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CHARLOTTE — Jake Schaffner has been Carolina’s sparkplug at the top of the order all season and was the Tar Heels’ catalyst offensively on Friday. The shortstop blasted drives to the outfield wall for a double and a triple and drove in four runs as No. 2 UNC rallied to roll past No. 7-seed Virginia Tech 10–4 in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament at Truist Field.
Incoming Carolina freshman Sayon Keita added another productive outing at the NextGen EuroLeague Finals on Friday, collecting seven points and 12 rebounds in FC Barcelona’s 110–80 victory over Žalgiris Kaunas. The win pushed Barcelona to 2–0 in Group B. Keita’s team will meet Next Gen Team 3SSB at 9:45 a.m. ET Saturday in the final group game for a spot in Sunday’s championship game.
North Carolina has spent the past two seasons setting a championship standard, and the reigning national champion Tar Heels are back in the Final Four with another chance to add to it. No. 2-seed UNC (18–1) meets No. 3 Maryland (18–3) at 3 p.m. Friday on ESPNU in a national semifinal in Evanston, Ill., with the other semifinal matchup pitting No. 1 Northwestern (17–3) against No. 4 Johns Hopkins (17–4).
It will likely be a battle of junior aces when No. 2 North Carolina meets Virginia Tech in the ACC tournament quarterfinals on Friday. UNC is expected to start All-ACC First Team pick Jason DeCaro (10–2, 2.03 ERA), with the Hokies likely countering with All-ACC Second Team pick Brett Renfrow (5–4, 4.65 ERA).
Freshman right-hander Caden Glauber earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors, and No. 2-ranked North Carolina led the league with eight players selected to All-ACC teams, which were announced on Monday.
RALEIGH — One game after everything went right for North Carolina, little went the Tar Heels’ way in their regular-season finale.
Against a hot pitcher, No. 2 UNC went from scoring 17 runs on Friday to only having four runners in scoring position, as N.C. State salvaged a game in the three-game series with a 7–2 victory at Doak Field on Saturday.
RALEIGH — No. 2 North Carolina hasn’t been a huge power team this season, but that may be changing with Owen Hull suddenly hitting mammoth shots. Hull crushed his second home run in as many games, one of two Tar Heels blasts on the night, as they eased by N.C. State 9–4 Thursday at Doak Field in the opener of a three-game series.
One day after saying he was going “back and forth” about whether to play at UNC next season or stay in the NBA draft, Matt Able had another impressive showing at the NBA Draft Combine. Able scored 17 points in just under 22 minutes on Thursday in his Carpenter team’s 100–76 loss to Tyler Nickel’s Rivers team in a scrimmage at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena.
North Carolina will play West Virginia in men’s basketball next season in Charlotte, according to a report from Rocco Miller of Field of 68. The Tar Heels and Mountaineers will meet in the second annual Dick Vitale Invitational at the Spectrum Center on Friday, Nov. 27, the night before the regular-season football finale against N.C. State at Kenan Stadium.
Matt Able looked comfortable and confident during an NBA Draft Combine scrimmage in Chicago on Wednesday. The former N.C. State guard, who has committed to play next season at Carolina, scored 15 points and hit 3 of 5 3-point attempts as his Carpenter team pulled away for a 95–83 victory over the Adams team.
North Carolina is adding Bryan Tibaldi as an assistant coach on Michael Malone’s first Tar Heels staff, bringing to Chapel Hill a longtime video and player-development specialist whose résumé spans the NBA, the G League and multiple Division I programs.
The home run derby was a draw, but No. 2 North Carolina prevailed in the game. UNC hit a season-high four home runs to knock off the Seahawks 13–7 on Tuesday at Brooks Field in Wilmington despite four UNCW home runs, the most by a Tar Heels opponent this season.
Caleb Wilson said going through the injuries that ended his Carolina career early were rough, but added on Tuesday at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago that he’s learned from it.
CHAPEL HILL — In finishing off a three-game sweep of Pittsburgh, No. 2 North Carolina followed a familiar pattern, getting strong performances from multiple pitchers and more than enough offense. Folger Boaz and Caden Glauber were impressive, Walker McDuffie got a clutch bases-loaded strikeout in the eighth inning, and Jackson Rose finished it off.
CHAPEL HILL — Cooper Nicholson’s glove and bat in the sixth inning steadied the game for No. 2 Carolina when the game could have swung Pittsburgh’s way. A terrific defensive play and a two-run home run by the junior third baseman in the sixth inning accelerated the Tar Heels’ 12–2 eight-inning victory Saturday at Boshamer Stadium, their 11th run-rule win of the season, to secure their sixth consecutive ACC series victory.
