Tag: North Carolina Tar Heels Basketball

Drake Powell’s offensive breakout Wednesday proved he is THE guy for UNC basketball

We knew about Drake Powell’s defense. On Wednesday night against Michigan State, we learned the offensive side of Powell’s game.

When seemingly nothing could go right for the North Carolina Tar Heels on Wednesday night, as they lost 94-91 to Michigan State in the Maui Invitational’s Third Place game, Drake Powell rose to the occasion.

Powell, UNC’s star freshman who played high school ball just 20 minutes south of the Dean Dome, set two career-highs in just his seventh collegiate game.

In the 33 minutes head coach Hubert Davis gave Powell off the bench, Powell scored 18 points – on 7-of-9 shooting and a 4-of-6 mark from the perimeter. Powell has the 3-pointer in his arsenal, but he’s been able to rely on his defense and ability to drive the line – until Wednesday.

Seemingly anytime Powell got the basketball in his hand, he was scoring or making the next pass to points. Powell only had one rebound, assist and block apiece, so Wednesday was a clear sign that 99 percent of Powell’s statistical contributions came offensively.

We witnessed flashes of Powell’s talent in North Carolina’s first six games, but Wednesday brought out the true, 5-star McDonalds All-American who Hubert recruited.

Powell wasn’t the only freshman with a big game against MSU, as fellow McDonalds All-American Ian Jackson added 14 points off the bench.

Coming into Wednesday, Powell had just 26 points in his first six games. What Powell didn’t generate in the scoring department those outings, he generated on the boards (25 rebounds, including career-best 11 against American).

It’s still super-early in the season, which means the Tar Heels have plenty of time, to discover the lineup combinations that work best for them.

There’s one thing I do know, though: I would be shocked if  Powell isn’t starting for UNC on Wednesday, Dec. 4 against Alabama.

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Seth Trimble points to glaring issue in UNC’s loss to Auburn

Is the UNC basketball program bought in defensively?

The North Carolina Tar Heels suffered their second loss of the season, falling to No. 4 Auburn at the Maui Invitational. And for the second straight game, the Tar Heels fell behind in the game, struggling early on.

Unlike the win over Dayton, the Tar Heels couldn’t come back as the Tigers held the lead the entire game. It was a tough loss although to a good team, there were some things lacking. And one key Tar Heel mentioned something important.

Defense.

“I just want pride defensively,” Trimble said after the game. “I don’t think we are bought in as a team defensively. That’s something that I take pride in. I feel like it’s still there for me and it’s just sometimes as a team, we just don’t have it. I have to be better as a leader and continue to bring that.”

Trimble is by far North Carolina’s best defensive player and has been a force on the perimeter. He’s also bringing it on the offensive end, turning his game around this season.

But he’s right.

The Tar Heels have struggled defensively this season and both games in the Maui Invitational show that. Too many times there were rotations missed, open shots or poor rebounding on the defensive end.

If you’re not bought in defensively, you’re going to struggle. And that’s what’s happening with UNC right now. Can they get it figured out? Wednesday provides another opportunity to do that as they take on Michigan State in the last game of the Maui Invitational.

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UNC basketball falls again in USA TODAY Sports coaches poll

The UNC basketball program falls in the updated USA TODAY Sports coaches poll.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are getting set to face a tough week as they participate in a loaded 2024 Maui Invitational. UNC had just one game last week, beating Hawai’i on the road, taking advantage of the trip out there.

But even with the win and a 3-1 record, the Tar Heels found themselves going in the wrong direction in the rankings.

The Tar Heels fell in the latest USA TODAY Sports’ coaches poll that was released on Monday. They went from No. 12 to No. 13 with Marquette jumping them, moving up four spots to No. 11. Purdue is ahead of UNC at No. 12.

As for the Atlantic Coast Conference, there are three teams ranked with Duke at No. 10 followed by UNC and then Pitt who checks in at No. 25 after an impressive start.

Take a look at the full updated USA TODAY Sports coaches poll for the week:

 

Rank Team Record Points
1 Kansas 5-0 767 (25)
2 UConn 4-0 717 (2)
3 Auburn 4-0 707 (3)
4 Gonzaga 5-0 689 (1)
5 Iowa State 3-0 602
6 Tennessee 6-0 587
7 Houston 3-1 559
8 Kentucky 5-0 539
9 Alabama 4-1 527
10 Duke 4-1 502
11 Marquette 6-0 499
12 Purdue 5-1 429
13 North Carolina 3-1 424
14 Cincinnati 5-0 330
15 Indiana 4-0 262
16 Florida 6-0 260
17 Wisconsin 7-0 252
18 Baylor 4-2 244
19 Creighton 4-1 167
20 Texas A&M 4-1 146
21 Arkansas 4-1 128
22 Xavier 5-0 85
23 Arizona 2-2 76
24 Ole Miss 5-0 73
25 Pittsburgh 6-1 66

The Tar Heels are back on the court Monday night when they open up their Maui Invitational run against Dayton.

