Karl, UNC star point guard in ‘70s and NBA coach for 27 season, finalist for Hall of Fame Class of 2022

George Karl, a star guard at Carolina in the early-1970s who coached in the NBA for 27 seasons, is one of 11 finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022. The inductees will be announced in New Orleans on April 2 at the Final Four.
Karl was the Tar Heels’ starting point guard all three of his seasons in Chapel Hill, leading them to an NIT title in 1971, the Final Four in 1972 and the NIT semifinals in 1973 when he was All-ACC. He played five seasons for the San Antonio Spurs, the last three as an ABA franchise and the first two as an NBA franchise.

Tar Heels in NBA: When and where to watch Anthony during All-Star weekend; Jackson scores 21 in G League

Cole Anthony’s big All-Star weekend in Cleveland gets started at 9 p.m. Friday when he plays in the Rising Stars challenge for James Worthy’s team, and he’ll also compete in the Slam Dunk contest on Saturday night, both at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Team Worthy gets the competition started at 9 p.m. on TNT against former Indiana star Isiah Thomas’ team. In the other first-round game at 9:30, Gary Payton’s team will meet Rick Barry’s team. All four coaches are members of the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team.

Future is bright for talented UNC women’s program

The ascent of Carolina’s women’s basketball program under Coach Courtney Banghart has been on a clear path to becoming a national-title contender next season. With their talent, poise and determined mindset, though, the Tar Heels showed Thursday night that they might just be ready to do some damage this season. No. 3 Louisville (22–3, 12–2 ACC) is no doubt convinced after losing 66–65 at Carmichael Arena to the No. 23 Tar Heels (20–5, 10–5).

UNC’s signature win over No. 3 Louisville first over Cards in nearly 14 years

CHAPEL HILL — Most Carolina players were in elementary school the last time the Tar Heels beat Louisville nearly 14 years ago. None of them remember that NCAA tournament victory, but they’ll never forget the No. 23 Tar Heels’ 66–65 upset of No. 3 Louisville at Carmichael Arena on Thursday night. It was a signature win and their biggest since knocking off No. 1 Notre Dame in 2019.

Tar Heels in NBA: White has season-best game in birthday bash; Anthony, Barnes, Johnson score in double figures

Coby White had it all going for him on his 22nd birthday Wednesday night. White scored a season-high 31 points with five rebounds, six assists and a steal as the Chicago Bulls earned a 125–118 home win over the Sacramento Kings for their fifth consecutive victory. Chicago (38–21) took over the Eastern Conference lead by a half-game over the Miami Heat.

A potential bubble-bursting loss to Pitt puts UNC’s NCAA hopes in jeopardy

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina’s rare detour through the bubble to earn an NCAA tournament berth careened into a ditch Tuesday night. The scenarios for the Tar Heels to make the NCAA tournament were already challenging. But losing 76–67 to a lowly but physical Pittsburgh team that’s 179 in the NET rankings has made it quite the uphill fight.

Jackson returns to G League with 26 points in victory; Bullock, Pinson hurt

Justin Jackson made an impressive return to the G League on Tuesday night after his second stint of the season with the Phoenix Suns. In his first game for the Texas Legends, the Dallas Mavericks’ affiliate, since Jan. 29, Jackson scored 26 points and four 3-pointers with nine rebounds, two assists and three steals as they earned a 113–107 road victory over the Stockton Kings.

Tar Heels in NBA: Hot-shooting White stays on roll as starter with five 3-pointers for streaking Bulls

The Chicago Bulls have won four straight and Coby White is looking comfortable and playing with confidence as a starter. White scored 24 points and five 3-pointers with five rebounds and six assists as he backed up the 40 points from DeMar DeRozan in Chicago’s 120–109 home win Monday over the San Antonio Spurs. The Bulls (37–21) are only a half-game back of the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat.

UNC falls in AP Top 25 women’s poll after loss to Hokies

North Carolina, one of 10 ranked teams to lose last week, fell one spot to No. 24 in the AP Top 25 women’s poll released Monday after beating Pittsburgh 64–54 and losing Sunday at Virginia Tech 66–61. The Hokies, who have played like a ranked team for a few weeks, finally debuted in the poll at No. 23 after also defeating Georgia Tech 73–63 to give the ACC six ranked teams.

Kessler’s second triple-double helps Auburn rebound; rough week for Brooks’, Huffman’s and Miller’s teams

For Garrison Brooks, Brandon Huffman and Walker Miller, their teams battled through rough weeks. Walker Kessler’s Auburn team dropped its first SEC game of the season but rebounded thanks to his second triple-double of the season. After collecting 16 points and 19 rebounds in No. 1 Auburn’s 80–76 Tuesday loss at Arkansas, Kessler had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 12 blocks in Saturday’s 75–58 home victory over Texas A&M.