While Friday’s 87-71 loss to Syracuse was both staggering and humiliating for North Carolina’s basketball team, the experience should provide the Tar Heels with a valuable measuring stick.

For an inexperienced, still-uncomfortable team, which Carolina is, Syracuse amounted to the perfect early-season storm.

@ Chestnut Hill, Mass.

UNC's Melvin Williams records the Heels' fifth interception of the
game, and a Casey Barth field with 1:35 left makes the final score
31-13 Carolina.

NEW YORK -- A couple of quick notes after UNC's 87-71 loss to Syracuse in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic:

* With about 16 minutes left, UNC senior Marcus Ginyard drove to the basket, collided with  forward Arinze Onuaku, fell to the floor, and was slow to get up. He returned to the game, and had an ice pack on his side afterwards.

“Two-sixty met 210,’’ Ginyard explained. “I just got big-boyed.”

* Ginyard made the all-tournament team, along with Syracuse’s Andy Rautins, Ohio State’s Evan Turner and California’s Jerome Radle. Syracuse’s Wesley Johnson was named the tournament MVP.
 

North Carolina will be packing its bags the week before Thanksgiving next season, too. The Tar Heels will be one of eight teams participating in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off; they will play Nov. 18, 19 and 21. They will be joined by Davidson, Hofstra, Minnesota, Nebraska,, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, and Western Kentucky. Tickets will go on sale next summer. 

In case you missed the print edition, today's column looked at home-field advantage in the ACC.

Home, sweet home? Not quite, Tommy Lee, not in this state anyway.

CHAPEL HILL — Defensive lineman Aleric Mullins, who needs to take only three hours next semester to graduate, has decided to forego his final season of eligibility, coach Buch Davis said.

"In a similar situation as Richard Quinn [a tight end who left after last season, and now plays in the NFL], he just felt like with the completion of his degree, he just felt like it was time to announce that he was going to finish his career here and make himself available for any potential post-collegiate football that he might be available to,'' Davis said.

Mullins has posted 14 tackles this season.

• Late Hits archive

Boston College: The Eagles' 14-10 over Virginia was their first on the road and seventh of the season, which is about three more wins than any without the last name "Flutie" would have sanely predicted before the season began.

Editor's note: J.P. Giglio is one of 60 AP voters.

• JP Top 25 archive
• AP, USA Today polls
• Pollspeak (how everyone else voted)

There are only eight major Division I teams, out of 120, with either one loss or less. There are 33 teams with either two or three losses.

Thirty-three teams for 17 spots? That helps explain the disparity between my top 25 and the AP top 25, where we have only three teams in common spots (Florida, Alabama and Georgia Tech).

CHAPEL HILL — Forward Deon Thompson scored 20 points to lead sixth-ranked North Carolina past Valparaiso, 88-77, at the Smith Center.

With three straight ACC wins, North Carolina has put itself in a no-lose bowl situation.

With two more wins, and the right breaks, the Tar Heels could end up in the Gator Bowl. Even with a loss, and the wrong breaks, the Heels could still wind up in the Music City Bowl.