Nassau, Bahamas (SportsNetwork.com) - The fifth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels and the 18th-ranked Florida Gators will duke it out for fifth place in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament on Friday night at Imperial Arena. UNC came into this event as one of the favorites but had its championship aspirations squashed in the quarterfinals with a 74-66 loss to Butler. The Tar Heels were able to bounce back nicely on Thursday with a convincing 78-56 triumph in a showdown with UCLA to improve to 4-1 on the season. Florida had already shown to be vulnerable early in the season with a 69-67 home loss to Miami-Florida on Nov. 17, and its struggles continued in the quarterfinals with a 66-65 overtime loss to Georgetown to fall to the consolation side of the bracket. The Gators had a difficult time with UAB on Thursday but eventually captured a 56-47 victory to move to 3-2. These two historic programs have met just five times before, with UNC holding a 3-2 advantage. In the only meeting in the past 40 years, the Tar Heels won back in 2000, 71-59. The Tar Heels put together an 18-4 run to close out the first half of their contest with UCLA on Thursday and cruised from there to capture the 22-point victory. They shot a modest 41.8 percent from the field and drained eight 3- pointers, but they really shined on the defensive end of the floor, holding UCLA to less than 39 percent shooting (including just 1-of-14 from 3-point range) while forcing 23 turnovers, which they turned into 31 points. Marcus Paige put up a game-high 21 points to go with five assists and three steals. Justin Jackson added 12 points and Isaiah Hicks and J.P. Tokoto chipped in 10 points apiece. On the season, North Carolina lives comfortably in terms of its scoring (+18.4 ppg), rebounding (+5.2) and turnover (+4.6) margins, while outshooting its opponents from the field, 44.9 percent to 33.9 percent. Despite shooting under 38 percent from the floor, Paige still leads the way with 15.0 ppg. Kennedy Meeks is a nightly double-double threat with 13.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg. Brice Johnson (11.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and Jackson (11.6 ppg) are also consistently reliable options. The Gators struggled to put UAB away on Thursday and even trailed by two inside of four minutes remaining, but they closed the game out in style by scoring the final 11 points to capture the nine-point victory. It was far from their most impressive shooting performance - they shot just 34 percent from the floor, including 7-of-23 from 3-point range - but they won the rebounding battle (39-30) and forced UAB into a game-high 16 turnovers. Michael Frazier II drained three 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 14 points, Chris Chiozza came off the bench to score 13 points and swipe six steals and Jon Horford logged eight points and eight rebounds. Florida has played outstanding defense all season long, yielding a mere 56.6 ppg, but its effort on the offensive end of the floor has lagged behind, as it shoots a lowly 40.1 percent from the field for 63.4 ppg. Frazier pours in 14.8 ppg to lead the team while adding 6.0 rpg and more than a steal per game as well. Dorian Finney-Smith (12.3 ppg, 5.0 rpg), Eli Carter (11.7 rpg) and Horford (11.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg) are also off to solid starts. Custom Columbus Blue Jackets Jerseys .C. -- The shot that would have beaten No. Ryan Murray Jersey . Both had to wait out a rain interruption lasting nearly five hours before taking comprehensive third-round victories to join Carling Bassett-Seguso (1983, 1986), Patricia Hy-Boulais (1996-97) and Daniel Nestor (1999) as Canadians who made it into the second week of a major. http://www.authenticbluejacketspro.com/Oliver-bjorkstrand-blue-jackets-jersey/ . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, the New York Rangers winger skated with extras and goalies today. David Savard Jersey . Pekovic had an MRI test Tuesday on his right ankle that revealed bursitis, which is inflammation of the fluid-filled pad that cushions the joint. Alexander Wennberg Jersey . He just didnt expect them to be this good. Darrun Hilliard scored 19 points to lead No. 6 Villanova to a dominating 77-59 victory over Georgetown on Saturday, preserving the Wildcats hopes of a No.6) If youre a sports fan living in Toronto or Winnipeg, are you thinking things couldnt be worse anywhere else? Well, they probably can...in the other place. While Torontonians saw the Leafs, Argos and TFC suffer a losing weekend, the Winnipeg headlines referred to the Blue Bombers worst season since 1930 and offered the idea that the Jets season had already gone "sideways", after only five games.7) On the other hand, did you realize that the combined record of the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks is 12-3? So Canadas three best teams compare nicely with Californias three teams - LA, Anaheim and San Jose are 13-3-2. Well, their records compare favourably. 