Tag: North Carolina Basketball

Clemson vs. North Carolina: How to Watch/Stream/Listen

A look at how and where Clemson fans can watch, listen, and stream Tuesday’s game vs. North Carolina.

Clemson’s fortunes have soured considerably since a promising 11-1 start to the season.

The Tigers suffered a heartbreaking 66-65 home loss to Virginia over the weekend that would have given them a much-needed victory and morality boost.

Instead, when Jack Clark missed a good-look 3-point attempt from the top of the key just a split second before the buzzer sounded on Saturday, Clemson had dropped its sixth game in nine tries since the start of the year.

A trip to Chapel Hill to face the ACC’s top-ranked team in No. 3 North Carolina will be the furthest thing from a soft landing spot that coach Brad Brownell’s squad can get.

NORTH CAROLINA

Talk about no rest for the purple-and-orange clad weary. The Tar Heels (18-4 overall, 10-1 conference) started 9-0 in ACC play, their best mark in 23 years, before falling a week ago to Georgia Tech in Atlanta to snap a 10-game overall winning streak.

Coach Hubert Davis’ team quickly rebounded for a convincing 93-84 victory over No. 7 Duke at the Dean Smith Center last Saturday.

6-foot-11 senior Armando Bacot has led North Carolina all season and did so again vs. Duke when he scored a game-high 25 points to go with 10 rebounds. Harrison Ingram also posted a double-double with 21 points and 13 boards.

CLEMSON

After its latest setback to a streaking Virginia team that’s won seven straight contests, Clemson (14-7, 4-6) had its third loss in the past month that was decided on the final play of the game; the Tigers had previously suffered similar heartbreaking defeats to Duke and Georgia Tech.

“We’ve gotten knocked back a little bit. I think we have a good group of guys and we’ll continue to rally and gain traction. Eventually, the worm will turn and we’ll win a couple of these games that have gotten away from us and be back in a good place,” Brownell maintained after Saturday’s loss.

PJ Hall led Clemson with 19 points against Virginia to match his team-best season average.

Series Notes and Recent History

Tuesday’s game marks the 147th meeting between Clemson and North Carolina. The Tar Heels hold a commanding 124-22 advantage in the all-time head to head series. In the last meeting between the two schools a month ago on January 6, Bacot tallied 14 points and 16 rebounds in a 65-55 North Carolina victory at Littlejohn Coliseum.

Clemson’s last win over Carolina was three years ago in February 2021 at Littlejohn. The Tigers have won only once all-time in Chapel Hill. That was on January 11, 2020 in a historic 79-76 overtime thriller that snapped a 59-game consecutive losing streak on the Tar Heels’ home court. It was longest such streak vs. a single opponent in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history — one that had dated back to 1926. The Tigers lost 91-71 in their most recent visit to Chapel Hill last season.

How To Watch

Here’s a look at how and where Clemson fans can watch, listen, and stream Tuesday’s game vs. North Carolina.

Date: Tuesday, Feb. 6

Time: 7 p.m. EST

Where: Dean Smith Center

TV Channel: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN+

Radio: Clemson Athletic Network | TuneIn App | SiriusXM (Channel 389)

Broadcast Teams

ESPN: Rece Davis, Jay Williams

Clemson Radio: Don Munson, Tim Bourret

Clemson drops but remains ranked in the latest USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll

After two losses, the Tigers have dropped spots in the latest Coaches Poll.

Brad Brownell and the Clemson men’s basketball team had a rough week, but the week wasn’t bad enough to move them out of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches poll.

Clemson (11-3, 1-2 ACC) has dropped from No. 16 to No. 22 in the latest Coaches Poll, with this week not turning out the way fans had hoped. It started with a 95-82 defeat at Miami on Wednesday, where the Tigers’ defense failed to play up to their standard. On Saturday, it was the offense that struggled as the Tigers fell to No. 7 North Carolina 65-55 on their home court.

Clemson will look to return to form as they travel to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech (9-5, 1-2 ACC) Wednesday.

