the coach changed his tune about his star forward’s new hairdo.

“I thought he looked magnificent,” Greenberg said.

Trouble in Charlottesville?

Once the calendar turned to 2008, Virginia’s season took a turn for the worse. The Cavaliers (11-9, 1-6) have lost seven of eight games since New Year’s Day, including four consecutive defeats in conference play that have put the team at the bottom of the ACC standings.

Virginia has been competitive, but close hasn’t been good enough. Three of the team’s last five defeats have come in overtime — two at the hands of archrival Virginia Tech — and another of the losses was by just two points.

While the youthful Cavaliers (0-3 in ACC overtime games) have struggled, the even more inexperienced Hokies (3-0 in ACC overtime games) have run off six wins in their last nine contests. Virginia freshman forward Mike Scott offered an explanation why after the Cavaliers’ 72-65 loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday, and it wasn’t a compliment to his head coach, Dave Leitao.

“They had a lot of confidence. Playing with Seth Greenberg, he gives them a chance, a little more leeway when they make a mistake,” Scott told the Washington Post. “They make a mistake, they just get through it, and they still stay on the court, whereas we don’t have enough time to make a mistake. If we make a mistake, we’re coming out. They have a lot of confidence.

“You see [freshman guard Dorenzo] Hudson, you see [freshman forward Jeff] Allen, you know they’re going to stay in through mistakes. That’s what it’s all about — confidence. If somebody scores on me, just let me play through it. Don’t take me out. That’s what I would like to see.”

Leitao, who didn’t seem bothered that some of his players are becoming frustrated, said he wasn’t aware of Scott’s remarks.

“No, no,” he said. “One thing I think I’ve done a great job of — no disrespect — is that I haven’t read the paper in a long, long time.”

Rising team: N.C. State

N.C. State (15-7, 4-4) has been far from dominant recently, but the team deserves credit for recovering after a dismal start to the conference season. During the past week, the Wolfpack posted a 2-1 record. N.C. State led by nine points at halftime at Duke before falling 92-72, then defeated Wake Forest 67-65 and Virginia Tech 73-63.

The Wake Forest victory is one that can jump-start any team. N.C. State trailed for much of the game before pulling out the game on a great hustle play by Ben McCauley.

With the game tied at 65 and 5.4 seconds remaining, McCauley inbounded the ball to Gavin Grant. Grant dribbled up the floor and launched a 3-pointer that bounced off the front of the rim. As Wake Forest freshman James Johnson watched the ball and forgot his box-out responsibilities, McCauley raced past him and tip-dunked the rebound with his left hand at the buzzer to win the game.

“He wasn’t going to accept the fact that maybe Gavin was going to make the shot,” N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe said. “He wanted to put himself in a position that if the shot came off, he was there, and that’s what he did. You don’t see that. You don’t see a guy inbound the ball and then go down and dunk it on the other end.”

The 94-foot sprint was vintage McCauley, and it underscored why Lowe never should have removed McCauley from the starting lineup at the beginning of the season. McCauley provides the Wolfpack energy and competitive fire that it otherwise lacks, and it’s no coincidence that the team has won three of four games since he regained his starting role.

N.C. State’s next task is to get slumping sophomore Brandon Costner going. Costner sat out Tuesday’s win over Virginia Tech because of a rib injury he suffered in Monday’s practice, and his scoring ability will be a great asset off the bench if he decides to accept his new role.

Falling team: Boston College

The Eagles (12-8, 3-4) suffered a pair of 22-point defeats — at North Carolina and at Clemson — during the week, extending their losing streak to four games. Boston College snapped out of its shooting slump by shooting 51.3 percent in its 78-56 loss at Clemson on Saturday, but the problem was that the Eagles managed only 39 field-goal attempts.

BC tied a season high with 20 turnovers and forced only nine turnovers by the Tigers. The Eagles have forced an average of just 9.0 turnovers per game during their losing streak, and they have lost the rebounding battle by an average of 8.0 rebounds during that span.

BC plays Maryland and at Duke this week, so there’s no rest for the weary.

“Obviously, we’re not playing particularly well right now,” BC coach Al Skinner said. “We’ve just got to kind of regroup and find our way. This conference is not very forgiving when you’re not playing well, but hopefully we can bounce back.”

