Tag: UNC Tar Heels

The next 7 games will decide the Tar Heels 2025 NCAA Tournament destiny

Will North Carolina find themselves on the inside or outside of the NCAA Tournament? The next seven games will answer that question.

North Carolina has been on the outside and the inside of the NCAA Tournament bubble for most of the last month. They fell down the seedings hard after their loss to Louisville at the top of the year.

However, the game that sent them to the bubble was their home loss against Stanford, their only non-quad-one loss of the season.

Since that loss, any analyst you ask would be on opposite sides of whether this Hubert Davis-coached team deserves to be in the NCAA Tournament or not.

The next seven games will determine the team’s tournament chances

They will start that seven-game stretch with four, quad-one games. The Tar Heels will end out January with a road game against Pitt on Tuesday. They will turn around and head to Durham to take on their archrival No. 2-ranked Duke on Saturday, February 1st.

After those two road games, they will take on Pitt at home on February 8th before going to South Carolina and taking on Clemson in their fourth-straight quad-one game.

Their last three games of that seven-game stretch are against three quad-three opponents in Syracuse on the road, NC State at home, and Virginia at home.

Despite them being quad-three opponents, they could be considered “trap” games, especially Syracuse on the road. They will close out February with a road game against Florida State.

North Carolina fans want nothing but success for this team and many desire their presence in the NCAA Tournament. If that is going to happen, they need at least two of the four quad-one games and all three, quad-three games.

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Tar Heels fall in NET rankings despite a conference win over Boston College

Check out where the Tar Heels stand in the NET rankings following the team’s win at home against Boston College!

North Carolina took the court on Saturday in a must-win game against the 1-7, now 1-8 in the ACC, Boston College. In a game that should have been an easy 20+ point victory, the Tar Heels turned into a nail-biter that required a miracle and overtime just to win.

After the win and with other results across the college basketball world, UNC dropped from No. 39 to No. 40 in the NET rankings being supplanted by Creighton.

In the 102-96 victory, RJ Davis led the team with 22 points and five rebounds with five assists. Seth Trimble had the team’s only double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Other double-digit scorers include Jalen Washington (18), Elliot Cadeau (13), and Ian Jackson (19).

At No. 40 in the NET rankings, North Carolina is the No. 5-ranked team in those rankings a part of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Duke holds the highest NET in the conference at No. 2, followed by Louisville at No. 24.

Clemson comes in at No. 30, and just above North Carolina, Pitt is No. 34.

The Tar Heels’ next four games will be against teams with a better NET ranking than them and will be pivotal to their NCAA Tournament resume. Wins will put them in, losses will securely render them out.

North Carolina holds a 1-7 record against quad-one teams, with their only win against former No. 18-ranked UCLA. They hold a 4-1 record against quad-two teams, with Stanford being that only loss. They are 4-0 against both quad-three and quad-four teams on the season.

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Tar Heels rise into the Top 10 ranks in Class of 2025 after addition of five-star forward

North Carolina rose big time in the Class of 2025 team rankings after their latest commitment!

The North Carolina Tar Heels recruiting Class of 2025 has received a jolt of life on Thursday night/Friday morning. After the Los Angeles Lakers/Boston Celtics game on TNT, five-star power forward Caleb Wilson made the decision to “take his talents to Chapel Hill.”

Heading into Thursday, the Tar Heels had signed letters of intent from the No. 27-ranked player in the country, Isaiah Denis, and the No. 48-ranked player in the country, Derek Dixon.

Both are four-star recruits and both are combo guards, ranked No. 9 and 10 respectively in their position in the class. Denis is the No. 1 player out of North Carolina, and Dixon is the No. 2 player from DC.

Now, the 99-scored, five-star forward from Holy Innocents Episcopal School in Atlanta, Georgia, will join Hubert Davis and company as one of the highest-rated recruits in the famed UNC history.

With Wilson in the mix with the two four stars, North Carolina now has the No. 7 highest-ranked recruiting class in the country per 247Sports.

