March 6, 2005

by Aaron Beard, The Associated Press

CHAPEL HILL - Raymond Felton didn't mind sounding a little greedy.

North Carolina had just clinched a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title for the first time in four years, but the point guard was in no mood to share anything - especially with where this tradition-rich program has been in recent years.

It's been 12 years since North Carolina has won an outright title, a piece of trivia the Tar Heels would love to change by beating No. 6 Duke on Sunday.

"We're not trying to be cocky or anything like that," Felton said, "but we want it all."

The Tar Heels (25-3, 13-2 ACC) have no shortage of motivation. They lead No. 4 Wake Forest by one game in the league standings and can earn the top seed in next week's ACC tournament with a win. It would be their first outright title since the NCAA championship season of 1993.

If they lose, Wake Forest - which plays at North Carolina State on Sunday - could earn the top seed by virtue of their 95-82 win against the Tar Heels in January.

The chance to clinch that title against their most intense rival - which North Carolina has beaten just twice since 1998 - could make it even sweeter.

"This taste has been in our mouth for a long time," junior David Noel said. "We're ready to get it out. We're definitely going to go into this game trying to win the ACC alone and just trying to beat Duke. We're going to try and take their best punch and knock them out."

The last time the Tar Heels won a piece of the regular-season title came in 2001. It was supposed to be just the start of a new era at the school under first-year coach Matt Doherty, but it ultimately proved to be just the first sign of trouble that would hover over the program for the next two seasons.

That team had reached No. 1 in the nation, but went 5-5 to close the season. That collapse included a lopsided loss to Duke in the ACC tournament final and a second-round NCAA upset loss to Penn State.

The next year, the Tar Heels went 8-20.

One year after that, Doherty stepped down as coach in an ugly, public split - which included reports that players and parents complained to athletic director Dick Baddour about Doherty's intense practices and drastic mood swings.

His replacement, Roy Williams, mentioned those tough times after Thursday's clinching 91-76 home win against Florida State.

"They have gone through so much junk - 8-20 is tough enough, and getting accused of getting a coach fired ... I really feel good for those guys," Williams said.

Now the Tar Heels are on the verge of another sign of the program's recovery from those struggles. The next challenge is beating a team that has owned them in recent years.

Duke (22-4, 11-4) has won 13 of 15 meetings, including last month's 71-70 win at Cameron Indoor Stadium. North Carolina has lost five straight in the series since an 82-79 win in March 2003.

"Past history doesn't really have anything to do with how we're preparing for this game," Duke leading scorer J.J. Redick said.

The Tar Heels could again be without leading scorer Rashad McCants, who has missed the past three games with an intestinal disorder. Williams said Friday he did not expect the junior to play, and team spokesman Steve Kirschner said there was no change Saturday.

Still, the Tar Heels have continued to win without McCants' 16 points per game - and they seem confident they could do it again.

"We've come from I think last my senior year in high school to being on top, but by no means are we done," said junior Sean May, who has seven straight double-doubles. "We have one more game and we want to win outright. Duke will come in here and try to spoil our fun."