Tag: Jumpman Invitational

Best Photos from Oklahoma Sooners incredible win over Michigan

The Oklahoma Sooners pulled off an incredible win over the Michigan Wolverines and here are some of the best photos from the matchup.

The Oklahoma Sooners continued their incredible run to 11-0 with an impressive 87-86 win over the No. 25 Michigan Wolverines (Coaches Poll).

Oklahoma faced a pair of 11-point deficits in the second half but showed resilience in the face of adversity to battle back both times. Over the final five minutes, Jeremiah Fears and Duke Miles accounted for all 11 of the Sooners’ points.

Fears came through in the clutch with a three pointer with 11 seconds left. He was fouled on the shot, and the true freshman was clutch at the free throw line to give the Sooners the lead and the win.

It’s the first 11-0 start to the season for the Oklahoma Sooners since the 2015-2016 season. That year, the Sooners were led by another dynamic guard, Buddy Hield. Hield was a first-team All-American for an OU team that ended up in the final four.

This is the best team the Sooners have had in the Porter Moser, led by Fears,  Miles, and Jalon Moore. All three scored in double figures on Wednesday night to propel the Sooners to their second top-25 win of the season.

Oklahoma has two more nonconference games against Central Arkansas on Sunday at the Lloyd Noble Center. The Sooners have an opportunity to enter SEC play undefeated before they open their conference slate against Alabama, which could be a top-10 matchup in Tuscaloosa.

Relive the Oklahoma Sooners incredible come-from-behind win over the Michigan Wolverines with some of the best photos from the Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte.

Oklahoma Sooners battle to top 25 win over Michigan Wolverines

Takeaways from Oklahoma Sooners Basketball’s gritty win over the Michigan Wolverines.

The Oklahoma Sooners earned their second top 25 win of the season on Tuesday night, defeating the No. 25 (Coaches Poll) Michigan Wolverines 72-62.

It was a hard-fought win as the Wolverines tested the Sooners physically and pushed the pace offensively. And on a night when Oklahoma didn’t shoot their best, they still found a way to come out on top in the end.

Here are three takeaways from the win.

Experience Shines Through

Michigan is young and scrappy. They’d won nine in a row coming into the Jumpman Invitational and gave Oklahoma everything they could handle. In the end, the Sooners were able to pull away.

The Sooners trailed 39-35 with just over six minutes to play in the third quarter. A 9-0 run, where Oklahoma scored on four of their next five possessions, helped the Sooners establish control of the game. And the Sooners never looked back. They outscored Michigan 37 to 23 over the final 16 minutes of game action.

Overcame Adversity

The Sooners came into the game shooting 50% from the field. Against Michigan, OU only shot 37.5% from the field and 30.8% from three. In the first half, Oklahoma shot just 31.4% from the field and were just 3 of 14 from three.

The Sooners also had 21 turnovers in the game. Oklahoma also had to overcome foul trouble for their leading scorer and rebounder, Raegan Beers.

It wasn’t the cleanest performance from one of the best shooting teams in the nation, but they were much better in the second half, where they shot 44.8% from the field and 41.7% from three.

Team Win

Despite her foul trouble, Beers chipped in nine points and 10 rebounds. The Sooners ended up with four players in double figures, including a team-high 12 points from Payton Verhulst and Skylar Vann. Lexy Keys chipped in 11 points off the bench, including 3 of 7 from three.

Oklahoma had eight players score at least six points in the game and received 23 points off the bench.

It wasn’t the cleanest performance for the Oklahoma Sooners. But they found a way to get a tough win in a neutral site contest against a top 25 team. They’ll hope to build on that performance with two more nonconference games against Omaha and New Mexico State before what will likely be a top 10 showdown against the Texas Longhorns to open SEC play.

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RJ Davis passes another UNC basketball legend on All-Time Scoring List against Florida

RJ Davis moved up UNC’s all-time scoring list on Tuesday night against Florida.

