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GREENVILLE, S.C. — Here is the video and complete transcript from VCU’s press conference with Coach Phil Martelli Jr. and players Terrence Hill Jr., Jordan Tillery, Lazar Djokovic and Brandon Jennings ahead of the Rams’ first-round NCAA tournament game against North Carolina.
GREENVILLE, S.C. — As Seth Trimble comes to grips with the reality that he is a loss away from seeing his college career end, North Carolina’s ACC tournament loss led to plenty of frustration.
Four Marches after teaming up on a run to the Final Four for UNC, RJ Davis and Caleb Love battled for two games in the G League, with Love putting on an overtime show on Tuesday.
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said Tuesday that the Tar Heels have spent the days since the ACC tournament sharpening their mindset with some chippiness, embracing the competitive edge they will need when they open the NCAA tournament Thursday night against VCU. He said that No. 21 UNC recalibrated after the frustrating effort in the loss to Clemson in practice heading into Thursday’s 6:50 p.m. NCAA tournament first-round game (TNT) against VCU in Greenville, S.C.
In a season defined by precocious brilliance and cruel twists of fate, North Carolina freshman Caleb Wilson has earned a permanent place in Tar Heel lore.
Coming off the sting of the poor performance for most of No. 21 North Carolina’s loss to Clemson in the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, Coach Hubert Davis said that the team has been spirited ahead of Thursday’s ACC tournament opener. After a team dinner at his house Sunday to watch the bracket revealed, the mood quickly shifted from celebration to motivation, he said Monday night on the “Hubert Davis Live” radio show.
Here’s a look at Thursday’s NCAA tournament first-round game between VCU and North Carolina.
Ian Jackson was the only former UNC player of four to win in conference championship games this weekend, but he had the smallest role. Elliot Cadeau’s No. 3 Michigan team, despite his double-double in the Big Ten tournament championship game, and No. 22 Vanderbilt, with Tyler Nickel and Jalen Washington, both came up short in title games on Sunday. Michigan, Vanderbilt, St. John’s, Ven-Allen Lubin’s N.C. State team and Puff Johnson’s Ohio State team will all play in the NCAA tournament.
No. 21 North Carolina is headed to Greenville, S.C., for the first two rounds of the NCAA men’s tournament as a No. 6 seed. The Tar Heels (24–8) are in the South Regional, which has Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games in Houston. UNC faces VCU (27–7) on Thursday in the first round. A win would advance the Tar Heels to a second-round game Saturday against the winner of Thursday’s game in Greenville between No. 3 Illinois (24–8) and No. 14 Penn (18–11).
North Carolina appears destined for a No. 6 seed when the NCAA tournament committee reveals the bracket at 6 p.m. Sunday night. The consensus of 120 projections listed Sunday on Bracket Matrix has No. 19 Tar Heels as the second-highest No. 6 seed, with 12 seeing the Tar Heels as a No. 5 seed and two having Carolina as a No. 7 seed. UNC has a NET ranking of 24 and a WAB ranking of 21.
Karl Hess shared a couple of interesting Dean Smith stories during a radio interview, offering a rare look at how the Hall of Fame coach interacted with officials and his heat-of-the-moment choices. Hess suggested that he may have helped prevent then-UNC assistant coach Phil Ford and Clemson coach Rick Barnes from going after each other.
Harrison Barnes returned after missing five games with an ankle injury to produce one of his best games of the season, while a thumb injury ended a productive season for Day’Ron Sharpe and there were big game in the G League for RJ Davis and Caleb Love.
CHARLOTTE — For most of Thursday night, North Carolina looked out of sync. The Tar Heels struggled to establish an offensive rhythm, had difficulty getting stops on the other end, and watched Clemson build a double-digit lead that eventually swelled to 18 points in the second half. Only in the final minutes did UNC find the urgency it needed, nearly completing a stunning comeback before falling 80–79 Thursday in the ACC tournament quarterfinals at the Spectrum Center.
CHARLOTTE — With its season unraveling in a blowout, North Carolina made a furious rally to show that the Tar Heels aren’t dead yet. UNC scored eight 3-pointers in the last 12 minutes to slice an 18-point deficit down to one before falling to Clemson 80–79 Thursday in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament at the Spectrum Center.
Here is video and the full transcript from No. 19 North Carolina’s press conference after the Tar Heels’ loss to Clemson in the ACC tournament quarterfinals, with Coach Hubert Davis and Henri Veesaar. Also: dressing room video with Jarin Stevenson, Luka Bogavac, Seth Trimble, Derek Dixon and Veesaar.
