Covering Carolina sports beyond just men's basketball and football — with the most complete women's basketball coverage
ESTERO, Fla. — Carolina’s shooting was as cold as the hockey arena for most of Friday afternoon before shots finally fell and the No. 18 Tar Heels staged an amazing fourth-quarter comeback. The Tar Heels trailed by as many as 13 points but finished the game with a 20–6 run, taking the lead in the final two minutes on their way to a thrilling 54–51 victory over Vermont in the first round of the Gulf Coast Showcase at a chilly Hertz Arena.
North Carolina did so much with so little from some normal key sources of production that the third-place finish in the Battle 4 Atlantis ought to make the Tar Heels feel pretty good if not fortunate. Headlining the performance was guard RJ Davis, who poured in 30 points as the No. 14 Tar Heels defeated No. 20 Arkansas 87-72 with a strong second half on the final day of the three-day tournament in Nassau, Bahamas.
Sam Howell bounced back from throwing three interceptions the week before with a better game against Washington’s bitter rival, the Dallas Cowboys, but it still resulted in a loss.
Caleb Love came through in the clutch against a ranked team for the second time this season for No. 3 Arizona. The senior guard scored a team-high 17 points, split a pair of free-throw attempts with 24.6 seconds left and made a key late steal as the Wildcats beat No. 21 Michigan State 74–68 on Thursday in Palm Desert, Calif.
When Armando Bacot wasn’t a productive scorer last season, North Carolina struggled to find a way to win. The No. 14 Tar Heels hoped that might be different this season, but foul trouble kept them from overcoming Villanova on Thursday. The Wildcats pulled out an 83–81 overtime victory at the Imperial Arena in the Bahamas in the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
As the Jordan year — ’23 — winds down, Coby White and Cameron Johnson scored 23 points in Wednesday night losses. Harrison Barnes netted 22 points in a defeat, but Cole Anthony’s team had the best night as he scored 20 points.
As expected, the No. 18 Carolina women swept their four non-conference home games to start the season, but it didn’t always go smoothly for the Tar Heels.
Carolina will get a chance to serve up a plate full of long-overdue revenge on Thanksgiving Day. For the first time since a shot by Villanova’s Chris Jenkin in Houston gave the Tar Heels a heartbreaking 77–74 loss in the 2016 NCAA championship game, UNC finally gets a chance to avenge the defeat.
Cormac Ryan brought prolific perimeter shooting skills from Notre Dame when he transferred to Carolina, but struggled mightily to find the range in the Tar Heels’ first three games. As the second half started Wednesday afternoon in the Imperial Arena in the Bahamas, he found it. The 25-year-old fifth-year guard ignited a 16–1 run after No. 14 UNC trailed by six at halftime, as the Tar Heels rolled to a 91–69 victory in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Although a milestone by teammate Kevin Durant overshadowed Nassir Little’s effort, the fifth-year former UNC forward had his best game of the season against his former team.
Armando Bacot has fond memories of his 2019 trip to the Bahamas and, if he plays his cards right, he hopes to hit the blackjack table with Roy Williams after winning the Battle 4 Atlantis championship.
A former Carolina gymnast was forced to sign a contract promising to lose weight by a former head coach and former assistant coach that threatened her scholarship, according to an extensive story published Monday in The Washington Post about the “toxic” culture of college gymnastic
Coby White’s return as the Chicago Bulls’ starting point guard hasn’t always been smooth this season, with his best assist numbers in four seasons but his worst shooting percentages since his rookie season.
It’s a busy Thanksgiving week for Carolina athletics, and many fans will probably plan their holiday schedule around watching the Tar Heels play. Here’s a guide to when and where to watch.
North Carolina jumped six spots to No. 14 in the latest AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll after Friday’s 77–52 victory over UC Riverside. It’s the highest rank for UNC since it was No. 1 in the third poll last season.
tarheeltribune.com 