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What channel is UNC vs. Dayton basketball on? Time, TV schedule for Monday matchup

Tuning into UNC’s Maui Invitational opener against Dayton? We have all the broadcast information for you here.

The North Carolina Tar Heels will get a taste of paradise Monday, kicking off their Maui Invitational slate with an 11:30 p.m. ET tip against the Dayton Flyers.

UNC (3-1) is hoping that its early, 87-69 Saturday victory over Hawai’i will help its cause against Dayton (5-0), with players less likely to be jet-lagged as a result.

The Flyers, on the other hand, haven’t played since a 74-53 victory over New Mexico State on Nov. 20. Dayton is playing exceptional basketball through the first month of college basketball, winning its first five games by fairly comfortable margins.

The Flyers overwhelmed Saint Francis (Pa.) in their 2024-2025 opener, won a pair of close games against Northwestern and Ball State, then beat Capital University (Ohio). Tonight will be Dayton’s first game outside of Ohio, though, so we’ll see if the lack of home court advantage plays a factor.

Re-visiting North Carolina’s early Saturday morning game, it pulled away from Hawai’i after a 41-34 first half. Elliot Cadeau shot nearly perfect from the field and finished with 17 points, RJ Davis led all scorers with 18 and Ian Jackson provided a needed bench boost with 11 points.

As tough an opponent the Rainbow Warriors were, the Flyers are even better. Dayton provided one of March Madness’ most memorable, Round of 64 games in March, erasing a massive comeback against Nevada and advancing to the next round.

If you’re celebrating turkey season in Hawai’i, enjoy your time in the warm, beautiful sun. If you’re watching on television like ourselves, make sure you read more below on what you need to know.

What channel is North Carolina vs. Dayton on today? Time, TV schedule

TV Channel: ESPN2

Time: 11:30 p.m. ET

Where to watch UNC vs. Dayton on live stream

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch UNC vs. Dayton live on Fubo (free trial)” link=”https://www.fubo.tv/welcome/leagues/191261?irad=399332&irmp=1205322&subId1=SMG&subId2=NCAAF&subId3=2024″]

UNC at Dayton prediction, picks, odds

North Carolina 75, Dayton 71: The Tar Heels get yet another tough, early-season test tonight in the Flyers, who are off to a 5-0 start. UNC benefits in tonight’s game from playing on Saturday, while Dayton starts a little rusty. North Carolina will also be helped by the return of star freshman Ian Jackson, who played well against Hawai’i. The Tar Heels beat the Flyers in a close one.

All College Basketball Odds via BetMGM.

SPREAD: N/A

MONEYLINE: N/A

O/U TOTAL: N/A

Tar Heels full schedule

Oct. 12: Blue-White Scrimmage (Blue 62, White 53)

Oct. 15: Exhibition @ Memphis (W, 84-76)

Oct. 27: Exhibition vs. Johnson C. Smith (W, 127-63)

Nov. 4: vs. Elon (W, 90-76)

Nov. 8: at Kansas (L, 92-89)

Nov. 15: vs. American University (W, 108-55)

Nov. 22: at Hawaii

Nov. 25: vs. Dayton (Maui Invitational)

Nov. 26: vs. Auburn or Iowa State (Maui Invitational)

Nov. 27: vs. Colorado, Connecticut, Memphis or Michigan State (Maui Invitational)

Dec. 4: vs. Alabama

Dec. 7: vs. Georgia Tech

Dec. 14: vs. La Salle

Dec. 17: vs. Florida (Jumpman Invitational)

Dec. 21: vs. UCLA (CBS Sports Classic)

Dec. 29: vs. Campbell

Jan. 1: at Louisville

Jan. 4: at Notre Dame

Jan. 7: vs. SMU

Jan. 11: at NC State

Jan. 15: vs. California

Jan. 18: vs. Stanford

Jan. 21: at Wake Forest

Jan. 25: vs. Boston College

Jan. 28: at Pitt

Feb. 1: at Duke

Feb. 8: vs. Pitt

Feb. 10: at Clemson

Feb. 15: at Syracuse

Feb. 19: vs. NC State

Feb. 22: vs. Virginia

Feb. 24: at Florida State

March 1: vs. Miami (FL)

March 4: at Virginia Tech

March 8: vs. Duke

March 11-15: ACC Tournament (Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC)

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UNC basketball takes down Hawai’i

UNC basketball passes its first test by beating Hawai’i.

Friday night/Saturday morning’s game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors required some coffee if you stayed up for it.

