It’s never fun to lose to your rival, and it becomes even less fun when their balls are in your face.

It’s not often that people fire back at Coach K — his nose is quite terrifying — but Roy Williams is showing he’s far from afraid at his ripe age.

Coach K made a comment the other day about how “other team’s handle their injury reports,” a remark Roy Williams felt was aimed at UNC and the way he’s handled Ty Lawson’s ankle injury. Well, it ruffled Roy’s feathers, and he isn’t going to take it.

“It’s not like I’m getting a dadgum plane and flying it around to say, ‘Roy fell against a wall and banged his nose’ or anything,” Williams said in a news conference. “We have to do those things [talk about injuries] and everybody’s hurt. But there’s different stages of being hurt.

“If you’re hurt and missing games, that’s not exactly like having a hangnail. And so we do have some people that are getting hurt and missing games. I don’t think that somebody should say we’re putting it in front of the public.”

“I said before we played Duke it’s impossible to have any more respect than I do for Mike,” Williams said, “but I felt like that comment was aimed towards us.”

It doesn’t have the cheap shots I would hope for when calling one out, but it does heighten the rivalry a bit. Now students will line up 10 weeks in advance for the big game.

I saw this picture over at Deadspin and couldn’t really resist. You glance at the score and the question that surely hit your mind the moment you saw the picture is immediately answered: Only when your team has a 43 point lead or more do you call in All White Team. It’s nice to know we’re trusted not to screw things up when we’ve nearly doubled the other team’s score.

In the midst of recruiting, some people have forgotten that a.) it’s Duke/UNC tonight and b.) it’s a game that matters for the first time in many years.

The demise of Duke was greatly exaggerated, and the surging Blue Devils stroll into this one with one loss and ranked third in the nation, just behind the Tar Heels.

It’ll surely be the Duke/UNC games we were used to four and five years ago, when both teams were stacked and wanting like hell to beat one another. I’m not sure what the spread is on this one — betting on college basketball is absolutely insane — but I’m guessing it can’t be much more than a couple of points.

It’s in Chapel Hill, which leads you to believe Tyler Hansbrough will put up 25 points and go to the stripe every time he’s brushed, but the Tar Heels most important player, Ty Lawson, was on crutches yesterday, and you don’t go from crutches to sprinting in 24 hours.

My prediction?

UNC 86, Duke 82

Boston College 60, Georgia Tech 74: Outside of their game with UNC, this was GT’s most complete game of the year (and, like the UNC game, I was there — maybe I’m some sort of good luck charm). Javaris Crittenton played well enough to probably assure his early entry to the NBA, and the rest of the team was right in stride. Thaddeus Young had 10, Jeremis Smith 13 (with two nice alley-oops), Anthony Morrow 11, and our lone senior, Mario West, had 7. Tech fans are probably the only people out there who believe GT can be dangerous in the tournament, and you can count me in that group. They have the right mix of youth and maturity, and if they can get over this fixation they have with playing sloppy on the road, they can make some noise a week-and-a-half from now.

Clemson 75, Virginia Tech 74: This suddenly makes the ACC “teams that were in” list interesting. Zabian Dowdell had 25, but missed a jumper with 19 seconds left that would have given VT the lead. I know they’ve kinda sucked recently, but now Clemson has to be considered as a team to play in March.

Duke 72, UNC 86: The biggest rivalry in all of sports wasn’t much of a rivalry this year. And other than Tyler Hansbrough getting beaten up and bloodied, it really wasn’t that great of a game to watch.

Kentucky 72, Florida 85: I don’t know if this win means Florida’s back on track, but it helps. Kentucky kept it close at moments, but it seemed every time the Gators needed a basket they got one. It was Senior Day in Florida, which only means it was the last game their juniors will ever play there.

Creighton 67, Southern Illinois 61: I hate to sound like the guy who whines and moans about the small teams being ranked so high, but I think this justifies my bitching about the Salukies. And this win by Creighton is going to have a dramatic effect on my bracket: One way or another, the Bluejays always manage a win in March.

Seton Hall 71, Louisville 86: I remember when Louisville was being talked about as a team that had no chance of making the tournament. A month later, they’re in the top 25, and are probably a 5 seed.

