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UNC’s bowl projections include facing Penn State in Charlotte
North Carolina has gone from missing the postseason in Bill Belichick’s first season to a likely bowl team, with several projections for a December trip to Charlotte and a potential matchup with Penn State. The Tar Heels (4–2, 2–1 ACC) are two victories away from bowl eligibility after consecutive road wins over then-No. 25 Pittsburgh and rival Duke. Their 24–20 comeback victory at Duke last Saturday returned the Victory Bell to Chapel Hill and strengthened their postseason outlook, with media outlets projecting UNC to go bowling in Charlotte, The Bronx or Annapolis, Md.
Wes Miller on coaching against UNC: ‘It’s always special to go back’
Wes Miller returns Tuesday night to familiar surroundings to coach at the Smith Center, where he once played and helped Carolina win a national championship. But instead of wearing Carolina blue, he’ll be trying to beat the Tar Heels in his first season as Charlotte’s head coach.
Tar Heels in NBA: Wilson shows flashes, hits 16 but goes through struggles in Bulls’ blowout loss
Caleb Wilson’s NBA regular-season debut reminded everyone that the transition from college basketball to the pros won’t always be smooth, even for a rookie with his considerable talent. The former Carolina star scored 16 points, missed seven of eight 3-point attempts and finished with a team-worst -45 in Chicago’s 135–92 loss Wednesday at Toronto.
Days after being ruled eligible, Trimble hits key late free throws as Louisville wins at Kansas
Five days after a Kentucky judge granted a temporary injunction on Friday restoring the eligibility of Seth Trimble and 37 other athletes, the former Carolina guard made an immediate impact for No.11 Louisville.
UNC has 8 out, 6 questionable; Syracuse has 2 QBs out, 1 questionable
Eight Carolina players are ruled out for Saturday’s home game against Syracuse, with six more questionable, but the Orange head into the game with quarterback injury issues.
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.
Justin Jackson sees no reason to panic over Indiana loss
Justin Jackson isn’t worried about Michael Malone’s first Carolina team after a 76–58 exhibition loss at Indiana that left some fans uneasy. Jackson said on the “Tar Heel Tribune Podcast” that the setting matters, as does Indiana’s veteran, physical front line. It was also the first true road game for a roster that had played only one other exhibition, an 88–70 win over Southern Cal in Greensboro.
UNC debuts in men’s soccer poll; every fall sports team except football now ranked
Aside from the surging football team, every other Carolina fall team sport is now ranked, with the men’s soccer team debuting at No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches poll. The Tar Heels fell off the top spot in the women’s soccer poll but only to No. 2, while the field hockey team moved up one spot to No. 9 and the volleyball team held at No. 23.
UNC earns fifth straight top-16 ranking in preseason Top 25 women’s poll
North Carolina, picked to finish third in the ACC, is No. 12 in the preseason women’s AP Top 25 poll released on Tuesday. It’s the fifth straight season ranked in the top 16 of the preseason poll, after being No. 11 last season. The Tar Heels were No. 15 two seasons ago, No. 16 in 2023–24 and No. 12 in 2022–23.
Wilson ‘prepared’ ahead of debut; White out for opener; 14 Tar Heels on NBA rosters
The NBA season opens Tuesday with 14 former Carolina players on rosters, with five projected to start and six on two-way contracts, as Caleb Wilson prepares for his much-anticipated debut Wednesday night in Toronto.
What is Belichickian? He’s never used the term
CHAPEL HILL — Some have described the last two gritty Carolina road victories as “Belichickian.” The term entered the pro football vernacular during Bill Belichick’s 24-year tenure as the New England Patriots coach because of his reputation for pushing the boundaries while technically following the rules. Just don’t ask him what it means.
Belichick says moving on from big Duke win tougher, Syracuse better than record
CHAPEL HILL — Bill Belichick has spent most of the season stressing that one Saturday game has to be put away quickly. After Carolina’s win at Duke, he said that it took more effort than usual.
The Tar Heels’ players have said all year that Sunday is the day to turn the page, and Belichick acknowledged the Victory Bell celebration made it harder this time.
Tar Heels in NFL: Maye not satisfied after third straight big game; Williams scores TD
Drake Maye strung together a third consecutive strong game Sunday, throwing three touchdown passes in a 26–19 win over the New York Jets, but he and his coach are focused more on what went wrong than on the result. Maye completed 18 of 32 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions (110.8 passer rating), and added 24 yards on four carries.
Keita shows glimpses of potential that attracted Malone to him
INDIANAPOLIS — Sayon Keita did the kind of work Sunday that Michael Malone traveled to Spain to see in person. Beyond his five blocks, the freshman led Carolina with 12 points, nine rebounds (five offensive), while spending Sunday evening absorbing contact from Indiana big men who outweighed him.
Malone calls acclimation to college ‘learning experience,’ says accountability starts with him
INDIANAPOLIS — Michael Malone is only months into his return to college basketball, and Carolina’s 76–58 exhibition loss at Indiana on Sunday gave the first-year coach his first opportunity to show how he will handle a bad night with his new team.