Heels stuff Pack

The Tar Heels continue to come up big on the road in the ACC, crushing the Wolfpack on the boards en route to a crushing defeat for N.C. State

So what's so tough about playing on the road in the ACC?

North Carolina's Tar Heels don't seem to mind. Maryland, Virginia Tech, Miami, Florida State, Wake Forest -- it hasn't mattered where this young, spirited, improving Carolina basketball team suits up and plays.

On Wednesday night, the Heels rolled into N.C. State's RBC Center -- with thousands in the stands dressed in red, screaming away, aching to beat Carolina -- and won again. Getting 25 points and 11 rebounds from senior forward David Noel, the Tar Heels smacked the 15th-ranked Wolfpack 95-71.

"It was a fantastic performance for us," UNC coach Roy Williams said. "I think it was our best basketball of the season. We were very focused."

The 21st-ranked Heels (18-6, 9-4) are 6-1 in ACC road games this season, second only to Duke. The Heels also moved to a half-game out of second place behind the Pack (21-6, 10-4), which had won all six league games at the RBC Center before Wednesday's rout. It was State's worst loss at home in an ACC game since a 27-point loss to Duke in 1994, and worst loss at home to the Heels since a 100-67 blowout on Jan. 7, 1993.

"We're just a composed, poised team on the road," UNC freshman Bobby Frasor said. "Nothing really gets to us."

NCSU coach Herb Sendek was celebrating his 43rd birthday and was serenaded by State fans early in the game. But Sendek wasn't in a party mood after the Pack was swept by the Heels for the third straight season.

"We were outplayed, outcoached and thoroughly whipped," Sendek said. "It was as lopsided as the score indicated. I'm very disappointed in the way we played.

"We didn't play defense. They kept coming at us and hurt us in transition. Our rebounding was basically nonexistent."

The Heels, who lead the ACC in rebounding margin, finished with a 43-26 advantage over the Pack and battled and hustled for 19 offensive rebounds. Carolina also had a season-low six turnovers and was 10-for-26 on 3-point attempts while holding State to a 6-for-25 night on 3s -- the Pack going 0-for-10 in the second half.

"They were more aggressive than us," State's Ilian Evtimov said. "All this [talk] about them being freshmen ... that didn't show up tonight. We played like freshmen, and they kicked our butts on the boards.

"We'd get a defensive stop, but we couldn't get the rebound. They'd get it and score, and it was tough for us to come back."

Noel, who hit his first shot of the game and then rarely missed, had 18 points in the opening half as the Heels grabbed a 46-34 lead. After State took a 21-19 lead on a 3 by Engin Atsur, Noel fueled a 24-8 Carolina run with 3s and putbacks and jumpers to give the Heels a 43-29 cushion.

"When we were struggling to make a basket or [State] was about to make a run, David made some big-time shots," Frasor said. "He hit 3-pointers, fallaways, everything. He has some guts."

Noel more or less shrugged it off his career-high scoring game. Just playing ball, he said, breaking into a big smile.

"I felt good in warm-ups and felt my shots would fall," said Noel, who was 10-of-14 from the field. "It was a big game for me, personally, but it was a bigger game for us. We want a better ACC Tournament seeding and better NCAA Tournament seeding.

"We beat them twice, so we ought to have a better seeding."

Williams called Noel's play sensational, noting, "That's as well as he's played." But he also noted Noel had plenty of help.

Reyshawn Terry had 20 points, Tyler Hansbrough 17 and Wes Miller 15 for the Heels.

The Heels were averaging 17.6 turnovers a game, many of the "silly" variety, as Miller put it. But Carolina had just two in the opening half and finished with six turnovers -- UNC's fewest in a game since it had two against Fairfield on March 13, 1997.

"Not only did we play hard, play with a lot of intensity, but we used our brains." Miller said.

The Pack was leading the ACC in 3-point percentage in league games (45.7 percent), making 12 or more from behind the arc in its previous five games. But the Heels were smothering at times, jumping out to contest shooters.

"N.C. State is not going to go 0-for-10 from 3-point range very often," Williams said. "We try to put pressure on the ball ... But I think we were fortunate because State was due [for an off-night]. They shot something like 60 percent from the outside the last three games, and that was bound to even out sooner or later."