Author: R.L. Bynum

Horvath, solid pitching help UNC overcome leaving 19 runners stranded

CHAPEL HILL — What could have easily been a laugher for No. 18 North Carolina still was a solid win, but the missed opportunities were no joke. UNC eased past Charlotte 5–3 after rolling past the 49ers 16–3 earlier this season. But, against No. 20 Boston College this weekend — with the Tar Heels needing a big series if they hope to get into the NCAA regional host conversation — they can’t leave 19 runners on base and waste so many scoring chances.

Tar Heels in NBA: Johnson sensational in 22-point first half, but Nets fall to Sixers; Barnes scores 13 as Kings go up 2–0 on Warriors

Relentless, red-hot and fearless. Cameron Johnson was all that for Brooklyn on Monday night for one half, but, again, it wasn’t enough. Harrison Barnes again was a steady force as Sacramento took a 2–0 lead on Golden State. Johnson scored 22 points and had Joel Embiid flailing with a one-handed dunk in his face, followed by a stare-down of the 7-footer, in the first half. He added only six points in the second half, though, as the Philadelphia 76ers took a 2–0 series lead with a 96–84 victory over the Nets on Monday night.

One AI chatbot experiment’s response to prompts about UNC sports are amusing, confusing and often inaccurate

The possibilities with artificial intelligence are fascinating, but the chatbots, such as Google’s Bard, still have a long way to go regarding accuracy. After watching this story on Sunday’s episode of “60 Minutes,” I was curious about what sorts of stories Bard would produce from prompts related to Carolina sports. Some were interesting, many were amusing, and accuracy left much to be desired.

Tar Heels in NBA: Barnes scores 13, huge 3, in Kings win; Johnson’s best career playoff game isn’t enough; Green sits for Cavs’ loss

In a festive, college-type atmosphere in Sacramento, Harrison Barnes scored 13 points and a big late 3-pointer as the Kings won their first playoff game in 17 years. Cameron Johnson’s best career playoff game wasn’t enough for his Brooklyn Nets. Against the Golden State Warriors, where Barnes began his NBA career and won a league title in 2015, the Kings pulled out a 126–123 victory in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series in a highly entertaining game.

After dramatic win, UNC misses chances and can’t replicate that in final game against Miami

CHAPEL HILL — After late-inning heroics to win the suspended game on Saturday, No. 13 North Carolina couldn’t replicate that in the series finale. The Tar Heels won the suspended game with two late home runs, including Hunter Stokely’s 11th-inning blast to end the 9–8 11-inning game, but Miami rebounded and won 4–3 to take two of three games in the series.

Tar Heels in NBA: White scores 14, huge 3s but gets taken out late in Bulls loss; four other UNC alums open playoffs Saturday

Where was Coby White with the game on the line at the end? That’s what many on social media wanted to know after his 3-pointer with 3:47 left (shown below) gave the Chicago Bulls a three-point lead. The Miami Heat outscored Chicago 15–1 the rest of the way, going on to a 102–91 victory in a play-in tournament elimination game to end the Bulls’ season.

UNC beats best reliever in the country, win on Stokely’s game-ending HR

CHAPEL HILL — No. 13 North Carolina did what few teams in the country can do — overcome fireballing Miami closer Andrew Walters. Walters, rated by D1 Baseball as the top closer in the country, was one strike away from finishing off the Tar Heels in the bottom of the 10th inning. But UNC outfielder Casey Cook hit a 3–2 pitch 359 feet and just over the right field wall for his second home run of the season and the second homer off Walters in 20⅓ innings this season. Hunter Stokely took care of the rest with his first career game-ending hit, a solo shot to right-center field with two outs in the 11th inning, to give the Tar Heels a much-need 9–8 victory Saturday over Miami in the resumption of Friday night’s suspended game.