Tag: UNC Tar Heels

Steelers OC has preliminary call with UNC football before Thanksgiving

The process has started, and the Steelers OC is the first in line!

North Carolina athletics announced the firing of head coach Mack Brown earlier this week, despite the fact that he will coach the season finale in his last home game at Kenan Stadium this weekend against NC State.

Immediately after the firing, rumors started to swirl around who would be the next head coach at UNC and how appealing is the vacancy in Chapel Hill.

One of those names that was thrown out simultaneously was ex-Atlanta Falcons head coach and current Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith.

Per Brooke Pryor  Smith has reportedly had a preliminary call with Bubba Cunningham and UNC athletics about the vacancy. Despite the follow-up in the report that Smith is “personally and professionally happy in Pittsburgh,” he at least took the call from North Carolina to open up further conversations.

This is just the first step of a long line in the process of finding a head coach, but it is an important step as it proves the willingness of the candidate to look at what the job might offer.

In his three years with the Falcons, Smith was 21-30, going 7-10 in each of those years. Now, with the Steelers, Smith has led the offense on a bounce-back season and is currently 8-3 and on top of the AFC North.

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UNC athletic director desires to celebrate exiting head coach on Saturday

With Mack Brown on his way out, Bubba Cunningham wants to ‘celebrate’ him at Kenan on Saturday.

Earlier this week, it was announced that North Carolina football was moving on from head coach Mack Brown at the end of the season.

After controversy this season and the highs and lows of streaks, Brown went from saying he was going to step down to stating his intent to return.

That forced UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham’s hand as he had to make the decision to let Brown go. Despite the firing, it was also announced that Brown will serve as the head coach in the season finale.

Cunningham has this to say about how he wants Mack Brown to go out on Saturday at Kenan Stadium, via Inside Carolina.

I want them to celebrate Mack Brown. I want to celebrate Mack Brown and Sally both. They have been so good about everything. Our grades are so good. We have the best APR (Academic Progress Rate) we’ve ever had. Our GSR (Graduation Success Rate) just came out and it is outstanding. Our kids don’t get in trouble. There was nobody better for this team or this university going through the Tylee Craft situation. And that is absolutely wonderful. I want to celebrate all that, and we should.

North Carolina will take on NC State at home at Kenan Stadium on Saturday in the team’s regular-season finale. Regardless of whether Brown coaches in the bowl game for UNC or not, this will be his final home game in front of a crowd that he gave over a decade to.

It is the right thing for UNC fans to have a celebratory mindset on Saturday as a UNC coaching staple exists the program for the final time.

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PHOTOS: Tar Heels drop two in a row after loss to Michigan State

If you were cooking, baking, or sleeping and didn’t catch the game, check out our photo recap of UNC vs Michigan State.

North Carolina traveled at the end of last week to Hawai’i. Since then, they have played four games in six days, including three in a row in the Maui Invitational.

They opened the tournament with a 21-point comeback win over Dayton. Heading to the semifinals, they dropped to down 18 and weren’t able to overcome the deficit, losing to Auburn.

In this third-place game, the same script transpired. The Tar Heels fell early and then mounted a second-half comeback. Seth Trimble hit a game-tying three to send the game into overtime where Michigan State would come out on top.

Check out the photo recap from last night’s game.

Tar Heels end Maui Invitational with loss to Michigan State

North Carolina loses back-to-back games with a loss in the Maui Invitational consolation game.

North Carolina took the court at the Lahaina Civic Center for the third time in as many days in the Maui Invitational and for the third straight game, they fell behind early. This time to Michigan State.

And while they made a comeback again, sending the game into overtime, they fell 94-91 in overtime.

The Tar Heels started the game off 0-for-8 from the floor in the first five minutes of the game, scoring just one point off a Seth Trimble free throw and watching Michigan State build their lead. They did finally get going as the bench led the way behind strong games from Drake Powell and Ian Jackson.

Both of them finished the first 20 minutes with 10 points each out of the Tar Heels 34 points. The five starters for North Carolina contributed just nine points total on four made field goals. The five of them shot 4-for-13.

