Tag: Tyler Nickel

Notre Dame falls short in regular-season finale vs. Virginia Tech

The Irish made it interesting until the end.

After being crushed by North Carolina in its last game, Notre Dame hoped for a better showing at Virginia Tech to close the regular season. That was the case, and the possibility existed that the Irish might steal a second game from the Hokies this season. That wasn’t the case with the Irish losing, 82-76.

While the Irish (12-19, 7-13) never led in the second half, they kept the Hokies (18-13, 10-10) on their toes until the final minute, never trailing by more than seven after halftime. It wasn’t until a layup, steal and then another layup by Sean Padulla in the final minute to put the Hokies up six that this game essentially was decided.

Although [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] brought the Irish within three with a layup and free throw after that, little time remained, and the Hokies only had to make their free throws to with the Irish forced to foul, which they did.

A few things could have made this game turn out differently. The Hokies held a considerable 15-5 advantage in offensive rebounds and used that to outscore the Irish in second-chance opportunities, 17-8. They also blocked six shots while the Irish got only one of those from [autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag]. It was a hard lesson to be learned for sure.

Pedulla led all scorers with 28 points. MJ Collins had the best all-around game with 15 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. Off the bench, Tyler Nickel scored 15 points.

Burton scored 24 points, giving him 535 for the year and breaking [autotag]Troy Murphy[/autotag]’s Notre Dame freshman scoring record of 519. [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] scored 13 points, which included making all five of his free throws, and grabbed six rebounds. [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag] scored 11 off the bench, and [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] added 10.

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What went right in UNC’s win against Virginia Tech

A look back at UNC’s Saturday afternoon win, taking a closer look at what went right for the Tar Heels.

The UNC men’s basketball program bounced back into the win column Saturday, sending [autotag]Tyler Nickel[/autotag] and the Hokies back to Virginia.

A lot went right in UNC’s win over Virginia Tech, starting with their ability to score at will, finishing with 51.5% shooting from the field. The Tar Heels have had significant success when shooting 50% or more as a team, winning 28 games in a row when they do.

North Carolina’s offensive attack proved opposing zone defenses were more of a myth than a reality, exposing holes by dominating inside. UNC scored 54 points in the paint (second most this season), led by their big man [autotag]Armando Bacot’s[/autotag] expertise down low.

On the flip side, UNC’s defense was a nightmare for Virginia Tech. The Tar Heels held the Hokies to 26.9% from behind the arch, a recipe that has worked wonders with UNC A perfect 9-0 when holding teams under 30% from three this season.

By no means is a win over Virginia Tech screams that UNC is back. However, it was a great spark to re-channel the momentum they had throughout the start of the season.

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Former UNC forward Tyler Nickel commits to Virginia Tech

Former UNC basketball forward Tyler Nickel has committed to Virginia Tech and will stay in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The UNC basketball program has seen six players enter the transfer portal os far this offseason, leaving Hubert Davis and his staff with some holes for fill for the 2023-24 roster. And while it’s only been a few weeks since the portal has been open, one former Tar Heel has found a new home.

Tyler Nickel has ended his recruitment and has verbally committed to Virginia Tech, returning to his hometown state of Virginia. The forward made the decision to stay in the Atlantic Coast Conference and commit to the Hokies on Thursday, revealing the news to On3.

The Hokies were involved in Nickel’s original recruitment before he committed to North Carolina as part of the 2022 class. And now he will get to see North Carolina at least once a year in the rest of his college career.

The former four-star recruit spent just one season at North Carolina after committing to the program.

In 25 games, Nickel averaged 2.1 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.3 assists while playing in about 6 minutes per game. Nickel got some playing time early as UNC went through some injury problems.

But as the year went on, Nickel’s playing time faded. We have to imagine the lack of bench usage by Davis and the staff played a big role in Nickel heading into the portal and returning home.

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Former UNC forward drawing interest in transfer portal

Former UNC basketball forward Tyler Nickel is receiving significant interest in the transfer portal.

Through the first week of the offseason, the UNC basketball program had  three players enter the transfer portal.

Forwards Tyler Nickel, Justin McKoy and Dontrez Styles are all looking for new homes, and two are seeing significant interest from other programs. First, it was Styles who had teams including NC State after him. Now we know Nickel is also gaining a lot of interest.

Per Jamie Shaw of On3, Nickel has received interest from a numerous teams, including VCU, Marquette, Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Penn State and Iowa.

He appeared in 25 games in his freshman year, averaging 2.1 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. Nickel never really found a groove and with an inconsistent rotation, often found himself buried.

His best game came when he scored 8 points in a loss to Virginia Tech when  UNC was without Armando Bacot for that game in December.

The Tar Heels have been active early as well, reaching out to three players. The expectation is they will reach out to more as they sort out the roster after a disappointing 2022-23 season.

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This UNC student asked a hilarious — but extremely real — question after finding out Tyler Nickel entered the transfer portal

This is pure comedy.

College coaches across sports have been complaining about the transfer portal for years at this point. Clearly, they don’t appreciate the autonomy and agency it gives student-athletes.

If we’re being honest, their arguments generally don’t hold very much weight. They certainly can’t hold a candle to the problem this UNC student is about to have as Tyler Nickel is entering the transfer portal.

UNC student, Shivan Shah, had a very real — and hilarious — question about one of his classmates after he found out Nickel planned on leaving UNC. Shah just wants to know what this means for their group presentation next month.

Honestly, I feel this. Nickel’s transfer is cool or whatever, but Shah is trying to get that good grade.