But for UNC fans, it was well worth it. After a slow start that included no scoring for the first two minutes of the game, the Tar Heels used a big second half to pull away from the Rainbow Warriors and capture a 87-69 win to begin the trip to Hawai’i.

And a big reason why was having three starters in double figures.

Guard RJ Davis led the way with 18 points for the Tar Heels also dishing out four assists. Fellow guards Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble also had big nights as well. Cadeau scored 17 points in the win while Trimble added 13.

All three guards had four assists each.

UNC was able to build their first-half lead into double-digits, but Hawai’i never went away. They used a few different runs to cut the lead down to three at one point.

North Carolina took a 41-34 lead into halftime.

The Tar Heels used a quick 11-0 run in the second half to extend the lead to 52-36 early on. That sparked the Tar Heels’ big second half and was needed after they closed out the first half a bit sluggish.

From there, it was really all Tar Heels in the second half as they out-scored the Rainbow Warriors 46-35 in the final 20 minutes of play. The Tar Heels were in control for that entire second half, never letting Hawai’i get back into the game.

Freshman Ian Jackson finished with 11 points off the bench, playing 19 minutes in his return after missing a game. Jackson provided some much-needed scoring off the bench for UNC including hitting his only three-point attempt of the game.

North Carolina will head to Maui to begin the Maui Invitational on Monday night, facing off against Dayton.

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Getting to know UNC’s next basketball opponent: Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors

The Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors are undefeated through four games. Get to know UNC’s next opponent.

I can’t tell you how excited I am to watch college basketball over Thanksgiving Week, starting with the Maui Invitational on Monday night.

The North Carolina Tar Heels will be one of eight teams in the stacked tournament, with other first-round matchups including Memphis vs. back-to-back National Champion UConn, Colorado vs. Michigan State, Auburn vs. Iowa State and the most important one, UNC vs. Dayton.

Before North Carolina faces a plethora of stacked opponents, it’ll be facing the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors in a Saturday morning tune-up. The Tar Heels are facing Hawai’i practically overnight, with a 12:30 a.m. ET tip-off on tap.

UNC has a 5-0 advantage in its brief history with the Rainbow Warriors, who we’re going to give you a brief preview on.

Hawai’i, already off to a 4-0 start this year, is a member of the Big West conference. Fellow conference members include the likes of UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State and UC Riverside.

The Rainbow Warriors started their campaign with a 96-61 victory over Life Pacific on Nov. 8. They beat San José State two days later, topped Pacific 76-66 on Veteran’s Day, then escaped Weber State in overtime (73-68) last Sunday.

Hawai’i rolls deep offensively, with four players averaging a minimum 10 points per game. Starting center and Utah Tech transfer Tanner Christensen leads the Rainbow Warriors with 17 points per game, Tom Beattie averages 12.3 points per game, while Gytis Nemeiska and Marcus Greene both average 10.3 points per game apiece.

Hawai’i has five NCAA Tournament appearances under its belt, with the most recent one coming in 2016, when it beat a Jaylen Brown-led Cal squad for its first-ever victory in the Big Dance.

Here’s to hoping North Carolina can improve to 6-0 against the Rainbow Warriors, who will be yet another tough, early-season test.

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Hawai’i to debut new uniforms vs UNC on Friday night

When you’re watching UNC-Hawai’i on Saturday morning, you’ll be looking at some fresh new uniforms for the hosts.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are preparing to face a tough road test in the wee morning hours on Saturday, heading across the Pacific Ocean for a 12:30 a.m. matchup with the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors.

UNC (2-1) has a very brief history with Hawai’i (4-0), winning each of the first five matchups, with the last one coming in 2016 at Hawai’i. North Carolina fans remember that 2016-2017 campaign very well, with a sixth National Championship captured in April against Gonzaga.

The Tar Heels will be looking for their third win of the year, while the Rainbow Warriors look to remain undefeated.

When Hawai’i takes the court Saturday morning, it’ll be doing so with some brand-new uniforms, reminiscent of the tropical oasis it is.

The Rainbow Warriors beat Life Pacific handily to open their season, then topped San José State two days later on Nov. 10. Hawai’i played Pacific the next day, winning 76-66, then held off Weber State in overtime last Sunday.

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

There’s no telling which uniforms UNC will don, but it’ll be tough to beat those the Rainbow Warriors will sport.

One thing we do know about North Carolina, though: it has to be careful on Saturday morning. This game is a tune-up for the Maui Invitational that starts Monday, but it also could be a trap game.

The Tar Heels started to round into form in a massive win against American, with Jalen Washington and Drake Powell leading the charge. Elliot Cadeau scored 15 first-half points and was one off his career-high, while Cade Tyson started to showcase why Hubert Davis went out and got him in the transfer portal.

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UNC basketball projected to face C-USA school in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology

Early bracketology has UNC facing a team that hasn’t made the NCAA Tournament in over 30 years.