The Tar Heels fell over the double-digit deficit mark in that first half but brought it back to a nine-point Michigan State lead at the break.

On par for North Carolina basketball this season, they fought back in the second half. In fact, midway through the second half, they actually took the lead, though it wasn’t for long.

Within less than three minutes on the clock, the Tar Heels brought the Michigan State lead down to one point with 30 seconds remaining. Elliot Cadeau missed a go-ahead layup with 20 seconds on the clock, leading to an RJ Davis foul that, after converted free throws, put the lead, 82-79.

Seth Trimble immediately hit a game-tying three with five seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. It was a back-and-forth overtime before the Spartans eventually built a five-point lead and held off another late run.

Cadeau finished with 17 points, three rebounds, and six assists. Powell came off the bench and was arguably the player of the game with 18 points on 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.

North Carolina falls to 4-3 on the season and will face off against Alabama next week in the Dean Dome.

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UNC basketball target commits to Big Ten school without visiting

A four-star recruit that had UNC in his final five pulled a 180 and committed to a school he hasn’t even visited.

North Carolina’s Class of 2025 recruiting series has been rough. They only have two recruits committed from the class, Isaiah Dennis and Derek Dixon.

Both of them are four-star guards, the No. 47 and No. 51 ranked players in the Class of 2025. The most recent prospect that the Tar Heels had on their watch list, and similarly, the player had North Carolina in their final grouping, was four-star, 6-foot-10 forward Niko Bundalo.

Bundalo is the No. 31 ranked player in the class, the No. 8 ranked forward, and the No. 5 ranked player from California. Currently, he is a member of the Prolific Prep squad based in Napa, California.

Bundalo had taken all of his visits and narrowed his top four schools down to Michigan State, Ohio State, UConn, and North Carolina.

However, Niko made his decision this week and chose not to commit to the University of North Carolina. Instead, he chose Washington, a school that wasn’t in his final four, nor did he ever visit.

According to Jeff Borzello from ESPN, Bundalo had this to say about the decision.

I thought I was finished with my recruitment when I narrowed my list to a final four. Then schools got commitments, and I was not ready and then the season started, so I had to start over. When Washington heard I was reopening my commitment, they jumped right in, and they have been great.

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Hubert Davis emphasizes heart after Auburn loss

Hubert Davis can’t grow his team, but he knows the formula for overcoming size disadvantages.

North Carolina was out-manned, out-gunned, and out-sized on Tuesday night against the No. 4 team in the nation, Auburn. The Tar Heels have struggled this season when the best player on the court for the opposing team is a forward or center, because of their lack of size.

In fact, Hubert Davis, via Inside Carolina had some special things to say of the All-American forward, Johni Broome, who just had his way with the Tar Heels bigs last night.

It’s also nice to have a guy like Broome. I mean, he’s just the best player on the floor and it wasn’t even close.

However, when speaking of his own team, Davis emphasized that the size of the opponent does not always make the better player. In fact, Davis knows his team can’t get any bigger, but he also knows that if the heart is there it will overcome the size differential this team is bound to face often this season.

It’s the same thing about the trenches. I’ve said that it has nothing to do about physical size. It does with the size of one’s heart. We have to be able to rebound the basketball. We have to be able to get those loose balls. We have to play with composure in situations and in games like this. I just felt like we lost our way, didn’t do the things that we normally do out there on the floor.

Can the Tar Heels grow the heart, hustle, and will to overcome the size differential of the frontcourt? It did against Dayton and against Kansas.

North Carolina will now focus that heart on overcoming the duo of Frankie Fidler and Joaxon Kohler on the inside for Michigan State.

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PHOTOS: Tar Heels suffer crushing defeat at the hands of Auburn

If you weren’t able to catch the game live, here is our photo recap of UNC’s loss to Auburn.

After an exciting night on Monday that saw the North Carolina Tar Heels battle back and win against Dayton in the first round of the Maui Invitational, last night’s feelings were as joyous.

In the semifinal matchup against Auburn, the No. 4 ranked team in the nation, the Tar Heels jumped out to their stereotypical double-digit deficit early in the game. They went into the break down eight points.

