Boston College at North Carolina
Boston College point guard Tyrese Rice (20 points per game, 5.1 assists per game) may be one of the few ballhandlers in the nation who can match the speed of UNC sophomore Ty Lawson (13.9 ppg, 5.8 apg), but whether the junior can keep up tonight remains the question.
Lawson and Tar Heels haven't played for eight days, and Rice is averaging a league-high 37.94 minutes per game.
Eagles coach Al Skinner said Monday that because of Rice's importance to the team, he sometimes overlooks the physical toll the games take on him and that he needs to monitor his condition better.
Asked if he hoped his Tar Heels could wear down Rice, UNC coach Roy Williams said: "We hope to. People used to talk about how John Havlicek could run all day, maybe Tyrese is like that. But playing against us, with the way we like to go up and down the court for 40 minutes, is harder. But not just because he's playing 40 minutes [in ACC games], but the guy who plays 24 minutes, we try to make it a factor for him, too."
The last time UNC had an seven-day break between games was in 2000-01; after a home victory over Maryland, it lost at Clemson. ... Forward Tyler Hansbrough needs to make seven more free throws to break the school record -- now held by Lennie Rosenbluth (603, from 1954-57).
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