Even though we’re just two weeks into the 2024-2025 college basketball season, it’s never too early to start making March Madness projections.

Which teams are near-locks to win their conferences? Who will the Cinderellas be? Will any highly-favored preseason teams fail to live up to the hype?

The North Carolina Tar Heels, just 2-1 through their first three games, are hoping to be the last team standing when March Madness is all said and done.

If famed bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s latest projections come true, UNC will at least be in the Big Dance. Lunardi has North Carolina as a 4-seed in the East Region, facing 13-seed Louisiana Tech in the first round.

While the Tar Heels would be making their second-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs would be making their first since 1991. Louisiana Tech has enjoyed plenty of success on the basketball court in recent years, with five 20-win seasons in its past six, but playing in a mid-major conference like the C-USA hurt its chance at gaining an at-large.

Just like any team early in the season, North Carolina is still trying to figure itself out.

UNC was nearly upset by Elon in its season-opener, but UNC took over in the final four minutes. The Tar Heels trailed Kansas by 15 at halftime on Nov. 8, but nearly came back. American shot well from deep early last Friday, then North Carolina exploded for 64 second-half points.

We’ll really start to see how legit UNC is starting Saturday, when it heads to Hawaii for its fifth matchup with the Rainbow Warriors. The Tar Heels then remain in Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, kicking off Monday with an 11:30 p.m. tipoff against Dayton.

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Former UNC basketball standout sets season-high point total

Former North Carolina Tar Heel Cam Johnson just had the best game of his young NBA season on Tuesday night.

When you think of the most athletic basketball players to don a North Carolina Tar Heels basketball uniform, who comes to mind?

For me, Cameron Johnson is right up there. Johnson transferred to UNC – from Pitt – ahead of the 2017-2018 campaign, North Carolina never won a title in Johnson’s two years, but he made a lasting impact.

Now a crucial member of and starting small forward for the Brooklyn Nets, Johnson is enjoying the best season of his 6-year career.

On Tuesday, Nov. 19 in a 116-115 victory over the Charlotte Hornets, Johnson scored a season-best 34 points. He shot an unconscious 6-of-12 from the perimeter, made 11-of-20 shots overall and all six of his free throw attemps.

Johnson wasn’t just contributing on the score sheet. He showcased his versatility as a well-rounded contributor, adding five rebounds, four assists. two blocks and a steal.

Brooklyn isn’t playing great basketball, sitting 6-9 not even a quarter through the NBA season, but it’s currently seeded ninth in a weak Eastern Conference.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DClGwmUO83P/?img_index=1

Johnson is 49th in the entire NBA with 18.1 points per game, which ranks second on the Nets behind Cam Thomas. With Brooklyn thought to be early sellers, Johnson might not be in Brooklyn much longer – though he’s a great, young talented player to build a franchise around.

North Carolina only had Johnson for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons, but like I alluded to earlier, Johnson made an immediate impact from Day One.

He started 56 of his 62 games as a Tar Heel, averaging 15 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Johnson earned First Team All-ACC Honors after 2019 ended, when UNC lost to Auburn in the Sweet 16.

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Elliot Cadeau joins a UNC legend with his 2024 production through first three games

Elliot Cadeau is UNC’s first basketball player – of the 21st century – to achieve this rare feat.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are just three games into their college basketball season, so it’s still difficult to tell how the season will play out.

There is one thing we’re confident saying about UNC through just those three games, though: Elliot Cadeau took a MASSIVE step forward from freshman year

Cadeau, a sophomore from West Orange, N.J. who starts at guard alongside RJ Davis this year, looks extremely well-rounded. In addition to being a solid passer, Cadeau is explosive when he drives to the basket, can knock down threes at a more consistent clip and – cue the excitement – shows the ability to slam dunk in transition.

With his 47 points and 23 assists on North Carolina’s young season so far, Cadeau earned a unique statistical distinction alongside a program legend.

Cadeau became the first Tar Heel, since Ed Cota (1997-2000), with a minimum 12 points and seven assists through his first three games.

If you were old enough to remember watching Cota, he was an assist machine named the 1997 ACC Rookie of the Year. At the time, Cota was just the fourth player in UNC’s history to be named ACC ROTY (Joseph Forte, Marvin Williams, Tyler Hansbrough, Brandan Wright and Harrison Barnes later earned the distinction)

https://www.instagram.com/p/DChwYwYx1JD/?img_index=1

If you look at the graphic above, Cadeau enjoyed his best game on the young college basketball season – and arguably his collegiate career – last Friday against American. Basketball is a team sport, but Cadeau’s hot stretch early was the main reason why North Carolina initially led the visiting Eagles, as he scored 15 first-half points.

How much better can Cadeau g througethout the season? Will he return for a third year?

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