Weekend Wrap: November 5

By Adam Lucas | 0 Comment(s) | Posted

Carolina had a terrific weekend in the Coastal Division--by doing absolutely nothing. By virtue of Duke's blowout at the hands of Clemson, the Tar Heels now control their own destiny for the division title (the same league office that thinks KISS provides a great intro for college football games in the year 2012 says the Tar Heels are ineligible for the division title, which has about as much impact on my desire to win the league as the amount of impact Gene Simmons has on today's musical scene). It's pretty simple: beat Georgia Tech, Virginia and Maryland, and the Tar Heels will be no worse than tied with Miami. But Carolina already won in Coral Gables, so they would have the head-to-head tiebreaker and, as such, the division title.

Tar Heel teams that played this weekend also had some great results. Field hockey won the ACC Tournament title, making back-to-back championships and securing their national top ranking going into the NCAA Tournament. Volleyball got a pair of key home wins, beating the top two teams in the league, Miami and Florida State. You might very possibly see Joe Sagula's club in the national rankings this week. 

The men's soccer ACC Tournament begins this week, and the Tar Heels face Duke in the first game (Tuesday at 7 in Chapel Hill). Women's soccer NCAA Tournament bids go out later today. 

Tar Heels in the NFL

Big night for Bruuuuuce Carter, as he had a team-high 10 tackles for the Cowboys, with two of them for loss. 

Greg Little caught five passes for 52 yards for the Browns.

Brandon Tate caught one pass for 17 yards for the Bengals and returned three kickoffs for 106 yards, with a long of 43.

The Steelers limited Hakeem Nicks to just one catch for 10 yards.

Connor Barth uncharacteristically missed a pair of field goals for the Bucs. 

Tar Heels in the NBA

Kendall Marshall saw his first action of the season for the Suns last night, playing one minute in a loss to the Magic. Harrison Barnes's role became much more important in Golden State, as his backup/co-starter Brandon Rush is out for the season with a torn ACL. Danny Green had a big night (21 points) against the Jazz and is being asked to provide energy for the Spurs.

If you're in the Charlotte area, you'll get a chance to see Marshall this week, as the Bobcats host the Suns on Wednesday night. Tickets, as you probably guessed, are available.

Best story I read this weekend

This time, it wasn't something I read, it was something I watched. This is former UNC defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano in the locker room after a Colts victory yesterday. Pagano is now the head coach of the Colts, but is on leave while he battles leukemia.

That might be one of the best locker room speeches I've ever seen. Joe Posnanski had a few thoughts on the speech that are worth reading.
Three Tar Heel storylines to watch this week
1. One of my favorite parts of the weekend came yesterday, when I checked the DVR and realized I was now able to record two Tar Heel basketball games. Know what that means? Hoops season is finally here. Carolina opens with two home games this weekend, one on Friday night against Gardner-Webb, and another on Sunday at 2:30 against Florida Atlantic.
2. The Tar Heels will play in their regularly appointed 12:30 kickoff time on Saturday, hosting Georgia Tech. The Jacket defense has been awful this year, but they looked fairly strong in beating Maryland--a team starting a linebacker at QB--on Saturday. A week off is often very beneficial for teams trying to defend the Jacket triple-option.
3. The postseason approaches for a host of fall teams. Field hockey is probably Carolina's best hope for a national title, and they'll find out their road to the Final Four tomorrow. Men's soccer begins ACC Tournament play tomorrow. Women's soccer, which has had an extremely unusual year due to injuries and national team commitments, finds out its NCAA Tournament destination today.

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