GAME NOTES: The fourth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels are clearly favored in tonight's ACC clash with the Boston College Eagles. Boston College has lost its last two games, including a heart-breaking 81-73 overtime decision to Virginia Tech last Saturday. The Eagles are now 12-6 on the year, and of the 18 games that they have played, 14 have taken place at home. They are 3-2 in conference and would send a clear message to the rest of the league if they can find a way to upset the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. That figures to be much easier said than done, however, as North Carolina has only lost one game all season. The Heels, who are 19-1 overall and 4-1 in league play, have been idle for more than a week, as their most recent outing resulted in a 98-82 victory over Miami last Wednesday. North Carolina holds a 4-3 series edge over Boston College, including wins in both meetings with the Eagles last season.

Tyrese Rice continues to lead Boston College in scoring with 20.0 ppg, and he is also tops on the roster with 87 assists. Rakim Sanders adds 12.6 ppg to the mix, and Shamari Spears is contributing 11.2 ppg and 7.5 rpg. The Eagles are posting 73.8 ppg while limiting the opposition to 68.7 ppg. Rice was sensational in the overtime loss to Virginia Tech last time out, as he finished with 27 points. The standout guard played all 45 minutes, the only player for either team to did so. Sanders added 17 points and nine rebounds against the Hokies before fouling out. Unfortunately, BC connected on only 37.5 percent of its field goal attempts in the clash and was outrebounded by nine boards.

If the season ended today, there would be a good chance that North Carolina forward Tyler Hansbrough would be named the National Player of the Year. It would be hard to argue with the selection, as the fierce forward is scoring 22.0 ppg on 55.3 percent shooting from the floor to go along with 10.1 rpg. Wayne Ellington adds 16.8 ppg to the mix, and Ty Lawson is contributing 13.9 ppg in addition to 110 assists. The fourth and final double-digit scorer is Danny Green, who is contributing 12.1 ppg off the bench. North Carolina is racking up 91.4 ppg while limiting foes to 71.8 ppg, and the Heels are also outrebounding opponents by 11.0 rpg. Hansbrough and Lawson were brilliant in the win over Miami last time out. A 10-of-15 shooting performance from the field and a 15-of-16 effort from the foul line resulted in 35 points for Hansbrough. As for Lawson, he scored 23 points and finished with 10 assists against only one turnover. The Heels committed a mere seven turnovers in the clash.

Clearly, North Carolina is superior to Boston College and should have no trouble winning at home this evening. Hansbrough and Lawson are true stars at the collegiate level, and they appear to be poised for a deep run in the fast- approaching NCAA Tournament.