Offseason? It was relatively busy weekend for N.C. State basketball and its potential future, and former, players.
• McDonald's All-American forward Amile Jefferson has scheduled a press conference on Tuesday (4 p.m.) at his high school in Philadelphia to announce his college decision. Jefferson, ranked as the No. 25 prospect in the class by ESPN, has N.C. State, Duke, Kentucky, Ohio State and Villanova on his list.
Kentucky will pursue a third straight trip to the Final Four, and second straight national title, with at least one former N.C. State guard. There's a chance Julius Mays could make it two.
Mays, who transferred from N.C. State to Wright State in 2010, has a scholarship offer from Kentucky, he said Wednesday.
After a breakout season at Wright State, Mays, who will graduate from the Horizon League school in June, is also contemplating offers from Purdue, Michigan State and Illinois. Under NCAA rules, Mays can graduate and be immediately eligible for the upcoming 2012-13 season.
America is doomed.
That's the obvious conclusion now that Mark & Bopper have been eliminated from "The Amazing Race."
Two salt-of-the-earth guys, united in friendship with no regard to the artificial barriers of race, they happily and graciously experienced the world without a note of arrogance.
They were the best of what we can be, what we strive to be.
The Race should have done anything it could to ensure their victory. Bunch up the teams at the airport. Make the next few detour tasks specific to Clay County, Kentucky. Knee cap that whiny girl from Big Brother.
While North Carolina got a clearer picture of what its roster will look like in 2013, with the early exit of three underclassmen to the NBA on Thursday, Duke and N.C. State are still waiting.
The Blue Devils, on forward Mason Plumlee, and the Wolfpack, on forward C.J. Leslie, are both waiting for their respective pro prospects to make a decision about the NBA draft. The two Triangle teams are also waiting on Kentucky and the fate of a few key recruits. The Wildcats, the prohibitive favorite to win the 2012 NCAA title, are holding all the recruiting cards with the class of 2012.
Duke Energy and Progress Energy said today they have agreed to a 2-year rate freeze and $825,000 in contributions to social programs in Kentucky in exchange for getting their corporate merger approved in that state.
The agreement hints at the kinds of concessions the two North Carolina electric utilities might consider in this state to win approval from the N.C. Utilities Commission.
Charlotte-based Duke and Raleigh-based Progress announced the agreement with Kentucky's Attorney General this morning. The two companies announced their proposed merger in January, which would form the nation's largest electric utility with 7.1 million customers in six states.
Upper Room Christian Academy junior is no longer committed to Louisville.
updated 9:20 p.m.
NEWARK, N.J. -- All season long, North Carolina coach Roy Williams warned that eventually, star freshman Harrison Barnes would miss a clutch shot.
Sunday, in the most frenetic and pressure-packed of circumstances at the Prudential Center, he missed two.
With the ultimate comeback on the line – a trip to the NCAA Final Four, after a failure to even make the field last March – Barnes-led UNC came back from an 11-point deficit against Kentucky only to lose 76-69 when Wildcats guard DeAndre Liggins made a big 3-pointer, while Barnes and point guard Kendall Marshall failed to make four shots in the final 62 seconds.
Not your December's Barnes
North Carolina and Kentucky have changed significantly since the two met on Dec. 4 in Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels won that one, 75-73, even though freshman forward Harrison Barnes did not play well.
In 25 minutes, Barnes scored 12 points but missed six of his 10 field-goal attempts, committed three turnovers and was limited to four rebounds.
DURHAM – Plagued by turnovers, shooting a dismal percentage from the field, the Duke women's basketball team never found an offensive rhythm against Kentucky.
Making baskets has been a problem of late.
Still, the No. 3 Blue Devils found another way to knock off another ranked team, this time easing by the No. 10 Wildcats with a 54-48 victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Propped up by their defense, the Devils forced 22 turnovers and held the Wildcats to 39.1 percent from the floor, holding senior Victoria Dunlap to 10 points and limiting the team’s leading scorer’s impact on this nationally televised game.
updated: 5:08 p.m.
CHAPEL HILL -- Entering the season, fans were looking to North Carolina’s highly-touted freshmen to lead their team back to prominence. But with a much-needed victory on the line Saturday, it the juniors who made the biggest impact for the Tar Heels down the stretch.
While point guard Larry Drew II clamped down on defense, 7-footer Tyler Zeller scored 12 of UNC’s final 16 points to top No. 10 Kentucky 75-73.
It was as close to a must-win as you could get this early in the season for the Tar Heels (5-3), considering they had already lost three games, fallen out of the top-25, and were facing serious questions about their toughness, offense, and ability to improve.
