Mississippi, California and North Carolina, teams that started the season with lofty expectations before stumbling, have surged back into the AP Top 25 college football poll.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams needed to replace four starters from last season's national championship team - something that has been obvious so far.

Mississippi , California and North Carolina , teams that started the season with lofty expectations before stumbling, have surged back into the Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Deunta Williams grabbed his third interception of the game and headed for the end zone, weaving 39 yards through the Boston College offense to the 6 inch-line. North Carolina already had two defensive touchdowns in the game, and Williams wanted to celebrate his 21st birthday with a third.

Brandon Triche and Arinze Onuaku combined for 13 points in Syracuse's 22-1 run to open the second half and the Orange went on to a 87-71 victory over No.

Three bowl games, soon to be four. Two Atlantic Coast Conference title game appearances.

Klay Thompson went 15 for 20 and scored a career-high 37 points as Washington State beat IPFW 89-70 on Thursday night.

Deon Thompson had 15 points and 12 rebounds and No. 6 North Carolina managed to hold on for a 77-73 victory over No.

North Carolina allowed just nine combined points in wins over Gardner-Webb and No.

It feels like a punch to the gut. That's how Arkansas Tech football coach Steve Mullins sees it.

North Carolina has bounced back from its midseason struggles to become bowl eligible for the second straight season.

Coach David Cutcliffe has put a little "Airball" back into Duke's offense. The way Duke's second-year coach has quarterback Thad Lewis throwing the ball recalls Steve Spurrier's Duke offenses of the late 1980s.

Miami's primary focus has gone from ACC to BCS to TBA. The Hurricanes' chance of winning the Atlantic Coast Conference is now officially gone, and thanks to Saturday's 33-24 loss at North Carolina, so did any realistic hopes for Miami getting at-large berth into the Bowl Championship Series.

With three straight ACC wins, North Carolina has put itself in a no-lose bowl situation.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams says the Tar Heels recruited prep star Harrison Barnes harder than anyone in his career.

Inside Carolina's Buck Sanders conducts the weekly roundtable discussion as former Tar Heels Deems May and Mark Paschal tackle the key issues heading into Saturday's showdown with Miami.

No. 5 North Carolina 88, College of Charleston 57: Laura Broomfield and She'la White scored 14 points each to help North Carolina defeat College of Charleston in the season opener for both teams last night in Chapel Hill.

T.J. Yates doesn't want to think about the fact that North Carolina is a win from bowl eligibility.

Highly recruited 6-foot-6 forward Harrison Barnes of Ames, Iowa has committed to North Carolina.

North Carolina opens its 2009-10 season Friday night at the Dean E. Smith Center as the Tar Heels welcome the College of Charleston for a 7 p.m. tipoff.