Rival Duke sits at No. 1, followed in order by Houston, UConn, Arkansas, Notre Dame, and Kentucky. Only 5.63 points separate Duke, who has four five-star recruits, and UNC.

Wilson is the No. 9 ranked player in the country, according to 247Sports. The composite score for Wilson puts him as the No. 6-ranked player in the nation.

247Sports composite score of .9980 puts Wilson as the No. 5 highest-rated recruit in Tar Heel history. The only players in front of him are .9999 Harrison Barnes, .9992 Cole Anthony, .9992 Nassir Little, and .9986 Brandan Wright, all of which went on to have NBA careers.

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Tar Heels avoid free fall in latest NET rankings despite season’s 8th loss

Where does North Carolina stand in the NET rankings following another ACC loss on Tuesday?

The NET rankings are an important determination factor of the committee that will decide the field of 68 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Heading into North Carolina’s showdown with Wake Forest on Tuesday, the Tar Heels, already with seven losses, were ranked No. 38 by the NCAA.

On Tuesday, UNC basketball went on the road to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to take on Wake Forest, an in-state and ACC rival. A game that saw the Tar Heels shoot poorly and have another pitiful defensive performance was capped with a one-point loss, 67-66.

Now with eight losses on the season and a 1-7 record against Quad One opponents, North Carolina stayed as the No. 38 ranked team in the NET rankings, which is a positive considering the circumstances.

The Tar Heels are 3-3 on the road and 2-3 against teams on neutral courts. As said, they are 1-7 against Quad One teams, 4-0 against Quad Two teams, 4-1 against Quad Three teams, and 3-0 against Quad Four teams.

With several quad-one opponents still on the schedule, including two games against the team’s archrival in Duke, the No. 2 ranked team in the country, there are plenty of opportunities to continue to build the team’s NCAA Tournament resume to a place that is securely getting an at-large bid.

However, at the current state of the program, it is on the bubble and might face the of the four, play-in games of the tournament.

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Tar Heels adds commitment from three-star athlete in 2026 recruiting class

Class of 2026 athlete commits to North Carolina football.

The North Carolina Tar Heels’ football program is adding another piece to the 2026 recruiting class.

On Tuesday night, Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels landed a commitment from a three-star combo athlete, Jaden Jefferson, from De La Salle High School in Concord, California.

Jefferson can play mainly defensive back and wide receiver. Most recently, the country had lifted high Travis Hunter, who played both positions at an extremely high level in college football.

247Sports lists Jefferson as a three-star with an 88 ranking. His composite score is also a .8800 as the No. 43 ranked player in the state.

According to Greg Biggins, a 247Sports analyst, Jefferson is worth more than his three-star label.

He brings a ton of positional versatility to the table and could play corner, nickel, slot receiver as well as return punts and kicks. His speed is definitely his best attribute, and he had a big sophomore year on the track last Spring. He’s elusive in the open field and a threat to score every time he touches the football. He can stop and start on a dime and routinely makes multiple players miss with the ball in his hands. He has loose hips and can change direction without having to gear down too much. He has even played some running back and depending on the scheme, is a player we think can be dangerous if you game plan to give him a set amount of touches every game.

Coach Belichick is continuing to build his roster for his first season as the captain of the ship, and Jefferson will prove to be a unique piece in that puzzle heading forward.

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Tar Heels offer Class of 2026 five-star quarterback despite prior commitment

North Carolina has set their sights on a five-star Class of 2026 quarterback.

The new UNC football head coach has made no mistake of missing out on the recruiting trail. The Tar Heels are putting together a team of all-star coaches, recruiters, and tactics to lure in potential recruits to Chapel Hill.

The most recent of those stars to receive an offer from Belichick is Spring, Texas, five-star quarterback Keisean Henderson. According to his X (formerly Twitter), the Class of 2026 QB was offered from the Tar Heels.

Interestingly enough, he added a tag in the tweet to one of the newest hires for Bill Belichick, Armond Hawkins, who prized himself as a recruiter.

Henderson is listed on 247Sports as an “athlete” with the opportunity and ability to play quarterback, wide receiver, and cornerback at the next level. However, according to his X, he only has a desire to play quarterback.

