RALEIGH – North Carolina coach Sylvia Hatchell bristled at her team’s lackluster job of rebounding during the first half of Sunday’s game against N.C. State.

After hearing a few choice words at halftime, Hatchell’s team responded in the second half, overcoming a stiff challenge and collecting a feel-good 60-50 victory over their ACC rivals.

Updated 5:23 p.m.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Scott Wood put his name in the ACC record book on Sunday and lifted N.C. State into a first-place tie in the ACC standings in the process.

After the Wolfpack's 78-73 win over Miami, a group of about two dozen State fans, mostly his family members, waited behind the team bench to congratulate him.

As the group cheered as he ran off the court, Wood tried to bury his chin in his shoulder to shrug off the attention and as if to say "Ah, that was nothing."

As North Carolina and N.C. State await medical results on their starting wing guards today, the chemistry on both teams could change substantially.

State is hoping for positive news on C.J. Williams’ right shoulder, and UNC is awaiting a report on Dexter Strickland’s knee.

N.C. State guard C.J. Williams did not practice Friday but Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried is hopeful Williams will play at Miami on Sunday.

Williams, a senior, injured his right shoulder in the second half of N.C. State's 76-62 win over Boston College on Thursday night. Williams watched the final 9 minutes and 16 seconds from the bench with his shoulder wrapped and iced.

"We're going to watch him for 24 hours and see how he responds," Gottfried said Friday. "Right now, it's doubtful, but we're hoping that he will be able to play."

1) The Richard Howell Fan Club

Junior forward Richard Howell lost 25 pounds in the offseason and found his game. Howell always played with a high basketball IQ but didn't always have the physical means, or stamina, to maximize his potential.

Howell's still undersized — he's listed at 6-8 but is really about three inches shorter — but he's made up for his lack of height with effort. He was all over the court on Thursday with 11 points, 16 rebounds and three steals. (I actually think he was short-changed by the official scorer in the latter category as State produced a season-best 16 steals.)

RALEIGH — N.C. State already gave away an ACC home game to one of the teams at the bottom of the conference standings earlier this month.

The Wolfpack wasn't interested in repeating any such mistakes against an out-manned Boston College team on Thursday night at the RBC Center.

With a focused and high-energy effort, State dispatched the Eagles, 76-62 to improve to 3-1 in the ACC for the first time in six years.

N.C. State women's basketball announced on Thursday that Scotty McCreery will perform at halftime during the program's seventh annual Hoops 4 Hope event on Feb. 12.

State hosts Wake Forest at Reynolds Coliseum at 5 p.m. 

The Hoops 4 Hope event, which was started by former State coach Kay Yow, advocates breast cancer awareness and research. The event was started to offer hope to suvivors of the disease. 

McCreery, a burgeoning country music star, will sing a song at halftime as a special tribute to survivors in attendance. 

With 11 new players on the roster, including nine freshmen, Boston College knew it was in for a transition season.

But since a 5-9 start in nonconference play, and a 23-point loss at North Carolina, the Eagles have won two straight ACC games.

Which means that Boston College heads into Thursday night’s game at N.C. State with the same conference record as the Wolfpack (2-1).

Pack vs. Vols, Clemson vs. Auburn in kickoff doubleheader.

N.C. State will go "back to normal" for Thursday's game against Boston College, Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried said. That means a return to the starting lineup for sophomore forward C.J. Leslie.

Gottfried benched Leslie for disciplinary reasons, stemming from a practice incident last week, in Saturday's 76-40 win at Wake Forest.