NEW YORK — A pair of teams with the potential to win the national championship put on a March-type battle in a special atmosphere similar to an NCAA tournament game.
Category: Basketball
Gakdeng showing she’ll be a huge force inside for UNC women
With every game, junior transfer Maria Gakdeng has a more significant impact for No. 24 North Carolina with her size, inside moves, defense and clutch free-throw shooting.
Carolina shifts into overdrive with faster tempo, creating quick points
CHAPEL HILL — No. 9 North Carolina gave Florida State a taste of what it’s like to be forced into a fast tempo, and opponents might be in for a steady diet of that the rest of the season as the transition points pile up.
Love’s Arizona team new No. 1; Heels in top 10 in AP men’s Top 25
Caleb Love’s unbeaten Arizona team ascended to No. 1, and North Carolina jumped eight slots to No. 9 in the latest AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll. UNC, which had the biggest jump from last week’s poll, is in the top 10 for the first time since it was No. 1 in last season’s first three polls.
UNC holds position in AP Top 25 women’s poll after giving No. 1 Gamecocks a scare
North Carolina held the No. 24 spot in the AP Top 25 women’s poll Monday after giving top-ranked South Carolina a scare. The Tar Heels (5–3) lost 65–58 Thursday in the ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge to the unbeaten Gamecocks (7–0), who won at Duke 77–61 on Sunday.
First NET rankings show December Quad 1 games big for UNC men with few Q1 ACC chances
The first NET rankings of the season that came out on Monday showed that it will be important for North Carolina’s men to take advantage of three more Quad 1 non-conference opportunities this month since those chances won’t come often in ACC play.
Video breakdown: How UNC’s defense stifled the No. 1 women’s team in the country
UNC gave top-ranked South Carolina a scare, and a big reason is that the Tar Heels held 6–7 center Kamilla Cardoso to six points. How did Carolina, led by Maria Gakdeng, do it?
Garcia scores 28 of career-high 36 in second half but can’t rally Gophers in Big Ten opener
Dawson Garcia had the best game of his career Sunday and led a second-half rally at Ohio State in Minnesota’s Big Ten opener, but the Gophers lost 84–74.
Garcia scored 28 of his career-high 36 points in the second half, adding 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, as the Gophers (5–3, 0–1 Big Ten) cut a 22-point deficit to six.
Tar Heels in NBA: White pours in 31 points as Bulls win again; Anthony scores 20, but Johnson’s Nets end Magic’s win streak
Coby White continues to play well and earn the love of Chicago Bulls fans. He scored season-highs of 31 points and eight 3-pointers to lead Chicago to back-to-back wins for the first time this season two nights after scoring 23 points in an upset victory over Milwaukee.
After romp, Love, Arizona poised to be No. 1; Styles hits 18 in heartbreaking loss
Caleb Love continues to be the leading scorer on a balanced Arizona attack, and the unbeaten No. 2 Wildcats will likely be No. 1 when the new AP Top 25 poll comes out on Monday.
Noles wilt under UNC’s pressure as Heels rally for win behind RJ Davis
CHAPEL HILL — Carolina flipped the switch with its pressure defense midway through the second half, and Florida State was helpless to do anything about it. No. 17 North Carolina turned a 12-point deficit into a 14-point edge with a 30–4 run as the Heels rebounded from a sluggish first half to earn a 78–70 victory over the Seminoles, thanks to 12 points off turnovers after halftime.
Ingram, Ryan inject intensity UNC lacked last season
CHAPEL HILL — Newcomers have injected some important intangibles missing last season into North Carolina’s roster. During the Tar Heels’ 2022 run to the national championship game, Brady Manek was fiery, didn’t hesitate to call out teammates or throw things in disgust. After nobody filled that role last season, transfers Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan are bringing an intensity level and physical play to the team that’s making a big difference.
Tar Heels in NBA: White scores 23, hits huge 3s, in Bulls’ OT victory over Bucks
Without two of Chicago’s best players, Coby White came up with the clutch shots the Bulls needed to pull off an upset Thursday night. White scored 23 points and four 3-pointers, with seven assists, four rebounds, a steal and a block, as the Bulls pulled away in overtime for a 120–113 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks to snap a five-game losing streak.
Heels lead by 11 early, give No. 1 Gamecocks scare in impressive effort before falling
CHAPEL HILL — Anybody who thought that top-ranked South Carolina would roll into Chapel Hill and coast to victory didn’t know the character and resolve of No. 24 North Carolina. UNC has a history of giving the national power some of its toughest games, and that was the case again Thursday when the Tar Heels led by as many as 11 points in the first half. They battled admirably before losing 65–58 in the inaugural ACC/SEC Women’s Challenge before a loud and sold-out Carmichael Arena.
Cadeau’s dazzling play allowing RJ Davis to flourish playing off the ball
CHAPEL HILL — With freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau deftly creating offense with his dazzling passing, senior RJ Davis is flourishing as more of a catch-and-shoot two-guard, and it has North Carolina’s offense in overdrive. Davis followed up a 30-point game in Friday’s 87–72 victory over Arkansas in the Bahamas with 27 points Wednesday in the No. 17 Tar Heels’ 100–92 victory in the ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge at the Smith Center.
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