North Carolina pummels Radford in a 'big' victory

GREENSBORO

It's all about the "bigs" as North Carolina attempts a run at a national championship.

Point guard Ty Lawson and his ailing big toe were not called upon - and not needed - in the Tar Heels' 101-58 opening-round NCAA tournament win over Radford on Thursday. Wayne Ellington scored 25 points and Tyler Hansbrough scored 22, setting the all-time ACC scoring record in the process, as UNC (29-4) rolled into the second round.

The health of Lawson's toe is, in the minds and brackets of many fans, the only thing standing between North Carolina and a national title. When the toe's a go - perhaps as soon as Saturday - the Tar Heels become the favorite to cut down the nets in Detroit, many believe.

But folks looking for a less-obvious reason why North Carolina might blow through the field should focus their gaze closer to the basket. That's where 14 feet of freshman post players - "bigs" in basketball parlance - have given the Tar Heels arguably the deepest front court in the nation.

In 19 minutes Thursday, 6-foot-10 freshman Ed Davis scored 15 points and blocked four shots. In 13 minutes, 7-footer Tyler Zeller scored four points and grabbed eight rebounds. They spelled Hansbrough and fellow starter Deon Thompson, allowing all four players to go full bore whenever they were on the court.

"It starts to wear teams out, because we're always fresh," Davis said.

Fresh and, to use another basketball bromide, "long." While their offensive games are nowhere near as developed as those of Hansbrough and Thompson, Davis and Zeller are better at altering shots around the basket.

"I love practicing against Ed," Zeller said. "If you can get a shot off against him, you can get off a shot against most people in the nation."

Radford had its troubles. Other teams have, as well. Davis is third in the ACC in blocks, despite playing just 18.8 minutes a game. He's blocked three or more shots in six games and swatted six against Virginia Tech on March 4.

That was particularly cruel. Davis, who is from Richmond, was a recruiting target of both the Hokies and Virginia.

Had he come to Virginia, former coach Dave Leitao might still have a job. Davis has been that good. He has the look of a future pro, snatching rebounds and scoring on silky moves near the basket. He averages a rebound every 2.8 minutes, the best figure in school history.

"He's a good passer, too," Zeller said. "He can dish it off."

Zeller's got a better perimeter touch. He scored 18 points in his college debut against Penn Nov. 15, but broke his left wrist in his second game against Kentucky three days later. Zeller missed 13 weeks and 23 games. He's been back eight games, returning Feb. 18 against N.C. State.

Zeller said he never considered redshirting.

"I felt like if I could help the team in any way I'd come back," he said. "Even if it was just giving the bigs some extra minutes."

Zeller has done that and more. He scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds against Georgia Tech. His wrist remains taped, but he's not worried about re-injuring it.

"I've fallen on it a couple times," he said. " I still remember I looked at all the coaches and our trainers' faces and they were all terrified. I said, 'Guys, I'm good.' "

Good enough to give the Tar Heels a four-man rotation inside - and maybe an inside track on the national title.

Ed Miller, 446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com