Henderson committed to the University of Houston in January after receiving dozens of offers, but it wouldn’t be the first time that we have seen stars commit, uncommit, and flip before. In fact, the Tar Heels just flipped an SMU commit. Could this be one of those instances?

According to 247Sports scouting analyst Gabe Brooks had this to say after viewing Henderson in-game.

Tall, wiry, athletic multi-positional athlete who could play high-major football at quarterback, receiver, or in the secondary. Displays encouraging redirecting quickness in pads for a longer-levered build. Raw but talented as a passer. Flashes impressive short-to-intermediate velocity and requisite downfield arm strength that should only improve given strength capacity within frame. Physical and athletic traits make for a particularly unique, high-upside prospect if QB is his long-term home.

UNC was for sure late to the ball game on the already committed five-star quarterback. However, when you have Bill Belichick as your coach anyone is still able to be flipped to Carolina Blue.

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How to Watch North Carolina vs Stanford: Time, TV Channel, Predictions

Make sure you tune into the Tar Heels facing yet another new ACC team in Stanford on Saturday.

North Carolina will take on yet another new ACC team on Saturday, welcoming Stanford to one of the most historic basketball conferences in the country. So far, the Tar Heels have welcomed SMU with a 15-point win at home and Cal with a 27-point win in Chapel Hill.

Stanford will head into this game with an 11-6 record overall this season. They are also 3-3 against conference teams, tied with Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh in the conference standings. After winning two straight ACC games, Stanford dropped their last game to Wake Forest by 13.

Overall, their records are very similar, with North Carolina entering this weekend with a 12-6 record. However, North Carolina is tied with Wake Forest with a 5-1 record against ACC teams. They are a half-game back from Louisville and Clemson at 6-1, where they will be with a win on Saturday.

Here is how to tune into the game, the TV channel, time, and our predictions.

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

TV Channel: CW Network

Time: 2:15 p.m. ET

Where to watch UNC vs Stanford on live stream

Watch UNC vs. Stanford live on Fubo (free trial)

UNC vs Stanford prediction, picks, odds

North Carolina has picked up the pace of play since their loss to Louisville. They have the No. 3 ranked defensive efficiency in the nation since that loss, over their five-game win streak. They also have a history of showing double-digit welcomes to teams from the Pac-12.

I would anticipate RJ Davis to come out of the slump he was in last game, Jalen Washington to continue his arrival as a post player, and Ian Jackson to score 20+ points for the eighth time in the last nine games. North Carolina wins by 10+.

All College Basketball Odds via BetMGM.

SPREAD: North Carolina -10.5

MONEYLINE: North Carolina -550, Stanford +400

O/U TOTAL: 155.5 total points

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 (W, 87-69)

Nov. 25: vs. Dayton, Maui Invitational (W, 92-90)

Nov. 26: vs. Auburn, Maui Invitational (L, 85-72)

Nov. 27: vs. Michigan State, Maui Invitational (L, 94-90/OT)

Dec. 4: vs. Alabama, SEC/ACC Challenge (L, 94-79)

Dec. 7: vs. Georgia Tech (W, 68-65)

Dec. 14: vs. La Salle (W, 93-67)

Dec. 17: vs. Florida, Jumpman Invitational (L, 90-84)

Dec. 21: vs. UCLA, CBS Sports Classic (W, 76-74)

Dec. 29: vs. Campbell (W, 97-81)

Jan. 1: at Louisville (L, 70-83)

Jan. 4: at Notre Dame (W, 74-73)

Jan. 7: vs. SMU (W, 82-67)

Jan. 11: at NC State (W, 63-61)

Jan. 15: vs. California (W, 79-53)

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)

 

Tar Heels defense taking leaps forward in conference play

North Carolina basketball has a top-three defense in college basketball in 2025.

Since the start of conference play in the new year, North Carolina has lost just one game against Louisville on the first of the year. Since that game, the Tar Heels have ranked No. 3 in defensive efficiency in all of college basketball. In that run, they have also won five straight ACC games.