8) Are you big on hockeys plus-minus statistics? Ponder this - two of the NHLs worst minus players so far are Rene Bourque and Lars Eller of the Montreal Canadiens, who have won five of their first six games.9) Who is Travis Ishikawa? You know him as the San Francisco Giants NLCS hero, the guy who hit the three-run homer that put the Giants into the World Series against Kansas City. However, you dont really know Ishikawa unless you see a list of his former minor-league teams and realize that Travis Ishikawa is the epitome of the baseball dream.In addition to major league stops in San Francisco (twice), Milwaukee, Baltimore, New York (Yankees) and Pittsburgh, Ishikawa has played for the Salem-Keizer Volcanos, Hagerstown Suns, Connecticut Defenders, Scottsdale Scorpions, Fresno Grizzlies, Norfolk Tides and Charlotte Knights. In April of this year, he played for none of those teams. He was an unemployed minor-league free agent. 10) It may or may not be a big deal that the KC Royals have home-field advantage in the World Series, but it is theirs because of the American Leagues 5-3 win over the National League in the All-Star game. What do you remember about that game? Not much, right? Ah, but what if I mention the names of Adam Wainwright and Derek Jeter? Now, it comes back - the controversy created by Wainwrights admission that he grooved a pitch that Jeter, in his farewell All-Star appearance, smacked for a double in a three-run first inning. It was actually suggested that the result of the game should not count, and that the World Series should open in the park of the team with the best regular-season record. That would have been Kansas City, so never mind the fuss...I guess.11) How many members of the Royals and the Giants were chosen as starters for that 2014 MLB All-Star game in Minnesota? And, of course, the answer is...none.12) World Series managers Bruce Bochy of San Francisco and Ned Yost of Kansas City dont really look alike, but they seem alike. Theyre both former catchers who appear studiously calm during a game. They answer questions with a politeness that suggests there need not be too many of them if theyre meant to bring colourful answers. The difference between Bochy and Yost is that Bochy is bidding for his third World Series ring, and the two hes got make him the most successful manager of these times. The only other currentt manager with two? Terry Francona of Cleveland, whose rings are adorned with a Red Sox logo.dddddddddddd13) As you watch the World Series, with the Giants employing a designated hitter in the first two games and the Royals pitchers batting in the next two, ask yourself the following question: "Is there anything dumber than a pro sports championship series that includes two sets of rules based on a games location, and is there a chance the next baseball commissioner will be bold enough to call for one set of rules - DH or no DH - that would apply to both leagues"?14) The next time you watch Steven Stamkos or John Tavares, ask yourself this question: "Did Canada really win Olympic gold in Sochi without Stamkos and Tavares, and with Sidney Crosby scoring one goal?"15) What is the end result of the Oscar Pistorius trial that seemed to last forever? It is that Pistorius may end up serving a 10-month jail sentence before his punishment reverts to house arrest. In that event, Pistorius would spend only three months longer in jail than he did in a South African courtroom trying to avoid jail.16) The Florida Panthers owners say they are "100 per cent convinced" that a market for NHL hockey exists in South Florida. Im not sure you can be "95 per cent convinced", but Id pick a number lower than 100, wouldnt you?17) Its a long story, and the only sad one connected to the Kansas City Royals appearance in the 2014 World Series. Frank White is an all-time Royal whose ties to the teams history are even greater than George Bretts, but White and the Royals had a major falling-out that made him declare he would never be seen at Kauffman Stadium again.He has broken that vow to sit in the stands a few times recently. It wont happen, but surely it should - wouldnt a ceremonial first pitch thrown by Frank White, with Brett alongside, be a perfect way to celebrate the moment?18) Do you know how bad the Cincinnati Bengals were in the first half of their 27-0 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday? They gained 27 yards, thats how bad. Thats less than a yard per minute. And it could get worse when the Bengals play at home this Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, who are playing a lot better now than when they dropped their season opener at home to the Bengals. Ravens seek revenge, and may have no trouble finding it. 19) Should a goalie win the Hart Trophy? To each his/her own on this one, but my answer would be: Not unless the year is 1997 or 1998 and his name is Dominik Hasek. The standard of goaltending excellence and value to his team set by Hasek in Buffalo has not been equalled since, which is a polite way of disagreeing with the choice of Jose Theodore in 2002. Hasek will be honoured in Buffalo on January 13, and again to be polite, that will be the hilite of the Sabres current season.20) To fully enjoy the start of the 2014 World Series, can we all agree that Terry Cashman still has the best way of "Talkin Baseball"? Some of us have been singing this for more than 30 years. ' ' '