Love hits 26, makes many big shots, but last one doesn’t fall in Arizona loss

Caleb Love has never been shy about taking a shot in a pressure situation on a national stage, and he showed that again Saturday in Las Vegas. His last one, a long 3-point attempt that would have won the game, didn’t fall, though, after repeatedly coming up clutch after halftime on a day when he scored 26 points, four 3-pointers, made all four free-throw attempts and pulled down five rebounds.

Photo by Smith Hardy

How North Carolina shut down Oklahoma’s high-powered motion offense

Ahead of the final game before the holiday break, North Carolina had its hands full trying to prepare for an Oklahoma Sooners offense, led by sophomore guard Otega Oweh and junior guard Javian McCollum. Here’s a look at what strategies Carolina coach Hubert Davis employed on the defensive end and how they were able to take the 10-0 Sooners out of their normal rhythm.

Heels turn up the defense in impressive victory over No. 7 Sooners

CHARLOTTE — No. 11 North Carolina finished a pre-Christmas gauntlet of challenges against highly ranked teams impressively against No. 7 Oklahoma, fueled by the Tar Heels’ best defense of the season. RJ Davis collected 23 points, four 3-pointers, five assists, three steals and no turnovers as UNC ended a two-game losing streak with an 81–69 victory Wednesday at the Spectrum Center at the second Jumpman Invitational.

Kelly heroically scores 21, despite throwing up during time outs, as UNC surges to win in second half

CHARLOTTE — The game started late, and No. 24 North Carolina found the offensive rhythm late. Despite being sick for three days and throwing up during time outs, senior Deja Kelly fixed that,and the Tar Heels pulled away in the second half for a 61–52 victory Tuesday night at the Jumpman Invitational in the Spectrum Center.

Love’s 29 not enough against Purdue; Dunn’s career-high 17, Johnson’s 15 can’t push Penn State over Jackets

Three former Carolina players had big games in tough losses Saturday.
Caleb Love’s season-high 29 points, 20 in the second half, weren’t enough for No. 1 Arizona to overcome No. 3 Purdue. D’Marco Dunn scored a career-high 17 points and Puff Johnson had a season-high 15 points in a tough overtime loss with a controversial finish.