According to Torvik, North Carolina has an 85.1 adjusted defensive efficiency, which sits just behind Iowa State’s 84.0 and Kansas’s 77.1. Those two teams are AP Top 10 ranked teams in the country.

North Carolina exemplified that talent to the fullest on Wednesday when the team dominated Cal at home. The ACC’s leading scorer, averaging 24.3 points per game heading into Wednesday night, was held to just six points on 3-of-13 shooting from the field and 0-for-5 from the three-point line.

Hubert Davis spoke to this point in his postgame conference on Wednesday night, via Inside Carolina.

Just trying to win our individual one-on-one matchups. He’s one of the best players in the country. I thought we did a good job when he was trying to post us up. We doubled, got the ball out of his hands. We didn’t give him any open looks, really, from 3, and we defended him without fouling. And I thought everyone as a team did a really good job against one of the better players in the country.

North Carolina looks to take this new-found defensive ability back out onto the court at the Dean Smith Center against another west-coast ACC team in Stanford on Saturday, January 18th.

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Hubert Davis breaks down the idea of “shortening the rotation”

Hubert Davis broke down the idea that the rotations have been getting shorter every game.

Since the start of conference play in the ACC for the Tar Heels, the role time for players like James Brown, Cade Tyson, Ty Claude, and Jae’Lyn Withers has seen a dramatic shift. In the hard-fought win over UCLA, Claude played 13 minutes while in the last win against NC State, he didn’t see the court.

The same sentiment has been true for all the aforementioned players, except Withers, who played four minutes in the rivalry win. That begs the question, has Hubert Davis found a seven-man rotation that he likes more than others?

His response to that question on his weekly radio show speaks against the idea as Evan Rogers of Inside Carolina notes:

The rotation has not been shortened at all. We have 13 scholarship guys on the team, and all 13 are in play. There are some games where guys will play more minutes here than other minutes, but I have not shortened a rotation because that’s not the best thing for our team.

Among those members that have seen a decrease in playing time has been freshman James Brown. However, Davis had only positive things to say about the forward’s progression this season.

He’s developing very well. I just love coaching him. He always puts a smile on your face, and he is going to be one of the best leaders ever to come to Carolina. You can just tell, I mean, it’s just the way that he practices, the way that he prepares. I’ve told him, I pulled him aside and said, ‘wouldn’t surprise me if your jersey is hanging in the rafters. I just think you’re going to be that good.’ The last couple of games, I didn’t put him in against NC State, but at Notre Dame and also against SMU, put him out there and he did a really good job. He’s a guy that has length, he can block (shots), he can alter shots, and he’s getting better.

North Carolina will be back in action tonight against ACC newcomers Cal at 7:00pm. We will see if Davis’ statements hold true about the style of rotation he uses on a game-by-game basis.

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UNC offensive lineman the only Tar Heels’ representative on ESPN’s All-America teams

ESPN All-America teams featured one standout Tar Heel among the ranks of college football’s best players!

The UNC football program endured a rough season in 2024. In the end, it finished with a 6-6 record overall and a bowl-game loss to UConn. Through all the turmoil, one player stood out among many who took the field for Mack Brown at Chapel Hill.

ESPN released its list of All-America teams (first and second), and the list featured standout offensive lineman Willie Lampkin, the recipient of the 2024 Jacobs Blocking Trophy award.

The stellar guard joins the ranks of the best in college football making ESPN’s second-team All-American honors behind Ohio State guard Donovan Jackson and Alabama guard Tyler Booker.

Lampkin, who was a senior and has officially exhausted his college football eligibility, played and started in 12 games last season, seeing a total of 851 snaps on offense, a snap count higher than any other player on the roster last season.

Lampkin was a three-star recruit out of high school, committing to Coastal Carolina. He entered the transfer portal between his junior and senior years as a three-star transfer before making his way to Chapel Hill for two more seasons after finishing as a PFF All-Sun Belt first-team member.

He also earned first-team All-ACC honors, and AP All-American first-team honors this season as well. Lampkin will leave a huge hole on the offensive line that Bill Belichick will need to fill going into 2025.

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