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Undefeated Carolina moved up in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 women’s rankings, and the Tar Heels’ dominant defense continues a stranglehold on the ACC Defensive Player of the Week honor. The Tar Heels (4–0–2) went up one spot to No. 3 in the poll.
After an impressive defensive performance in an opening-game victory in Charlotte over South Carolina, North Carolina jumped four spots to No. 17 in the latest AP Top 25 football poll to continue the Tar Heels’ best early-season ranking stretch in 40 years.
The biggest spotlights will be on Sam Howell and Javonte Williams as the NFL season starts this week, but rookies such as Josh Downs will also be worth watching. Dyami Brown may get more chances early this season, and three other UNC alums moved up on depth charts leading up to this weekend’s openers.
In the first Top 20 NFHCA poll since North Carolina garnered the top preseason ranking, the Tar Heels fell to No. 2 in the poll released Tuesday morning. The Tar Heels rebounded from a 3–2 Aug. 27 home overtime loss to Iowa, their first setback since 2021, to sweep a pair of games last weekend at the ACC-Ivy Challenge in Philadelphia. UNC beat Penn 4–0, then knocked off Princeton 2–1 in overtime, dropping the Tigers from No. 10 to No. 15.
Mack Brown says college sports decision-makers make big moves with an eye on money, with little consideration of the other effects of the changes. The veteran North Carolina coach says that one of those times was Friday, when the ACC college presidents voted to add Stanford, Cal and SMU to the league over the objections of his school’s leadership.
CHAPEL HILL — After navigating opponents packing in defenders behind the ball most of the young season, the No. 4 North Carolina women’s soccer team dealt with a contrasting — and more entertaining — challenge against No. 8 Arkansas. The physical Razorbacks pressed, challenging the Tar Heels over the entire field. It was a refreshing change of pace for UNC, which won 3–1 on a brutally hot day at Dorrance Field to give Arkansas its first loss.
Well, that was a pleasant surprise. UNC built a 17-point, third-quarter lead and then turned away their brethren from Lesser Carolina multiple times in the 4th quarter to leave Charlotte with a season-opening 31–17 win.
Coach Mack Brown and quarterback Drake Maye comment on UNC’s victory over South Carolina.
CHARLOTTE — Even without his best two wide receivers, talented redshirt sophomore quarterback Drake Maye still found a way. And UNC finally found a way to keep pressure on an opposing quarterback. Showing elusiveness and poise in the opener of likely his final college season, Maye led No. 21 North Carolina to a 31–17 opening-game victory Saturday for Coach Mack Brown’s 100th win as UNC’s head coach.
With Carolina’s opener with South Carolina in Charlotte coming up on Saturday night, Coach Mack Brown says they are still waiting to hear back from the NCAA about the status of wide receiver Tez Walker. It’s a tremendous source of frustration for Walker, a transfer from Kent State, and the entire program.
Remember the glory days of the classic ACC when it was eight teams, the league played a double round-robin in the regular season in basketball and the tournament lasted three days? Those days ended when the league raided the Big East in 2013. But that seems like ancient history after the ACC added Stanford, Cal and SMU on Friday for the 2024–25 school year.
CHAPEL HILL — Still grieving about Monday’s tragic campus shooting and processing the week’s events, the No. 4 North Carolina women’s soccer team tried to find joy on the pitch the evening after classes resumed. If only for two hours, Thursday night’s match against Gardner-Webb offered the Tar Heels players a distraction from the mental fatigue of what happened. Most of the players wore black wristbands in memory of professor Zijie Yan.
Leaky Black got the royal treatment in Charlotte. As part of a Charlotte FC tradition, the Major League Soccer team has a pregame coronation before each match. The guest of honor sits on a throne in the supporter’s section of the stadium the team shares with the Carolina Panthers after being crowned.
Tyler Hansbrough is one of five who will be inducted in Chicago on Wednesday night into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. The four-time first-team All-American at UNC will enter the Hall with legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, former Duke star Johnny Dawkins, longtime Division II Jefferson coach Herb Magee and late talent scout Tom Konchalski.
NFL teams waived seven former UNC players in the last week, many on Tuesday when rosters had to be trimmed to 53 players ahead of season openers the weekend after next. Rookie wide receiver Antoine Green was among those making the cut after an impressive final exhibition game for the Detroit Lions.
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