TORONTO - As Dwane Casey called a timeout late in Fridays victory, one of his teams most impressive of the campaign, an honorary addition to the Raptors coaching body was the first to race out and rally the troops. Donning a charcoal blazer on top of his white t-shirt, Kyle Lowry immediately pulled aside his replacement, Greivis Vasquez, as the two point guards calibrated by the bench with less than a minute remaining. A reluctant spectator for the second straight contest, nursing his bruised knee, Lowry refused to take the night off. Not that anyone truly expected him to. "He was like our second or third coach," said Jonas Valanciunas. "He was kind of doing the same thing he does when hes in the game," added Terrence Ross. "Helping us with plays, drawing things up for us, being vocal." The Raptors would rather have him in uniform, dressed in red and white while leading his team in the trenches instead of on the sidelines, but they have more than held their own in his absence. For the second time in three days, Toronto - missing both Lowry and forward Amir Johnson - was able to knock off a top-six team, as the teams confidence continues to grow heading into the playoffs. "With us we feel like we can beat anybody when we step out there on the court, honestly," said DeMar DeRozan, who tallied 20 points and nine assists in his teams inspiring 102-94 win over the Indiana Pacers. "Theyre [a] top team in the East. We understand tonight was a big win at this time of the season." The Pacers - a team the Raptors could see in the second round of the playoffs, should they advance - are backing into the postseason. Frank Vogels club, losers of six straight games on the road and six of eight overall, had occupied the Easts top seed for most of the season before surrendering it to Miami last week. Vulnerable as Indiana may be, the Raptors have split the season series and given that they were without two starters on Friday, their latest victory was of the statement variety. "If theyre looking for themselves, whatever it is, its a win," Casey said. "Whatever their deal is, theyve won 53 games. Thats the way I look at it. Its a quality win." Fresh off a similarly opportunistic win over a Rockets team missing Dwight Howard and Patrick Beverley, the Raptors displayed characteristics you wouldnt expect from a young, undermanned group. They were resilient, hitting back after the Pacers cut into their 11-point cushion and took a lead of their own late in the game. They were tough, winning the battle on the boards and refusing to back down from Indys intimidation tactics. They embodied the seemingly irreplaceable qualities of their fallen comrades, Lowry and Johnson. Lowry - for better or for worse, in uniform or not - is the engine that drives this ship and even from the bench he couldnt help but to take control. "Its a little bit worse than what he does when hes in the game with you," DeRozan joked. "He just wont stop talking but hey, we deal with it, its cool. He shut up a little bit more once we were winning." "Id rather have him in uniform than in street clothes and coaching," Casey said, also having some fun at the expense of the vocal Lowry. "I tell Kyle this all the time, that when he becomes a coach I cannot wait to come watch his teams play." "Ill tell you what, Imma be that heckler in that stands. Boooo, coach." The relationship between Casey and Lowry has grown exponentially over the past 18 months. Theyre both strong-willed, passionate competitors. Whatever rift they may or may not have had last season - when the team was losing and Lowrys minutes were sporadic - appears to be a thing of the past. They understand and respect each other. Winning will do that. "I mean we have the same goals and thats to win as many games as we can win, make noise in the playoffs and compete our butts off," Casey said before the game. "Were tied together from that standpoint." The Raptors have navigated through the toughest stretch of their late-season schedule without Lowry and Johnson - out with a lingering ankle ailment - and can now afford to be more cautious with the health of their stars. Torontos final six regular season games come against sub-.500 competition, beginning with Saturdays contest against the lowly Bucks in Milwaukee. "The big picture is the most important thing," Casey acknowledged, "keeping guys healthy going forward." Sophomores stepping up Facing elite defenders at their positions, the Raptors duo of second-year starters came up big in the absence of Lowry and Johnson. Valanciunas, who scored 22 points on 14 shots, anchored Torontos defence and pulled down crucial rebounds in crunch time while vastly outplaying Pacers all-star centre Roy Hibbert. Meanwhile, Ross picked up the slack on offence, leading the team with 24 points - including five made threes - against a couple of tough wing defenders in Paul George and Lance Stephenson. "They came in and played with a lot of confidence, a lot of energy," Casey said of his sophomores. "They continue to get better and work hard at it every single day," DeRozan added. "They understand they play a key role on this team and us being successful. I credit tonights game to them because they came up big." De Colo making an impact With Vasquez stepping into Lowrys slot as the teams starting point guard, Casey has looked to trade deadline acquisition Nando De Colo off the bench. Even without scoring, the former Spurs guard has been making an impact with his energy and basketball intellect. He logged 23 minutes on Friday - most hes played with the Raptors - and with the increased role came a greater comfort level offensively. "He knows that hes going to get extended minutes with Kyle out," Casey said of De Colo, who scored 10 points and dished out five assists. "When youre in that situation you play a little more free and a little looser. Hes [being] himself and hes done an excellent job." The stat DeRozan, who had a team-high nine assists Friday, has now recorded five or more dimes in 24 games this year after doing so 18 times in his first four seasons combined. The quote "It should help their confidence," said Casey on the win. "To go against a team like Indiana without our two starters helps us but its not worth a darn if we dont come out [Saturday] night and have the same focus and energy and effort. Were happy, were excited about the win. I dont want to poo poo on it but weve got to turn it up and crank it up again tomorrow night.
