Covering Carolina sports beyond just men's basketball and football — with the most complete women's basketball coverage
LAHAINA, Hawaii — Coach Hubert Davis has seen enough stretches to know that No. 10 North Carolina can play at an elite level. His mission is to be that efficient more consistently. That will be even more important during the three-day Maui Invitational, which features an elite field and begins with a first-round game Monday at 11:30 p.m. (ESPN2) against 5–0 Dayton.
It was a milestone victory for UNC coach Courtney Banghart and a breakout game for freshman guard Lanie Grant in No. 16 North Carolina’s 63–52 victory Saturday in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau, Bahama.
HONOLULU — There may have been no jet lag for No. 10 North Carolina, but the Tar Heels rebounding desire was late to arrive. That, and Elliot Cadeau sitting for 14 first-half minutes with two fouls kept Hawai’i in the game for one half. Carolina turned on the jets of its potent transition game and ran it into overdrive in the second half, pulling away for an 87–69 victory Friday at a packed Stan Sheriff Center.
Armando Bacot produced his fourth double-double in five games and kept the perimeter proficiency coming.
CHAPEL HILL — Jalen Washington unleashed plenty of emotions after he took a transition pass from Elliot Cadeau and hammered home a powerful dunk in the second half Friday against American. Seeing Washington wave his arms and yell surprised Coach Hubert Davis, but he’s convinced that much more than his highlight-reel slam was behind that reaction.
The overlap of football and men’s basketball sometimes creates challenges for the Tar Heel Sports Network, and this weekend’s schedule delivers some.
North Carolina held at No. 10 in the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll after rolling to a 107–55 home win Friday over American.
After splitting two games last week, including a 69–58 loss Friday in Greensboro to No. 2 UConn, North Carolina fell two spots to No. 16 in the AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll.
Armando Bacot’s G League double-double streak ended, but his perimeter shooting assault began on Sunday. Bacot scored multiple 3-pointers once during his Carolina career (two against Notre Dame on March 5 in his final UNC home game) but fired in four 3-pointers on six attempts in his Memphis Hustle’s 90–85 win at Texas.
CHAPEL HILL — Carolina is fun to watch when they’re running the way Coach Hubert Davis wants them to. The Tar Heels dispatched a pesky American team Friday night, turning a nine-point halftime lead into a certified blowout, with a final score of 107–55.
GREENSBORO — North Carolina will challenge some of the best women’s teams in the country when the 3-point shots fall and roll against many others. In desperate need of a good shooting night to stay with No. 2 UConn, it didn’t happen until it was too late for the No. 14 Tar Heels, who couldn’t stop sensational redshirt senior Paige Bueckers, and had rough performances from some veterans.
GREENSBORO — After a slow start, veteran Alyssa Ustby jump-started No. 14 North Carolina and redshirt freshman Laila Hull closed the deal.
By R.L. Bynum Armando Bacot’s double-double machine works just as well in the G League as it did at Carolina, … More
After rallying at No. 1 Kansas and narrowly losing 92–89 on Friday, North Carolina slipped one spot to No. 10 in the first regular-season AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll of the season. UNC swapped spots with Caleb Love’s Arizona team (2–0), which moved up to No. 9.
After opening the season with a pair of home victories, North Carolina moved up one spot to No. 15 in the first regular-season AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll of the season heading into two games this week in Greensboro. It’s the Tar Heels’ highest ranking since it was No. 14 on Feb. 6, 2023.
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