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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.
Former LSU commitment Kevin Thomas, a four-star wing, has committed to North Carolina. The 6–7 Thomas, who visited Chapel Hill on Tuesday, was the high school teammate during the 2024–25 season at Sagemont Prep in Weston, Fla., with UNC transfer commitment Matt Able. They won the Florida Class 1A state title that season.
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.
CHAPEL HILL — No. 2 Carolina rode pitching and power to come off the exam break impressively. Other than rustiness from ace reliever Walker McDuffie, the Tar Heels were dominant on the mound, as three solo home runs were more than enough to support impressive outings from right-handers Jason DeCaro and Caden Glauber.
Former North Carolina guard Indya Nivar’s WNBA dream has been realized, as she secured a spot on the Atlanta Dream’s opening‑night roster, which the team announced Thursday afternoon.
North Carolina’s push to reinforce its frontcourt includes yet another European center who has a connection to one of the Tar Heels’ newcomers.
Alexandros Samodurov (pronounced “sa-muh-DJOOR-ahv”) is a 6–11, 212-pound Greek center who has already played in the EuroLeague. Multiple reports in the past week link UNC to Samodurov as he evaluates his college options while also going through the NBA draft process.
North Carolina’s search for more frontcourt help has mostly focused on overseas talent, but the Tar Heels are one of a few programs targeting an elite shot-blocker in the transfer portal. Former Florida Atlantic center Devin Williams is 6–10, 210 pounds, and averaged 2.6 blocks per game last season as a redshirt sophomore. He visited Arizona this week and, in addition to UNC, has heard from Virginia Tech and Oklahoma.
North Carolina’s search for a center continues to include players overseas, and the latest target is a 19-year-old Italian center. Luigi Suigo, a 7–3, 241-pound big man from Milan who played this season for Mega Basket in Serbia, entered the NBA Draft and was invited to the NBA Draft Combine, which starts Sunday in Chicago.
