Tag: Chapel Hill

Notre Dame annihilated by North Carolina in worst loss of season

Glad this one is over with.

North Carolina hopes to win a national championship, and it didn’t care how well Notre Dame played lately before Tuesday’s game. While the Irish weren’t expected to beat the Tar Heels, there was at least the hope that they could make it a game as they have every game for the past few weeks. Instead, the Tar Heels dealt the Irish their worst defeat of the season, 84-51, to clinch a share of the ACC regular-season title.

Even though the Irish (12-18, 7-12) never led, there was a brief moment in which it appeared they might actually go in front of the Tar Heels (24-6, 16-3). They kept it close during the first 11 minutes of the first half, culminating a potential go-ahead 3-pointer from Markus Burton. But Burton didn’t get the friendly roll, and the floodgates opened from there.

After Burton’s miss, the Tar Heels outscored the Irish, 23-9, before halftime. The break in the action did nothing for the Irish as the Tar Heels scored 16 unanswered points over the first five minutes of the second half. From there, it was just a big senior night party in Chapel Hill for the departing players who were playing their final home game.

Leading ACC scorer RJ Davis played his part with 22 points as well as a game-high six assists. Armando Bacot, the conference’s top rebounder, had 14 points and was one of four Tar Heels with five boards. Former Irish guard Cormac Ryan scored 14 of his own points, and two other Tar Heels off the bench also reached double figures.

[autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] being the only Notre Dame player in double figures with 11 points said it all. Still, even if the Irish had made more than 18 field goals and shot better than 30.5% from the field, it’s unlikely they could have done much to stop the Tar Heels, who are on a level with the best teams in college basketball.

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Mike Brey, Cormac Ryan, Marcus Hammond speak after Notre Dame loss

Read some final words summing up the season and a whole era of Irish basketball.

Notre Dame’s 67-64 loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament signaled the end of an era. Yes, it means [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag]’s days as Irish coach are over, but it also means the end for many players on the roster, especially rotational players. Two of them are [autotag]Marcus Hammond[/autotag] and [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag], players who didn’t begin their collegiate careers with the Irish but were the most impactful in Brey’s final game for the program. That allowed them to come out with Brey for the season’s last postgame news conference.

Hammond and Ryan sat next to Brey as he, among other things, called out the officials for a late lengthy review that ultimately resulted in a dead-ball technical for [autotag]Matt Zona[/autotag] that might have affected the game’s outcome. This came as the Irish were about to shoot their own free throws in a close contest. Brey has called out ACC officials before, and he apparently decided to do it one more time on his way out.

Here is what the Irish trio said after the game:

Notre Dame thoroughly outplayed by North Carolina

The Irish have slipped to .500.

It’s become increasingly clear that this season is a lost cause for Notre Dame. Perhaps the best evidence of that so far was its trip to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina. Despite initially looking strong out of the gate, the Irish couldn’t keep that going, and their 81-64 loss left them still searching for their first ACC win.

The Irish (8-8, 0-5) appeared ready to give the Tar Heels (11-5, 3-2) a game, taking the lead on [autotag]Marcus Hammond[/autotag]’s tiebreaking 3 near the midway point of the first half. That quickly changed as the Tar Heels cracked down on their defense and won nearly every meaningful rebound battle.

With [autotag]Ven-Allen Lubin[/autotag] out with an ankle injury, the already-small Irish badly missed his height as they lost the battles in blocks (6-1) and rebounds (45-32). That undoubtedly kept the game less close than it otherwise might have been.

The Irish were stretched out even further in the second half when [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] was ejected for a flagrant 2 that he committed while being dunked on by Puff Johnson. Tempers briefly flared, but nothing else of consequence happened. Ryan started heading back to the locker room before the call officially was made, indicating that he knew what was about to happen.

Armando Bacot lived up to his billing as the ACC’s leading scorer and rebounder, leading all players with 21 points and 13 boards. He also was one of three Tar Heels with two blocks. Caleb Love, an equally lethal scorer, had 18 points. RJ Davis scored 13 points and stole the ball three times, though the conference’s leading free-throw shooter was held to 1 of 2 from the charity stripe. Johnson totaled 11 points off the bench.

[autotag]Nate Laszewski[/autotag] led the Irish with 17 points and eight rebounds. [autotag]Dane Goodwin[/autotag] and [autotag]JJ Starling[/autotag] scored 10 points apiece.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

How Twitter reacted to North Carolina: Tar Heels side

Not a happy day in Chapel Hill.

