CHARLOTTE - Coach Roy Williams gave his North Carolina basketball players another day off Monday, but once again, Deon Thompson refused to rest.

The forward was in the gym for almost an hour, working on his low-post moves, polishing his shots, striving to keep his aim and game together.

"I think the extra work is paying off,'' said Thompson, who is coming off two sterling performances in NCAA play.

After UNC won the ACC Tournament, Williams gave his team two days off. But Thompson, who struggled in the conference tournament, worked out on his own both days.

Then, in two NCAA games last weekend in Raleigh, he snapped out of a slump, scored 31 points on 14-for-16 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.

Rest? Now now, not for Thompson. After all, his top-seeded team plays No. 4 Washington State in the NCAA round of 16 tonight.

SAME ARENA, DIFFERENT EMOTION: The Tar Heels won the ACC Tournament at Charlotte Bobcats Arena two weeks ago. But it's a different feel now that they're back.

"[In the ACC Tournament] we're trying to beat our brothers, neighbors, establish bragging rights -- but we knew that we were going to have an opportunity to play after that,'' coach Roy Williams said. "Right now, it's none of that. If you don't play, you go home and you get out the golf clubs.

"So this is a much different attitude, a sense of urgency, and along with that sense of urgency is a realization of you getting closer and closer to the bigger prize."

FRASOR SHOOTS: Near the end of Carolina's open practice, point guard Bobby Frasor -- who has been sidelined since December with a torn knee ligament -- started letting shots fly from his perch on the bench.

Eventually, the pro-Carolina crowd started chanting, "Bobby! Bobby!"

After about eight misses -- with coach Roy Williams and teammates watching -- Williams beckoned Frasor to the 3-point line. After a couple of more misses there, he finally made a layup, much to the delight of the roughly 8,000 fans.

LOW-DOWN: ACC fans may not have heard much about Washington State guard Derrick Low, who averages 14.1 points.

But UNC shooting guard Wayne Ellington made the roster with Low in the Pan American Games over the summer, so he knows what to expect tonight.

"He's hard-nosed,'' Ellington said. "He's a tough player, he can shoot the ball well and he moves great without the basketball. We all know what to expect from him, and we won't have any surprises."

WORLD-WIDE NAME: Basketball fans from Angier to Australia know about the Tar Heels.

"Back home, Carolina is one of the only college basketball teams that you really hear about," said Washington State's Aron Baynes, who grew up in Cairns, Australia. "That's kind of what college basketball is back in Australia. I definitely knew more about North Carolina ... prestigious program."