It was only a matter of time before star UNC guard RJ Davis, the reigning ACC Player of the Year and preseason pick for the same award, enjoyed the offensive breakout we became accustomed to last season.

Davis enjoyed his breakout game on Tuesday night, as North Carolina lost 90-84 to Florida in the Jumpman Invitational.

Despite shooting just 3-of-11 from deep, Davis led all scorers with 29 points. He shot 10-of-19 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.

What you may not know, though, is Davis climbed the Tar Heels’ (6-5, 1-0 ACC) all-time scoring list with his big game Tuesday. Davis, who now has 2,332 points according to GoHeels, passed Phil Ford for third in UNC history.

Tuesday was just the third time Davis scored over 20 points on North Carolina’s young season. Davis dropped 24 in the Tar Heels’ opener against Elon, then set a season-high with 30 against Dayton in the Maui Invitational.

Ford played at North Carolina from 1974-1978, then played seven NBA seasons after being the second overall pick in 1978.

Davis got scoring help on Tuesday night, particularly from his backcourt teammates. Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble each scored 11 points starting alongside Davis, while Ian Jackson added 11 off the bench.

In short, UNC’s guards combined for 62 of their 84 (73.8 percent) points. Without Davis’ production, Tuesday’s score looked significantly worse.

The Tar Heels still have plenty of season left to go, but their early returns are concerning. If North Carolina wants to turn its season around, it’ll need Davis to deliver more vintage performances like Tuesday’s.

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Tip-off time announced for UNC-Florida Jumpman Invitational men’s basketball clash

UNC-Florida is one of the coming college basketball season’s highest-anticipated matchups. We now know what time the two historic programs tip off.

Despite winning the ACC Regular Season Title and carrying ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis on its roster last season, the UNC men’s basketball team wasn’t able to capture its seventh NCAA Championship.

North Carolina lost a high-scoring 89-87 battle against Alabama in the Sweet 16. The Tar Heels did plenty of things wrong in their loss, but it will sadly be remembered for an ill-advised 3-point attempt from reserve forward Jae’Lyn Withers

Florida was another team with plenty of talent on its roster, but the Gators lost to Colorado in the Round of 64.

In one of the most anticipated matchups of the 2024-2025 college basketball season, UNC will play Florida in the Jumpman Invitational on Tuesday, Dec. 17.

North Carolina discovered its date three months ago, but now knows the time it’ll be playing at: 7 p.m. Eastern. This means that if you’re a Tar Heels basketball fan, start making plans to be free for some college hoops that night.

There isn’t a ton of history between UNC and the Gators, but the two programs did last meet on Nov. 28, 2014 in the Bahamas. North Carolina won this game, 75-64.

The Tar Heels play Florida as part of a grueling non-conference slate, which also includes Dayton, Alabama, UCLA and 2022 NCAA Champion Kansas,

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Florida-North Carolina game, Jumpman Invitational dates revealed

Gators fans, mark your calendar for December 17 and 18 as Florida’s men’s and women’s teams take on UNC in the Jumpman Invitational.

Florida basketball’s matchup with the North Carolina Tar Heels in the 2024 Jumpman Invitational has a game date, according to a report by Rocco Miller on Monday. Fans can now mark their calendars for some mid-December hoops action.

The two-day event will span from Tuesday, Dec. 17, to Wednesday, Dec. 18, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Each day will have two games, featuring one men’s and one women’s game.

The Heels and Gators men’s teams will face off on Tuesday night after the conclusion of the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan Wolverines women’s game. The second day will feature the reciprocal of the prior day’s games, with the UF women facing off with UNC followed by the respective men’s Michigan and Oklahoma teams’ matchup.

The report comes a week after the Southeastern Conference announced its home and away designations for the upcoming league schedule.

Florida’s matchup with North Carolina is its second reported date for a non-conference game. The Orange and Blue will host the North Florida Ospreys on Dec. 22, according to college hoops insider Jon Rothstein.

