Tar Heels in NBA: Little scores 26, hits five 3s; Barnes, Anthony, Bullock all score in double figures; 7 blocks for Kessler

Nassir Little’s best game of the season wasn’t enough for his short-handed Portland team, as Harrison Barnes’ Sacramento Kings rolled to a 133–116 home victory on Thursday as the NBA returned from the All-Star break. Little started for the second time this season, scoring 26 points and five 3-pointers with four steals and a block.

UNC starters return but Heels lose heartbreaker to Hokies on buzzer-beater

CHAPEL HILL — All of North Carolina’s starters are back, and the No. 22 Tar Heels showed Thursday that they’re loaded for a big late-season run. But that nearly full roster ran up against one of the hottest teams in the country. With junior wing Alyssa Ustby and guard Eva Hodgson back, UNC battled No. 9 Virginia Tech well all night before losing a heartbreaker, 61–59, as the Hokies won their seventh game in a row and ninth in the last 10 games.

Horvath swats 2 HRs, streaking Heels roll, get more good pitching from newcomer

CHAPEL HILL — No. 12 North Carolina continued a productive early pattern of impressive pitching from newcomers and mixed in a power surge. Junior transfer right-hander Jake Knapp delivered the latest outstanding pitching debut, yielding two hits and striking out four in 5⅔ shutout innings in UNC’s fourth consecutive victory.

Young UNC pitchers continue to impress as No. 12 Heels win blowout

CHAPEL HILL — Carolina’s young pitchers continue to be impressive in the first few games of the season, and the offense keeps piling up the runs. Freshman left-hander Kyle Percival threw together the Tar Heels’ best start of the young season as No. 12 UNC blew out Radford 14–2 Tuesday at Boshamer Stadium on a beautiful spring-like day.

Ustby suggests in post that she’ll play this week

UNC coach Courtney Banghart said after the No. 22 Tar Heels’ win Sunday over Wake Forest that Alyssa Ustby was “day to day or even minute to minute maybe,” suggesting that the junior wing was nearing a return. Ustby posted a powerful suggestion on Instagram on Monday night —  a photo of her in uniform and the words “tell a friend to tell a friend …” Officially, she still is listed as day-to-day, but her post seems to indicate that she will play this week.