The second-half lead was kept in the double digits, dipping below at just one point under three minutes remaining. Auburn would eventually win the game by 13 points on the back of a 23-point, 19-rebound performance from Johni Broome.

Here is the photo recap of last night’s loss in the semifinals.

North Carolina basketball loses again, this time to the Auburn Tigers

If Duke fans need any consolation about the Blue Devils’ Tuesday loss to Kansas, at least their biggest rival also notched another defeat.

The Duke men’s basketball team lost for the second time in four games on Tuesday night. Despite the 75-72 loss to No. 1 Kansas, Blue Devils fans can take some solace in the fact the North Carolina Tar Heels also picked up their second loss.

UNC lost to the Auburn Tigers, 85-72, in The Maui Invitational after falling behind, 21-6, in the opening minutes. Auburn led by eight points at the midway mark, and Tigers star Johni Broome finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds, five assists and three blocks. He made two of his four 3-point looks.

All-American guard RJ Davis, the preseason ACC Player of the Year, made five of his 11 shots from the field and one of his four 3-point tries to finish with 12 points. Five Tar Heels reached double-digits, but Seth Trimble (17 points) was the only player who finished with more than 12.

UNC (4-2) has the same record as the Blue Devils. The Tar Heels also lost to Kansas, albeit on the road in Allen Fieldhouse.

If Duke wants an early tiebreaker over its rival, the Tigers head to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 4 for another top-25 nonconference battle.

Tar Heels fall short in semifinal of Maui Invitational to Auburn

Comeback efforts fall short as UNC drops their semifinal matchup.

The North Carolina Tar Heels matched up with the No. 4 ranked team in the nation, d, on Tuesday night in the semifinal round of the Maui Invitational. And like their game Monday against Dayton, the Tar Heels found themselves behind early.

The Tigers grabbed the lead early and never really looked back, extending the lead to double digits in that first half. While UNC closed the gap to four points near the first half, it was as close as they could get with the Tigers rolling to an 85-72 victory.

The Tar Heels had no answer for Auburn’s best player, Johni Broome. He was having his way with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the first half, posing a double-double and picking up where he started in the win over Iowa State.

He was physical down low and 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, showcasing his ability. But Auburn also found their groove shooting the ball, making 11 three-pointers to push their lead in the second half.

North Carolina had no answer for the Tigers on the defensive end as every time they cut into the lead, Auburn would respond.  The second half didn’t see the lead grow, but it consistently remained around the 10-15 mark for the majority of the 20 minutes. They cut the Auburn lead to single digits with just under three minutes left in the game, but they weren’t able to capitalize, losing by 13 points.

Seth Trimble finished with 17 points. RJ Davis had 12 points and five rebounds. Ven Allen Lubin has one of the best stat lines of the game with 10 points and nine rebounds.

North Carolina will face off with Michigan State in the third-place game on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

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UNC standout guard named to Naismith Player of the Year watchlist

RJ Davis has been named to the official Naismith Player of the Year watchlist!

There is no denying that a large part of North Carolina’s success as a team over the past three seasons was due to the stellar performance of guard, RJ Davis. Now a fifth-year senior, he has been named to the Naismith Player of the Year watchlist, an award he has never won.

His awards list stacks up. He has been a consensus All-American, the ACC Player of the Year, All-ACC first teams, All-Tournament first teams, and All-American first teams. However, the coveted Player of the Year award has never fallen in the hands of one of the country’s greatest scorers.

Last year, Davis averaged 21.2 points on the way to most of the aforementioned awards. This year, he is currently averaging 20.2 points per game. He has also upped his rebounds from 3.6 last season to 4.2 this season and assists from 3.5 last season to 4.6 this season.

The increased play of Elliot Cadeau has also led to his budding into a different role this season. However, despite that shift in responsibility, he is still scoring at will on the best defenders in the country.

Depending on how far Davis and the Tar Heels can go this season, he has a real chance at finishing his career at North Carolina with this Player of the Year award. Much more, he can be an NCAA Champion, another accolade that has illuded him.

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