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Deja Kelly becomes 25th Tar Heel to reach 1,500 points, helps UNC take down Oklahoma

Not only did the UNC women’s basketball team beat Oklahoma on Tuesday night, but star guard Deja Kelly reached a historic scoring mark.

For the first time in nearly a month, the UNC women’s basketball team is enjoying a winning streak.

Carolina started the year 5-0, then lost three in a row. The Tar Heels beat UNC-Greensboro to open December, lost to UConn, then obliterated Western Carolina on Friday, Dec. 15.

UNC picked up its second-consecutive win on Tuesday, Dec. 19, topping Oklahoma 61-52 in the Jumpman Invitational.

While the victory was a sweet early Christmas present, it was a basketball landmark for one Tar Heel.

Deja Kelly, one of the best guard in women’s college basketball, became the 25th player in program history to reach 1,500 points.

How Kelly reached 1,500 in Tuesday’s game, though, came via one of her season-best outputs. The senior scored a game-high 21 points on 7-of-14 field goal shooting, plus a 7-of-12 mark from the free throw line.

According to the Daily Tar Heel, Kelly also played the game with an illness. Sounds familiar…remember Michael Jordan’s flu game?

Kelly received a lot of praise from her teammates and head coach Courtney Banghart, who noted she wanted to suit up regardless.

“Deja is a dog,” senior forward Alyssa Ustby told the Daily Tar Heel. “That girl will do anything for her teammates, and she knows how much she brings to our team and so being sick, and she was pretty sick, and so for her to come out here and to play so selflessly and to even get to the basket and just hold her own was remarkable.”

We have yet to see anything on MJ himself complementing Kelly, but we’ll be on a close lookout for it.

What will Kelly and her teammates do for an encore on New Year’s Eve against Clemson?

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Cormac Ryan : We knew we needed to get this one

Cormac Ryan’s energy continues to impact UNC’s play, helping spark the 81-69 win over Oklahoma.

The UNC men’s basketball team has seen some significant success with their acquired talent from the transfer portal.

Wednesday night transfer star [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] displayed leadership qualities, helping electrify the crowd throughout the night with juggernaut defense and pushing the pace. Not only was Ryan involved throughout every aspect of Wednesday night’s 81-69 win over Oklahoma, but his claps and talking to the crowd for more energy displayed the passion Ryan plays with.

After the game, Ryan spoke with the media about the energy displayed in the win.

“We knew we had to be physical and play with a lot of fire. I think that disrupted them at times, we were able to get steals, blocks, make them miss.”

Ryan continued to speak on the energy delivered tonight and how it will come into play for the remainder of the year.

“We knew we needed to get this one, and I think we came in with an edge about us that I think will do a lot of good things for us this season, playing with that edge, that fire, that toughness, especially against good teams like Oklahoma.”

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RJ Davis credits UNC fans for bringing the energy in 81-69 win over Oklahoma

RJ Davis talks pre season snub and credits UNC fans for bringing the energy in the 81-69 win over Oklahoma.

The North Carolina men’s basketball team got their eighth victory, beating Oklahoma 81-69.

The unique matchup on day two of the Jump Man Invitational did not disappoint as fans poured into the Spectrum Center. Despite playing on neutral ground, it sounded more like a UNC home game, with Let’s Go Tar Heels echoing throughout the game at critical times.

The welcoming atmosphere didn’t go unnoticed, with UNC star RJ Davis taking time after the game to express gratitude to UNC fans for pulling up and making it sound like a home game.

“The crowd was great, it was a home game for us. One thing about UNC fans is they travel well. They always going to bring the energy, and I think we fed off of that today. It was a lot of plays and a lot of runs that we made. The crowd got into it, and we took advantage of that.”

Davis also spoke about if he had a chip on his shoulder from being snubbed off a few preseason lists.

“It’s been something that I’ve dealt with. The doubters, not being placed on this list or that list. I stay true to myself and try not to pay attention to that. Not making the preseason team is what it is, I am not in control of who making decisions, but I’m in control of my mental and how I play….Awards are won at the end of the year.”

