Tag: UNC Tar Heels

Hubert Davis sees the lineup staying “guard heavy” in the future

If the forwards aren’t working, just start four guards. Could Hubert Davis really do it?

North Carolina finally picked up a huge quad-one win that will go a long way toward their NCAA Tournament resume. However, the phantom that has been haunting UNC basketball still showed up in this game despite the win.

They fell down double digits in the first half and had to fight back in the second half. At one point, UCLA held a lead of 16 points.

However, they did it. They fought back and won a tough game. Since the start of the season, Hubert Davis has always started two forwards. Whether that combination was Jalen Washington and Jae’Lyn Withers or some mixutre of them and Ven Allen Lubin or Cade Tyson.

That might be changing though. The lineup that brought North Carolina back in the second half of the CBS Sports Classic was a four or five-guard lineup.

Davis told the press after the game via Inside Carolina that he will stick with that lineup going forward.

Yes. The lineup change that we made in the second half, I just felt like they were just loading up on RJ, and Ian got it going offensively as well in first half. So just having multiple scorers out there, I thought, would be really good for us because it puts teams in a situation. You want to go big, or do you want to match up with us? And then extending that pressure. You know, we may not have tremendous size, but we do have athleticism. And so when you pick up full court, it speeds teams up. We can get steals and deflections, and we get the pace that we want.

Davis will get that opportunity to start four guards when Campbell comes to the Dean Smith Center on December 29th.

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Guard play propels UNC to first ranked win of the season

Ian Jackson and RJ Davis explode in the Tar Heels’ win over No. 18 UCLA!

There is no denying that the win on Saturday night can be largely credited to two of North Carolina’s guards, RJ Davis and Ian Jackson.

Together, they combined for 41 points as Jackson led the way with 24 points, and Davis chipped in another 17 points. Jackson also had four rebounds as did Davis with two assists. Trimble was the only other player in double figures with 12 points.

After the game, Jackson reiterated, via Inside Carolina, how hard it is to beat AP Top 25 teams, teams which they are now just 2-5 against.

There’s been several games where we’ve been close and kind of didn’t finish it. And it was just one of those games where we got it done. It showed us how hard winning is, definitely how hard winning is at every level, especially at this level. So to come out here and get that final stop and end the game on a stop, it was big for us.

When it came down to it, though, Davis gave the credit for the win to another guard, Seth Trimble.

I shouldn’t have missed the first free throw. I wouldn’t have got to the second free throw (attempts) if Seth didn’t get that stop in the diamond press. That’s the reason why he won the game. He was able to deflect the ball off of the guard’s leg, and we were able to get another chance.

North Carolina will look to a long week break over Christmas as they match up with Campbell next Sunday, December 29th.

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Former UNC basketball coach receives North Carolina’s highest honor

Legendary Tar Heels coach receives North Carolina’s highest honor from the governor.

In 2021, the legendary coach who spent his final 18 years of coaching at UNC basketball stepped down and handed the reigns to Hubert Davis.

Roy Williams, one of the most legendary coaches North Carolina has seen, won three NCAA Championships with the Tar Heels in 2005, 2009, and 2017. He was also a nine-time ACC regular season champion, a three-time ACC tournament champion.

He took the Tar Heels to five final fours as well. Before spending 18 years at North Carolina, he was the head coach at Kansas for the previous 15 years prior to his tenure in Chapel Hill.

Overall, he is 903-264 in his career, with a 79-27 record in NCAA tournaments. He is a two-time AP Coach of the Year and a two-time ACC Coach of the Year. His accolades definitely speak for themselves, and now he adds one more.

According to WCNT, Gov. Roy Cooper presented the legendary University of North Carolina men’s basketball head coach Roy Williams with the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honorary society in the state.

Governor Cooper gave high praise to the former Tar Heel coach saying, “Coach Williams exemplifies what it means to be a Tar Heel and a North Carolinian.”

Williams still attends UNC basketball games all over the country and has been seen as far as Hawai’i this season supporting his Tar Heels.

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The Tar Heels land committment from former Georgia offensive lineman

Bill Belichick is now landing former Georgia players in his latest transfer addition.

UNC football continues to strike in the transfer portal, especially from big-name schools across the country. The Tar Heels Transfer Portal Tracker can be found here.

Bill Belichick is overhauling the team’s offensive line with transfers Christo Kelly, a three-star transfer recruit, and former Alabama lineman Miles McVay.

He has also added Melkart About-Jaoude, a three-star edge rusher transfer; Connor Cox, a three-star transfer tight end; ex-Michigan kicker Adam Sahama; and now former Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne in the transfer portal.

Now, North Carolina has added a third offensive lineman transferring for the second time from Rice. The original four-star lineman was recruited and committed to the SEC’s best Georgia. With Georgia having so many talented linemen, he transferred to Rice where he spent one year.

