AP: Carolina schools looking for respect in ACC

John Bunting gets fired up when he flips through the preseason magazines and sees North Carolina's schools -- especially his Tar Heels -- picked to finish near the bottom of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

"That's been going on for a couple of years. It motivated us in '04. It motivated us last year," the North Carolina coach said Thursday at a kickoff luncheon featuring three coaches from the state's four ACC schools.

"We were two or three plays away from (a 7-4 record) last year. We all know this," he said. "We've got to make those plays. That's what motivates us. We want to make those plays to improve our standing in the ACC first. That's my No. 1 goal."