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WINSTON-SALEM — A year after flipping the switch in February and going on a magical run, Carolina looked for most of Tuesday night like a team that doesn’t have the drive or the cohesiveness to flip this season around. It still could come if they can match the second-half energy. The Tar Heels scored 49 points in the last 14:36 and 60 in the second half. Most of it came without Armando Bacot, who was disgusted by the effort in their third consecutive defeat.
Armando Bacot gave an impassioned speech to the team after the game. Hear what he, Coach Hubert Davis, RJ Davis and Caleb Love had to say after UNC’s loss to Wake Forest.
The eye test tells you that Carolina needs to play a lot better and the numbers back up that the Tar Heels’ performances haven’t been as good as last season. Only one opponent has blown out Carolina’s men this season after Coach Hubert Davis’ first team dealt with several painfully one-sided losses. But the Tar Heels’ rank in many national statistical categories show plenty of significant drops from a year ago.
The opportunities for North Carolina to solidify its position in the NCAA men’s tournament will be there. But the Tar Heels, reeling after two consecutive close losses, will have to stack up some wins in their last eight games to avoid the bubble. The Tar Heels (15–8, 7–5 ACC), 44th in the NET rankings, are 1–7 in what the current rankings classify as Quad 1 games. UNC will get four — and possibly five — more chances for more Quad 1 wins, starting with Tuesday night’s visit to Wake Forest (69 in the NET).
Hear what Carolina coach Hubert Davis had to say during Monday’s weekly ACC press conference.
By R.L. Bynum The good news for Andrew Platek is that he has scored at least 18 points in consecutive … More
Imagine that some sportswriters wrote thought pieces wondering if the UNC-Duke rivalry would be the same without Coach K and Roy on the sidelines and after the Heels sent Duke packing not only in Mike Krzyzewski’s last home game, but in the Final Four as well. Imagine. There were lots of new faces, but plenty of the old-time energy as the Blue Devils outlasted Carolina in a 63-57 rock fight in a raucous Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night.
DURHAM — There was no magic at Cameron Indoor Stadium for North Carolina this time, as the Tar Heels’ offense fell flat early in the second half and in the final minutes. The Tar Heels missed their last five shots, went scoreless for the last 3:57 and shot 28.6% in the second half as Duke pulled out a 63–57 victory on Saturday to end a two-game skid against Carolina.
Armando Bacot, Caleb Love and RJ Davis talk about Carolina’s loss Saturday at Duke.
Check out the updated ACC men’s and women’s basketball standings, scores and schedule.
Cole Anthony and Harrison Barnes both had big games Friday night, with Anthony trying to play peacemaker amid a brawl in an Orlando win and Barnes throwing down a highlight-reel dunk but missing a big shot at the end of a Sacramento loss. Anthony had his second-best game of the season with a 21.9 game score, collecting 20 points, two 3-pointers, eight rebounds, six assists and a steal in the Magic’s 127–120 win at Minnesota that included an ugly fight that led to five ejections.
CHAPEL HILL — You might say that the finger that’s on the pulse of what makes Carolina’s offense go is RJ Davis’ right index finger. After he dislocated that finger on his shooting hand early in the season, he struggled to find his shooting stroke, and the team’s struggles followed. Davis shot under 40% seven times in November and December, with the Tar Heels going 3–4 in those games. When he shoots at least 40% this season, Carolina is 12–2.
Carolina’s Pete Nance, Armando Bacot, Caleb Love, RJ Davis and Hubert Davis talk about Saturday’s game at Duke.
ESPN’s “College GameDay” is coming to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday morning ahead of Carolina’s game at Duke, and Tar Heels fans are welcome to get a little bit of the Cameron experience by being there for the show. The hourlong program starts at 11 a.m., and admission is free, with the public allowed into Cameron starting at 9:30 a.m.
It hasn’t been the most productive of Coby White’s four NBA seasons, but he has made a little Chicago Bulls history this week. And, according to one report, the Bulls have rejected multiple offers for him ahead of next Thursday’s trade deadline. White scored 20 points and three 3-pointers in their 114–98 home victory Thursday over the Charlotte Hornets. That effort came one game after he became the fastest player in franchise history to reach 500 3-pointers, with a pair of 3s Tuesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, needing only 237 games.
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