Davis has been on a torching run, with five games in a row of 23 points or more.

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Social media reacts to UNC’s dominant win over previously-undefeated Oklahoma

UNC largely controlled Oklahoma from start to finish in Wednesday night’s game, winning 81-69 in its second-to-last non-conference game.

With a pair of tough, consecutive losses to college basketball powers UConn and Kentucky, the UNC men’s basketball team needed a bounce-back win.

That wasn’t going to be easy on Wednesday night, with the 7-ranked Oklahoma Sooners coming to North Carolina for a highly-anticipated, non-conference clash in the Jumpman Invitational. Oklahoma entered the game averaging 84.4 points per game, which ranks 28th in college basketball, with an 81-47 thumping of Green Bay in its last matchup.

Not only did the Tar Heels just beat the Sooners, they made the Big 12’s lone remaining, undefeated team look uncomfortable throughout in a 81-69 UNC victory.

Carolina forced 18 Oklahoma turnovers, a welcomed sight to see after struggling defensively against UConn and Kentucky. Armando Bacot played much better by being aggressive in the paint, whether draining turn-around hook shots, blocking Sooner shots or pulling down rebounds. Four UNC players scored in double-digits, anchored by 23 from R.J. Davis.

While it wasn’t a home game for the Tar Heels, it sure felt like one. The Spectrum Center, home to the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, was filled with a sea of Carolina Blue. Chapel Hill is just a 2.5-hour drive from Charlotte, while Norman, Okla. is 16.5 hours.

Let’s take a lot at how Tar Heel Nation reacted to the timely victory on social media:

Tar Heels had Sooners first loss of year with big defensive effort

The UNC men’s basketball team played one of its most complete games on Wednesday, dominating previously-undefeated Oklahoma in Charlotte.

There’s no question that entering Wednesday’s non-conference matchup with Oklahoma in the Charlotte, N.C.-based Jumpman Invitational, the UNC men’s basketball team had suffered a couple of tough losses.

The Tar Heels played close with UConn before the Huskies pulled away, while they came all the way back from 12 points down against Kentucky – only for the Wildcats to end things on a hot spurt.

UNC started hot Wednesday night, never eased up and looked like the better team throughout, knocking off previously-undefeated, 7-ranked Oklahoma squad by an 81-69 mark in front of a Tar Heel-heavy crowd.

When the Sooners (10-1) started inching back late in the second half, the Tar Heels (8-3) had an answer. Carolina would either force a couple misses with its strong post presence, including a fired up Harrison Ingram and a much-improved Armando Bacot, or hit clutch shots like a moving three from leading scorer R.J. Davis.

This was worlds different from the Kentucky game, when UNC would choke under pressure with turnovers or rushed shots.

Carolina made a real impact in its statement win over Oklahoma, in large part due to its defense. The Tar Heels stole the ball 10 times – led by four from Ingram, plus blocked four shots – with three coming from Bacot.

UNC struggled with turnovers in the Kentucky loss, giving the basketball away 17 times. UNC took care of the ball much better against Oklahoma, turning it over just nine times to Oklahoma’s 18.

I said Bacot needed to step up tonight – he did big-time, netting 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds. Bacot was one of four Tar Heels to reach double-figures – Davis led the way with 23, Cormac Ryan dropped 13 and Ingram added 11.

UNC’s bench also played respectable, with head coach Hubert Davis electing to play 10 different Tar Heels. Seth Trimble, Jalen Washington and birthday boy Jae’Lyn Withers, a Charlotte native, combined for 13 points. Zayden High and Brown transfer Paxson Wojcik also saw playing time.

This game was a must-win for Carolina. Not only did UNC win, they beat a good, strong Oklahoma team in dominant fashion.

The Tar Heels have a week off, giving players and coaches alike a chance to spend Christmas with their loved ones, before returning to the Dean Dome on Friday, Dec. 29 to host Charleston Southern.

For now, Carolina can enjoy this win.

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