You think being a Notre Dame fan this season is tough? Try being a North Carolina fan for the past quarter-century. This is a program that has reached double figures in wins only once since 1998. Even though the Tar Heels entered their game against the Irish 3-0, Saturday’s 45-32 loss brought out a lot of old frustrations for the fan base.

While the Heels have an offense to be proud of, an awful defense reared its ugly head against the Irish after a fine first quarter overall. Several stupid penalties, including one by Mack Brown while protesting one of those penalties, also didn’t help. This is a program that could be very good, but it has some major issues holding it back from getting to the next level. Heels fans recognize that, and they took to Twitter to voice their frustrations after the game.

Here are only a few of the depressed and frustrated Heels fans raising their voices:

Tale of the Tape: Leading Rushers – Audric Estime vs. Omarion Hampton

This comparison will make you yawn.

If you’re looking for a game that features a real running backs battle, the contest between Notre Dame and North Carolina won’t be it. While [autotag]Audric Estime[/autotag] surely thinks it’s cool that he has the most rushing yards for the Irish for three games, it might be slightly concerning for some that [autotag]Chris Tyree[/autotag] hasn’t held onto that distinction to this point. To Estime’s credit, he somewhat proved to be a threat as a receiver against California. Still, what’s happened to the Irish’s running back corps?

The Tar Heels come into this game with Ovarion Hampton as their top rusher. Just like Estime entering last week, Hampton has not had any receptions yet. Then again, why would he need to be when Drake Maye is picking up right where Sam Howell left off in Chapel Hill? Plus, he’s averaging over a touchdown a game, so it’s unlikely he’s feeling like an insignificant part of the offense.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

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Know Your Enemy: Hogs vs. Heels preview with Tar Heels Wire’s Zack Pearson

Tar Heels Wire’s Zack Pearson joins this week’s edition of “Know Your Enemy” to provide a more in-depth look into Arkansas’ Super Regional opponent

Arkansas escaped Oklahoma last weekend in what was one of the most electrifying and most viewed, regionals of the weekend.

After opening the Stillwater Regional with a win over a feisty Grand Canyon team last Friday, Arkansas went 2-1 over the host Oklahoma State Cowboys to claim the regional, and move on to their fourth consecutive Super Regional.

Arkansas’ next stop on the road to Omaha is Chapel Hill, N.C., home of the North Carolina Tar Heels, where they will do battle with the winners of the Chapel Hill regional beginning Saturday morning.

The Atlantic Coast Conference champions had a similar road to a regional title, as they had to dig themselves out of the loser’s bracket. After falling to Virginia Commonwealth on Saturday night, the Tar Heels would get revenge by beating the Rams twice to advance in the NCAA Tournament.

That’s not the only similarity that Arkansas and North Carolina share. Both teams also overcame slumps during the season, and are now playing their best baseball when it matters most.

Arkansas ended the regular season by dropping their final two SEC series of the season to Vanderbilt and Alabama respectively, before bowing out of the SEC Tournament after two games. Arkansas seems to have found their spark again, as they were able to post 37 runs in the final three games of the Stillwater Regional.

North Carolina’s struggles began in the last week of March, and basically lasted all through April. The Tar Heels were swept by Miami during their series March 25-27 in Coral Gables, and would go on to drop four straight ACC series before regaining their footing against rival NC State during the first weekend in May. The Tar Heels would end the season by winning their final three ACC series, and going a perfect 4-0 in the ACC Tournament.

Need more information on this weekend’s Super Regional foe? Well, you have come to the right place. Zack Pearson of Tar Heels Wire has had his finger on the pulse of North Carolina baseball all season long, and was nice enough to provide insight on the Tar Heels from a local’s prospective.

Here’s the next installment of “Know Your Enemy” from Razorbacks Wire:

Watch: UNC Clef Hangers sing ‘Carolina in My Mind’

Take a music break compliments of Notre Dame’s next opponent.

Some of you probably are reading this asking why a Notre Dame site is giving praise to North Carolina. You might be think we should be doing anything but. While you might be right, there will be plenty of time for that between now and Saturday. I want to bring attention to a cool tradition they have at Chapel Hill that’s not related to football.

