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CHAPEL HILL — Who will Coach Hubert Davis start with the return of Seth Trimble and the continued ascent of freshman Ian Jackson? That was far from settled based on Trimble coming off the bench in Tuesday’s 82–67 home win over SMU because the junior guard had only practiced once and hadn’t played since Dec. 21.
CHAPEL HILL — No.19 Carolina has flexed its defensive muscle many times this season, but none more impressively than Thursday night against No. 14 Duke. UNC left the Blue Devils out of sorts and disjointed on offense, but the problem was that the Tar Heels were willing participants in this rock fight with plenty of offensive issues and sloppy play. But 16 straight points to start the second half and nine in a row in overtime powered the Tar Heels to a huge 53–46 victory at Carmichael Arena.
Bill Belichick is committed to the North Carolina football program, Michael Lombardi, his general manager, said Thursday on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
CHAPEL HILL — Quad 2 victories are never going to give a team’s NCAA tournament resume a huge boost, but they are still helpful. That was the case with Carolina’s 82–67 Quad 2 home victory Tuesday over SMU, which bumped up the Tar Heels (10–6, 3–1 ACC) three spots to 39th in the NET, which is five higher than they were the day after Saturday’s 74–73 Quad 2 victory at Notre Dame (7–7, 1–2; 100 in NET).
CHAPEL HILL — There was no tension for once and plenty of joy for North Carolina in one of its most impressive games of the season as the Tar Heels showed that they might be finding a bit of a groove. RJ Davis definitely found his, hitting a banked-in, deep 3-pointer to beat the shot clock late in UNC’s 82–67 victory Tuesday night at the Smith Center.
ill Belichick was hard at work on the road Monday recruiting high school players in North Carolina along with his son, Carolina defensive coordinator Steve Belichick. Transfer-portal commitments keep coming as the Tar Heels’ coaching staff starts to come together.
It isn’t clear if guard Seth Trimble will return to action for North Carolina on Tuesday against SMU, but he’s making progress and Assistant Coach Sean May suggested he’ll play against the Mustangs.
Coach Hubert Davis said during the ACC Zoom press conference on Monday that Trimble, who has missed the last three games with a upper-body injury, practiced on Sunday.
CHAPEL HILL — It was always going to take a near-perfect game for No. 17 North Carolina to pull an upset against a loaded Notre Dame team. From the dazzling moves and menacing defense of sophomore guard sensation Hannah Hidalgo to the step-back and off-dribble 3-pointers from fifth-year guard Olivia Miles and the talent up and down No. 3 Notre Dame’s roster, UNC’s defense — its driving force season — didn’t have enough answers.
North Carolina’s thrilling 74–73 victory at Notre Dame on Saturday for the Tar Heels’ first Quad 2 victory moved the Tar Heels up to 44 in the NET rankings from a season-low 47 after the Louisville loss. But there was unhelpful news elsewhere for UNC.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — With Captain Jack directing the train, he needed some big-time passengers, and Elliot Cadeau was the man of the hour. Cadeau’s four-point play with 4.8 seconds left gave North Carolina a badly needed 74–73 victory Saturday over Notre Dame at the Purcell Pavilion.
LOUISVILLE — With defenses hyper-focused on making RJ Davis work for every basket and the fifth-year guard having difficulty finding the shooting rhythm, North Carolina will have to lean on freshmen Ian Jackson and Drake Powell.
After falling to 2–6 in Quad 1 games with Wednesday’s 83–70 loss at Louisville, Carolina fell five spots to a season-low 47th in the NET rankings and began to slip near bubble status.
LOUISVILLE — It’s a new year, but North Carolina issues that made the season a rough ride in 2024 created a familiar bumpy finish to the first game of 2025. Much like the loss to Florida in Charlotte, a disjointed half-court offense, rebounding woes and poor decisions led UNC to let a game get away late.
Louisville presents a potentially dangerous combination considering the vulnerabilities of North Carolina’s defense this season.
Bill Belichick hears from many people who want to come to Carolina, expects to fill out his coaching staff in two weeks with a “strong NFL presence,” and is prepared for a big month for the program.
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