Roy Williams’ support was a big reason North Carolina hired Hubert Davis to succeed him, and the struggles of this season’s team haven’t changed that.
Author: R.L. Bynum
UNC leaps into top 10 for first time in three seasons after taking down Pack; Kelly ACC Player of Week
North Carolina is back in the top 10 for the first time in three seasons, moving up three spots to No. 9 after knocking off N.C. State 66–65 on Sunday.
Hubert Davis shies away from GM talk, not liking the ‘narratives’ that are out there
After mentioning during his radio show two weeks ago that he would hire a general manager, UNC coach Hubert Davis didn’t want to talk about it when asked to expand on the subject during the weekly ACC Zoom press conference on Monday. But he was more than happy to talk about Jae’Lyn Withers’ performance against Syracuse.
Without Ustby, UNC shows heart, makes big late plays to upset No. 10 Wolfpack
CHAPEL HILL — Without No. 12 North Carolina’s star veteran, the Tar Heels showed plenty of heart in beating their rival with improvised lineups. Two clutch Grace Townsend free throws with 5.2 seconds left and a huge defensive stop at the end lifted the Tar Heels to a 66–65 upset of No. 10 N.C. State before a packed Carmichael Arena on Sunday, doing it without Alyssa Ustby for the last 37½ minutes.
UNC moves up in NET after win, but likely needs six-game win streak to make NCAA field
While making the NCAA men’s tournament still is a long shot for North Carolina, the Tar Heels took the first step toward giving them a chance with their 88–82 Quad 3 victory Saturday night at Syracuse.
Withers, resurgent Jackson carry UNC to huge win at Syracuse
In a season full of games when Carolina couldn’t hold leads, the Tar Heels finally ended that trend with a game they never trailed.
No. 6 Heels finish off sweep with dominant pitching from two 6–3 freshmen
CHAPEL HILL — The tall and short of it was that No. 6 North Carolina made quite a statement with its three-game opening-series sweep of Texas Tech.
Newcomers, returners impressive as No. 6 Heels sweep doubleheader with speed instead of power
CHAPEL HILL — No. 6 North Carolina picked up right where it left off, coming off a College World Series appearance with an impressive start on a chilly February afternoon.
Heels’ defense digs in at the end, Donarski drives them to victory
CHAPEL HILL — Once No. 12 North Carolina’s defense dug in, the Tar Heels wouldn’t be denied. Virginia Tech didn’t score again after tying it with 2:51 left as the Tar Heels pulled out a 67–62 win Thursday at Carmichael Arena for UNC’s fourth straight win to end a six-game losing streak against the Hokies.
Bacot pours in career-high 35 points, notches 13th double-double ahead of all-star appearance
Armando Bacot had it all going Wednesday afternoon, ahead of playing in Sunday’s G League Up Next event, the week he’s featured on “The Break” docuseries.
Video, complete transcript of UNC GM Michael Lombardi’s press conference
CHAPEL HILL — During a press conference on Tuesday at the Kenan Football Center, UNC general manager Michael Lombardi said he thinks of the Tar Heels as the 33rd NFL team and he is approaching it that way. Here’s a compete transcript of the press conference, along with a video of it:
Another first-half collapse, lack of fight dooms UNC, its NCAA chances
CLEMSON, S.C. — North Carolina’s early-season pattern of falling behind by double digits in the first half is back, dooming the Tar Heels’ NCAA tournament chances with another embarrassing effort.
UNC earns highest season rank in AP Top 25 women’s poll
After escaping Clemson with its third consecutive win, all on the road, North Carolina has earned its highest AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll ranking in more than two years. The Tar Heels (21–4, 9–3 ACC), unbeaten on the road at 7–0, moved up one spot to No. 12 in the latest poll, released Monday, their best ranking since being No. 11 on Jan. 30, 2023. UNC, which dropped one spot in the NET rankings to 14th after Sunday’s win, has been ranked no lower than 19th this season after going unranked for the final six polls last season.
UNC survives upset bid, late gaffe as Kelly keeps Heels unbeaten on the road
CLEMSON, S.C. — The road resembled Easy Street for No. 13 North Carolina most of the season until the Tar Heels veered into a path full of potholes Sunday, including a self-inflicted one at the end. The Tigers had lost seven of their previous eight games but didn’t play like it. Add to that UNC’s offensive struggles and poor shooting, and it produced a much more challenging-than-expected 53–51 victory at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Win over Pitt does little to help UNC’s NCAA chances, and there was other bad NET ranking news
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina may have kept its hopes alive of making the NCAA tournament with a Quad 2 home 67–66 victory Saturday over Pittsburgh, but the win did little to bolster the team’s resume, and there was bad NET ranking news. The Tar Heels (14–10, 7–5 ACC), who fell to 44th in the NET ranking after the loss at Duke a week earlier, slipped to 45th even though they didn’t play last week and stayed at 45th after the victory.
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