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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’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 — 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.”
Hubert Davis remembers riding the team bus to Madison Square Garden early in his freshman season before Carolina played in the Preseason NIT. Coach Dean Smith called him up to the front of the bus.
Cole Anthony keeps producing efficient minutes off the bench, and Orlando keeps winning, something the third-year pro hasn’t seen much of with the Magic. Anthony contributed 13 points, five rebounds and six assists while playing good defense in 20 minutes as Orlando rolled to a 135–124 home victory Wednesday night over the Atlanta Hawks for their first four-game win streak since his rookie season.
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