Basketball upsets No. 8 Tar Heels

Tech defeated North Carolina last Thursday in its second-to-last home game of the season, 84-77.

Thaddeus Young scored a career-high 25 points and made five-of-six shots from behind the arc. Young attempted 18 shots, also a career high.

"He's getting more and more aggressive. He's an unselfish player in an age where everybody thinks me, me, me... Do I want him to shoot more? Absolutely. But I love his game. He's a terrific player," said Head Coach Paul Hewitt.

Javaris Crittenton posted a double-double, his second of the season. He finished with 13 points and 11 assists.

Crittenton bounced back from his game in Chapel Hill, where he made just two shots and committed seven turnovers.

"We got into our offense better [this time]. We set good screens, got open on the wing, and I think that was the difference," Crittenton said.

Anthony Morrow finished with 18 points and keyed the offense early in the game, scoring 13 points in the first half.

"It was more mental than anything else... This game I really concentrated on getting my feet off the screen. We have to keep moving and setting good screens," Morrow said.

The Jackets fell behind early in the game, allowing the Tar Heels to jump out to a 7-0 lead. Tech responded with a 23-7 run that had just three missed shots.

"Every game this year we have been down early. We expected this because they are such a good team in transition, but we just kept fighting. We got back into the game and continued to fight," Young said.

Tech led comfortably for the rest of the half and entered the second half with a 49-42 lead.

Despite leading by double digits for much of the second half, Tech saw North Carolina storm back to within four points with just 1:55 to go.

Tech survived down the stretch, hitting key throws and making numerous defensive plays to maintain its lead and hang on for the win.

"We did a good job closing this game out. We made our free throws, rebounded and took care of the ball. We got a win those kids definitely deserved," Hewitt said.

While the first half saw both teams explode on offense, the end of the game saw defensive lock downs. The last five minutes were dominated by turnovers, fouls and free throws.

In the game, the Jackets committed 28 personal fouls to the Tar Heels' 18. Tech went to the line 15 times to Carolina's 38.

"We don't have any other way to play. We have to play tough, physical defense, and if they call fouls on us, they're going to call fouls on us. We're not going to finesse people," Hewitt said.

Tyler Hansbrough, the Tar Heels' superstar center, finished with 16 points, eight coming from the charity stripe. Hansbrough dominated Tech earlier in the season, making 14-of-15 free throws and 24 points. He scored a career-high 40 points in last year's game against Tech.

This was the Tar Heels' first time in the Coliseum since the 2003 season, when they lost to Tech 88-68.

The win bolsters Tech's resume for a ticket to the big dance.

"[Tech is a NCAA tournament team.] They are 7-8 in the league. I think they are a very good basketball team. If they are not an NCAA team, then there is something wrong," said North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams.