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UNC cumulative statistics from three exhibition games
Here are North Carolina’s cumulative statistics from the three exhibition games, an 88–70 win over Southern Cal on Oct. 9 in Greensboro, an 76–58 loss to Indiana on Oct. 18 in Indianapolis and an 89–82 home win Tuesday over Charlotte.
Malone says turnovers, efficiency have to change so Heels don’t ‘beat themselves’
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina found enough offense to beat Charlotte on Tuesday, but Coach Michael Malone was left concerned about how much offense his team handed the 49ers. The 49ers scored 23 points off Carolina turnovers in the Tar Heels’ 89–82 overtime victory, extending a preseason problem that UNC must solve. With the exhibitions finished and Western Carolina visiting Monday for the season opener, Malone’s assessment went beyond the relief of escaping with a win.
Malone expresses frustration, saying, ‘Fens deserves to play’ and has his support
CHAPEL HILL — Michael Malone has spent the preseason coaching around a hole in the middle of his roster and made his frustration known. After North Carolina escaped with an 89–82 overtime exhibition win Tuesday at the Smith Center over Charlotte, Malone talked about a player who wasn’t in uniform for any of the three exhibition games.
Brown leans on faith, memory of aunt, as he carries year of loss into breakout game
CHAPEL HILL — A photo of his late aunt hung from Terrence Brown’s chain as he sat at a table after Tuesday’s game, with his Athlete’s Bible resting beside him. Both were reminders of a year the Utah transfer guard said has taken a lot from him and pushed him closer to his faith.
Heels have to ‘clean things up in a hurry,’ Malone says, after surviving in OT
CHAPEL HILL — If exhibition games are a chance for teams to learn from their mistakes, North Carolina has plenty of issues to sort out. Sloppy, choppy offense with weak rebounding, mental mistakes, poor perimeter shooting and adventures on inbounds passes were some of the problems the Tar Heels had to overcome before they pulled out an 89–82 overtime victory Tuesday over Charlotte at the Smith Center.
Hubert Davis returns to TV work, joining TNT Sports
Hubert Davis is returning to television after 14 seasons as part of the Carolina’s men’s basketball program. Davis, who UNC fired on March 24 as head coach, is joining TNT Sports as a regular contributor to its men’s college basketball game and studio coverage during the 2026–27 season, the network announced Tuesday.
After Syracuse loss, most common projected UNC bowl destination is Charlotte
North Carolina’s 31–30 overtime loss to Syracuse on Saturday left the Tar Heels two victories short of bowl eligibility, but seven postseason projections still have them headed to four possible bowls, with six potential opponents. The Duke’s Mayo Bowl in Charlotte and Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md., are the most frequently projected destinations for UNC (4–3, 2–2 ACC).
Tar Heels in NBA: Wilson continues strong NBA start in blowout loss; RJ Davis in G League camp
Caleb Wilson’s impressive start to his NBA career continued Monday night, even as the Chicago Bulls endured their most lopsided loss of the young season on a day that RJ Davis joined a G League camp.
Tar Heels in NFL: Big games for Maye, Williams bookend Week 7; Stewart, Ezeudu start
Drake Maye opened Week 7 with another 300-yard passing performance and three total touchdowns Thursday night, and Javonte Williams closed it Monday with the best rushing performance of his NFL career. The former Carolina stars provided the week’s biggest highlights for Tar Heels in the NFL, although their teams had dramatically different results.
Charlotte at UNC: TV info, stats, scouting 49ers and notes
Here’s a look at UNC’s Tuesday night exhibition finale at the Smith Center against Charlotte.
Why Sadler didn’t play against Syracuse as Helton’s role surged
CHAPEL HILL — C.J. Sadler went from starting at wide receiver for North Carolina to not playing an offensive snap Saturday against Syracuse, a change Coach Bill Belichick attributed to Nyqir “Boomer” Helton’s improved practice performance.
Belichick questions camera setup after controversial two-point conversion
CHAPEL HILL — Bill Belichick said the ACC didn’t have the needed replay views to overrule the on-field call on Syracuse’s game-winning two-point conversion in overtime.
Tracking transfers: Jackson hits 18 in win over No. 7 Texas; Lubin nets 22; Cadeau, Michigan fall to No. 10 Houston
Ian Jackson’s best game at St. John’s and Ven-Allen Lubin’s perfect shooting day at N.C. State led a weekend of exhibition play for former North Carolina players, who got mixed results for their teams.
Grades, snap counts: McDonald leads way; Edwards better clean than when pressured
Derek McDonald’s 82.8 defensive grade from Pro Football Focus was the highest of any North Carolina player in the 31–30 overtime loss to Syracuse, a full 6.4 points ahead of the next-best Tar Heel, while quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. finished near the bottom of the offensive rankings. PFF grades players on a 0–100 scale, and the numbers show a Carolina team that leaned heavily on the pass, wore down its defense with a lopsided snap count, and struggled most when Edwards was pressured. UNC ran 70 offensive snaps to Syracuse’s 89, and 49 of those 70 (70%) were pass plays against only 21 runs.
Good, Bad and Ugly Report: Syracuse
It was déjà vu all over again for UNC: jumping out to a double-digit first-half lead, then the offense doing its Homer Simpson disappearing-into-the-bushes impression while the defense slowly wilted in the second half. Mistakes, missed tackles, and missed opportunities to build the lead and stop the opponent’s onslaught.