Tag: Louisville basketball

UNC WBB upsets Louisville, takes over first place in ACC

The UNC women’s basketball team took over first place in the ACC on Sunday, upsetting 13th-ranked Louisville in Chapel Hill.

We’re not remotely close to March Madness and there’s already upsets galore.

Number one teams have gone down, we’re starting to see possible Big Dance Cinderellas and the unthinkable’s happened – Pitt over Duke?

One of Sunday’s biggest upsets came in the ACC – from the UNC women’s basketball team.

The Tar Heels broke a 39-all tie in the third quarter, outscoring 13th-ranked Louisville by 11, to win 79-68 and take over first place in the ACC. Carolina is tied at 6-1 with Syracuse in conference play, but owns the tiebreaker due to its Jan. 4 victory.

UNC faced a 2-point deficit early in the third quarter, then never trailed again after an 11-0 run. Deja Kelly put the Heels on her back in the third, scoring 11 of her 23 points, for her third-consecutive game with 20 points.

Lexi Donarski (13), Alyssa Ustby and Indya Nivar (10 each) all joined Kelly in double-digits, while every Tar Heel but Anya Poole and Teonni Key made four shots.

Carolina played in front of a packed Carmichael Arena, with over 6,000 fans in attendance. Expect Carmichael to be packed even more for future games, as the Tar Heels are now in first place.

UNC gets University of Miami (FL) next, with the Hurricanes coming to Chapel Hill for an 8 p.m. tip-off on Thursday. Miami (12-5, 2-4 ACC) beat NC State by 14 on Thursday.

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Tar Heels off to best ACC start in eight seasons

When was the last time UNC’s men’s basketball program started 6-0 in ACC play? We’ll give you a hint – it involves a deep tournament run.

The UNC men’s basketball team is quietly atop the ACC.

With their latest victory, an 86-70, closer-than-expected Wednesday night clash with Louisville, Carolina (14-3, 6-0) won its seventh-consecutive game and sixth conference game. No ACC opponent has come closer to beating the Tar Heels than Florida State, a 70-62 Tar Heel victory back on Saturday, Dec. 2.

Last year, UNC trudged through ACC play and didn’t get into a rhythm until time ran out.

This year, UNC’s off to its best start since the 2015-2016 season. Apologies if this provokes any painful memories, but that was the year Marcus Paige tied the title game against Villanova in the closing seconds. What happened next sent Philadelphia into cheers and Chapel Hill into tears.

Carolina can continue this streak on Saturday in Massachusetts, as it plays Boston College for a 2:15 p.m. ET tip-off. The Eagles (11-6, 2-4), despite their sub-.500 conference record, have the ACC’s sixth-best scoring offense at 78 points per game.

The Tar Heels did a stellar job containing Louisville’s strong perimeter shooting in the first half of Wednesday night’s matchup, then got a little complacent on defense.

Boston College is a significantly better team than Louisville. If UNC isn’t careful, the Eagles could play villian on Saturday.

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UNC basketball accomplishes something it hasn’t since 2009 title year

With Wednesday night’s 16-point victory over Louisville, the UNC men’s basketball team did something it hasn’t in 15 seasons.

Louisville put a good scare into the UNC men’s basketball team Wednesday night, closing its second-half deficit to just five points.

The Cardinals seemingly couldn’t miss while playing strong defense.

I don’t know what exactly changed, but the Tar Heels started playing a lot more like the fourth-ranked team in the country. UNC started making its shots, drawing fouls by driving aggressively to the rim and – as a result – getting to the line. UNC’s defense played significantly better, turning the tides and forcing a few Louisville misses.

Carolina pulled away for an 86-70 victory, keeping it atop the ACC and continuing its long winning streak.

The Tar Heels’ (14-3, 6-0) double-digit victory was their 12th out of 14 victories on the season, putting themselves in company with arguably the greatest, 21st century UNC squad.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C2PzCkNuVKh/

If you can’t see the Instagram post, Carolina’s 12 double-digit victories in 14 games is is most – through its first 17 games – since 2008-2009.

