Covering Carolina sports beyond just men's basketball and football — with the most complete women's basketball coverage
Anthony Harris still isn’t a Rhode Island student and hasn’t joined the Rams’ basketball team as was anticipated. A resolution had been expected by Monday because that’s when the second semester started. But nothing has been decided either way for the former North Carolina guard.
After extending its win streak to five, North Carolina moved up two spots to No. 15 in the latest AP Top 25 women’s poll. The Tar Heels (14–5, 5–3 ACC) earned a second consecutive win over a ranked team by knocking off Duke 61–56 on Thursday, then coasted by Georgia Tech 70–57 on Sunday. They have three wins over teams ranked in the top 13 during the current streak.
Carolina coach Hubert Davis speaks to the media during the ACC’s weekly Zoom session with league coaches.
There was good and bad news for Carolina in the NET rankings coming out of the Tar Heels’ 80–69 home victory over N.C. State, with Selection Sunday 49 days away.
CHAPEL HILL — When Armando Bacot came out of the game with 20 seconds left, his first move was to embrace Tyler Hansbrough. One North Carolina legend hugged another after Bacot surpassed Psycho-T to become the program’s all-time leading rebounder. The record was an exclamation point on an impressive 80–69 Tar Heels victory Saturday over N.C. State at the Smith Center, their third in a row to snap the Pack’s four-game win streak. Carolina (14–6, 6–3 ACC) pulled into a tie for third place in the ACC, two games out of first place.
Armando Bacot talks about making school history and RJ Davis talks to the media after scoring 26 points.
CHAPEL HILL — It wasn’t quite to the level of the Michael Jordan flu game, but Carolina junior Alyssa Ustby went from feeling sick and on an IV to being a key player down the stretch, making it a day to remember. She scored 12 of her 16 points in the second half and made the No. 17 Tar Heels’ offense productive down the stretch. UNC held on for a 61–56 victory Thursday over No. 13 Duke before a passionate crowd of 5,003 at Carmichael Arena for its fourth consecutive win and fifth over a ranked team.
It was good to have the Carmichael Arena atmosphere back Sunday to how it should be for every game. The atmosphere with a sellout crowd was more like the heyday of the Sylvia Hatchell era, when Tar Heels fans came out in force for big games and were a factor. It was the first sellout since Hatchell’s No. 15 Tar Heels lost 74–67 to No. 12 Duke in overtime on Jan. 25, 2015.
By R.L. Bynum North Carolina jumped up five spots to No. 17 in the latest AP Top 25 women’s poll … More
For the final time this season, a Carolina men’s basketball game will air on regional sports networks. That means that it could be a challenge for some fans who can’t make it to the Smith Center on Tuesday night to watch the 7 o’clock game against Boston College. Your regional sports network depends on where you live, with the possibilities including Bally Sports regional networks, MASN, NESN, Yes Network or Marquee Sports Network.
Armando Bacot looked a little gimpy at times, but he was a warrior as always, and played through a left-ankle injury. It was just the boost North Carolina needed as he led a decisive first-half run that gave the Tar Heels control on their way to an 80–59 victory Saturday at Denny Crum Court in Louisville, Ky. The breakout performance for UNC (12–6, 4–3 ACC) on both ends of the court, though, was from 6–5 sophomore D’Marco Dunn, who collected 14 points, two 3-pointers, five rebounds and two steals in 26 minutes, all career-highs, while playing excellent defense on El Ellis, Louisville’s leading scorer.
CHAPEL HILL — Jalen Washington got a crash course about playing extended minutes in a high-level college basketball game. He got through it tired and sore but not before showing why Carolina was so excited that he decided to take his game to Chapel Hill. “I was happy that people can see how talented he is and the potential that he has because we get to see it every day in practice,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said of Washington, who was a four-star recruit.
CHAPEL HILL — Coach Hubert Davis suggested Friday that it is doubtful that either Armando Bacot or Pete Nance will play Saturday at Louisville. Davis said that Bacot, who rolled his left ankle in the first two minutes of Thursday’s loss at Virginia, is further along in his recovery than Nance and that Bacot was “still very questionable, at best” to play against the Cardinals.
Part of building a nationally prominent women’s basketball program is consistently attracting big crowds. It’s time for Tar Heels fans who haven’t supported the program to do their part and give Carolina its first sellout in nearly seven years.
Seemingly with a flip of the switch, No. 22 North Carolina went from struggling to score at Virginia to surging to a victory. After the Tar Heels produced more turnovers (14) than field goals (13) through three quarters, they went turnover-free and shot 52.9% in the final quarter. They flipped the momentum thanks to defensive pressure and Kennedy Todd-Williams’ aggressive, relentless play.
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