Tag: North Carolina Tar Heels Basketbal

RJ Davis nearing program record for made 3-pointers

RJ Davis is a scoring machine and a National Player of the Year candidate. Just how far can he take UNC in the NCAA Tournament?

Senior Night was everything the UNC men’s basketball team could’ve asked for.

North Carolina obliterated Notre Dame, 84-51, to clinch at least a share of the regular-season ACC title. Every senior – RJ Davis, Armando Bacot, Cormac Ryan, Paxson Wojcik, Creighton Lebo, Rob Landry and Duwe Farris – got to play. Defense reverted to its January form, holding an opponent to 51 points or less for the second time in four games.

Bacot, Ryan and Wojcik definitely played their final games, while there’s speculation if Davis played his.

If it was Davis’ final home game in a UNC uniform, he gave Tar Heel Nation something to remember him by.

Not only did Davis lead all scorers with 22 points, but his four made 3-pointers gave him 96 all-time. This number tied him with Cameron Johnson, who played at North Carolina from 2017-2019.

Unless Davis endures the worst shooting slump of his collegiate career, there’s a strong chance he ends up with UNC’s single-season record. To be in the same company with Johnson, Manek and Justin Jackson – all of whom are fan favorites – is pretty special.

Davis and his Tar Heel teammates now turn their minds to Saturday, when they’ll have a chance to clinch the ACC Tournament’s top seed against archrival Duke. If North Carolina emerges victorious, it’d be the first sweep of Duke since the 2019-2020 campaign.

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

When the UNC and Clemson men’s basketball teams matched up in January, both teams were ranked. They’ll play each other again on Tuesday.

The college basketball world enjoyed a plethora of exciting games yesterday, but none more exciting that perhaps the Tobacco Road rivalry – UNC vs. Duke.

This game had all the hype surrounding it – both teams were Top 10 in the AP Poll, Top 2 in the ACC and featured a bunch of star power. Some could say Duke had the upper hand, winning its past two matchups in the Dean Dome, but there’s no doubt UNC is the better ballclub this year.

The Tar Heels pretty much dominated from the opening tip. Both rivals shot very similarly from the field (UNC 50%, Duke 50.7%) and were nearly even on the glass (UNC 35 rebounds, Duke 34), but it was North Carolina’s ball security that made the difference. UNC scored 10 points off turnovers in the first half – en route to building an 8-point halftime lead – complementing that with five turnovers throughout the game.

UNC and Duke won’t meet again until Saturday, March 9 in Cameron Indoor Stadium, meaning there’s a full month of basketball ahead.

North Carolina will now turn its attention to a reeling Clemson program, which just lost a 1-point heartbreaker against UVA yesterday. The Tigers (14-7, 4-6) were ranked when they hosted UNC during the first Saturday of 2024, but have struggled against conference opponents. Clemson has been competitive in several ACC losses (1-point defeats against Duke and UVA), so it makes you wonder if the Tigers are better than their record shows.

What do the Tar Heels, who just enjoyed double-doubles from Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram, need to do for a season sweep of Clemson?

WATCH: Recruiting target shares UNC locker room celebration after beating Duke

Five-star recruiting target Caleb Wilson shared video of the UNC basketball program’s celebration after the big win over Duke.

The North Carolina Tar Heels ended a two-game losing streak to rival Duke on Saturday, winning the first of two regular-season matchups for 2024.

North Carolina started fast, grabbing a 10-point lead at halftime. In the second half, the Tar Heels held off a few Duke pushes and hit big shots to win. They did so with a few big recruiting targets watching.

Five-star recruits Jasper Johnson and Caleb Wilson were on official visits to North Carolina for the game, taking in the program and the big game. After the game, Wilson shared an awesome video of the team celebrating in the locker room with Hubert Davis coming in. Check it out:

Wilson will wrap up his visit tomorrow and has already taken visits elsewhere in his recruitment. The Atlanta, Georgia, native is one of the top players in the 2025 class, ranking No. 6 overall in the 247Sports recruiting rankings. 

He’s become a top priority for the Tar Heels in that 2025 class and I’m guessing being in an environment like this didn’t hurt their case.

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Blue blood program among those that have reached out to Puff Johnson

Former UNC basketball forward Puff Johnson has heard from a handful of programs already including Kentucky and Indiana.

Former North Carolina Tar Heels’ forward Puff Johnson entered the transfer portal earlier this week, becoming the fourth of five players to do so from the 2022-23 roster.

Johnson’s departure was a little surprising after he spent three seasons at North Carolina. But he never really stayed healthy and didn’t get as much playing time as he wanted this past season. As Johnson begins his new recruitment, he’s already gaining significant interest from teams who are looking at the portal to fill needs.

That includes a blue blood: Kentucky.

The Wildcats are among a handful of teams that have reached out to Johnson per John Rothstein. The list includes Indiana, West Virginia, TCU, Arizona State, Pitt, LSU and Butler.

While battling injuries, Johnson averaged 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds across 65 games as a Tar Heel. He showed flashes of potential during North Carolina’s run to the national championship game a year ago and was expected to be a big factor this year.

But after the Tar Heels recruited Pete Nance to play the 4, Johnson’s role was off the bench again.

Johnson should be one of the more sought-after players in the portal this offseason.

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