Covering Carolina sports beyond just men's basketball and football — with the most complete women's basketball coverage
In his debut wearing an NFL uniform, Josh Downs made a case to start for the Indianapolis Colts and, at the very least, showed he’ll get on the field consistently in his rookie season. In his Colts’ 23–19 road exhibition loss to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, he caught both passes targeted to him for 29 yards, including an 18-yard reception, and also showed his versatility on his 22nd birthday.
CHAPEL HILL — After last season ended in heartbreak, the No. 2-ranked Carolina women’s soccer team reloaded with the nation’s top freshman class, and the Tar Heels are poised to make another College Cup run with an “extra chip” on their shoulders. You won’t have to convince East Carolina, which could never get much going Saturday night at Dorrance Field. ACC favorite Carolina coasted to a 2–0 win in both teams’ second and final exhibition match, outshooting the Pirates 20–3.
Sam Howell looked good in his first game as an NFL starter, playing a little more than a quarter. Howell completed 9 of 12 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown for a 119.1 rating in 19 snaps over three drives as the Washington Commanders won their exhibition opener Friday at Cleveland 17–15.
No, the seven continents are not breaking apart and re-forming. But the nation’s big-time college sports conferences are, wrecking to shreds the Pac-12 and putting into doubt the long-term future of the Atlantic Coast Conference. What if football were to break away entirely, and become literally its own thing, with its own organizational and competitive structure?
After making the ACC tournament and NCAA tournament championship games a year ago, No. 2-ranked North Carolina is the favorite to win the ACC women’s soccer title and has three players on the preseason All-ACC team.
For years, Mike Krzyzewski never scheduled true road non-conference games, only playing them in the defunct ACC/Big Ten Challenge. His Duke teams still faced tough opponents away from Cameron Indoor Stadium, but at neutral sites. Many wondered why Krzyzewski didn’t schedule road tests for his team before ACC play. Part of his strategy seemed to be to simulate an NCAA tournament game atmosphere.
Coach Hubert Davis’ reshaped team will get plenty of non-conference tests over a schedule North Carolina announced on Wednesday, including facing UConn, the reigning NCAA champion, and Kentucky in two of five neutral-site events.
Carolina and Kentucky, two of men’s college basketball’s best programs, will meet again next season. The teams will tangle for the 43rd time, playing in Atlanta at the 10th annual CBS Sports Classic. The game will start 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game between UCLA and Ohio State, which starts at 3 p.m.
Cameron Johnson is off to an excellent start playing for the United States basketball team that is preparing for the World Cup. Johnson came off the bench to share team-high scoring honors with 15 points in his debut in a USA uniform, a 117–74 victory over Puerto Rico on Monday night in Las Vegas in an exhibition game.
The No. 2 North Carolina women’s soccer team rolled to an 8–1 victory over College of Charleston in the first of two preseason exhibition games. Redshirt sophomore forward Ally Sentnor and freshman forward Olivia Thomas each notched two goals at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill on a steamy day as the Tar Heels outshot Charleston 36–9.
Unlike some recent seasons, the non-conference women’s basketball home schedule for North Carolina has some sizzle. UNC released its non-conference women’s basketball schedule Monday, and it’s one of the most challenging in years, dotted with national powers.
North Carolina is ranked No. 20 in the preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll, with the preseason AP Top 25 poll set to be released next Monday.
Chazz Surratt came into his third NFL season with a shot at finally getting playing time and he didn’t do anything to hurt his chances on Thursday night. Surratt, who was on the New York Jets’ practice squad most of last season, had an interception and three tackles Thursday night in the Jets’ 21–16 loss to the Cleveland Browns in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.
Carolina’s women’s basketball team can’t face Iowa in the Gulf Coast Showcase until the event’s third day. The Tar Heels, coming off a 22–11 season that ended in the second round of the NCAA tournament, meet Vermont in a first-round game at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 24, the day after Thanksgiving Day, in the event in Estero, Fla.
Carolina’s men’s basketball team will face Northern Iowa in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis, which is set for Nov. 22–24 in the Bahamas, with a possible second-day matchup against Villanova. The Tar Heels will be in the same bracket of the eight-team event with the Villanova-Texas Tech game. On the other side of the bracket, Michigan takes on Memphis and Arkansas meets Stanford.
tarheeltribune.com 