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Tar Heel Tribune Podcast
The “Tar Heel Tribune Podcast,” with hosts Britt Whitmire and R.L. Bynum, gives Tar Heel Tribune readers a conversational companion to the site’s written coverage of Carolina athletics with interviews, opinions and insights.
‘Two steps forward, three steps back’: Malone wants to sustain best stretches
CHAPEL HILL — A lot went wrong for Carolina in its opening-game victory over Western Carolina, and it led to the Tar Heels’ inability to put away a mid-major team until late in the game. After the 80–72 win in his UNC debut, Coach Michael Malone said his team got off to an outstanding start, then watched the Catamounts work their way back into the game before UNC pulled away late by getting to the free-throw line, handling pressure and making timely baskets.
Unfamiliar path, same expectations: Heck’s fourth brace leads surging UNC to blowout win
CHAPEL HILL — The route here may not have been familiar to a Carolina field hockey program with a rich history, but expectations didn’t change as the postseason began. The No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament for the fifth consecutive season, the No. 10-ranked Tar Heels led 34 seconds in and rolled. Five players scored in a 6–0 first-round victory over Stanford at Karen Shelton Stadium.
Tar Heels in NBA: Wilson outstanding again; White makes season debut; Black has 4 steals in big game for Kings
Caleb Wilson continued his strong start to his rookie season in another loss on a night when Coby White made his season debut and Leaky Black got four steals in a big game.
Cones on the rim, scores kept on stops: How UNC is trying to fix rebounding problem
CHAPEL HILL — The drills have no hoops, and in some cases a cone sits on top of the basket, a setup North Carolina’s coaches hope will teach players that they win rebounds through positioning and effort. After the Tar Heels got outrebounded in their last two exhibition games, it happened again in Monday’s 80–72 opening-game win at the Smith Center over Western Carolina. The coaches are trying to fix the problem, but the progress was hard to spot.
Tracking transfers: High, Lubin score 20, Powell hits 6 3s as 12 of 13 former Heels in Monday openers start
Ven-Allen Lubin didn’t miss a shot from the floor, Zayden High scored more points in one game than he did all last season at North Carolina, and Jonathan Powell made six 3-pointers. All three started and won, setting the pace for the 13 former UNC men’s and women’s players who opened their seasons on Monday. Ten scored in double figures and Luka Bogavac, the lone reserve, led Oklahoma State in scoring.
Malone says Heels need to trust each other as they work through issues
CHAPEL HILL — These Tar Heels are clearly a work in progress and are lucky to begin the season with a soft schedule. In the meantime, Coach Michael Malone says his team will have to trust each other and accept that a different player might lead the way on any given night. In no slight to this season’s team, he acknowledged that no player on this roster is of Caleb Wilson’s caliber.
Freshmen Harpring, Bell put on show, but Sooners dominate Heels in second half
A one-point game at halftime turned into a rough evening in Paris for No. 12 North Carolina.
No. 21 Oklahoma took over the game with a 20–6 third-quarter run and led by as many as 20 points, coasting to a 91–79 victory over the Tar Heels in the opener for both teams Monday at the Adidas Arena in the Oui-Play Paris event.
Belichick says college football pay negotiations tougher than in NFL
CHAPEL HILL — Carolina coach Bill Belichick says that college football’s revenue-sharing era is a different world from the NFL system he worked in for decades. Belichick described how college sports, particularly college football, are in flux. He compared it to a period in his pro coaching career when rookie contracts were not yet governed by a wage scale.
Tar Heels in NFL: Maye sparks second-half comeback with three TDs; Downs scores in Colts loss
Drake Maye needed a half to find his footing in rainy Miami. Once he did, the former Carolina quarterback supplied every touchdown New England needed. Maye threw two long touchdown passes and ran for another score Sunday, rallying the Patriots from a 13–3 halftime deficit to a 24–19 victory over the Dolphins. Josh Downs also reached the end zone, scoring Indianapolis’ only touchdown on a difficult afternoon for several former Tar Heels in Week 8.
Canceled match at FSU could cost UNC women’s soccer ACC regular-season title, top tournament seed
CHAPEL HILL — The threat of Hurricane Isaias in early October and the inability to reschedule No. 2 North Carolina’s women’s soccer game at No. 22 Florida State could cost the Tar Heels a chance at an ACC regular-season title and the top seed in the league tournament.
Familiar opposing coach, career night: Edwards finds answers against Miami
CHAPEL HILL — Billy Edwards Jr. said he had a good idea of what Miami’s defense would show North Carolina on Saturday night, partly because of a familiar name on the opposing coaching staff.
Snap count, PFF report: Edwards, Thurman lead impressive offensive grades; rough grades for defense
Billy Edwards Jr. and the Carolina’s offense produced some of their best Pro Football Focus grades of the season in a 38–35 loss to No. 1 Miami on Saturday night, while the defense had its worst night by the same measure.
Heels impressively battle Canes, but Edwards says ‘we didn’t do enough’
CHAPEL HILL — Carolina traded offensive punches with the nation’s top-ranked team, only to be undone by the game’s only turnover. Miami’s strip-sack of Billy Edwards Jr. with 5½ minutes left led to the game-clinching score as the No. 1 Hurricanes survived with a 38–35 victory Saturday night at Kenan Stadium.
Good, Bad and Ugly Report: No. 1 Miami
On a Halloween night when clocks turn back an hour, North Carolina tried to turn back the clock 22 years to one of the biggest upsets in program history: a win over top-five Miami in Kenan Stadium. And for much of Saturday’s game, it looked like there was a chance, until another turn-back-the-clock moment.