DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- If N.C State can ever put a second half together like its first halves down here in Florida…

“We’re going to be a force to be reckoned with,” N.C. State guard Julius Mays said.

Once again, N.C. State produced a suffocating first-half defensive performance. Once again, the Wolfpack found itself clinging to a lead late. Saturday, Austin Peay got within four points with a minute to go before the Wolfpack hung on for a 66-59 win.

DURHAM -- It wasn't the zone part of the equation that eluded Radford, but the defense.

Duke shredded the Highlanders' ill-advised zone with 18 3-pointers in a 104-67 romp in Saturday's untelevised game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Four N.C. State turnovers - including two lost fumbles on the Wolfpack's first three plays on offense - helped Virginia Tech win 38-10 on Saturday at Lane Stadium.

Linebacker Cody Grimm forced three fumbles to tie an NCAA single-game record for the Hokies, and redshirt freshman Ryan Williams ran for four touchdowns to hand N.C. State (4-7, 1-6 ACC) its sixth loss in the last seven games.

BLACKSBURG, Va. - N.C. State play-by-play broadcaster Gary Hahn isn't working today's game at Virginia Tech because he is recovering from prostate cancer surgery.

Wolfpack Sports Marketing general manager Brian Asbill said the cancer was discovered in an early stage.

"His prospects for complete and total recovery are excellent," Asbill said.

Hahn, who is in his 20th season as the voice of the Wolfpack, was replaced on play-by-play by Tony Haynes, who usually serves as sideline reporter. Mark Thomas replaced Haynes on the sideline, and Johnny Evans remained in his usual position as color analyst.

BLACKSBURG, Va. - N.C. State offensive coordinator Dana Bible did not make the trip to Virginia Tech for today's 3:30 p.m. game, school sports information director Annabelle Myers said this afternoon.

Bible is undergoing medical tests of an undisclosed nature, Myers said. Running backs coach Jason Swepson will move from his usual position on the field up to the coaches' box and call plays for the Wolfpack.

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.

MIAMI - With a 34-16 victory over Duke at Land Shark Stadium on Saturday, the Miami Hurricanes ended any hope of the Blue Devils making a bowl game this season.

The Devils (5-6, 3-4 ACC) needed a win to have any hope to become bowl eligible for the first time since 1994.

@ 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.
 

NEW YORK -- After beating Ohio State on Thursday night, North Carolina coach Roy Williams said he believed his Tar Heels could be a very good basketball team -- he just wanted to come sooner than it was.

Judging by the sixth-ranked UNC's 87-71 loss to Syracuse in the championship game of the 2K Sports Classic on Friday, it's going to take a while longer.

The sixth-ranked Tar Heels (4-1) tried to fight back 20-point second half deficit at Madison Square Garden, but lacked the firepower and poise to take it all the way.

It marked UNC's first loss of the season, and it will have to adjust fast: three of its next six opponents are ranked in the Associated Press top 25.

Carolina led 39-37 at halftime. But Syracuse opened the second half with a 22-1 run that gave it a 59-40 lead. UNC sophomore Tyler Zeller buried his team's first field goal of the half - on a short jumper - with 12:02 left before Syracuse' Kris Joseph gave his team it's biggest lead of the game, 62-42, on a 3-pointer.

UNC didn't fold. It countered with a 18-6 run - including six points by senior Marcus Ginyard, four from freshman Travis Wear, and a 3-pointer by David Wear -- to cut the Orange's advantage to a manageable 68-60 with about seven minutes left.

But Syracuse immediately came back with a 13-2 run of it's own. The chants of "Over-rated!" began with about three minutes left.

And it was hard to blame the crowd.

Ed Davis and Ginyard led the Tar Heels with 15 points apiece, but the Tar Heels shot 38.1  percent while allowing five Syracuse players to finish in double figures.

The match-up marked the first time UNC had played the Orange since Nov., 1987 - and the first time UNC coach Roy Williams had matched up with Syracuse coach (and friend) Jim Boeheim since the Orange beat Williams' Kansas team in the national title game in 2003.

Syracuse, unranked in the Associated Press poll but looking like it deserves to be, opened the game with an 11-2 run, but the Tar Heels used two 3-pointers from junior Will Graves and seven points from Davis to counter with a 13-1 run to take a 15-12 lead.

But Wes Johnson, a transfer from Iowa State and the Orange's leading scorer, scored 10 points in a row for his team to give it back a 22-20 lead.

The Tar Heels trailed, again, by as much as 31-22 when Scoop Jardine buried a jumper. But Carolina ended the half with a 17-6 run - culminating with an alley-oop layup from Larry Drew II to Davis.