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Ian Jackson rebounded from a bad first game at the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas with a solid effort on Tuesday. Meanwhile, No. 7 Michigan advanced to the championship game of that event for the right to win big money despite Elliot Cadeau’s struggles on a day when Ven-Allen Lubin registered a double-double in Maui.
FORT MYERS, Fla. — North Carolina’s reserves have to play well for the Tar Heels to reach their potential, and Derek Dixon’s night was an example of how the bench can tilt games.
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Tom Izzo says it’s too early to declare anything definitive about his No. 11 Michigan State team, or any team, for that matter. After the Spartans thumped an overmatched East Carolina team 89–56 on Tuesday at the Fort Myers Tip-Off, the Hall of Fame coach has seen enough Novembers to know that early games don’t always tell the truth.
It was more Maui frustration for Ven-Allen Lubin despite a good game, while Elliot Cadeau and Ian Jackson had contrasting luck in Vegas as holiday tournaments tipped off on Monday.
North Carolina moved up two spots in the AP Top 25 men’s poll to No. 16 on Monday after beating Navy in its only game last week. The Tar Heels (5–0), who beat the Midshipmen 73–61 on Tuesday, are ranked the highest since they were No. 12 nearly one year ago on Nov. 25.
North Carolina moved up two spots in the AP Top 25 women’s poll to No. 12 after a pair of blowout victories last week against in-state, nonconference competition, and remains the highest-ranked ACC team.
RJ Davis and Harrison Ingram stayed hot in the G League with standout performances Sunday night as their teams continued strong starts, while Cameron Johnson delivered his best game of the season Saturday.
CHAPEL HILL — As Carolina’s relentless defense repeatedly caused havoc, the only question was whether UNCG’s field goal total would match its turnover total. It didn’t.
Cade Tyson learned Saturday night what life is like when you’re at the top of an opponent’s scouting report. After leading Minnesota in scoring in each of its first five games, Tyson was held to a season low of 14 points in a season-high 39 minutes as the Gophers lost to San Francisco 77–65 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
In a Thursday night blowout win, Ian Jackson looked like the freshman who went on an epic seven-game mid-season run for Carolina last season and has the confidence to match. Jackson came off the bench to score 20 points in 21 minutes with four rebounds and three assists as No. 14 St. John’s rolled to a 97–49 home win over Bucknell after averaging 12.7 points in the Red Storm’s first three games.
GREENSBORO — No. 14 North Carolina turned the Corbett Sports Center court into a runway for the transition game to take off and the perimeter shots to fly. After averaging 26 3-point attempts in the first four games, the Tar Heels put up 22 by halftime. When they started falling, so did the Aggies in an 85–50 victory Thursday night as UNC scored a season-high 12 3-pointers.
Coby White is off to a sensational start for the Chicago Bulls. He followed up his 27-point performance in his season debut on Sunday with 25 points, five 3-pointers, seven assists and two steals in Wednesday’s 122–121 road victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Here’s a look at Thursday’s matchup as No. 14 UNC visits N.C. A&T.
Cade Tyson has more field goals in five games at Minnesota than he scored in 31 games at Carolina last season. The senior wing kept his early-season momentum going Tuesday night, scoring a game-high 22 points and three 3-pointers in the Gophers’ 66–54 home victory over Chicago State, his fourth time with at least 20 points in five games, to push his average to 23.4 points per game.
CHAPEL HILL — There wasn’t much joy for Carolina’s players after a tougher-than-expected victory over Navy. The Caleb Wilson Show was electrifying, as always, but Navy’s late 17–3 run had the team looking within after the 71–63 victory Tuesday at the Smith Center.
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