UNC 77, Georgia Tech 84: Well, I’m hoping I can save up some money over the next week so I can splurge at the mall on some “dancing shoes.” Well, I may be getting a little ahead of myself (like you couldn’t tell that from the title), but a win on Sunday against Boston College pretty much makes my Yellow Jackets a lock. Tyler Hansbrough had as many points as he had complaints. I’ve never seen a player cry so much. Thaddeus Young had 25 points and was 5-6 from beyond the arch. Javaris Crittenton had 13 points and 11 assists, as the freshmen really helped carry the load.

VT 56, Virginia 69: You never know what Hokie team is going to show up: The one that goes on the road and beats Duke, or the one that loses to Virginia by 13. Every time I convince myself to pick VT as my sleeper in the tourney, they go off and lay a total egg. I know it’s on the road and all, but I at least like to see raod losses that are close and hard fought. I really like Zabian Dowdell, who led the Hokies with 17 points. Sean Singletary, the prick who beat up on GT last week, led the Cavaliers with 17, as well.

Nevada 77, Utah State 79: Nick Fazekas scored 20 points, but also fouled at the end of the game to give Utah State the winning two free throws. Chaz Spicer had 17 points, Jaycee Carroll had 18, and Stephen DuCharme led the way for Utah State with 20.

Memphis 78, UTEP 67: It looks good for Georgia Tech, but if Memphis is really a one seed, then the Committee is about as dumb as the BCS. Wake me up when this team actually plays somebody.

USC 70, Washington 85: It’s probably too late for Washington, but if they can beat UCLA on two day’s rest, they might have a shot of sneaking in.

UCLA 53, Washington State 45: You’ve gotta like the way UCLA plays defense. They may not always show up offensively, but that defense of their’s is suffocating.

Wisconsin 48, Ohio State 49: I’ve commented on it all season, so I figure I’ll harp some more about it now (it’s tough being right: If Wisconsin plays a team that’s solid down low, they’re going to have a hard time beating anybody with their three point shooting. The Badgers were 5-17 from beyond the arch, and Alando Tucker led all Wisonsin players with 12 points. Greg Oden had 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. They won and all, but I think Greg Oden needs to get the ball a little more so he takes more than the 8 shots he took in this game.

Houston 64, Memphis 77: Every time I write about this team, it seems they’ve just played another .500 patsy. They play good defense on paper, but I think this might be a high-seeded, early exit come March Madness.

Kentucky 65, Vandy 67: Seems like a long time ago that everyone was getting pumped up about Kentucky’s game with Florida that might catapult them into the top 10 (they lost, of course). Kentucky’s lost four of their last five, and still have to play Georgia and then travel down Florida to finish the season. They lose those two, I’m not sure they’ll get a bid.

Duke 67, St. John’s 50: It’s unfortunate, but it also seems like a long time ago that we were discussing the possibility of Duke not making the Dance. They’ve rattled off four-straight, and Greg Paulus — who just seems really irritating to watch — is finally starting to contribute on offense.

North Carolina 87, Maryland 89: Well, you can go ahead and stamp Maryland as being in the tournament. I’m wondering who’s fallen faster: UNC, Wisconsin or Florida.

Wake Forest 61, Georgia Tech 75: Were you really expecting me to headline another college game over my Yellow Jackets? This was win number 18 for Georgia Tech, who has games left against UNC and Boston College at home, and Virginia on the road. GT will need to beat Boston College and play UNC close, I think, to make sure they get a bid. Nineteen wins in the ACC is generally enough, but with teams like Michigan State — who thought to be out, according to most of the bracketology stuff I read — beating Wisconsin, things get a little trickier. Oh yeah. Javaris Crittenton, a freshman I’m quite fond of, had 22 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds.

South Carolina 49, Florida 63: It’s never good to have to play Florida after they’ve lost, something the ‘Cocks just found out firsthand. It also doesn’t help South Carolina’s chances when they only score 13 points in a half. Al Hortford scored 20 points, and Joakim Noah didn’t punch anybody. He’s gone after cheerleaders and coaches now, so we’re thinking the next road game, maybe a fan.

NC State 64, UNC 83: The Tar Heels got their revenge from their loss to the Wolfpack earlier in the season. Hansbrough dropped 20 and freshman Brandan Wright led the team with 24. I wasn’t able to watch this game, but I get the feeling that in person Ty Lawson looked a lot better than his five points in the box score would indicate.