This is what 247sports scout Gabe Brooks had to say about Lindberg coming out of high school.

Possesses outstanding size that is college-ready on paper. Run-game mauler who thrives in drive-blocking situations. High motor. Intelligent on and off the field. Tenacious block-finisher who plays with a mean streak that is evident even on tape. Takes his target to the ground if opportunity is there. Does a good job for a taller lineman of playing with good leverage. Shows enough athleticism to successfully combo block to the second level, where he is a handful for opposing linebackers.

With Bryce Baker on his way to Chapel Hill, Bill Belichick is doing everything in his power to work on protecting one of the best quarterbacks in the incoming Class of 2025.

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UNC lands transfer committment from Big Ten quarterback

Tar Heel football strikes big again in the transfer portal today with huge quarterback!

With Bill Belichick in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, it is no secret that players are desirous to play for the ex-NFL coaching legend. With the transfer portal opening just days before his hire, he has already attacked the openings.

Just this week, they added offensive lineman Christo Kelly, a three-star transfer recruit; Melkart About-Jaoude, a three-star edge rusher transfer; Connor Cox most recently, a three-star transfer tight end.

Today alone, they have added former Alabama offensive lineman Miles McVay, ex-Michigan kicker Adam Sahama, and now former Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne in the transfer portal.

Browne was a three-star recruit with a 247sports score of 86 coming out of New Berlin, New York. He was the No. 8 player in the state in his class. As a transfer, 247sports still gives him an 86 rating and is the No. 33 quarterback currently in the transfer portal.

This season at Purdue, Browne threw for 43 completions in eight games. He totaled 532 yards and four touchdowns with only two interceptions. He is also a dual threat as he ran 50 times for 155 yards, averaging 3.1 yards per carry in his junior season.

Browne still has two years of eligibility left as he heads to Chapel Hill.

Bill Belichick will continue to be on the hunt for transfers as the portal remains open. It will close at the end of December. You can stay up to day with a full list of the moves that Belichick has made on our Tar Heels Wire Transfer Portal Tracker.

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UNC, Bill Belichick fall short in late push for the transfer portal’s No. 1 quarterback

Bill Belichick went searching for a massive recruit in the transfer portal and fell just short.

Since being hired as the new North Carolina Tar Heels head coach, Bill Belichick has been hitting the ground running in the transfer portal with calls and visits from a dozen prospective players.

Belichick even recently said that players are reaching out to him in an effort to make the team in Chapel Hill. You can find a full list of the moves that Belichick has made on our Tar Heels Wire Transfer Portal Tracker.

In the last week, they added offensive lineman Christo Kelly, a three-star transfer recruit; Melkart About-Jaoude, a three-star edge rusher transfer; Connor Cox most recently, a three-star transfer tight end; and three-star kicker, Adam Samaha.

All of those names are good and helpful for the team next season; however, Belichick was reportedly after a whale of a prospect.

According to Georgia Stoia of SoonerScoop and On3, Belichick made a strong play for the No. 1 quarterback in the transfer portal, John Mateer.

In his first starting season last year, Mateer threw for 3,406 yards and 29 touchdowns with only seven interceptions for Washington State.

Washington State also produced Miami transfer quarterback Cam Ward, who became a consensus All-American this season despite not leading his team to the College Football Playoffs.

Despite the strong efforts, John Mateer ended up committing to Oklahoma and signing a massive NIL deal with the team’s collective.

What could Bill Belichick have up his sleeve next for Tar Heel fans?

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Tar Heels football picks up crystal ball prediction for this three-star defensive lineman

Another transfer portal commit could be on his way to Chapel Hill, check out this three-star defensive lineman with a crystal ball to Bill Belichick!

A three-star in-state and inner-conference defensive lineman recruit may be on his way to Chapel Hill. 247 Sports gives him a 100% crystal ball to Bill Belichick and the newly revamped defensive side of the ball.

CJ Mims was initially recruited by North Carolina out of high school along with big-time ACC schools including NC State and Duke.

According to 247sports, Mims played in all 12 games in the 2023 season, logging 249 total snaps, booking 14 tackles, tallying at least one stop in eight of 12 games, and credited with half TFLs against Marshall, UTSA, and Tulsa. He was also credited with a half sack against UTSA and his first forced fumble of his career, Gardner-Webb.

Mims first signed with East Carolina out of high school in 2022 before entering the transfer portal after his freshman year. In December of last year, Mims committed to ACC-rival Wake Forest, where he spent his sophomore season.

Now back in the portal for a second time, it is projected that Mims will make his way east in North Carolina from Winston-Salem to Chapel Hill.