If you recall what happened that year, UNC won its fifth NCAA Title and sixth overall championship. That version of Carolina basketball had a star-studded starting lineup of Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson.

The Tar Heels will try for their 13th double-digit victory of the season on Saturday, Jan. 20, when it ships up to Boston College for a 2:15 p.m. ET tip-off. The Eagles (11-6, 2-4) are coming off a Monday home win against Notre Dame.

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PHOTOS: Tar Heels win streak continues against Louisville

Photos from the UNC basketball’s dominating home win over Louisville, Wednesday night.

The UNC basketball program’s win streak reached seven after a dominating win over the Louisville Cardinals.

The Tar Heels have found their rhythm in conference play, going 6-0 against ACC team, three being on the road. The hot play as of late has UNC top five in the AP poll as they continue to steamroll through the competition.

Wednesday night’s win did not come without a fight despite the lopsided finish in the score box. Despite starting with a 15-4 run and the lead blossoming to 20 points in the first half, Louisville made the game interesting in the second half after going on a 21-7 to put UNC in nervous territory.

However, UNC’s fast fast-paced offense created separation with a breakout performance off the bench by [autotag]Jae’Lyn Wither[/autotag], who notched his first double-double of the season. It was a night to remember in Chapel Hill, and in case you didn’t get a chance to watch it we have you covered.

Here are the best photos from UNC’s 86-70 win over Louisville.

Jae’Lyn Withers delivers a breakout game against his former team

UNC transfer Jae’Lyn Withers delivered a breakout game against his former team Wednesday, posting his first double-double as a Tar Heel.

The UNC men’s basketball team underwent significant change in the off-season, with the transfer portal playing a big role in revamping the roster.

The change seemed to be the best decision for the Tar Heels, with transfer players [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] and [autotag]Harrison Ingram[/autotag] having sizable roles in UNC’s game plan. One transfer that has started to garner more attention and playing time is [autotag]Jae’Lyn Withers[/autotag], who shined in UNC’s 86-70 win over Louisville.

Withers had a breakout game, and it could not have come against a better opponent, finishing with a double-double against the team he shared blood, sweat, and tears the past four seasons. The transfer senior had a season-high in points (15) and rebounds (10), but it was the hustle plays that did not show up on the stat sheet that was the icing on the cake on a remarkable performance.

Following the win, the ACC network interviewed Withers about his feelings about playing against his former team.

“The emotions were a little all over the place,” Withers said. “Started out with being anxious a little bit, catching up with old teammates.”

Hustle plays helped deliver Wither’s best game as Tar Heel, being a key contributor in getting the lead back to double-digits in the second half. UNC hype train is real, and Withers expresses the mindset to continue good play while sharing his gratitude to be a part of it.

“The goal is the National Championship. The mindset is not to let anybody get comfortable. If somebody gets comfortable, or they get going, take that away from them. We don’t want to let too many teams get too comfortable with us and be in a tougher game.”

“Being at the highest caliber of teams historically and currently. We are top five so, that’s really great… I’m really lost for words to be a part of something like this.”

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RJ Davis passes Jeff Lebo on all-time UNC 3-pointers list

UNC basketball star RJ Davis is a 3-point shooting machine. He’s in the program’s Top 10 for made perimeter shots. Where exactly is he?

Despite nearly allowing Louisville to come back from a 20-point deficit in the second half of Wednesday night’s ACC clash, the UNC men’s basketball team held on for an 86-70 victory.

ACC-leading North Carolina (14-3, 6-0) shot extremely well in the first half, made smart decisions with the basketball and was aggressive in getting to the hoop, earning itself a 17-point halftime lead. You could say the Tar Heels’ first half was a major reason they won – without it, Louisville would’ve taken the lead or, even worse, came away with an upset.

