In one of the most storied rivalries in sports, Duke and North Carolina played last night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, in what turned out to be a great game. For a collegiate clash that date’s all the way back to 1920, Duke got their 100th win in the all-time series, although UNC still leads 130-100. With everyone still buzzing about Tobacco Road this morning, we decided to ponder what an alumni game with current NBA players would look like today. Read More »

I had seen the games on TV, read about them in the newspaper, and listened to Dick Vitale rant and rave about how “there’s no better rivalry in college sports.” But I truly didn’t understand the magnitude of the Duke-North Carolina rivalry until I physically stepped foot in Chapel Hill.

These universities do not like each other, and these fans loathe each other – to the point I even had a journalism teacher tell my class last year that if we spelled Duke “Dook,” he wouldn’t take off points. Read More »

Some surprising news hit campus this morning: North Carolina junior point guard Larry Drew II will transfer from the university, Coach Roy Williams announced Friday.

“This morning, around 9 o’clock, I got a message to call big Larry,” said Williams at his Friday press conference in reference to Drew’s father, the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. “At that point he informed me Larry was leaving, and we had a long discussion, most of which should be kept private.” Read More »

Everyone has heard the name Stan Smith somewhere, but hopefully you’ve heard his name in reference to his accomplishments on the tennis court. If not, it’s likely you’ve seen or owned a pair of the classic adidas Stan Smith tennis shoes that are in their 40th year of production. With highlights that include winning the 1971 US Open, 1972 Wimbledon and a No. 1 overall ranking in the world, he was kind of a big deal. We were able to talk to the man worthy of bearing his name and face on a pair of shoes recently, about everything from playing high school basketball to hanging out with the Lakers to the Duke-Carolina rivalry. Read More »

Following a year of disappointment that ended without an invite to the Big Dance, North Carolina is still left scratching their heads after a 4-2 start this season. The hype around this year’s Tar Heels surrounds the arrival of Harrison Barnes, the 6-8 versatile small forward who was seen by most as the No. 1 player coming out of high school. Story sound familiar? Barnes is in a similar situation as Carmelo Anthony during the 2002-03 season when he arrived at Syracuse. The Orangemen were coming off a 2001-02 season where they went 23-13 and also missed the tourney. Read More »

Five NCAA teams that got my attention this past weekend for various reasons:

1. NORTH CAROLINA (2-2) Those who thought the Tar Heels were overrated — cracking the AP preseason Top 10 following an NIT finish — were proven right after UNC lost twice at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic, which happened to be their first encounter with major-conference competition. Read More »

As you can see, college basketball is back. And while we’ve been showing you what the NBA’s best have been wearing on their feet, we’ll be dropping some of college’s hottest kicks in the next few days. Just like Marquette, check out the exclusive Air Jordan 2010 Team that North Carolina will be wearing the season. Read More »

Since it began 39 years ago, Midnight Madness has become one of the most creative events in sports because it brings the past, present and future together. Schools honor their old stars and introduce their current rosters, all while high-prized recruits sit courtside in awe. But beyond the basketball element, it’s a chance for fans, players and coaches who are generally very serious to have fun and celebrate the college basketball new year. Celebrities sometimes make unexpected cameos, future NBA Lottery picks often don ridiculous costumes, and Hall-of-Fame coaches in their 60s throw on baggy clothes and dance to hip-hop.

Friday night, Late Night With Roy – North Carolina’s Midnight Madness tradition hosted by ESPN’s Stuart Scott – epitomized what the once-a-year event should be about. Read More »

Second Baptist School (Houston, TX) junior L.J. Rose is one of the most gifted point guards in the country. Despite suffering from a nagging ankle injury all summer, he still had everyone from North Carolina to Arizona trying to lure him to their schools. Fresh off surgery to repair a fracture in his fifth metatarsal, Rose has agreed to give HSH exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts in a regular diary. Here are some excerpts from his debut entry: Read More »

Shabazz Muhammad was the breakout high school star of the summer. The 6-6 wing from Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, NV) was already rising through the rankings before he averaged 32 points per game on the AAU circuit and really blew up.

Now every school from North Carolina to Kentucky to Duke is in pursuit of Muhammad, a junior who is ranked 8th overall in the High School Hoop national Top 50. Muhammad has agreed to give HSH and Dime exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts in a regular diary where he’ll keep everyone updated on everything from his personal life to his high school season to his recruiting process. Here’s an excerpt from his latest entry: Read More »