Nov. 15, 2009

No. 6 Tar Heels Hold Off Valparaiso 88-77
Roy Williams had promised there would be times when his North Carolina team looked ready to make a serious run at defending the national championship.

And then there would be days like Sunday, when the sixth-ranked Tar Heels commit "silly" turnovers, don't put opponents away and lack intensity.

It's why Williams was so irked by the time the Tar Heels had finished a tougher-than-should've-been 88-77 win over Valparaiso. He saw his team blow much of a 24-point second-half lead and look a little shaky after a promising start to the season. And with his team preparing for a tough stretch which begins with a trip to New York to play No. 16 Ohio State on Thursday in the 2K Sports Classic, Williams wasn't shy in letting his team know it has to play much better.

Wake Forest Rolls to 89-58 Defeat of East Carolina in Greensboro
Al-Farouq Aminu added to an already impressive opening weekend, scoring 23 points and pulling down nine rebounds to lead Wake Forest to an 89-58 defeat of East Carolina on Sunday afternoon at the Greensboro Coliseum.

With the win, Wake Forest moves to 2-0 on the young season. East Carolina drops to 1-1 with the loss.

Aminu led the Demon Deacons in both games this weekend, scoring 25 points against Oral Roberts on Friday followed by 23 today against the Pirates. He added 13 boards against ORU for a double-double and just missed another with nine rebounds against ECU. Aminu shot a combined 16-for-25 (64 percent) in the two games. 

Tech opens season with victory over Brown
Malcolm Delaney scored 21 points and Jeff Allen added 17 as the Virginia Tech Hokies opened the 2009-10 season with a 69-55 victory over Brown in an opening round match-up of the Philly Hoop Group Classic played Saturday afternoon at Cassell Coliseum.

With the victory, the Hokies moved to 7-0 in season openers under head coach Seth Greenberg. Brown, an Ivy League school, fell to 1-1 overall on the season.

Tech, which never trailed in the game, broke open a close contest late in the first half with a 16-5 run, taking a 34-19 lead on a free throw by Victor Davila with 1:08 remaining. Five different players scored in that run and Davila led the way with seven of the 16 points.