Tag: UNC Tar Heels

UNC women’s basketball ranked in preseason AP Top 25

Another season where both the men and the women’s basketball teams at Carolina start the season ranked.

College women’s basketball practices have begun and schedules have been released. The Carolina women find themselves once again ranked in the Top 25 of the preseason AP Poll, the first official one of the season.

Carolina is joined by four other ACC teams in the Top 25 including Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Duke, and North Carolina State. The latter three of those also join UNC being ranked in the top 15.

North Carolina will have a non-conference schedule that features two teams ranked on the AP poll as well including a home against UConn, the No. 2 ranked team in the country, and at home against Kentucky in the SEC/ACC Challenge, the No. 22 ranked team in the nation.

This team is highlighted by returning stars Alyssa Ustby and Lexi Donarski. Ustby averaged 12.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 47.5% from the field.

Donarski, a 6-foot-0 senior guard, averaged 10.5 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 35.7%. Senior forward Maria Gakdeng will also be back with the team after transferring from Boston College in her junior year.

Her first year with the Heels saw her average 23.9 minutes per game along with 9.2 points and 5.9 rebounds shooting 62.6% from the field.

The Tar Heels will kick off their season at home against Charleston Souther on November 4th at 11:00 a.m. ET.

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Previewing UNC basketball’s exhibition at Memphis

UNC basketball opens up their season today with a scrimmage against Memphis!

The official start of the UNC basketball season begins today with the team’s first exhibition game. On Saturday, it held the annual blue/white scrimmage which was the first time outside of practice that the team faced game-like action.

Now, instead of playing each other, the team will play together facing off against its first foe of the season in Memphis. This game will be a road game for UNC heading to FedEx Forum. This game will also be a charity benefit for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Hubert Davis spoke of what this game, although it doesn’t show up on the record books, means to his team:

I think it’ll be good for us. We’ve got 10 new guys on the team, including walk-ons, transfers, and freshmen. Obviously, competing against a great team and program of Memphis early in the season to prepare us and get us ready for the upcoming season, it’s something that is really beneficial to us. So, we’re really excited about the opportunity to do that.

Davis was also eager about the opportunity to play for a cause:

To serve St. Jude’s Hospital, it centers around pediatric cancers and diseases, (and) that’s dear to me with the experience of my mom passing away of cancer.

With the injury to RJ Davis in the blue/white scrimmage last weekend, I doubt we see him suit up, but we will get the opportunity to see the newcomers in Ian Jackson, Drake Powell, Ven-Allen Lubin, and Cade Tyson for the first time.

Tonight’s game will tip off at 7:00 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN U.

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UNC basketball sophomore ranked among Top 10 in his class

UNC basketball second-year star hits Andy Katz’ list of Top 10 sophomores in the country

The college basketball season is upon us and UNC basketball is just three weeks away from its season-opening game at the Smith Center against Elon on November 4th. UNC has a lot of promise heading into this year led by two stellar returning starters.

Fifth-year senior RJ Davis and sophomore point guard Elliot Cadeau are the two returning starters.

Davis was recently awarded a preseason All-American First-Team prediction from CBS Sports, and now Elliot Cadeau joins him ending up on Andy Katz’s list of the top 10 sophomores for the 2024-2025 basketball season.

In his freshman season with the Tar Heels last year, Cadeau averaged 7.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He was also a member of the 2023-2024 ACC All-Freshman team.

He ended the season third in the ACC in assists with 150 despite only starting about three-fourths of the games for the Heels after working his way into the starting lineup.

Cadeau is poised to make a huge sophomore leap this season and with the addition of stretch players like Cade Tyson and the improvement of Cadeau’s outside shooting per Hubert Davis, he could go from being someone that the team leaves open to a real threat shooting and facilitating the basketball.

Time will tell how Cadeau progresses this season, but being a part of this list from Katz proves that there are people out there noticing it too.

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UNC guard earns spot on CBS Sports Preseason All-American First-Team

You’ll never guess which UNC basketball guard has been selected as a member of the CBS Sports Preseason All-American first-team!

UNC basketball is just three weeks away from kicking off their season with a game against Elon. The season only gets harder from there as there is a potential of 6-7 ranked games on the slate for the Tar Heels.

However, shining bright this preseason is Carolina guard RJ Davis.

Davis has already been listed among several rankings and lists of preseason accolades and predicting the year-end awards, and today, he finds himself on another prestigious list this season.

CBS Sports Gary Parrish released the company’s rendition of the preseason all-America teams. North Carolina guard RJ Davis is a member of the first team.

Along with Davis are Alabama guard Mark Sears, Kansas forward Hunter Dickinson, Creighton forward Ryan Kalkbrenner, and Duke forward Cooper Flagg.

Several of those players have had career battles with each other while some are freshmen with extremely lofty expectations. Davis will see Sears, Dickinson, and Flagg in games apart of the regular season this year.

https://twitter.com/CBSSportsCBB/status/1845832941580042316

Last season, RJ Davis averaged 21.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists for the Heels. He finished as the 2023-24 ACC Player of the Year and a member of the 2023-24 All-ACC team. He was also a consensus All-American.

He was a first-team member last year as well joined by all now-NBA players Zach Edey from Purdue, Dalton Knecht from Tennessee, Tristan Newton from UConn, and Jamal Shead from Houston.

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UNC basketball sophomore praised highly of offseason work

Could a huge sophomore leap be in store for this UNC basketball player? Hubert Davis thinks so.

Elliot Cadeau heads into his sophomore season this year with UNC basketball. According to 247sports, Cadeau came out of high school at Link Academy with a 98 rating. He was the No. 12 player in the nation and No. 2 point guard in the Class of 2023.

