North Carolina

1 No. 1 vs. No. 2: The University of Connecticut women's basketball team, ranked No. 1 all season, travels to No. 2 North Carolina (7 p.m., ESPN2). 2 Rebound game: The University of Pittsburgh men's team, which likely will lose its No. 1 ranking after falling at Louisville on Saturday, hosts Syracuse in a Big East game (7 p.m., ESPN). 3 Tripleheader Monday: An NBA tripleheader begins with Detroit at Memphis at 5:30 p.m., followed by Phoenix at Boston at 8 and Cleveland at the Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30 (TNT)

Kalin Lucas scored a career-high 24 points, Chris Allen added 13 and visiting Michigan State handed Minnesota its first loss of the season yesterday. In the teams' Big Ten opener, Michigan State (10-2) wore down Minnesota (12-1) by repeatedly attacking the basket and clogging the lane defensively. No. 1 North Carolina 84, Nevada 61: : Tyler Hansbrough scored 22 points to keep the visiting Tar Heels undefeated with a school-record 13th straight win by double figures. Wayne Ellington added 15 points and Ty Lawson had 11 points and seven assists for North Carolina (13-0)

COLLEGE PARK -Two years ago, then-freshman Landon Milbourne watched with amusement as Maryland fans rushed the Comcast Center floor, toppling courtside seats in the process, to celebrate an 89-87 victory over fifth-ranked North Carolina. "It was crazy," Milbourne recalled yesterday. "It's one of those reasons you came to Maryland - so you can play in games like that." As the Terrapins prepared to play third-ranked North Carolina today, the image of fans wildly celebrating was a useful one for them to embrace.

It won't be easy, but Maryland fans should be consoled by the fact that in the debacle at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday, they got caught up in a long-awaited, much-needed renaissance. Atlantic Coast Conference basketball has returned to its former glory. Duke is part of it, having looked like the best team in the country in the 85-44 throttling and likely being rewarded for it with the top spot in the polls today. North Carolina and Wake Forest are part of it, too, having been ranked No. 1 for a combined eight of the 10 previous weeks.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Maryland's season had just ended, and Gary Williams was discussing his team's size - or rather the lack of it. The coach was specifically reflecting on how Memphis, which knocked the Terps out of the NCAA tournament in the second round with an 89-70 win Saturday, seemed to play at a different level. Literally. "You go into a game, you talk about boxing out, but you know when a guy makes a play 2 feet over the rim, that's what they can do," Williams said. "We don't play up there this year.

March Madness has struck the Orioles. Shortstop Miguel Tejada arrived at camp yesterday wearing a Maryland Terrapins T-shirt, and the clubhouse was full of players filling out tournament brackets. If anyone cares, my Final Four is Wisconsin, Ohio State, UCLA and North Carolina ... with the Badgers going all the way. I would have picked UCLA, but that's against my religion.

Mr. & Mrs. John Etchison McDonald, Jr. of Richmond, Virginia are pleased to announce the marriage of their daughter, Miss. Emily Whitridge McDonald of Charlotte, North Carolina, to Matthew William Bramwell of Charlotte, North Carolina, son of Mr. & Mrs. Earl Lee Bramwell of Brentwood, Tennessee. The ceremony took place August 18, 2007 at Christ Episcopal Church. The bride, given in marriage by her parents, is the granddaughter of Mrs. David Forsyth of Reisterstown, Maryland, & the late Mr. David Forsyth, and Mr. & Mrs. John Etchison McDonald of Baltimore, Maryland.

All-American Tyler Hansbrough was listed as probable for North Carolina's next game after suffering a concussion during a victory at Rutgers. The school said yesterday that Hansbrough was able to fly back with the team, but it was unclear whether he would have lingering effects. He went through a light workout and will be examined the next two days before tomorrow night's game against Nicholls State, school spokesman Steve Kirschner said. Hansbrough was injured Sunday night while taking a charge from Earl Pettis with 5:47 left in North Carolina's 93-71 win. Hansbrough hit the back of his head on a television cameraman's knee and the basket support.

North Harford point guard Corey Donohoe is busy on and off the court. She belongs to eight clubs, including Best Buddies, an organization in which able-bodied people work with disabled children, and an alcohol-prevention club called STARS. The 5-foot-8 senior averages 24.8 points, which puts her in a three-way battle for the county scoring title. Less than two weeks ago, she had 38 points in a victory over Edgewood, scoring 20 in the first quarter. Donohoe also averages 4.5 steals and four assists.

No. 9 Navy led from start to finish yesterday, as the Midshipmen defeated No. 16 North Carolina (3-1) 19-8 at Navy Marine Corps Stadium, before 5,125 . The Midshipmen improved to 3-0 while the Tar Heels lost their first game after opening with three wins for the first time since 2002. Nick Mirabito and Ian Dingman each had three goals for the Midshipmen, while Ben Hunt led the Tar Heels with three goals and Sean Burke had two goals and two assists. Navy outscored the Tar Heels 5-2 in the second quarter.