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Richie Incognito Jersey . JOHNS, N.Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) - A pair of middle-of-the-pack power five conference teams meet up at Ford Field for the inaugural Quick Lane Bowl when the Big Tens Rutgers Scarlet Knights take on the ACCs North Carolina Tar Heels. Rutgers, in its first season in the Big Ten, went 7-5 overall and 3-5 in conference play. While the transition from the American Athletic Conference was a little rough for the Scarlet Knights, it didnt stop them from earning their ninth bowl appearance in 10 years, thanks in part to four non-conference wins. I like the idea of playing another power five opponent, said Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood. I like the idea of playing another power five school. I love the opportunity to play at a great stadium; and to play at Ford Field in a controlled environment, its a great stadium. I think all those things enhance the Bowl experience. Flood is the first coach in school history to lead Rutgers to a bowl game in each of his first three seasons, while the 2014 senior class is appearing in a bowl for the fourth consecutive season. The only other senior classes in school history to play in four straight bowls were members of the 2008 and 2009 senior classes. The Scarlet Knight won two of their last three games to end a three-game losing streak and earn a spot in a bowl. In their season finale, Gary Nova completed 28-of-42 passes for 347 yards and four touchdowns, as Rutgers came from behind to defeat Maryland, 41-38. Nova, Rutgers team MVP, completed 58 percent of his passes for 2,667 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions this season. He leads an offense that averages 25.6 points per game. Novas favorite target is Leonte Carroo, who has a team-best 53 catches for 1,043 yards with 10 touchdowns. Caroo, a First Team selection, led a group of four Rutgers players to earn all-conference honors. Defensive linemen Darius Hamilton and Kemoko Turay, and offensive lineman Kaleb Johnson were also named all-conference. Hamilton and Turay combined to have 12.5 sacks for a Rutgers defense that yielded 30.9 points per game this season and allowed 439.5 yards of offense. North Carolina, the third place finisheer in the ACCs Coastal Division, went 6-6 overall this season and 4-4 in conference play.dddddddddddd The offensive output of the Tar Heels should be tough for the Scarlet Knights to contain. North Carolina finished third in the ACC, averaging 34.3 point per game, and are led by second-team All-ACC quarterback Marquise Williams. The Charlotte, N.C., native leads the team in both passing (2,870) and rushing yards (737). This year, he set UNC single-season record for total offense (3,607), most touchdowns responsible for (32) and most touchdowns rushing by a quarterback (12). Williams, however, is coming off a sub-par performance in the Tar Heels regular-season finale against NC State. Williams and fellow QB Mitch Trubisky combined to hit on 17-of-35 passes for 177 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and four sacks in a 35-7 setback. On the defensive side, the Tar Heels fired defensive coordinator Vic Koenning after the regular season and Dan Disch will now get a shot to lead a unit that allowed 38.9 points per game and yielded 495.7 yards per game. Hes very energetic. Hes a little out there, but its something we need, linebacker Jeff Schoettmer said of Disch. Hes more aggressive. Aggressiveness might play into Carolinas favor against the pro-style offense that Rutgers runs with Nova, a prototypical pocket-passer who doesnt have much mobility. The Scarlet Knights are 5-4 all-time in bowl games after last seasons 29-16 loss in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. For Carolina, this will be Fedoras sixth bowl appearance as a head coach. Last year, he guided the Tar Heels to a 39-17 victory over Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl. The Quick Lane Bowl is Carolinas 31st all-time bowl game, but first in the state of Michigan. Carolina has won two of its last three bowl games. Rutgers and North Carolina have met six times in series history - the last time at North Carolina in 2011 (24-22 UNC victory). It marks the first time the two schools have met in a bowl and it will be Rutgers third bowl versus an ACC opponent (2012 Russell Athletic Bowl vs. Virginia Tech; 2008 PapaJohns.com Bowl vs. NC State).
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