Tar Heels say they are wary of Eagles

Unbeaten North Carolina will move to the second part of its season today for games that should test all of its resources and determine if it is worthy of its No. 1 national ranking.

UNC will open its ACC season at 5:30 p.m. at the Smith Center against improved Boston College and sharpshooter Tyrese Rice. UNC has won its first 13 games by an average of 26.4 points, with no team coming closer than 15.

ACC play is always more intense, physically draining and demanding, as forward Danny Green has discovered in three previous seasons. Green said he's certain that the Tar Heels will have to call upon all their ability and Roy Williams' coaching to stay unbeaten and pursue a second consecutive ACC regular-season title.

"It's my senior year; I just want to go out with a bang," Green said. "I want to win every game possible. I think that's one of the reasons why I'm so focused.

"I've been to the Final Four. I've been to the NCAA Tournament in every possible situation. I've experienced a lot. The only thing I haven't experienced is a national championship. This year I'm trying to achieve that goal."

The Tar Heels are 13-0. All of their wins have been by decided by margins of at least 10 points, a school record for consecutive games, despite injuries to center Tyler Hansbrough and forward Marcus Ginyard. They missed a combined 15 games.

Hansbrough said he has sometimes thought about the possibility of the Tar Heels going unbeaten this season. He has never played on an unbeaten team at any level.

"We'll see what happens," Hansbrough said. "I want to take it game by game. It would be great to go undefeated."

Boston College is 12-2. Its losses were by a combined 10 points to Purdue and Saint Louis. It has won its past nine games and will also be playing its ACC opener.

Rice, a senior point guard, torched UNC last season in a game in Chestnut Hill, Mass. He scored 46 points, the most by one player against UNC since Dec. 27, 1976. He topped his career-scoring high in the first half when he erupted for 34 points.

"I remember him not missing," Green said. "He came out hot and he continued to stay hot. Every time he caught the ball he put it up, from anywhere. I don't think he'll have a game like that again against us. I hope not. Knock on wood."

Rice hit six 3-point shots in the first nine minutes. He sparked Boston College to 18-point leads in both halves. UNC won 90-80 by outscoring Boston College 50-26 after halftime, built on an 18-0 run, but Rice's performance, according to Williams, was one for the ACC record books.

"I do believe that it was one of the best shows that I've ever seen," Williams said.

Rice is averaging 16.7 points. He is one of four Eagles averaging at least 11.1 points. He is shooting 39.3 percent on 3-point attempts, hitting 24 of 61, and his sure ballhandling has limited the Eagles to an average of 12.7 turnovers.

Williams said he's confident that his team can play better despite its record and scoring output. At least two categories -- defense and rebounding -- need improvement, according to Williams.

Nevada, UNC's previous opponent, held a 39-38 edge off the boards and grabbed 20 offensive rebounds. Boston College is averaging 40.2 rebounds, 6.2 more than its opponents. Nevada shot 20 free throws in the second half.

Williams said he isn't especially concerned that UNC hasn't played a close game before entering the ACC season. He is aware that his players haven't had to make free throws in the final seconds to win and haven't been forced to come up with a defensive stop at the finish of a tight game.

He has one of college basketball's most experienced teams and believes that his players will stay poised if a game stays close. He is hopeful that UNC's experience in close games last season will produce an edge when games go down to the last possession.

"I do like one thing, though," Williams said. "We've been in different environments. We've gone on the road. That was a tremendous (Nevada) crowd the other night. They score early and it's as loud as it can be.

"They're thinking that they're going to kick our rear ends. Our guys just kept their focus and didn't lose their concentration and didn't panic. They just kept playing."

Green would welcome a nail-biter, however, just to serve as a reminder to a team that aspires to win the NCAA Tournament title that battles must be won.

"I think we could use one," he said. "It would be good for us. It would be good to have a tight, close game every once in a while. In the (NCAA) Tournament, I don't think we're going to beat every team by double digits. I think it would add to our confidence to have a couple of teams that would give us a good run."

■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com

Game day

Boston College at North Carolina

• Site, time: Smith Center, Chapel Hill; 5:30.

• TV/Radio: FSCR Ch. 46; WTHZ 94.1

• Of note: This is the ACC opener for both the top-ranked Tar Heels and the unranked Eagles. North Carolina leads the series with Boston College 6-3, however the Eagles have won nine in a row. A key matchup to watch is the two floor leaders: North Carolina's Ty Lawson and Boston College's Tyrese Rice. Lawson is the Tar Heels' second leading scorer at 15.6 points per game. He is hitting 56 percent from the field and 17 of 36 (47 percent) from long range. Rice is the Eagles' leading scorer at 16.7 points per game. He is hitting 46 percent from the field and 24 of 61 (39 percent) from long range. Tyler Hansbrough, UNC's all-time leading scorer, is averaging 23 points per game. He is hitting 56 percent from the field. UNC is coming off an impressive road victory against Nevada, while Boston College has played its last six games at home. BC's last game was a win against Sacred Heart. UNC has beaten Boston College each of the last four games. Boston College's last win against North Carolina was an 85-82 victory in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament in 2006 at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Tar Heels beat the Eagles 91-69 last season at the Smith Center and 90-80 at the Conte Forum.

Virginia Tech at Duke

• Site, time: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham; 7:45.

• TV/Radio: FSCR Ch. 46; WIST 98.3

• Of note: Duke is rolling along at 11-1 while Virginia Tech (9-4) has suffered through a number of key injuries. Coach Seth Greenberg of the Hokies said he can't remember if his entire team has practiced together all at once this season or not. The Hokies last played in Cameron Indoor Stadium two years ago and came away with a 69-67 win in overtime. The Blue Devils, who are ranked fifth, are riding a three-game winning streak. Kyle Singler had a big night in their easy win against Loyola (Md.) with 20 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a career-best six steals. However, during that game point guard Nolan Smith suffered a bruised knee that forced him out. Smith is expected back for tonight's ACC opener for both teams. In last year's game in Blacksburg, the Blue Devils won 81-64 but Jeff Allen of the Hokies didn't play while sitting out a two-game suspension for bumping an official. Allen is third on the team in scoring at 13.9 points a game and leads them in rebounding at 9.2. A.D. Vassallo leads the Hokies at 19 points a game and point guard Malcolm Delaney is averaging 16.7 points a game. Victor Davila, a freshman who played at Starmount High School, has played in all 13 games for the Hokies and has made two starts. He is averaging 4.9 points and 2.6 rebounds while averaging 16 minutes a game.