Towson (1-3, 0-1 CAA) at Rhode Island (1-3, 0-1 CAA) Time:: 1 p.m. Radio:: 1570 AM Series: : Rhode Island leads 5-4. Last meeting:: Towson won, 37-32, on Oct. 11, 2008. What's at stake: : The Tigers want to break their 13-game road losing streak. Towson hasn't won away from home since 2007. A victory would also end Towson's six-game losing streak against Colonial Athletic Association teams. Its last CAA win was over Rhode Island on Oct. 11, 2008. Towson is coming off a 57-7 loss to New Hampshire and has been outscored 133-51 this season.

Morgan State (0-1) vs. Winston-Salem State (0-2) Time: : 2 p.m. Site: : Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. Radio: : 88.9 FM Series: : 1-1 Last meeting: : Morgan State won, 21-7, in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Sept. 20, 2008. What's at stake: : For the second straight week, Morgan plays in a benchmark contest - the 38th Whitney Young Classic to benefit the New York Urban League. The Bears hope to rebound from a 41-0 beating in a game that opened Akron's new stadium. Winston-Salem, which is dropping to Division II next year, is winless after losses to North Carolina A&T and Florida A&M and is riding a four-game losing streak.

Olympic swimming medalist Katie Hoff is changing coasts in an effort to jump-start her stagnant career. The Towson resident said yesterday that her decision to leave Baltimore and train in Fullerton, Calif., for the 2012 London Olympics leaves her anxious, excited, sad and more than a little nervous. That swirl of emotions is not unlike those of a freshman heading off to college, she said. For Hoff, though, the stakes are higher. The 20-year-old Towson resident heads west next month to try to regain her form.

They were leading their respective caravans to beaches in the Carolinas, a midsummer's vacation for two Maryland families that would end in a horrific accident on a two-lane North Carolina road. Carney resident Cristina Sonn had driven to Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Sunday and picked up her best friend, her friend's daughter and another teenager. The four were headed to the Outer Banks in North Carolina along with Sonn's teenage son and three of his friends, who were riding in another car. Loriann Bobotek, her two daughters and their friends were headed to a beach house in Myrtle Beach for the week.

Northwestern's women's lacrosse team seemed vulnerable Friday, when it needed double overtime to beat pesky Penn in an NCAA Division I semifinal. But Sunday, the Wildcats left no doubt about how dominating they can be. In the most overwhelming performance in tournament history, the No. 1 Wildcats rolled over No. 5 North Carolina, 21-7, for their fifth-straight championship before an announced 6,515 at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium. The Wildcats (23-0) have the second-longest Division I women's lacrosse title streak behind Maryland's seven in a row between 1995 and 2001.

No. 1 Northwestern (22-0) vs. No. 5 North Carolina (16-4) When: : 5:30 p.m. Where: : Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson University Outlook: : The four-time defending champions face a title-game newcomer in this clash of high-powered offense vs. stingy defense. As Northwestern aims to run its title streak to five, the Wildcats average 17.45 goals per game and have scored 143 more goals than North Carolina. The third-seeded Tar Heels, in their first final in four tries, are holding the opposition to 8.85 goals.

One thing is for sure when No. 1 Northwestern meets fifth-ranked North Carolina on Sunday evening for the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse championship - there won't be any snow. When the two teams met in Chapel Hill in March, their first attempt to play was rained out. Their second went on despite a couple of inches of snow overnight, temperatures in the 30s and wind - weather more akin to the Wildcats' home on the shore of Lake Michigan. The Wildcats apparently didn't mind; they won, 12-7.

Maryland will have to wait a little longer for a shot at another women's lacrosse championship. North Carolina spoiled the Terrapins' bid for a perfect season and their chance for a 10th national title Friday night with big defensive plays in the final minutes and the game-winning goal by Laura Zimmerman for an 8-7 victory in the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse semifinals before 7,549 at Johnny Unitas Stadium at Towson University. The No. 2 Terps (21-1) were aiming for a showdown of unbeaten teams with No. 1 and four-time defending champ Northwestern.

At 5 feet 4, Amber Falcone doesn't look all that imposing for a lacrosse defender - until you watch what the North Carolina senior can do to an opponent. "I always say she's 5-foot-4 playing like 6-foot-4. She is really tough," said Courtney Vaughn, her high school coach at Winters Mill. Other than height, Falcone is blessed with every asset to be a top defensive player in NCAA Division I women's lacrosse. She's physically strong and has great speed, superb instincts and no off switch.

Duke got goals from sophomore attackman Zach Howell and sophomore defenseman Tom Montelli in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, which ultimately carried the No. 3 Blue Devils over No. 6 North Carolina, 12-11, in the NCAA Division I tournament quarterfinals at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. With Duke's win, the Division I men's final four is set with Virginia-Cornell in one semifinal and Syracuse-Duke in the other Saturday in Foxborough, Mass. Duke had a 10-8 lead over North Carolina at the end of the third quarter.