Player of the week: Tyler Hansbrough, F, North Carolina

Hansbrough delivered a pedestrian (for him) 18 points and six rebounds in UNC’s 91-69 win over Boston College, but there was nothing routine about his contribution later in the week against Florida State. Even while going without a field goal for more than 30 minutes, Hansbrough scored 22 points and grabbed 21 rebounds as the Tar Heels held off the Seminoles 84-73 in overtime.

Florida State threw a trio of post players — 6-9 Uche Echefu, 6-8 Ryan Reid and 6-10 Julian Vaughn — at the 6-9 Hansbrough, but none of those players could keep up with him. All three fouled out during the overtime period, which Hansbrough dominated with eight points and five rebounds.

“Hansbrough had probably one of the best rebounding efforts I’ve ever seen,” Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton said. “We did a pretty good job of defending him, but he’s such a smart, heady player that he found a way to contribute to his team. He really kind of broke our back. He willed his team.”

Hansbrough also continued his good work at the free-throw line. He made 12 of 14 free throws against Florida State, giving him 613 made free throws in his career. He moved past Lennie Rosenbluth (603 free throws from 1954-57) to establish a new school record.

Freshman of the week: Jeff Teague, G, Wake Forest

Teague was Wake Forest’s best player in a pair of games, a 70-68 victory over Miami and a 67-65 loss at N.C. State. The 6-2, 175-pound guard burned the Hurricanes for 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range, and he followed that performance with 17 points and rebounds against the Wolfpack. Teague made all 11 of his free throws for the week and averaged 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Stats and facts of the week

Duke was amazingly efficient at the start of the second half in victories over N.C. State and Miami. The Blue Devils scored on 16 of their first 20 possessions of the second half against the Wolfpack, and they got points on nine of their first 10 possessions after halftime against the Hurricanes.

In the first half against Miami, Duke shot 8-for-18 on 3-pointers and 2-for-14 on 2-point field goals.

Virginia Tech post player Lewis Witcher scored 10 points in his team’s victory over Virginia on Saturday. The 6-9, 228-pound sophomore had scored a total of four points in his previous eight games.

Wake Forest has won 16 consecutive home games but has lost seven straight road games. The Demon Deacons have dropped each of their last 10 ACC road games.

North Carolina outrebounded Florida State 54-26 on Sunday. The Tar Heels grabbed almost as many offensive rebounds (18) as the Seminoles grabbed defensively (19).

Florida State’s Isaiah Swann scored 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field against the Tar Heels. All 12 of Swann’s attempts were 3-pointers.

They said it

“We worked Tyler Hansbrough there last week a couple of possessions, so we’ll have to see if he can handle it or not.” — UNC coach Roy Williams, joking about where he might turn for a healthy point guard

“He may be able to run a triathlon if he can’t practice.” — Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio on guard L.D. Williams, who has stayed in shape by running stairs and working out on a treadmill and stationary bike as he recovers from a broken bone in his hand.

Key upcoming games

Wednesday, Feb. 6
Florida State at Miami, 7:30 p.m. ET
Both teams are reeling as they head into this contest. The Seminoles have lost six of their last seven games, with two of those defeats coming in overtime, and the Hurricanes have dropped five of their last six while losing twice on buzzer-beaters. Miami needs a win here to get back on track for an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Duke at North Carolina, 9 p.m. ET
Duke has won 16 of the last 22 meetings, but UNC has won the last three games in the series. The teams will square off as top-five foes for the 11th time, and they will meet with both teams ranked in the top three for the sixth time.

Saturday, Feb. 9
N.C. State at Maryland, 8 p.m. ET
N.C. State has clawed back after an 0-2 start in the ACC, and Maryland has done the same. With both teams jockeying for position in the middle of the ACC, this game is important. The Terrapins have a decided advantage at point guard with Greivis Vasquez and Eric Hayes, and that could be the difference.

Sunday, Feb. 10
Clemson at North Carolina, 6:30 p.m. ET
The Tigers get a chance to take another crack at The Streak. For those who haven’t been keeping score, Clemson is 0-52 all time at North Carolina. But with Ty Lawson ailing and UNC entering this matchup after an emotional game against Duke, who knows what can happen? The Tar Heels won the teams’ first meeting 90-88 in overtime Jan. 6

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