North Carolina basketball report

Rankings (results through Sunday’s games)
RPI rankings, team (overall record, record vs. North Carolina teams)

3. Duke (22-2, 4-1)
Last week: 2
beat N.C. Central, Davidson, N.C. State, North Carolina
lost to Wake Forest

All five of Duke’s starters fouled out in their loss to Wake Forest.

4. North Carolina (24-2, 3-1)
Last week: 3
beat Davidson, UNC Asheville, N.C. State
lost to Duke

North Carolina is down to its third-string point guard because of injuries to Ty Lawson (5.7 assists) and Bobby Frasor (2.1 assists). Quentin Thomas (32 assists, 18 turnovers in five games) is now the starter.

In literature, a protagonist is often haunted by an image, an object, a weakness. The thing haunts him, follows him and becomes a part of his fate.

For the Tar Heels, it’s injuries to their point guards:

Dick Grubar, 1969
Phil Ford, 1976 and 1977
Kenny Smith, 1984
Steve Hale, 1985
Derrick Phelps, 1994
Lawson, 2008

60. N.C. State (15-10, 4-3)
Last week: 47
beat Davidson, Western Carolina, N.C. Central, Wake Forest
lost to East Carolina, North Carolina, Duke

Big game this week: UNC at State, Wednesday at 7 p.m.

State has two chances to make the NCAA tournament: win out and win one more game in the ACC tournament or win the ACC tournament.

61. Wake Forest (16-8, 3-2)
Last week: 94
beat N.C. Central, Winston-Salem State, Duke
lost to UNC Charlotte, N.C. State

Jeff Teague had a dream, an awesome dream.

66. Davidson (18-6, 7-4)
Last week: 64
beat N.C. Central, Appalachian State, Western Carolina (2), Elon (2) UNC Greensboro
lost to North Carolina, Duke, UNC Charlotte, N.C. State

Stephen Curry is shooting 56.3 percent from 2-point range, 42.2 from 3-point range and 90.3 from the free throw line for a total shooting percentage of 188.8.

For some perspective, J.J. Redick shot 180.5 in his senior season. In the NBA last season, only Steve Nash (192.9) shot better.

Curry is fifth in the country in points (25.6) and ninth in free throw percentage.

Jason Richards: first in assists (8.1)

94. UNC Charlotte (14-10, 5-0)
Last week: 89
beat High Point, Appalachian State, Wake Forest, Davidson,
Gardner-Webb

131. UNC Asheville (14-7, 4-2)
Last week: 90
beat Campbell (2), Western Carolina, High Point
lost to North Carolina, High Point

Kenny George: first in field goal percentage (.706), fourth in blocks (4.00)

140. UNC Wilmington (17-10, 2-1)
Last week: 164
beat N.C. Central, East Carolina
lost to UNC Greensboro

Vladimir Kulianin: sixth in field goal percentage (.653)

143. Appalachian State (15-10, 4-4)
Last week: 126
beat Campbell, UNC Greensboro, Elon, Western Carolina
lost to Charlotte, Davidson, Elon, UNC Greensboro

159. UNC Greensboro (14-10, 4-2)
Last week: 168
beat UNC Wilmington, Elon (2), Appalachian State
lost to Appalachian State, Davidson

Kyle Hines: 10th in blocks (3.00)

186. N.C. A&T (9-11, 1-0)
Last week: 175
beat Winston-Salem State

222. Gardner-Webb (12-13, 2-2)
Last week: 230
beat High Point, Campbell
lost to UNC Charlotte, Campbell

232. High Point (10-11, 1-3)
Last week: 229
beat UNC Asheville
lost to Charlotte, Gardner-Webb, UNC Asheville

Arizona Reid: eighth points (23.4), fifth in rebounds (11.2).

Mike Jefferson: third in assists (7.2)

239. Elon (9-15, 2-6)
Last week: 251
beat Western Carolina, Appalachian State
lost to Davidson (2), UNC Greensboro (2), Western Carolina, Appalachian State

258. East Carolina (6-14, 2-1)
Last week: 237
beat N.C. State, N.C. Central
lost to UNC Wilmington

283. Western Carolina (7-17, 2-6)
Last week: 278
beat N.C. Central, Elon
lost to UNC Asheville, Elon, N.C. State, Davidson (2),
Appalachian State

284. N.C. Central (2-21, 0-7)
Last week: 276
lost to Duke, Wake Forest, Davidson, Western Carolina,
UNC Wilmington, East Carolina, N.C. State

307. Campbell (9-15, 1-4)
Last week: 286
beat Gardner-Webb
lost to UNC Asheville (2), Appalachian State, Gardner-Webb

316. Winston-Salem State (7-14, 0-2)
Last week: 222
lost to Wake Forest, N.C. A&T