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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.
Schaffner, UNC’s sparkplug at top of order, leads Heels to third straight run-rule win
CHAPEL HILL — Jake Schaffner is the latest in a line of dynamic North Carolina leadoff men, giving No. 8 UNC plenty of spark at the top of the order. The North Dakota State transfer shortstop went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI as the Tar Heels coasted to a 12–2 win over Le Moyne on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium.
Nicholson helps power No. 8 UNC to fifth run-rule victory
CHAPEL HILL — No. 8 North Carolina was already dominating nearly every game before facing first-year Division I program Le Moyne, so more decisive wins were expected. The Tar Heels didn’t disappoint as third baseman Cooper Nicholson hit a homer and drove in five in their 16–3 seven-inning run-rule victory on a chilly, drizzly Friday afternoon at Boshamer Stadium.
UNC buries record 16 3s, clinches No. 3 seed in ACC tournament with huge Quad 1 win at Virginia
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The perimeter shooting talent has always been there for No. 21 North Carolina, but hasn’t always translated to games. That’s changed in a big way at just the right time. No. 21 North Carolina buried a school-record 16 3-pointers Thursday night at John Paul Jones Arena, shooting a season-best 66.6% from beyond the arc in a convincing 82–70 Quad 1 victory over Virginia.
Davis provides update on Wilson’s progress
Sensational UNC freshman forward Caleb Wilson is inching closer to a return for No. 18 North Carolina, and if it were solely up to him, Coach Hubert Davis said that he would already be back on the floor.
Paulsen’s 2 HRs, 4 hits, Rose’s solid pitching lift Heels to 4th run-rule win
CHAPEL HILL — After hitting only seven home runs in the first nine games, No. 8 North Carolina showed off its power Wednesday night. Led by four hits and two home runs from Stony Brook transfer Erik Paulsen, the Tar Heels blasted three long balls in a 13–3 seven-inning victory over VCU at Boshamer Stadium, their fourth run-rule win of the season.
Cunningham says emotional factors complicate arena decision
If the decision on whether to renovate the Smith Center or build a new arena for Carolina’s basketball teams were purely financial, it would be easy. Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham, in the first episode of the “Arena Discussion” podcast, talked about the difference in net revenue.
White’s Hornets debut vs. former team; transitions for Black, Love, Barnes; big games for Ryan, Ingram
The first week after the All-Star break has been a period of transition for a few former UNC players, with some positive and some negative outcomes. Coby White’s long wait to make his Charlotte Hornets debut finally ended; Leaky Black’s contract was converted to a two-way deal; Portland sent Caleb Love to the G League; Cole Anthony remains in limbo; and Harrison Barnes has settled into a reserve role.