The ACC-worst Cardinals (6-11, 1-5) closed their second-half deficit to five points, thanks to hot shooting from Skyy Clark and cold shooting from UNC. Even with its cold spell in the second half, Carolina shot an impressive 45.5 percent from deep.

What RJ Davis, the Tar Heels and game’s leading scorer (21 points), did was even more impressive.

Davis shot 4-of-7 from 3-point land. While doing this, Davis passed assistant coach Jeff Lebo for seventh in school history – in terms of made 3-pointers.

Not only has Davis continued being one of the top perimeter shooters in the country, he’s played himself into ACC Player of the Year contention.

Davis leads the conference – and ranks 17th nationally – with 20.4 points per game. He’s scored in double digits during all but the UC-Riverside game back in November, including two consecutive 20-point outings.

What amazes me more, however, is the fact Davis has drained at least one three-pointer in each game. He’s also drilled multiple in 14 consecutive games.

When Carolina turns in balanced scoring attacks, like Wednesday night against, Davis doesn’t need to play hero ball as much. When Davis plays at the level he currently is, however, UNC is extremely difficult to slow down.

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Social media reacts to UNC beating Louisville to go 6-0 in ACC

From the good, bad, and unseen, we look at how social media reacted to the UNC Basketball team avoiding Louisville’s comeback.

The UNC basketball program picked up their seventh straight win by beating Louisville in dominating fashion, but unless you were in attendance, you were busy scrolling social media to see why the game wasn’t on air yet.

It was a dream start for the Tar Heels, going on a 15-4 run once the ball tipped off. However, it was a nightmare for fans who didn’t get a chance to watch due to ESPN and ACC networks not having the feed available despite having coverage. College hoop displeasure about the lack of coverage was the highlight on social media for the first 10 minutes of waiting for the game to air.

UNC’s defense led the way in the first half, causing 10 turnovers, seven steaming from steals. Lousiville cut the lead midway through the first, with the Tar Heels going through a rough offensive stretch. Along with the tough stretch, questionable calls by the referees came into question, as play stopped numerous times, once seeing about a flagrant foul and the other wiping away an [autotag]RJ Davis [/autotag] three.

The second half saw a scare for UNC as what many thought was a blowout waiting to happen turned into a near collapse, as the Cardinals went on a 21-9 run to cut the lead. Social media was on fire as college hoops fans couldn’t believe the run Louisville had. Questionable referring showed up once again, to everyone’s dismay.

However, UNC showed why they are the fourth-ranked team in the nation and has Duke legends admitting he would play for them. They grew the lead back to cruise control by the three-minute mark, with [autotag]Jae’lyn Withers [/autotag]stepping up.

UNC grabbed the victory 86-70.

This game had many special moments, with Tyler Hansbrough as the color analyst, [autotag]Armando Bacot[/autotag] moving to fourth on the all-time scoring list, and Withers giving it to his former team.

From the good, bad, and unseen, we look at how social media reacted to UNC avoiding Louisville’s comeback.

Third time’s a charm? UNC basketball climb to third in ESPN’s Power Rankings

If you’re following along with UNC basketball, you know they’re making a strong case for another title. Carolina’s also highly-ranked.

It feels like basketball heaven in Chapel Hill, North Carolina right now.

The UNC men’s basketball team sits atop the ACC (13-3, 5-0) and is playing its best all season, winning its last six games thanks to its signature, high-octane offense and newly-discovered strong defense. Carolina has beaten some phenomenal teams this seasons, including two ranked teams in previously-undefeated Oklahoma and sixth-ranked Tennessee.

The Tar Heels, themselves, are ranked fourth in the latest AP Poll. For those of you who are already making NCAA Tournament bracket predictions, that translates to a top regional seed.

Given UNC is one of college hoops’ best teams this year, they’re also high in several additional rankings.

One of those is ESPN’s Power Rankings, which Carolina rose to third in the latest edition of.

