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Scheyer says game plan doesn’t change, Wilson or not
DURHAM — Duke coach Jon Scheyer will not know until Saturday whether North Carolina freshman Caleb Wilson will play for the rematch in Cameron Indoor Stadium, but he made it clear the uncertainty will not shape Duke’s defensive plan.
UNC earns double-bye, No. 4 seed, draws 9:30 quarterfinal start time
No. 17 North Carolina is locked into the No. 4 seed in the ACC men’s tournament in Charlotte, but that isn’t likely to come with a traditional afternoon start time in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
UNC edges up in NET rankings but still trending toward No. 5 seed; Miami’s win earns Heels double-bye
No. 17 North Carolina inched up one spot in the NET rankings to 24 after its 67–63 victory Tuesday at the Smith Center over Clemson and still is projected by most to be a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Renovating Smith Center among three frontrunners of arena options
Three top arena plans of seven options have emerged as Carolina weighs a consequential decision for the future home of Carolina men’s and women’s basketball. Senior Associate Athletic Director Rick Steinbacher revealed the top options on Wednesday on the second episode of “The Arena Discussion” podcast.
Tar Heels in pros: Big White home debut, injuries to Barnes, Johnson, transitions for Powell, Ryan, Anthony
With Roy Williams watching on Saturday, Coby White scored 20 points in his home debut with the Charlotte Hornets during a week when Harrison Barnes’ consecutive games streak ended, Cameron Johnson got hurt, Drake Powell headed to the G League and Cormac Ryan got a two-way contract.
Bogavac shoots Heels to emotional senior night win
CHAPEL HILL — Repeated open 3-point attempts didn’t fall, and the game looked in doubt for No. 17 North Carolina until Luka Bogavac suddenly seized control. The junior Montenegrin scored a season-high 20 points, including three of his season-high six 3-pointers, during a pivotal second-half run topped off by two huge free throws with 12.2 seconds left.
Trimble ushers in revival of senior speeches
Senior speeches will be part of North Carolina’s final home game once again. On the “Hubert Davis Live” radio show, Coach Davis said they are back because senior Seth Trimble wanted to deliver a postgame speech after his final home game at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Clemson.
Heels move up in AP Top 25 men’s poll
North Carolina moved up one spots in the AP Top 25 men’s poll to No. 17 after two wins last week. The Tar Heels (23–6, 11–5 ACC) beat Louisville 77–74 on Monday and Virginia Tech 89–82 Saturday, both at home, to push their record to 4–1 playing without star Caleb Wilson.
Transfer tracker: Jackson rebounds with big game, Cadeau wins battle with Tyson, Lubin productive in losses
Ian Jackson had one of his best games of the season in a big bounce-back night for him and No. 15 St. John’s. Meanwhile, No. 3 Michigan and Elliot Cadeau kept rolling, Cade Tyson was productive, No. 25 Vanderbilt, with Tyler Nickel and Jalen Washington, had an up-and-down week, and Ven-Allen Lubin was productive in two N.C. State losses.
UNC women have road wins over all three potential ACC quarterfinal opponents
North Carolina will play its first game in the ACC women’s tournament in the quarterfinals against a team the Tar Heels beat on the road during the regular season. The No. 21-ranked and No. 3-seed Tar Heels (25–6, 14–4 ACC) will play at 7:30 on Friday at the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Ga., against either No. 6-seed Virginia Tech (22–8, 12–6), No. 11 Georgia Tech (13–17, 8–10) or No. 14 Florida State (10–20, 5–13).
‘It’s us’ mantra has carried surging Heels into hosting conversation
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina has the kind of momentum that makes the Tar Heels strong candidates to host early-round games in the NCAA women’s tournament. It’s all begun to come together with an “it’s us” mantra that has carried the Tar Heels since an embarrassing January setback.
Aarnisalo’s savvy, Harris’ grit, Nivar’s defense lead UNC to senior-day upset of Duke
CHAPEL HILL — After never getting to the free-throw line in the loss two weeks earlier at Duke, it seemed fitting that North Carolina got revenge by putting the game away at the line. The No. 21 Tar Heels made 15 of 18 shots at the line in the fourth quarter and held on to upset No. 12 Duke 74–69 before a sellout Carmichael Arena crowd for their 12th win in the last 13 games.
UNC goes up in key metric, trending toward No. 5 NCAA seed
North Carolina is trending toward a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament two weeks from Selection Sunday after the Tar Heels’ Quad 2 victory Saturday over Virginia Tech. UNC went up on an important metric with a double-bye in the ACC tournament still possible.
Wilson participating in individual workouts, but no contact drills
CHAPEL HILL — Caleb Wilson continues to inch closer to returning to action. North Carolina coach Hubert Davis offered an encouraging update on Wilson’s recovery after the No. 18 Tar Heels’ 89–82 Saturday victory over Virginia Tech, noting tangible progress even if full contact remains off limits.
Davis’ spirited halftime message changed Heels’ mindset
CHAPEL HILL — When the mindset changed after an animated halftime discussion, so did the game. With more of a presence inside and better rebounding, No. 18 North Carolina pulled away from a tie game at halftime for a big 89–82 victory Saturday at the Smith Center over Virginia Tech.