North Carolina kept Miami at bay for a 20-13 win, and then two

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The proud man looked over the heads of the gathered reporters and then wistfully at the exit. He spoke slowly.Pau Gasol sounded tired. You would, too, after pushing a rock up the hill four times and then helplessly watching it roll back down to the bottom. This time, which marked the end of Spains dream of Olympic gold at the hands of Team USA yet again, the semifinal ended by a not-as-close-as-it-sounds 82-76.Our hearts are bleeding, said Sergio Scariolo, who coaches Spain but whose penchant for drama marks him as indelibly Italian.Beating Team USA in Fridays Olympic semifinal was always going to be a heavy lift for Spain, let alone for the 36-year-old Gasol. He was already forced to take on more responsibility to cover for the absence of his injured younger brother and fellow NBA All-Star star, Marc. Then Nikola Mirotic, Spains only other legitimate inside threat, picked up his fourth foul before halftime.What made it more frustrating still is that he was convinced the Americans looked more beatable than in any of the four Olympic tournaments in which theyve knocked him and Spain out.Thats just the way I felt, Gasol said. They are not playing as well as other times theyve played, but they are still a very talented team individually.If we had been a little sharper with our shots, if we would have moved the ball a little better, if we would have boxed out more, and make it a two- or three-possession game, then youre talking about a whole different story.Thats three very big ifs if youre keeping score at home. And even if somehow all three of those wishes were granted, it might not have made much difference.Team USA had hold of this game from the start and the last time Spain had a real chance to make it competitive came with two minutes left, down 61-55. But Sergio Rodriguez missed a 3-point shot and Kevin Durant made his on the other end, imposing order once more on what had been a herky-jerky game because of all the chippy fouls and technicals.Its the most different game Ive coached internationally. It was just a real different game today, said U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski.He was loathe to say more about the referees, though he credited the crew with bringing the coaches and captains together at the start of the second half and telling them, `Lets just play basketball.Like Gasol, his coach cited a few could-have-beens that might have changed the outcome. Scariolo ticked off rebounding, blocked shots and intimidation.The first two were easy enough to quantify: the Americans had a 53-41 edge in rebounds and 7-1 in blocks; the intimidation factor is hard to measure, but easy to see. Like Gasol, a handful of his Spanish teammates have played in the NBA for several years. Unlike him, however, they took most of their chances from distance, rarely challenging the longer, quicker U.S. defenders one on one in the paint.Hes got back-to-the basket game and a face-up game and he can shoot the long ball, said DeAndre Jordan, the toughest U.S. defender in the post. Anything I could do to make his catches tough, play with length and physicality, I was just trying to make it as tough on him as possible.I tried to push him off the block and just play him with length, he added. I just wanted to make everything tough on him.Gasol scored a game-high 23, leading Spain as he has in nearly every climactic battle with the Americans. In 2004, he left Athens empty-handed and settled for silver both in 2008 and 2012. The best the Spanish can manage this time around will be bronze.Its been a tough tournament for aging international stars. Already, Argentinas Manu Ginobili and Frances Tony Parker announced the end of their Olympic careers and Gasol will be 40 when the next Tokyo Games convene in 2020.Asked about the possibility of his retirement from international play, Gasol only promised to assess his situation year by year.But at the end of this game, after exchanging handshakes and hugs with the friends and rivals he made over 16 seasons, he sauntered over to the USA bench and did the same with Coach K and assistants Jim Boeheim and Tom Thibodeau.Then Gasol stopped and looked into the crowd for a few long seconds, like a man drinking in a scene one final time.Paus a great player, Krzyzewski said. No one is going to stop him.But as Gasol answered his final question and began the long, slow walk down the hallway toward Spains gloomy locker room, there was a better-than-even chance he was wondering where hed find the strength after Sunday to climb back onto the international stage again.---Jim Litke is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jlitke(at)ap.org and http://www.Twitter.com/JimLitke . Pete Maravich Jersey . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Trae Young Hawks Jersey . -- James Young couldnt wait to apply those tweaks to his jump shot, and the first one he made against UT Arlington told him it could be a good night. http://www.authenticbasketballshophawks.info/tracy-mcgrady-hawks-jersey/ . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Dominique Wilkins Jersey .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. John Collins Hawks Jersey . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . North Carolina is looking for some help for a repeat appearance in the ACC Championship Game, but the Tar Heels first order of business is to win their three remaining conference games so they can gain the advantage should Virginia Tech stumble in any of its three remaining ACC contests.That starts Saturday when the 18th-ranked Tar Heels (6-2, 4-1 ACC) host Georgia Tech (5-3, 2-3) at 12:30 p.m. ET (ACC Network) at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C.North Carolina and Virginia Tech are currently tied at the top of the Coastal Division standings but the Hokies hold the tiebreaker by virtue of their 34-3 beat-down of the Tar Heels on a dark and stormy afternoon brought on by Hurricane Matthew.The Hokies lost the next week at Syracuse, but have since beaten Miami and Pittsburgh to remain in control of the race. Virginia Tech travels to Duke this week and has games against Georgia Tech and Virginia left on its conference card along with a non-conference game against Notre Dame.Meanwhile, after the visit from the Yellow Jackets, North Carolina will be facing Duke on the road and North Carolina State at home among its remaining league foes with a non-conference affair against The Citadel, an FCS opponent, tucked in there at home.Of course, nothing should be taken for granted at this point of what has been a typically crazy college football season.Georgia Tech may be out of the division race but is showing some signs of life with wins it its last two games. Quarterback Justin Thomas is rounding back into 2014 form for the Yellow Jackets.Over the last two weeks the senior has looked more like the guy in control of the nations top running attack instead of the one who was frustrated and flustered in 2015. Last week against Duke, Thomas rushed for 195 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-35 win for the Yellow Jackets.You have to look at Justin Thomas and say he might have had his finest hour, Duke coach David Cutcliffe said. He played like a senior. Thats what I told him after the game.Thomas own coach was a bit morre reserved.ddddddddddddI thought he played very well, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. He made some plays.The Yellow Jackets also present the usual problems for opposing defenses with their triple-option, run-oriented attack. The offense demands a disciplined approach from a defense.Its a lot of attention to detail, because you dont see this offense a lot throughout the year, North Carolina cornerback Des Lawrence said. Its almost foreign to you, so you have to revamp your thinking of how youre going to attack this team.Its switching gears and being able to be mentally focused on what you have to do.The challenge comes at a time when the Tar Heels defense seems to be rounding into form as well. In the two games before last weeks break, North Carolina kept Miami at bay for a 20-13 win, and then two weeks ago it held Virginia to just 253 yards of total offense and 14 points in a three-touchdown win.Each and every week, we were able to find some improvement defensively, whether it was within a unit or in one aspect or not, we were able to find some of that and you were able to see them growing, Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora. I think theyre playing with some confidence, and their confidence has grown over the last couple of weeks, and theyre just playing much better football.And the offense keeps on rolling.Quarterback Mitch Trubisky has performed at an all-conference level. He has completed 71.2 percent of his passes with only two interceptions (both in the Virginia Tech loss) against 18 touchdown tosses.Even with the loss of Mack Hollins (four touchdown receptions) to a season-ending knee injury, the receiving corps is deep. Ryan Switzer has 66 catches for 678 yards, Bug Howard has 36 for 538 and Austin Proehl 27 for 378.Elijah Hood also is back to give the running game a jolt. He rushed for 107 yards against Virginia in his second game back from an injury that had cost him half of one game and all of another. ' ' '