Tar Heels have had trouble with Hokies

Two opponents stand between North Carolina and a first-place finish in the ACC's regular season.

And both could be tough enough to prevent the Tar Heels from getting what they want.

First up will be Virginia Tech tonight. UNC will be trying to protect a one-game lead over Duke, which kept the pressure on last night with an 84-78 win over Florida State.

UNC then will play Duke in a regular-season finale Sunday in Chapel Hill.

Tyler Hansbrough, Danny Green, Ty Lawson and other Tar Heels said Saturday that their intensity would increase in March because of important regular-season games and tournament play. Coach Roy Williams said he also gets charged up in March, but he understands that his team is facing a tough stretch.

"I do (get a surge of adrenaline)," Williams said. "We'll find out if those kids are being truthful come Wednesday night."

UNC is 25-3 overall and 11-3 in the ACC. Virginia Tech is 17-11 and 7-7 heading into the final home game for seniors A.D. Vassallo and Cheick Diakite. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m. at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg.

"I think you have the dog days of the season," Williams said. "College basketball is a long season. But when you get down to March, at tournament time or the last week, I do think the excitement builds again about how you're going to finish.

"You've got a possibility of winning a championship at certain levels. You've got a possibility of making the tournament at certain levels. I think everybody gets a little more excited."

Green is hoping that UNC can win the regular-season title, which would secure the No. 1 seed for next week's ACC Tournament. The regular-season title might also mean a No. 1 seed for UNC in the NCAA Tournament and a first-round game in Greensboro.

"We're not looking ahead," Green said. "We know we have two big games ahead of us. We're looking forward to that and focusing on that first, but as the season comes to an end, we're just focusing on getting stronger as a team and making sure our chemistry is there at the right time."

Virginia Tech is among the teams still striving to do enough to make the NCAA Tournament. Wins in the last two ACC games, including the regular-season finale at Florida State on Sunday, would give the Hokies a winning ACC record and at least 19 wins overall.

Coach Seth Greenberg knows that nothing is certain in the selection process, however. Virginia Tech finished fourth in the ACC at 9-7 last season but wasn't selected for the NCAA Tournament and settled for an NIT berth.

"We're confident going into every game," Greenberg said. "If you don't play to win in this league, you might as well not play. What we've got to do is we've got to do more things at the end of the game to find a way to finish and close out close games."

UNC has had difficulty against Virginia Tech since ACC expansion in 2004, losing twice in six games and winning two others by margins of two and three points.

The two-point win, 68-66, came last season in the ACC Tournament semifinals when Hansbrough grabbed a rebound after a missed free throw and hit a 15-foot jumper with eight-tenths of a second left.

Greenberg isn't sure last season's game will mean added confidence for his players, but it did show him that there are several things Virginia Tech must keep under control.

"When you play North Carolina you've got to obviously take them out of transition," Greenberg said. "I think you've got to defend the post early and efficiently. And you've got to make sure that you limit the catch-and-shoots and easy scoring opportunities for Green and Ellington.

"It sounds like an easy blueprint. It's obviously more difficult to make happen. You're not going to trade baskets and beat North Carolina."

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

Game day

Boston College at N.C. State

• Site, time: RBC Center, Raleigh; 7 p.m.

• TV/radio: ESPNU Ch. 143; WIFM 100.9; WSJS 600

• Of note: The Wolfpack (15-12, 5-9 ACC) will be trying to stop a two-game losing streak and bounce back from Sunday's 71-60 loss to Maryland. Seniors Courtney Fells (11.6 ppg) and Ben McCauley (12.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg) will be honored in their final regular-season home game. Brandon Costner leads State in scoring (13.8 ppg) but has averaged 5.3 in the last three games. Tracy Smith continued his late-season surge with 19 points and 9 rebounds against Maryland; he became a starter after scoring 17 in a 79-68 loss at Boston College on Jan. 24. The Eagles (20-9, 8-6) share fifth in the ACC standings but are positioned to move into the top four and get a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament if they win out. They'll close the regular season at home against Georgia Tech. BC hasn't played since a 72-67 win over Florida State on Feb. 24. Tyrese Rice leads BC in scoring (17.5 ppg) and had 25 points in the first game against State. Joe Trapani (14.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg) led BC with 19 points against FSU.

UNC at Virginia Tech

• Site, time: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va.; 7 p.m.

• TV/radio: ESPN Ch. 33; WTHZ 94.1

• Of note: UNC has spoiled Duke's senior night twice in the last three seasons and now will try to ruin Virginia Tech's. Coach Roy Williams said that UNC played "pretty doggone good" for most of Saturday's 104-74 win over Georgia Tech. A.D. Vassallo of Virginia Tech can match any of UNC's outside shooters basket for basket. Jeff Allen gives Tech a solid inside presence to counter Tyler Hansbrough but will have to avoid the foul problems that have limited his playing time in recent games.