But through it all, Shah has no complaints. These are only jokes. He was completely understanding and had nothing but complimentary things to say about Nickel.

This argument would be more convincing than any arguments coaches have made about why the transfer portal is the end of the world. Yet, here we are.

Looks like the coaches out there could learn something from the students. Best of luck to Shah on the project. He should get an A for this tweet alone.

UNC freshman Tyler Nickel enters transfer portal

UNC basketball freshman Tyler Nickel has entered the transfer portal after just one year with the Tar Heels.

After one season at North Carolina, freshman Tyler Nickel will enter the transfer portal.

The forward made the decision on Monday with ESPN’s Jeff Borzello reporting the news and Inside Carolina confirming it. The Virginia native committed to UNC as part of the 2022 class and was considered a perimeter threat in terms of his shooting ability.

He appeared in 25 games in his freshman year, averaging 2.1 points and 0.6 rebounds per game. Nickel never really found a groove and with an inconsistent rotation, often found himself buried down that line.

His best game came when he scored 8 points in a loss to Virginia Tech as UNC was without Armando Bacot for that game in December.

With North Carolina declining to play in the NIT, it has allowed players to make decisions on the future. The team has started the process of player meetings for the season review and while we don’t know for sure, there was probably some frustration on the part of a few players in terms of playing time.

Nickel is one of two players so far to enter the transfer portal for the Tar Heels this offseason.

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Tyler Nickel’s high school number retired

UNC basketball freshman Tyler Nickel high school number has been retired, giving the four star recruit a moment he will never forget.

UNC basketball freshman [autotag]Tyler Nickel[/autotag] was honored by his high school  as his jersey will officially go in the rafters at East Rock High School.

The four-star recruit had his No.5 varsity number retired this past week by East Rock High School out of Elkton, Virginia. Nickel got on UNC’s radar after dominating at the high school level, ranking as the third-best player in the state of Virginia.

During his time at East Rock, the 6-8 small forward led the Eagles in scoring, becoming a top recruit and one of the best players out of his high school. In his junior and senior years, Nickel appeared in 42 games, averaging 34.4 points, four assists, 1.8 steals, 1.5 rebounds, and 9.6 rebounds per game.

Nickel not only dominated the stat sheet, he also had the accolades to go along with it including First-Team All-State as well as being named East Rockingham player of the year. The biggest achievement of his tenure with the Eagles is that he’s the all-time leading scorer in Virginia High School history snapping Mac McClung record set in 2018.

Now, with his name in his high school rafters, it will be interesting to see if Nickel can produce the same outcome in the Deans Smith Center.

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Look: UNC newcomers at first summer practice

The four incoming players for UNC basketball took part in their first official summer practice this week.

Earlier this week, it was the first time that UNC basketball freshmen and incoming transfers were included in practice.

This also means it was the first time that UNC’s lone transfer [autotag]Pete Nance[/autotag] was in a Carolina jersey.

Nance announced his commitment to the Tar Heels last week following his official visit.

Along with Nance, UNC’s freshmen [autotag]Jalen Washington[/autotag], [autotag]Seth Trimble[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Nickel[/autotag] also had their first practice.

North Carolina enters this offseason as the No. 1 team in the country and brings back four starters from last year’s team that made it to the National Championship game.

Nance averaged 14.6 points and 6.5 rebounds a season ago for Northwestern. Washington, Trimble and Nickel were all four-star recruits.

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Jersey numbers announced for incoming UNC freshmen

The jersey numbers were announced for UNC basketball’s incoming class of 2022 freshmen class.

With UNC basketball’s 2022 recruiting class all set to be on campus by the end of this week, that means we are one step closer to the college basketball season.

[autotag]Seth Trimble[/autotag], [autotag]Jalen Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyler Nickel[/autotag] will on be on campus for the first time this week, joining fellow member of the class of 2022 [autotag]Will Shaver[/autotag], a power forward who enrolled early at UNC in the spring.

According to InsideCarolina, the jersey numbers for the four freshmen have been finalized and are as follows:

Trimble: No. 0

Washington: No. 13

Shaver: No. 21

Nickel: No. 24

North Carolina’s 2022 class was ranked No. 17 in the country.

Trimble was UNC’s highest rated commit at No. 35 overall. Washington was No. 44, Nickel No. 76 and Shaver was No. 143 overall.

The freshmen join a roster that returns almost every signifiant player from its rotation last season, excluding Brady Manek who was out of eligibility.

The Tar Heels finished last season 29-10 and lost in the National Championship game to Kansas. They went 15-5 in the ACC and finished second in the league.

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UNC commit Tyler Nickel earns big honor for senior season

UNC basketball recruit Tyler Nickel earned a big honor to wrap up his high school career in the state of Virginia.

The 2022 recruiting class for the UNC basketball program is the first true class for head coach Hubert Davis and his staff. The four-man class, including early enrollee Will Shaver, is set to be here this Summer and is considered a top 20 class per the recruiting rankings.

While [autotag]Seth Trimble[/autotag] and [autotag]Jalen Washington[/autotag] lead the way in terms of rankings, one player continues to fly under the radar.

Four-star forward [autotag]Tyler Nickel[/autotag] put together a historic final season in the state of Virginia, breaking the state’s all-time scoring record. And for his play in his final season, he’s earning another honor.

Nickel was named the 2021-22 Daily News-Record All-Valley Boys Basketball Player of the Year. The honor is a big one for Nickel before he gets on UNC’s campus, and caps off an awesome final high school season.

The forward averaged 34.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.6 blocks per game for East Rockingham.

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