“Carolina in My Mind” by James Taylor has become an unofficial state song of North Carolina. The university at Chapel Hill has fully embraced it to the point that the UNC Clef Hangers, the campus’ oldest a cappella group, sings it at commencement every year. Though usually performed live, COVID-19 forced the 2020 performance to be done virtually. This past year allowed for a normal commencement, and while the performance again was prerecorded, the group was together in person this time:

If you haven’t gotten to college yet, find one that has a musical tradition as awesome as this. The Yale Whiffenpoofs singing their trademark song at the end of every concert is cool, too, though that might be too tough of a school to get into. Regardless, it’s a nice perk to have as you go through your college experience. You will not be sorry.

Tale of the Tape: Team Stats – Notre Dame vs. North Carolina

The outcome between Notre Dame and North Carolina will come down to whether a dominant offense or a dominant defense can hold out.

The outcome between Notre Dame and North Carolina will come down to whether a dominant offense or a dominant defense can hold out. The Irish have the defense, and it’s particularly effective on the ground and in stopping third-down conversions. Even if it’s not having the best day, it can count on a solid rushing offense and the overall offense’s abilities to pick up first downs and hold onto the ball. Victory could depend on all of those things.

The Tar Heels have the dominant offense, and it’s scary for opponents. It ranks near the the top of all major categories and is even better when it comes to first downs. Defensive coordinators around the ACC have been put in the unenviable position of figuring out how to stop this machine. Clark Lea will have to earn his paycheck more than he has the entire season, including against Clemson, because no team in 2020 can just walk into Chapel Hill and expect to have an easy time making stops.

Tale of the Tape: Leading Recivers – Javon McKinley vs. Dyami Brown

When Notre Dame plays North Carolina, Javon McKinley will have to figure out a way to step it up.

When Notre Dame plays North Carolina, Javon McKinley will have to figure out a way to step it up. As much of a leader as he’s been for the Irish’s receiving corps, his primary purpose has been to get the Irish downfield so that others can score. Why else would he not have found the end zone by now? However, this particular game really might require him to take his game to a level not seen this season.

The reason McKinley needs to be so excellent is he’s facing a formidable counterpart in the Tar Heels’ Dyami Brown. Though McKinley merely would be watching Brown on the sidelines regardless of ability and production, he would be watching a player who is living proof that the offense in Chapel Hill is as good as anyone’s in the country. What other reason would you need to explain a receiver literally averaging a touchdown a game and just over twice the receiving yards of McKinley? There is none, and the Irish’s defense, especially the secondary, better figure something out to contain him.

Sporting News ACC Preview has us thinking crazy ‘what if’ for Notre Dame

So if Notre Dame and North Carolina are both unbeaten the day after Thanksgiving….

Notre Dame will make it’s debut as an official football member of the ACC on September 12 when the Irish welcome the Duke Blue Devils to South Bend.

In what has been an insane year, perhaps an even crazier college football season awaits us in under two weeks.

Today The Sporting News broke down the ACC and as a surprise to absolutely nobody, Notre Dame will be not just a major story-line all fall for the league, but a player for the conference championship.

Bill Bender is a favorite of ours for The Sporting News and wrote the ACC preview.  Here is what he said about Notre Dame, who he predicts will finish second in the league.

Here are other Notre Dame mentions from Bender in his ACC preview:

  • Calls Notre Dame joining the conference for 2020 the biggest story-line entering 2020.  That might seem obvious but remember that the consensus top team in the nation this pre-season also calls the ACC home.
  • By no means does he call him a favorite for the award but Bender lists one Notre Dame player as a Heisman Trophy contender:  Ian Book.
  • In his conference games of the year, Bender has Notre Dame hosting Clemson and their trip to North Carolina as the two biggest games of 2020 in the ACC.

If you’d like a quick glance at the entire league to become familiar we strongly recommend reading Bender’s entire piece, something you can do by clicking here.

I never thought about this until right now but walk with me for a second here.  What if Notre Dame beats Clemson on November 7 and enters the North Carolina game unbeaten and then say North Carolina is also unbeaten at that point.

You know where I’m going.

Do you perhaps, not run a full playbook and perhaps walk out of Chapel Hill with a loss that doesn’t make you that upset because it’d mean a rematch with the Tar Heels in the ACC Championship instead of a second game with Clemson?

Then again Boston College remains a week after for the Irish and we’re all aware of what they’ve done to Irish teams with championship dreams before.