A look at the full Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:

Rank Team Record Points Change
1 Purdue 14-1 788 —
2 Houston 14-0 762 +1
3 Kansas 13-1 754 -1
4 UConn 13-2 685 —
5 Tennessee 11-3 661 —
6 Kentucky 11-2 628 —
7 North Carolina 11-3 592 +2
8 Arizona 12-3 556 +2
9 Oklahoma 13-1 490 +2
10 Illinois 11-3 455 -2
11 Duke 11-3 446 +2
12 Marquette 11-4 428 -5
13 Memphis 13-2 410 +2
14 Baylor 12-2 378 +4
15 Wisconsin 11-3 341 +6
16 Auburn 12-2 301 +8
17 BYU 12-2 251 -5
18 Colorado State 13-2 221 -4
19 San Diego State 13-2 198 +6
20 Creighton 11-4 147 +6
21 Gonzaga 11-4 146 +4
22 Clemson 11-3 133 -6
23 Utah State 14-1 77 N/A
24 Ole Miss 13-1 77 -4
25 Florida Atlantic 11-4 58 -8

Schools Dropped Out

James Madison (20th), Texas (22nd), Providence (23rd)

Others Receiving Votes

Texas (55), Nevada (45), Cincinnati (36), Iowa State (33), Dayton (33), James Madison (32), Grand Canyon (30), Miami-FL (24), TCU (23), Wake Forest (21), Texas Tech (18), Ohio State (12), Seton Hall (11), Alabama (9), St. John’s (8), Providence (7), Michigan State (7), Indiana State (5), South Carolina (3), Princeton (2), Villanova (1), Northwestern (1), New Mexico (1)

How UNC Basketball’s start to 2023-24 compares to past 10 years

Through nine games, the UNC men’s basketball team is 7-2. That starting record has proven leading to strong finishes in years’ past.

Sitting at 7-2 after nine games into the current college basketball season, UNC’s men’s hoops squad is in a pretty solid position ahead of another tough, non-conference test against Kentucky on Saturday, Dec. 16.

Carolina just lost its Jimmy V Classic matchup to UConn, the reigning National Champions, on Tuesday, Dec. 5. Despite the Tar Heels’ best efforts and multiple second-half runs, which closed the game to a couple possessions, the Huskies’ hot shooting proved too much to overcome.

UNC’s only other loss is in overtime to Villanova, another college basketball blue blood who sits at 6-4. Carolina’s lost non-conference games in years’ past to the likes of Belmont (Tenn.) University and Wofford who, despite being some of the stronger, mid-major conference teams, are nowhere near the level of Nova and UConn.

Regardless of what happens against Kentucky, Carolina’s already off to its best start since 2021-2022. We’d talk about how disappointing last season was, but I’m sure you all are tired of hearing the “Preseason Number One to missing the NCAA Tournament” narrative.

Instead in this story, we’ll compare UNC’s current nine-game start to those of the past 10 seasons.

While every team’s goal is to play solid basketball all year long, it’s always better to play your strongest in March and April.

What’s hoppin’? Elliot Cadeau shows off hops with dunk

Elliot Cadeau, the UNC basketball team’s projected starting point guard for 2023-2024, turns on the jump boosters for this insane dunk.

The arrival of Elliot Cadeau on UNC’s campus gave Tar Heel basketball fans something they hadn’t experienced since the 2019 title season – a program-changing point guard who can play at a championship level and consistently score.

Cadeau is a player whose game models that of plenty past Carolina point guards. He has the passing ability of Kendall Marshall, the ability to knock down a shot from anywhere like Coby White, the shot creation skills of Cole Anthony and, despite his youth, the calmness in a floor general like Joel Berry.

Did we mention that Cadeau has hops?

Watch the following clip and see just a smidge of what Carolina is getting at the point guard – an electrifying player who’ll throw down dunks that make the Dean Dome feel like it’s about to explode.

Don’t panic – Cadeau is fine, despite hitting his head on the backboard. He sprints past his defender in practice, leaps up and throws the rock down from well above the rim.

Cadeau reclassified to the 2023 class, making the decision to enroll early at UNC. This decision was a much-needed boost for the Heels, who saw Caleb Love enter the transfer portal.

When the 2023-2024 campaign tips off, Cadeau will likely play in the starting lineup alongside R.J. Davis, UNC all-time double-double and rebounds leader Armando Bacot, plus transfers Harrison Ingram (Stanford) and Jae’Lyn Withers (Louisville).

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

UNC commit records double-double in FIBA U20 championships

UNC basketball transfer James Okonkwo posted a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double for Great Britain in the FIBA U20 championships on Friday.

Tar Heel basketball fans have plenty to look forward to this season, and it’s not just because Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis announced their highly anticipated returns.

One of UNC’s recent additions, University of West Virginia transfer James Okonkwo, is turning heads overseas.

