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CHAPEL HILL — Carolina will have to learn how to win when giving up a lot of height, but the Tar Heels didn’t show the toughness to make that happen against a long Alabama team. The No. 10 Tide’s size and length were too much for the No. 20 Tar Heels, who fell behind by double-digits in the first half for the fourth consecutive game. UNC could never mount a significant rally in a 94–79 loss Wednesday in the ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge.
After two impressive victories last week, North Carolina still didn’t move up in the latest AP Top 25 women’s poll, holding at No. 16.
It’s probably too early in the season to be worried about the NET rankings, but the first listings of the season came out Monday, and it’s worth noting where North Carolina falls.
Longtime NFL assistant coach Freddie Kitchens will be North Carolina’s interim coach as the Tar Heels prepare to play in a bowl game.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one: UNC plays well enough to win, but key mistakes and an inability to get key stops amidst a defensive collapse in the second half doom Carolina to an excruciating loss.
CHAPEL HILL — His exit from Carolina wasn’t Coach Mack Brown’s preference, and the Tar Heels’ second-half defense just added to his frustrations. N.C. State scored on every drive after halftime on its way to a 35–30 victory, its fourth straight win over Carolina, on a cool evening at Kenan Stadium full of a range of emotions.
CHAPEL HILL — After several challenging opponents, No. 16 North Carolina returned home for the first time in 22 days for some post-Thanksgiving feasting against a winless team. N.C. Central was helpless to hold off the onslaught as the Tar Heels gorged on perimeter-shooting prowess, inside domination, tough defense and board dominance in a 119–43 victory Friday afternoon over the Eagles in Carmichael Arena.
LAHAINA, Hawai’i — No. 12 North Carolina learned some tough lessons during a frustrating week in Maui that ended with plenty of fight against Michigan State but not enough defense at the end. Rebounding and defense are still big problems for the Tar Heels, but in their 94–91 overtime loss to the Spartans in the Maui Invitational consolation game Wednesday at the Lahaina Civic Center, they saw freshman Drake Powell’s confidence and role expand.
LAHAINA, Hawai’i — North Carolina athletics director Bubba Cunningham said Wednesday that Coach Mack Brown will not coach the Tar Heels in the bowl game.
LAHAINA, Hawai’i — You could see the anger on Seth Trimble’s face as he talked about No. 12 Carolina’s effort on both ends of the court against No. 4 Auburn. The Tigers kept coming with offensive weapons, and the Tar Heels could not stop it or emerge from yet another early hole. UNC never led in an 85–72 loss Tuesday in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational at the Lahaina Civic Center.
LAHAINA, Hawai’i — Carolina basketball history wouldn’t have happened without the stern message Coach Hubert Davis delivered to his team at the first TV timeout of the second half. The No. 12 Tar Heels had only cut an 18-point deficit by one point, and Davis saw many reasons. All of them were frustrating.
The 3-point shooting touch was a nice bonus for the North Carolina women’s basketball team on Monday. The No. 16 Tar Heels had another impressive defense performance, but the long-range connections might garner the most attention from a 69–39 romp past Indiana in the championship game of the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.
A heavy dose of stellar defensive work defined North Carolina’s semifinal victory in the Battle 4 Atlantis. The No. 16 Tar Heels kept Villanova in check in a 53-36 result Sunday at Imperial Arena in Nassau, Bahamas.
LAHAINA, Hawaii — Coach Hubert Davis has seen enough stretches to know that No. 10 North Carolina can play at an elite level. His mission is to be that efficient more consistently. That will be even more important during the three-day Maui Invitational, which features an elite field and begins with a first-round game Monday at 11:30 p.m. (ESPN2) against 5–0 Dayton.
HONOLULU — There may have been no jet lag for No. 10 North Carolina, but the Tar Heels rebounding desire was late to arrive. That, and Elliot Cadeau sitting for 14 first-half minutes with two fouls kept Hawai’i in the game for one half. Carolina turned on the jets of its potent transition game and ran it into overdrive in the second half, pulling away for an 87–69 victory Friday at a packed Stan Sheriff Center.
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