Kendall Marshall is still recovering from the broken right wrist he suffered during the Tar Heels' NCAA tournament run in March. PHOTO: Chuck Liddy

Former North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall is training for the NBA draft at the IMG Basketball Academy in Florida, and he has some good news: He has nearly fully recovered from the broken wrist he suffered during the Tar Heels’ victory against Creighton in the NCAA tournament.

In an interview posted on the academy’s website earlier today, Marshall said, “My wrist is almost 100 percent.”

And then came this revelation: “What people didn’t know is that I also fractured my elbow. That’s been the toughest thing for me to deal with, still not being able to go full contact. Hopefully, I’ll be ready to go by the [NBA scouting] combine.”

You can read the full interview right here on the IMG site.

Roy Williams and his North Carolina team will be traveling to Tallahassee again during the 2012-13 season. PHOTO: Robert Willett

The addition of Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC – and the adoption of an 18-game conference schedule – will bring an end to the home-and-away series between North Carolina and N.C. State that has existed since, well, forever. At least it seems that way.

But the home-and-home between the Tar Heels and Wolfpack will survive another season at least.

The teams will play next season in both Chapel Hill and Raleigh, according an email that Karl Hicks, the ACC’s associate commissioner for men’s basketball, sent to UNC in April. The university earlier today released that email to The News & Observer.

The impermissible benefits and academic fraud scandals that led to Butch Davis' firing also led to UNC's internal investigation into the Department of African and Afro-American studies. PHOTO: N&O file

CHAPEL HILL — The University of North Carolina recently released the results of a months-long internal investigation into the Department of African and Afro-American Studies. UNC’s investigation found widespread academic fraud involving more than 50 courses, and the investigation found evidence of academic fraud ranging from professors who never showed up to teach class to unauthorized grade changes.

You can read The News & Observer’s story about UNC’s internal investigation right here. You can also find a complete copy of the investigation right here. 

If UNC’s internal investigation wasn’t damning enough, the situation became worse today. Responding to a request from The N&O, UNC provided the number of football and men’s basketball players who enrolled in courses at the heart of the investigation into the Department of African and Afro-American Studies. According to UNC, 39 percent of those enrolled in the suspect courses were either football or men’s basketball players. Here is the story from N&O reporter Dan Kane.

Hubert Davis, seen here (center) in 2006 at his annual basketball camp at the Smith Center, is the latest addition to UNC's coaching staff. PHOTO: N&O file --Leslie Barbour

CHAPEL HILL — In case you missed it, I wrote a story about Hubert Davis, North Carolina’s newest assistant basketball coach, that ran on Sunday. You can check that out right here.

Davis and I spoke for a bit late last week about a variety of topics: His decision to leave ESPN to join to the Tar Heels’ coaching staff, how the opportunity came to be in the first place, what he anticipates his role being with UNC and what he learned from Dean Smith, whom Davis played for in the late 1980s and early 90s.

Here’s the interview with Davis:

UNC coach Roy Williams doesn't have any issues recruiting head-to-head against Mike Krzyzewski. PHOTO: Robert Willett

CHARLOTTE — North Carolina coach Roy Williams said on Wednesday night during a Rams Club Tar Heel Tour stop in Charlotte that he plans to spend next week focusing on hiring a new assistant coach. Williams will be filling a void on his staff left by the departed Jerod Haase, who left UNC to become the head coach at UAB.

Williams recently has been devoting his attention to recruiting, and he said he’d be doing the same this weekend. After this weekend, though, he will come closer to naming a new assistant.

“Really the meat of the work is going to be done after this weekend’s recruiting period,” Williams said. “I feel pretty good about it.” 

Tyler Zeller didn't end his college career the way he wanted, but his performance throughout the season made him a co-MVP of the 2011-12 Tar Heels. PHOTO: Robert Willet

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina held its annual postseason basketball awards ceremony last Thursday night. And for some reason, I missed the release about it. My apologies. Senior forward Tyler Zeller and sophomore point guard Kendall Marshall received co-MVP honors during the ceremony, which was closed to the public and to the media.

Zeller at the end of the regular season received ACC Player of the Year honors while Marshall, who set an ACC single-season record with 351 assists, earned second-team All-ACC honors. Marshall joined sophomore forward Harrison Barnes and junior forward John Henson in leaving school early to enter the NBA draft.

Zeller and fellow senior Justin Watts were named permanent captains for the 2011-12 Tar Heels.

Here’s the complete list of winners:

The first NCAA tournament projection that I could find anywhere has James Michael McAdoo and the Tar Heels as a No. 2 seed. PHOTO: Ethan Hyman

CHAPEL HILL — Today is April 16. So you know what that means: It’s time to talk 2012-13 NCAA tournament projections. Joe Lunardi, the noted ESPN.com NCAA tournament bracketologist, has released his first projection of the preseason. (Is it even late enough in the year to consider this the “preseason?” I digress.)

UNC coach Roy Williams led most of his players off court with 14.2 seconds remaining in the Tar Heels' 90-57 defeat at Florida State on Jan. 14. PHOTO: Robert Willett

CHAPEL HILL — … And we continue a look back at the season that was for North Carolina basketball. Yesterday in this space I chronicled some of the best moments for the Tar Heels during the 2011-12 season. So you know what’s coming today: That’s right – a look back at some of UNC’s worst moments.

Without further delay …

Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Kendall Marshall led North Carolina to some good times during the 2011-12 season. PHOTO: Robert Willett

CHAPEL HILL — Plenty of time has passed since North Carolina ended the 2011-12 season with an 80-67 defeat against Kansas in the NCAA tournament Midwest regional final. Since then, we’ve learned that Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Kendall Marshall are leaving school for the NBA. We’ve learned that James Michael McAdoo will be back.

Most of all, we’ve had time to reflect on a season that began with such great expectations, and one that ended with the Tar Heels falling short of fulfilling those hopes. How will you remember the season that was for UNC? Will you remember it as an unquestioned success – given the Tar Heels won the ACC regular season championship, finished 32-6 and were among the final eight teams playing? Will you remember it as a failure, because UNC didn’t win a national championship, and didn’t reach the Final Four?

The legacy of the 2011-12 Tar Heels is for history to decide. We begin our belated look back at the season that was by remembering the good. So here they are – the best moments that UNC experienced during the 2011-12 season:

The return of James Michael McAdoo will provide the Tar Heels with some experience in the frontcourt. PHOTO: Ethan Hyman

North Carolina received some disappointing – but not unexpected – news last week, when Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Kendall Marshall all announced they were leaving school to enter the NBA draft. Today, though, the Tar Heels received some good news.

James Michael McAdoo, the freshman forward, is coming back to school. Here’s the story.