CORAL GABLES, Fla. — First, Wake Forest’s Jeff Teague dropped 34 points on the Tar Heels. Then Florida State’s Toney Douglas scored 32.

Sunday, Miami’s Jack McClinton scored a career-high 35 points during third-ranked UNC’s 69-65 victory.

Should this be a concern, despite Carolina’s nine-game winning streak?

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Roy Williams moved his press conference up to 10 a.m. on Tuesday so he could attend the funeral of a high school teammate, who was also in his wedding. He answered questions about his team’s Wednesday night showdown with Duke at
Cameron Indoor Stadium. Here’s a smattering of answers:

Q: You’ve said you think this is the best Duke team since you’ve been back at UNC. Why do you think that?

CHAPEL HILL — Foot injuries have been a painful nuisance for North Carolina’s basketball team in recent years.

In 2002-03, center Sean May, who now plays for the Charlotte Bobcats, was limited to 11 games because of a broken bone in his left foot. In 2006-07, Quentin Thomas, who graduated last summer, had a stress reaction in his left foot that caused him to miss nine games. That same
season, Bobby Frasor, now a senior, missed 10 games during two stretches because of injuries to his right foot.

Now Marcus Ginyard, UNC’s top defender, will miss the rest of the season and seek a medical redshirt because his left foot — which still boasts a pin, and was inserted to heal a stress fracture in October, still hurts.

 CHAPEL HILL — UNC coach Roy Williams said recently it would be “awfully stupid” for forward Tyler Zeller, who broke his wrist during the second game of the season, to return this season. If he doesn’t, the freshman could apply for a medical redshirt, and have four years of eligibility remaining.

But it will be interesting to see if Williams and Zeller re-consider, considering the news that Marcus Ginyard and Will Graves are now gone for the rest of the year.

"Tyler Zeller goes to the doctor tomorrow,'' Williams said Tuesday night, "and whatever happens with him is absolutely an individual decision. It has nothing to do with Will [Graves], it has nothing to do with Marcus [Ginyard], it has nothing to do with Yogi Berra or Richard Petty or anybody. Tyler Zeller will be what's best with Tyler Zeller."

ACC officiating supervisor John Clougherty said Monday that the referees Saturday at N.C. State showed common sense when they allowed North Carolina’s Patrick Moody to shoot free throws for Michael Copeland with 1.9 seconds remaining.

The rule book allows a substitute to shoot free throws for an injured player. Copeland didn’t appear injured and got up quickly to chase after N.C. State center Ben McCauley, whose hard foul sent Copeland to the floor with North Carolina ahead 91-76.

McCauley was called for an intentional foul, and both players received technical fouls. North Carolina coach Roy Williams sent Copeland to the locker room.

"I can’t argue with my officials or disagree with Coach Williams,” Clougherty said Monday.

Staff photo by Jason Arthurs

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina's seniors are 2-1 against N.C. State in Raleigh, but they have yet to get used to the Wolfpack atmosphere. They'll face it again when the teams play at the RBC Center on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

"From our perspective, their fans are kind of crazy, a lot of country guys over there,'' UNC forward Danny Green said. "They're pretty harsh; they speak their mind, they say whatever comes to mind, they try to hurt your feelings, and it's probably one of the toughest places to
play.

• Talking Points: The Ginyard Dilemma

CHAPEL HILL — After watching Florida State's Toney Douglas drop 32 points during fifth-ranked North Carolina's down-to-the-wire victory on Wednesday, it's clear the Tar Heels are still missing a perimeter defender.

And it sounds like they won't be getting him back any time soon.

Senior Marcus Ginyard will miss his seventh straight game Saturday, at N.C. State, coach Roy Williams said Friday. And since the wing hasn't returned to practice yet, it seems unlikely he will play against Maryland or Virginia this week.

North Carolina forward Marcus Ginyard still has not returned to practice, and no decision has been made about when -- or if -- the senior defensive stopper will return this season.

"Marcus and I talked yesterday, he still did not practice yesterday, and we're going to look at him and talk to the doctors more a little more this week, so there hasn't been any decision made on him,'' coach Roy Williams said.

North Carolina guard Wayne Ellington's 23-point game Sunday against Miami — which included seven straight three-pointers in the second half — broke him out of a cold shooting spell.

But it also could be a good warm-up for Wednesday's game against Clemson, a team he notoriously sizzles against.

Three of the junior's best career games have come against the Tigers. Last year at Clemson, he capped his career-high 36-point performance with a game-winning three-pointer; later that season at the Smith Center, he swished 28 points, including five three-pointers. Then during the ACC tournament, he scored 24.