“In the six games since UNC lost to Kentucky, the Tar Heels have had the best defense in college basketball,” ESPN staff writer Jeff Borzello wrote.” “During this span, they’re first in defensive effective field goal percentage, fourth in 2-point percentage defense and second in 3-point percentage defense. They’ve held all six opponents to fewer than 0.93 points per possession, with neither NC State or Syracuse – their past two opponents – reaching even 0.80 points per possession. Their past four opponents have shot a combined 12-for-87 (13.8%) from 3-point range.”

UNC had the ACC’s third-worst defense earlier this season – in terms of opponent points per game. The Tar Heels have faced talented, offensive players in P.J. Hall and Judah Mintz during recent games, only to shut them down.

Carolina’s offense still sports the scoring prowess we’ve all come to know and love, scoring 100 points for the third time all year last Saturday against Syracuse.

UNC will look to continue its dominance on Wednesday, Jan. 17, as it faces Louisville for a 9 p.m. ET tip-off. The Cardinals (6-10, 1-4), who sit in the ACC’s cellar, have struggled ever since former player Kenny Payne took over before the 2022-2023 campaign.

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UNC Basketball vs. Louisville: Game preview, info, prediction and more

The UNC men’s basketball team welcomes Louisville to Chapel Hill for a 9 p.m. tip on Wednesday. Will the Tar Heels be prepared for it?

Very few teams are playing better basketball than the North Carolina Tar Heels right now.

UNC is asserting itself as one of the top college programs – not just in the ACC, but the entire country.

Carolina teased fans it could be a special team way back in November, when it dropped 100 points on fifth-ranked Tennessee. The final score was much closer than it probably should’ve been (100-92), but it was nonetheless an impressive UNC victory.

Besides consecutive losses to Kentucky and UConn – both among the sport’s top teams – since then, the Tar Heels have triumphed against Florida State, previously-undefeated Oklahoma, Charleston Southern, Pitt, a ranked Clemson program, NC State and Syracuse. Star shooting guard RJ Davis has transformed from leading scorer to potential National Player of the Year candidate, Armando Bacot seems to have finally found his groove, transfers are proving super-valuable and – who would’ve ever guessed it – the defense is playing lights-out.

Carolina gets a significantly easier challenge this Wednesday, with a struggling Louisville squad coming to the Dean Dome for a 9 p.m. tip-off. The Cardinals are one season removed from a 4-28 campaign, their first with single-digit win totals since 1941-2942.

This is the same Louisville program that, most recently in the Rick Pitino era (2001-2017), won the now-vacated 2013 NCAA Championship.

Wednesday is the game of game, however, that UNC could easily overlook and be embarrassed in. I like to call these types of games, “trap games.”

What does Carolina need to do for its seventh win in a row?

Louisville center Dennis Evans no longer medically cleared to play for Cardinals

Louisville freshman center Dennis Evans is no longer cleared to play basketball for the Cardinals just seven games into his career.

The Louisville Cardinals basketball program was dealt another big blow on Thursday evening when the team released a statement indicating true freshman center Dennis Evans is no longer medically cleared to compete.

“Freshman center Dennis Evans will not be medically cleared to compete at the University of Louisville moving forward. We are disappointed by the news and will not be releasing any additional information out of respect for Dennis’ privacy,” the statement read.

Evans missed the team’s last six games with a shoulder injury, with coach Kenny Payne describing his status as day-to-day despite the 7’1 big man not making the trip to Charlottesville earlier this week.

A report from the Courier-Journal indicates Evans is still part of the program but is not currently on campus, and that the institution will honor his scholarship if he wishes to continue academically at Louisville.

Evans was a monster addition for the Cardinals, coming in as the No. 11 ranked recruit in the Class of 2023 at Rivals, thanks in large part to his 7’7 wingspan and 9’8 standing reach.

He never quite got off the ground under coach Payne, however, appearing in seven games and making five starts but only averaging 1.6 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per contest.

In fact, seven of his 11 points, two of his six rebounds, and two of his five blocks came in his first game on November 6 against UMBC.