Basketball

Updated at 5:55 p.m.

The University of North Carolina has placed its women's basketball coaching staff on administrative leave following the launch of an investigation into the program's culture, according to a news release issued Monday by the UNC-Chapel Hill Athletic Department.

Fans of the Carolina Hurricanes and NC State's men's basketball team could soon have new places to grill before a game or clink glasses after a victory.

Tom McCormick, chairman of the state-appointed Centennial Authority that oversees PNC Arena, said they are planning for major renovations.

"We're 15 years old now, starting into our 16th year. And like everything else, it's always good to freshen up," he said.

PNC Arena's multi-million dollar face lift could include a rooftop patio and space for luxury tailgating.  

North Carolina and Duke continue their storied rivalry in men's basketball tonight.

But tonight's match-up in Durham comes 11 days after the passing of legendary UNC coach Dean Smith.  Many Duke fans are expected to wear dark blue t-shirts with the name "Dean" in the place of "Duke."

This weekend, Duke's legendary basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, or Coach K, might net his 1,000th career win, and there is a lot of buzz.

Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski is now a win shy of career victory one thousand. 

The Blue Devils topped Pitt 79-65 last night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Afterward, Coach K downplayed any special meaning for win 999. 

"It means we’re 16-and-two. That’s exactly what that means," Krzyzewski says. "And hopefully we can be 17-and-two in the next game we play." 

Krzyzewski has more wins than any college basketball coach in men's history. Duke's next game is in New York against St. John's on Sunday.

There was a major upset in men's college basketball on Sunday, when unranked NC State beat the previously undefeated Duke, 87-75.

The Wolfpack's Trevor Lacey scored 21 points, and Ralston Turner added 16. The team overall shot 55 percent.

NC State Coach Mark Gottfried says his team knocked down some tough shots, and kept heavy pressure on Duke's preseason All-American Jahlil Okafor.

Update January 7, 2015:

In the summer of 2014, we heard about a vintage photo that was found tucked away in one of the books at the Chapel Hill Public Library. No one knew how long the picture had been there, but the photo caught our imagination. Who was this Duke Blue Devil?

For a time, the mystery appeared to be solved.  The son of a Duke alum, Donald Brandon, wrote to say, "It looks like Bill Werber."

This week marks the 75th anniversary of Cameron Indoor Stadium, home to Duke University Basketball. In that time, the Blue Devils have won 4 national championships, and made 38 NCAA Tournament appearances. But the building itself has as much history as the teams that have passed through it.

At its founding, the stadium was the largest south of Philadelphia. It flaunted some of the most modern conveniences of any venue.

Longtime ESPN anchor Stuart Scott died of cancer Sunday morning. He was 49 years old. Scott was known for his on-camera presence, and the catch-phrases he coined. 

"Boo-Yah!" 

"He must be the bus driver cuz he was takin' him to school."

The broadcaster was beloved in the Carolina community. He went to high school in Winston-Salem, and later attended University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he worked at the campus radio station, WXYC.  After graduation, he worked at stations around the country, and then was hired to help launch ESPN 2.

This photo from Carolina Athletics says it all:

The photo was first shared on Facebook with a caption that reads: "How sweet it is! Carolina got the win over Michigan State and is headed to the Sweet 16!"

More about the game and the NCAA championship here. Or follow the team's journey in the tourney on Facebook.

Four North Carolina universities -- all located in the Triangle -- have earned bids to this year's National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament.  The highest seed is Duke.  The Blue Devils are third in the Midwest region.  But the Atlantic Coast Conference runner-up will open tournament play against Mercer University at PNC Arena in Raleigh on Friday. North Carolina Central University is making its first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.  The Mid Eastern Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champions are seeded 14th in the East region.  They will put a 20-game win streak on the line against third-seed Iowa State Friday in San Antonio.  

Former UNC-Chapel Hill men's basketball coach Dean Smith's 83rd birthday was last week, and several major news organizations have marked his life and legacy with extraordinary articles. Smith has dementia now, and that makes both of the articles we'll highlight here so moving.

There's a group of students at Duke  called The Crazies. They are the kids who get all decked out and painted up and sit in the most coveted spot during basketball games at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Crazies are the uber fans. They camp out for 6-8 weeks in order to be in the front row when Duke plays UNC at home.

Last week's winter storm canceled the men's basketball game between fierce rivals North Carolina and Duke. 

Meetings between coaches, athletic directors and the Atlantic Coast Conference resulted in the contest being rescheduled for this Thursday night in Chapel Hill.  That means both teams will be playing four games in eight days. 

The Tar Heels beat Pittsburgh over the weekend while the Blue Devils got past Maryland.  Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski told Sirius-XM it's a challenging week.