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Off the cuff: I've been asked if I did an NCAA bracket and, if so, who did I pick. Well, that's tough to answer because I did about 30 different brackets on various Web sites. I will say that I have Carolina winning it all on most of them with Pittsburgh and Louisville next.

Everyone knows that Carolina's fate hinges on drama king Ty Lawson. It was probably smart to keep Lawson out of the Radford game but I'm not so sure he wanted to play against them anyway. It sounds like he's motivated to play against a tougher LSU team that won the SEC regular season title. It Lawson comes back with the right mindset and doesn't let the toe bother him mentally, the Heels will be hard to stop.

Frasor looked really confident against the Highlanders but that may be a result of the opponent. Still, his minutes are going to be needed even if Lawson comes back near 100 percent. Ellington seemed to have it in his mind that he was going to take control offensively and he did. He hit his outside shots but he also drove to the hoop powerfully. His free throw shooting is a concern as he missed his only free throw and is now just five of his last 14 over the past four games.

Danny Green really had a rebound game - literally - as he hauled in 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive end.

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NCAA Tourney: Heels 101, Highlanders 58
Lawson-less Carolina flogs Radford

Senior backup guard Bobby Frasor filled in nicely for injured Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough and Wayne Ellington combined for 47 points to lead North Carolina past Radford 101-58 in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Greensboro. (3/18)

Hansbrough, who scored 22, went 12 for 12 from the free throw line with one of those free throws putting him past former Duke star J.J. Redick as the ACC's all-time leading scorer. "When I think about all the players I watched in the ACC, it's speak and an honor," Hansbrough said. "I came here to win the game however and not focus on individual goals."

The game was tight for the first eight minutes but the Heels went on a 7-0 run that took the score from 21-16 to 28-16 and Carolina never looked back. Ellington started that spurt with a three from the right corner.

Frasor, who pushed the ball forward aggressively all day, took the ball away from a Radford player and passed it forward to Ellington who scored to give the Heels a 19-point cushion, their largest lead of the first half.

Up 53-34 at the half, the Tar Heels came out blazing in the second half outscoring the Highlanders 15-4 to go up by 30 at 68-38. A Frasor steal and pass to Danny Green for a dunk along with a Frasor three-pointer highlighted that run.

The lead got as high as 43 late in the game as little-used senior Mike Copeland scored the last five points of the game including a dunk that put the Heels over the century mark.

Frasor, who got the start in place of Lawson, played 27 minutes, went three of four from the field, had four assists, two steals and no turnovers. Larry Drew, who also played at the point, got in 19 minutes and had five assists even though he got into foul trouble early.

Ellington, who drove strongly to the basket, led the Heels in scoring with 25 points. Green, coming off his worst two games of the season, scored 15 points and had a career-high 10 rebounds. Ed Davis also scored 15 points and recorded four blocks.

After the game, Lawson said he's about 80 percent healthy and he's "sure" he will start Saturday when the 29-4 Tar Heels take on LSU in the second round Saturday. Coach Roy Williams said Lawson's status will be determined by how he does at practice Friday.

Radford, winners of the Big South conference, end the season at 21-12.

Boxscore

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