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ARLOTTE — UNC point guard Deja Kelly is used to dishing out passes for buckets, but she did a little distributing this week with early Christmas gifts for the Carolina basketball family. One of Kelly’s many NIL deals is with Beats by Dre, and she took advantage of that relationship to gift headphones to every player and coach on UNC’s men’s and women’s basketball teams.
Andrew Platek continues to produce steady performances for Siena, Texas Tech’s Kerwin Walton found his shooting range and Anthony Harris could be close to his season debut for Rhode Island.
North Carolina returned to the No. 6 spot it held three weeks earlier in the AP Top 25 women’s basketball poll and is on the highest five-week poll run in 14 seasons. The Tar Heels (9–1), after three decisive non-conference home wins, are ranked No. 8 or higher for the fifth consecutive week for the first time since the program’s remarkable late 2000s run.
North Carolina’s thrilling 89–84 overtime victory Saturday over Ohio State still wasn’t enough to return the Tar Heels to the AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll. The Tar Heels (8–4), the preseason No. 1 team, are unranked for the third consecutive week. Unlike last week, though, UNC received votes, garnering the 32nd-most poll points with 36. The Buckeyes (7–3) fell from No. 23 to unranked.
North Carolina’s 89–84 overtime victory Saturday over Ohio State was huge on so many levels, including that it was the Tar Heels’ first Quad 1 victory of the season. What makes it even bigger is that UNC won’t get many more chances to add to that in a top-heavy ACC. The victory moved Carolina’s NET ranking up five spots to No. 27.
Hubert Davis gained a permanent place in the hearts of Carolina fans with the two wins last season over Duke, but he may have done one of the best coaching jobs of his short tenure Saturday at Madison Square Garden. Davis trusted his team even after falling behind by 14 points in the first half, and they came through.
If it wasn’t clear before Saturday that North Carolina needs to run its offense through Armando Bacot, he left no doubt against No. 23 Ohio State. It also became clear that leaning on Bacot may not be enough if the Tar Heels can’t shake their perimeter shooting slump. That finally happened in the latter part of regulation — thanks to Caleb Love, RJ Davis and Leaky Black — and Pete Nance hit a huge shot at the regulation buzzer as they earned a thrilling 89–84 overtime victory over the Buckeyes in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Harrison Barnes keeps playing good all-around games, and it’s no coincidence that the Sacramento Kings are having one of their best seasons in years. He’s getting the job done on defense, and has the bling to prove it. Barnes made huge plays down the stretch as Sacramento ended a six-game Eastern Conference road trip with a 122–113 victory at Detroit on Friday night.
CHAPEL HILL — After a challenging 22 days between home games with three ranked opponents, No. 7 North Carolina returned to Carmichael Arena and dominated three overmatched non-conference opponents. The Tar Heels (9–1) trailed for 18 seconds and forced 58 turnovers in the three games as they tuned up before the schedule gets significantly more challenging. With the sort of dynamic guard play they got from Deja Kelly and Eva Hodgson on Friday, they’ll be more than up for the task.
CHAPEL HILL — If you ask Armando Bacot or most Carolina fans which Tar Heel is the most confident shooter, the consistent answer would be Caleb Love. Love, however, would beg to differ. He gives that honor to freshman Tyler Nickel. “He’s got the most confidence on the team,” Love said after the 100–67 win Tuesday over The Citadel. “He thinks every shot is going in.”
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