Okonkwo, who committed to Carolina on Thursday afternoon, recorded a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double the following day in a 72-63 victory for Great Britain in the FIBA U20 European Championships.

Okonkwo also blocked three shots in Great Britain’s win, including this denial of Austrian guard Obinna Ndukwe. He led the Mountaineers with 22 blocks last season. The Mountaineers finished 19-15 after a crushing loss to the University of Maryland in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Carolina fans should get excited just from watching this highlight clip. Okonkwo brings the Heels a much-needed blocking ability to complement Bacot, particularly with the graduations of Pete Nance and Leaky Black.

Nance swatted away a Tar Heel-leading 34 blocks last year, Bacot ended his year with 33 and Black rejected 29 shots.

Who had the most blocks outside of these three?

Reserve point guard Seth Trimble, who swatted away just nine shots.

Bacot looked exhausted at times in games during the 2022-2023 campaign, playing over 30 minutes in 22 of the Heels’ 32 games. Okonkwo should allow Bacot to rest more at times and give UNC another reliable post player.

Okonkwo may not play a bunch, averaging just 10.9 minutes per game in 31 appearances with West Virginia last year, but fans can expect him to make an immediate impact down low when he does see court time.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Former UNC basketball star Cam Johnson joins finalized USA FIBA World Cup roster

Will former Tar Heel Cam Johnson lead Team USA to its first FIBA World Cup title since 2014?

Cam Johnson was a welcome addition to the UNC basketball roster for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons.

The Moon Township, Pa. product averaged double-digit points each season in Carolina blue (12.4 in 2017-2018, 16.9 in 2018-2019). He helped the Tar Heels to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances each year, including a run to the Sweet 16 during their 2018-2019 campaign.

Johnson’s stellar two years in Chapel Hill paid off, as he was selected 11th overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2019 NBA. His scoring output has increased in each professional season, including a career-high 16.6 points per game in 25 starts with the Brooklyn Nets this past year.

Now entering his fifth NBA season, Johnson is taking his talents to the national level.

On Thursday, July 6, Team USA finalized its roster for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, one that includes Johnson. He will play alongside the likes of some bright, young NBA talent: current Nets and former Suns teammate Mikal Bridges, former Duke stars Paolo Banchero and Brandon Ingram, 1-year Tar Heel Walker Kessler, 2020 NBA Draft top overall pick Anthony Edwards and former New York Knicks Star Jalen Brunson.

Johnson is tasked with trying to help Team USA capture their first title since 2014, when the Americans throttled Serbia, 129-92, in Spain behind 49 combined points from NBA stars Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

Team USA severely underachieved in the succeeding 2019 FIBA World Cup, finishing in seventh place despite a roster with NBA stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell, Kemba Walker and former Tar Heel Harrison Barnes.

After the 2023 World Cup, which runs from Aug. 25-Sept. 10 in Phillippines, Japan and Indonesia, Johnson’ll be turning his head back to preparing for his second season with a Nets squad that signed him to a 4-year, $108-million contract in June.

It’s an exciting time in the career of a talented, blossoming young player like Johnson.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Rutgers basketball: Simeon Wilcher will not attend UNC

Simeon Wilcher is leaving North Carolina basketball.

Simeon Wilcher, who had originally been committed to North Carolina, has asked for his release from the Tar Heels program.

Committed to North Carolina in October of 2021, Wilcher was a tremendous player at Roselle Catholic (Roselle, N.J.). Roselle Catholic finished last season 23-6.

He was expected to challenge for immediate playing time with the Tar Heels.

A member of the 2023 recruiting class, Wilcher is a consensus four-star recruit as well as being ranked a top 50 player nationally by all four recruiting services. He is ranked the No. 31 recruit in the nation and the tenth-best shooting guard in his class by Rivals.

He topped 1,000 career points this past season.

There is no reported offer from Rutgers from Wilcher’s offer list.

Could Rutgers get involved with Wilcher now? Potentially.

Given that Cam Spencer entered the transfer portal two weeks ago, Rutgers could have a need at shooting guard. Now is Wilcher a fit?

Defensively, Wilcher is aggressive off the ball and clogs the passing lanes well. He was a solid rebounder at the high school and is a good scorer.

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With a summer move needed by Wilcher to get enrolled in the fall, the in-state school might present an enticing opportunity. Wilcher could see some early playing time at Rutgers, play in front of friends and family and do so in the Big Ten, one of the toughest conferences in the country.