Vanderbilt 70, Mississippi State 83: So much for that big win against Florida. It’s usually hard to win games, though, when you allow the other team to shoot 54% from the field.

Penn State 60, Ohio State 68: Jamar Butler was 4-6 beyond the arch, and Greg Oden had a double-double (17 and 14) to help — number one? — Ohio State win its 12th straight game. While that’s impressive, the teams they’ve beaten aren’t (Tennessee was the only tournament team they beat — Michigan State and Purdue, bubble teams, were the other quality wins).

Alabama 66, Tennessee 69: It’s hard to win when your best scorer, and maybe best shooter in the nation, goes 3-15 from beyond the arch, but Tennessee found a way. Chris Lofton played like garbage, but still managed 20 points. JuJuan Smith scored 16 to help the Vols get a much needed win.

Georgia Tech 63, FSU 57: I hate to headline last evening’s games with one of the games that didn’t mean much to anybody who’s not me, but I’m going to anyway. The Yellow Jackets won their fourth straight game, and their first road win since February 2005. Yes, it’s been a while. Javaris Crittenton led the Jackets in scoring — as you probably knew from the not so subtle but very long title — with 29 points, and has flung himself into my exclusive list of Tech Players Whose Asses I’d Slap. Other members of this prestigious group include Chris Bosh, Jarrett Jack, Kenny Anderson, Dennis Scott, Will Bynum, Anthony McHenry, The Aussie, I’smail Muhhamad, Matt Harpring, BJ Elder, James Forrest, Malcom Mackey, Brian Oliver, John Barry, Drew Barry, John Salley. . . okay, maybe not exclusive, per se. But extensive, no less.

Texas Tech 77, Texas A&M 75: Texas Tech broke a five game losing streak, and A&M had its five game winning streak snapped when Jarrius Jackson hit a jumper as time expired to help Tech to its second win over the Aggies this year. This win helps Texas Tech out a lot, who was starting to slip off the edge of the NCAA tournament. I feel like a Bob Knight joke should be inserted here, but I’m not near clever enough at the moment.

Virginia Tech 81, UNC 80: That loss Georgia Tech had to VT at home this year is starting to look a little better. Zabian Dowdell is a name you might want to remember, because I have a feeling he’s going to be big in March. The kid is incredibly quick, and led the Hokies to victory with 33 points. Maybe now VT will be taken a little more seriously.

Florida Gulf Coast U 65, Butler 79: I’m not trying to squash the small fish, but c’mon. Butler is the 12th ranked team in the nation? They just beat Florida Gulf Coast U, who, outside of their student body, no one even knew existed.

Kentucky 85, Tennessee 89: Chris Lofton always dreamed of playing for Kentucky, and is now giving Tubby Smith nightmares for not recruiting him. In his three games against the Wildcats, Lofton has averaged 23.6 ppg. I’m starting to think Tubby wouldn’t say “you’re too small” if he still wanted to play there. . .

It’s nice to know that Georgia Tech isn’t the only team in the nation to get their asses handed to them by UNC. The Tar Heels smacked Arizona Saturday night, 92-64, ending the Wildcats’ 29 game winning streak at home. It was the worst loss at Arizona since Lute Olson has been coaching, which is a really, really long time. UNC was without second leading scorer and rebounder, Brandan Wright, but it didn’t prove to be much of a problem.

“I think it is a big statement about how deep our team is, that we have guys on the bench who can start and we can still win a game like this,” said forward Deon Thompson, who replaced Wright and scored 14 points.

I think the bigger statement is how poorly Arizona played. They shot 33% from the field, and went 1-22 from beyond the arch, which, if you don’t have a calculator handy, is 4%. Most games that you chuck up 22 three-pointers, it’s a bad sign, anyway. But when you make only one of them, it’s especially telling.

“I just told the guys, ‘This is a nightmare. Forget it,” Olson said. “We’re not even going to look at the tapes.”

That, my friends, is probably the best decision ol’ Lute’s had in his last 24 years of coaching.

Sorry. Happen to hold a vendetta against the guy. Every year — every year! — he completely messes up my Final Four picks, because I get faith in a guy like Jason Terry or Salim Stoudamire, and ride this team all the way to my bracket’s destruction. And it screws me, without fail, every March.