Covering Carolina sports beyond just men's basketball and football — with the most complete women's basketball coverage
For a while Saturday night, it looked like UNC had gone back in time, and it wasn’t because of the ‘90s retro uniforms. For much of the first half, Carolina looked like the undisciplined teams of the early 2020s, complete with blown coverages, poor line play, head-scratching coaching decisions and mind-numbing penalties. Then the third quarter happened.
Watch Mack Brown’s press conference after UNC’s win over Miami.
CHAPEL HILL — As tempting as it might be to call it the Tez Walker Game, the spectacular effort by the recently “freed” wide receiver might just be a prelude to the explosiveness to come. In his second game since the NCAA ruled the junior Kent State transfer eligible, he caught a career-high three touchdown passes, with 132 reception yards. His two third-quarter scores ignited No. 12 North Carolina as the Tar Heels rallied from their first halftime deficit of the season to beat No. 25 Miami 41–31 on Saturday night before a raucous Kenan Stadium crowd.
CHAPEL HILL — Change was apparent all around Friday night at Live Action, as was the swagger of freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau. The annual preseason spotlight on UNC’s men’s and women’s basketball teams at the Smith Center was all new to seven of Coach Hubert Davis’ players (five transfers and two freshmen) and eight of Coach Courtney Banghart’s players (three transfers and five freshmen).
CHAPEL HILL — What’s best for a player in the short term may not be best for the current team, but the latter has always been the priority in Coach Courtney Banghart’s women’s basketball program. After a tough, but correct decision, five-star stretch four Ciera Toomey and wing Laila Hull will redshirt this season.
CHAPEL HILL — The stars are aligned in more ways than one as Coach Courtney Banghart enters her fifth season as Carolina’s women’s basketball coach. A deep, talented roster with six players who were five-star recruits and five others who were four-star recruits has all the elements to contend for a national championship this year. With more talent on the way, her program has set a foundation to sustain long-term success.
Coach Courtney Banghart covered many topics Thursday at UNC’s women’s basketball media day. Also watch interviews with transfers Lexi Donarski and Indya Nivar and part of Thursday’s practice.
Hear what UNC wide receiver Nate McCollum and wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway ahead of Saturday’s Miami game.
The Chicago Bulls are noticing a more seasoned, mature Coby White off the court, and he showed that it’s translating to the court in his preseason debut. White, Cole Anthony and Harrison Barnes got their exhibition seasons off to a good start, as every NBA team has played at least one preseason game.
Two Carolina women’s teams that have won multiple national championships — field hockey and soccer — fell Tuesday from No. 1 to No. 3, and the Tar Heels slipped in the men’s soccer poll.
Two highly touted members of Carolina’s five-player freshman class will redshirt this season. Five-star stretch forward Ciera Toomey (top photo), the No. 4 player in the Class of 2023, and wing Laila Hull (bottom photo), last season’s Miss Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year in Indiana, won’t play while they continue to rehabilitate high school injuries.
Hear what UNC players Myles Murphy, Drake Maye, Marcus Allen and, Willie Lampkin had to say ahead of Saturday’s big clash with Miami.
Josh Downs had the best game of his rookie season, Cole Holcomb had a big day and Ty Chandler made a fake punt work on a Sunday with few bright spots for UNC alums. Although a touchdown still has eluded Downs through five games, the wide receiver caught all six passes targeted to him Sunday for a season-high 97 yards to put up a season-high 15.7 fantasy points in the Indianapolis Colts’ 23–16 home victory over the Tennessee Titans.
DURHAM — An irritating pattern for North Carolina women’s soccer struck again, leaving them fit to be tied. It happened in the national championship game against UCLA last season, two weeks earlier against Florida State and Sunday at Duke — a win booted aside by a late opponent goal. There were 16 seconds left against the Bruins and one second left against the Seminoles.
After a dominant 40–7 home victory over Syracuse on Saturday, North Carolina moved up in the AP Top 25 for the fifth consecutive week. The Tar Heels (5–0, 2–0 ACC) jumped two spots to No. 12, their highest rank since they were No. 10 in the 2021 preseason poll and their best ranking this late in the season since they were No. 5 on Oct. 11, 2020.
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