Rutgers also hasn’t landed a shooting guard in their last two recruiting cycles, underscoring that Wilcher could fill a void on the roster.

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Former North Carolina guard Caleb Love transfers to Arizona

.@TarHeelsWire has the story: Caleb Love, who previously transferred to Michigan in a move which fell through, has chosen Arizona in the portal.

The college basketball transfer portal produced a headline-grabbing development on Tuesday. Caleb Love, the former North Carolina guard who helped the Tar Heels reach the 2022 national championship game, wanted to transfer to Michigan, but that arrangement collapsed due to academic complications. His Plan B: Arizona. Love will go to Tucson and play for Tommy Lloyd as a Wildcat.

Tar Heels Wire has more:

“After leaving North Carolina following his junior year, Love committed to Michigan before decommitting a month later. Now, he’s heading out to the Pac-12.

“Love committed to Arizona on Tuesday, ending his second recruitment in the transfer portal.

“The Wildcats were one of three programs recently mentioned by 247Sports insider Eric Bossi along with Texas and Gonzaga. But in the end, Love found his fit with the Wildcats and will come in right away and start for Tommy Lloyd’s team.”

We will have analysis of this story and more at Trojans Wire, as we compare the Arizona and USC rosters heading into one of the most anticipated basketball seasons in the history of Trojan hoops.

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UNC’s Armando Bacot listed as big winner of the offseason so far

UNC basketball forward Armando Bacot was named a ‘big winner’ of the offseason so far thanks to the remade roster by the Tar Heels.

The UNC basketball program entered this offseason needing to have a major roster turnover … and that’s exactly what it has done.

After getting the news of [autotag]Armando Bacot[/autotag] and RJ Davis returning to Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels had six players transfer out of the program. Since then, however, there have been four additions.

So how do they help the Tar Heels? Well, for starters, North Carolina has now surrounded Bacot with shooters. That’s something it didn’t have last season.

Bacot is undoubtedly one of the most dominant bigs in college basketball, but with the lack of shooting around him a season ago, double and sometimes triple teams formed around the UNC big.

So, with the newest additions to the roster, it makes Bacot one of the offseason’s biggest winners, wrote 247Sports.

“North Carolina’s offseason is not done yet, but it’s clear Armando Bacot is shaping up to be a huge winner. All four of North Carolina’s transfer portal additions help Bacot. Brown transfer Paxson Wojcik and Notre Dame transfer Cormac Ryan shred nets for a living. That limits the double teams Bacot should garner.”

Bacot averaged 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds a game last season and that followed a 16.3 point per game and 13.1 rebound per game year in 2021-22.

But, there was one significant stat that sticks out.

“Fifteen shots has been a magic number for UNC basketball in each of the last two years. In 2021-22, North Carolina was a perfect 4-0 when Bacot got at least 15 shots. The Tar Heels were 6-1 when Bacot got 15+ shots in 2022-23 and 14-12 when that did not happen. Feeding the big fella should be one of UNC’s top priorities in 2023-24.”

There is no doubt getting the ball in Bacot’s hands is critical to the success of North Carolina.

And now with the remade roster, it should be the case again next year.

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UNC staff pushing for commitment from top 2024 target

The UNC basketball coaching staff is ‘pushing for’ a commitment from a top 2024 five-star target.

The UNC basketball program already holds the top class in 2024, but it is still pushing hard for the finishing touches.

One of those pieces is five-star forward [autotag]Jarin Stevenson[/autotag]. Stevenson is ranked as the No. 14 player on the 247Sports composite and the No. 2 power forward in the class.

The Tar Heels have been involved with Stevenson longer than nearly every prospect in the 2024 class.

To this point, there has been no commitment or feel when he will announce a decision. That hasn’t stopped the Tar Heels from trying, however.

“They’re pushing for it,” Stevenson said of UNC’s staff wanting him to commit.

The North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year this season playing for Seaforth (NC) averaged 21.5 points and 11.6 rebounds per game this season.

North Carolina, Georgetown, Missouri, NC State, Virginia and Wake Forest, among others, are after Stevenson.

The pro option is also a route the family is considering, but it seems the secondary thought at the moment. A potential reclassification is on the table as well, but Stevenson has been open about wanting to take his time and not rush into anything.

For now, it’s wait-and-see with Stevenson. But, there’s no doubt that North Carolina and Hubert Davis want Stevenson in Chapel Hill.

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Follow us @TarHeelsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

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