With Travis Shaw entering the portal earlier in the window, UNC football and Bill Belichick could use the help on the defensive line.

Don’t forget to check out our Tar Heels Wire Transfer Portal Tracker.

In the last week, they added offensive lineman Christo Kelly, a three-star transfer recruit; Melkart About-Jaoude, a three-star edge rusher transfer; Connor Cox most recently, a three-star transfer tight end; and three-star kicker, Adam Samaha.

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Tar Heels add transfer portal committment from ex-Michigan kicker

UNC, Bill Belichick adds ex-Michigan kicker to replace Noah Burnette.

Since North Carolina hired Bill Belichick and the transfer portal opened, the Tar Heels have been a highly publicized place to play. Belichick has been pegged by ex-NFL players as a “pipeline to the NFL.”

That is bound to bring players, and the Tar Heels have just committed their fourth portal transfer of this window.

In the last week, they added offensive lineman Christo Kelly, a three-star transfer recruit; Melkart About-Jaoude, a three-star edge rusher transfer; and Connor Cox most recently, a three-star transfer tight end.

Now, UNC football and Bill Belichick will add a former two-star kicker Michigan recruit out of high school, Adam Samaha.

Samaha was the third-string kicker on the Big Ten school last year behind Dominic Zvada and Charlie Mentzer, which is probably the reason he is in the transfer portal, to begin with after Zvada, the Big Ten Kicker of the Year, announced his return to the team.

Last year, Noah Burnette kicked for North Carolina and converted 49 of 62 field goal attempts during his time in Chapel Hill. After Burnette took to the transfer portal himself, the team’s roster was left with just Liam Boyd and Lucas Osada.

Bill Belichick has been quoted as saying that this is not the last player North Carolina will bring in from the portal, and we should continue to look for more big names to commit to the program soon.

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Inside Carolina says UCLA is a “must win” to make NCAA Tournament

UNC will face another top-25 opponent on Saturday in a game that will decide the trajectory of the season.

North Carolina dropped another ranked loss on Tuesday against undefeated and No. 7-ranked Florida in a game many thought they should have won.

The Tar Heels have now fallen to 6-5 on the season and 0-4 against teams ranked inside the current AP Top 10. Their only quality win of the season came against No. 22-ranked Dayton in the first round of the Maui Invitational.

Other than that, they have simply just won games that would have been embarrassing to lose. Outside of ACC play, Hubert Davis and his team have just one more top-25 matchup on the season, and that’s on Saturday against No. 18-ranked UCLA — a game that could change the trajectory of the season.

Inside Carolina analyst Sherrell McMillan had this to say about Saturday’s contest with UCLA and the Tar Heels’ tournament chances.

The ACC is just not a good conference this year. What is the path to making the NCAA Tournament? They have to beat UCLA. There’s no way around that. The team knows about NET rankings. They know about KenPom. It makes it even more mysterious when you come out like that in a game you know could help save your season. If we’re being honest, do we really think, with how North Carolina is playing right now, that this season will result in anything of consequence? There’s nothing in particular that they’re really doing well right now. It’s going to take a big winning streak to get them into the Tournament.

North Carolina could still get an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament via a championship in the ACC Tournament. However, for even the slight chance at an at-large bid from the committee, the Tar Heels desperately need a win on Saturday.

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Hubert Davis on “little details” contributing more to the Florida loss than “three-point shooting”

Hubert Davis says the team has bigger issues than three-point shooting that is contributing to losses.

North Carolina suffered its fifth loss of the season and fourth to an AP-ranked top-10 team on Tuesday. The loss to Florida felt different than the rest though as UNC basketball held the lead with just under two minutes remaining in regulation.

After several miscues, turnovers, and missed rebounding opportunities, the undefeated, No. 7-ranked Florida tied the game, took the lead, and hit several clutch free throws to pull away and take their 11th win of the season.

As a team, the Tar Heels finished 5-for-28 from the three-point line with double-digit turnovers and a 10-rebound deficit throughout the 40 minutes.

Hubert Davis told Inside Carolina that there was more than just three-point shooting that contributed to the team’s heartbreaking loss against Florida.

Yes, 5-for-28 (on 3-pointers), that would be great if we shot a better percentage. But we were up by four with four minutes to go. It’s all about the little details that make big things happen, box outs, rebounding, making free throws, that’s what it comes down to. So there’ll be games when we’re shooting the ball extremely well from 3. We didn’t do it tonight, but that wasn’t the factor which led us to losing the game. There were a number of (times) where we just didn’t rebound the basketball, especially down the stretch.

Regardless of what the real reason is for UNC’s struggles, things are going to have to change and change quickly. Hubert Davis will get another shot at a top-25-ranked opponent on Saturday in New York as the team battles with No. 18-ranked UCLA.

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