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Henri Veesaar’s status for Tuesday’s game at N.C. State remains the biggest question for North Carolina. UNC coach Hubert Davis said Monday morning at the weekly ACC Zoom coaches press conference that Veesaar continues to improve after missing Saturday’s win over Pittsburgh, but the final determination won’t come until later, and he’ll be evaluated at Monday’s practice.
RJ Davis continued his outstanding season in the G League with an appearance Sunday in the league’s Up Next event in Los Angeles as part of NBA All-Star Weekend, leading his team to the championship of the four-team tournament.
DURHAM — The number was astounding, and Coach Courtney Banghart carefully danced around it so that she didn’t draw a fine. But she clearly was unhappy with it. The number was zero. That’s how many times that No. 11 North Carolina got to the free throw line in its 72–68 loss Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium to Duke, only the third time this century that an ACC team never got to the line.
Elliot Cadeau’s floor leadership has No. 2 Michigan poised to be the No. 1 team in the country when the new AP Top 25 poll comes out on Monday, days after former UNC teammate Jalen Washington had the best game of his career. Meanwhile, Ven-Allen Lubin has stayed consistent despite two straight N.C. State losses leading into Tuesday’s matchup with UNC, and Cade Tyson had another big game in a loss.
North Carolina avoided what would have been a damaging Quad 3 loss by knocking off Pittsburgh at home on Saturday, 79–65, to keep its NET ranking at 25 ahead of three consecutive Quad 1 games it must traverse without Caleb Wilson.
CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina had spent much of the season leaning on Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, but Saturday demanded something different. With Wilson out indefinitely with a fractured left hand and Veesaar sidelined by illness, No. 11 UNC turned to speed, versatility and a smaller lineup to pull away for a 79–65 victory over Pittsburgh at the Smith Center.
CHAPEL HILL — Zayden High has been through a lot of lows in his three years at UNC, including a controversy that forced him to miss last season. An off-court matter led Carolina to suspend him from school, forcing him to leave the basketball program for a year.
CHAPEL HILL — Without their best two players, the Tar Heels found a fast solution to meet the challenge. Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, the focal point of the offense all season, were instead active cheerleaders on the bench as No. 11 North Carolina used effective small-ball and a constant pace to fight past a struggling Pittsburgh team, 79–65, on Saturday at the Smith Center.
CHAPEL HILL — Boston Flannery has worn a couple of numbers in his baseball life, but none have ever meant quite as much as No. 42. On Friday at Boshamer Stadium, the junior right-hander finally wore it again, not as a high school kid paying tribute to Jackie Robinson, but as a veteran Tar Heel who has waited for his moment to come back around.
CHAPEL HILL — Many faces have changed, but three familiar, dependable returnees led No. 11 North Carolina early, while newcomers made it a blowout. Right-handed pitchers Jason DeCaro and Walker McDuffie were on top of their games, as was junior captain Gavin Gallaher, in the Tar Heels’ 9–2 victory over Indiana on a chilly Friday at Boshamer Stadium.
North Carolina has confirmed that Caleb Wilson fractured his left hand during the first half of Tuesday’s loss at Miami, but further specifics about the injury or the recovery timeline aren’t known. One possibility, according to Dr. Peter Dalldorf, an orthopedic surgeon with EmergeOrtho Greensboro, is a scaphoid fracture, a tricky wrist injury that can sometimes be difficult to detect immediately.
Here’s a look at No. 11 UNC’s Saturday afternoon game against Pittsburgh.
CHAPEL HILL — Few wins came more easily than No. 400 for Coach Courtney Banghart. With the 3-pointers raining in against SMU, one of the ACC’s worst teams, it was easy for her to become the 48th active coach to reach that mark.
The tradition of the Carolina women’s basketball home games in a classic and beloved venue will end. Whichever arena option UNC chooses, whether it be building a new arena or renovating the Smith Center, the women’s program will play there, and the men’s and women’s teams will have separate practice facilities.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. — No. 11 North Carolina threw away much of what it gained in the NET rankings by beating No. 4 Duke with its 75–66 loss at Miami on Tuesday night.
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