In his freshman season, he didn’t come into North Carolina and start immediately. However, he grew into a starting role quickly with his ball-facilitating capabilities.

He averaged 7.3 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game in 37 games last season. He shot 41.7% from the field and 18.9% from beyond the arc.

It got to such a low point last year that teams were purposely leaving Cadeau alone outside the arc because he shot so poorly from the mid-range to the three. However, on top of passing, his ability to get to the rim was unmatched.

Heading into his second year with UNC basketball, Cadeau has been working hard to improve the weaker areas of his game.

Hubert Davis echoed this praise about Cadeau at the ACC Tipoff event yesterday.

“You will not recognize him this year,” said Davis, “He’s worked extremely hard this summer. He’s consistently knocking down threes, mid-range jump shots … the progression of the maturity and the leadership he brings is off the charts.”

If Cadeau can get his three-point shooting percentage up and keep defenders honest out wide, then it will not only allow him the opportunity to make threes, but it will also open up opportunities to drive to the basket more.

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UNC football releases uniform combination against Georgia Tech

This is what the Tar Heels will dawn as they turn their season around on Saturday.

The North Carolina Tar Heels will stay playing in front of their fans today in Week 7 of the college football season taking on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Heels will be searching for a desperate win to keep their season from spiraling into a tailspin.

After winning the first three games of the season against Minnesota, NC Central, and Charlotte, they have since given up 70 points to JMU in a loss, ceeded a 20-point lead against Duke, and made Pitt look spectacular.

The program released its uniform combination for Saturday’s game as they will wear a Carolina blue helmet, Carolina blue retro jersey, and white pants, for the first time this season.

The reveal above features 6-foot-3 tight end John Copenhaver. Copenhaver is pictured with the Old Well, a mark that the University of North Carolina is known for back to its roots.

The block letters and navy blue shadowing are reminiscent of the times in Carolina football dating back to Amos Lawrence with a modern twist.

Kickoff for Saturday’s game will be at noon on October 12th at Kenan Stadium and also airing on the CW Network. UNC will be searching for its first win in three weeks and snapping a three-game losing streak.

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UNC head coach points to non-conference schedule to prepare team

Hubert Davis discusses the upcoming non-conference schedule for UNC basketball this season.

North Carolina basketball is at the ACC Tipoff media event presented by T. Rowe Price today and Hubert Davis stood in front of reporters to answer presented questions including his thoughts on the ACC and his schedule.

Davis was asked by a reporter about how the ACC play prepares teams for March [Madness]. Including in his question a statement made by Jim Phillips on the state of the ACC being “undervalued.”

“Obviously, I’m extremely biased,” Davis said. “I understand the history and significance of being a member of this conference. For us to be successful, one of the things we talk about is our non-conference schedule. And being challenged in that area to prepare us for our conference and prepares us when we get to the NCAA Tournament … It puts all of us in a position to be successful in the postseason.”

In a graphic shown during the event, the ACC has a .731 winning percentage in NCAA Tournaments since 2000. That ranks No. 1 ahead of the Big Ten at .728. The ACC has also won a total of eight national championships in that period compared to four total from the Big Ten, Pac 12, and Big 12 combined.

The UNC basketball non-conference schedule includes a road game at Kansas on November 8th, a reunion at home against Alabama in the ACC/SEC Challenge on December 4th, and a possible game against UConn on November 27th in Hawaii.

The Tar Heels will kick off their season at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill against Elon on November 4th at 9:00 p.m. ET.

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Two UNC basketball guards highlight their one personal goal this season

Two UNC basketball guards set one personal goal each for the upcoming season.

North Carolina basketball is at the ACC Tipoff media event presented by T. Rowe Price today and the crew analysts start the program with a conversation bringing to the set North Carolina guards, RJ Davis and Seth Trimble.

At the end of their conversation, the two guards for the Tar Heels were asked if they had one overall goal for the upcoming season.

Seth Trimble’s personal goal for himself this year is to win the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award.

“I know I’m capable of it,” Trimble said during the interview. “I guard the best players in the country each and every day.”

When it comes to Trimble’s role on the team, he discussed earlier in the broadcast his desire to be a better off-ball shooter and shooter in general. However, something he has always highlighted has been his defensive prowess. The Heels are definitely going to need that in the upcoming season.

For RJ Davis, his personal goal was to mold into a better leader.

“I think this will be a big step for me beyond basketball and beyond North Carolina that I can take to life with,” Davis said.

For North Carolina, Davis has been a leader over the years, but in his eyes, he desires to take that skill to a new level. Davis, the fifth-year senior, will be the oldest on the court for the team and the veteran that Hubert Davis can rely on.

His impact on the freshman and underclassmen could led to decades of talented Carolina basketball.

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Two UNC basketball players returned because of ‘unfinished business’

Two key UNC basketball players reveal just why they returned to UNC for another year.

North Carolina basketball is at the ACC Tipoff media event presented by T. Rowe Price today and the crew analysts start the program with a conversation bringing to the set Carolina guards, RJ Davis and Seth Trimble.

Both Davis and Trimble came out of last year with decisions to make. For Davis, was he going to the NBA Draft or coming back? For Trimble, was he going to another school in the portal or coming back?

This was the first question asked by the ACC Tipoff hosts as soon as Davis and Trimble hit the set.

For Davis, it was a hard decision to make especially after he had success last season. But in the end he returned.

“It was a hard decision to make coming off of a season where I had tremendous success as a player and we had as a team,” Davis said. “That is why I took all the time that was needed, but overall, I had some unfinished business left. My overall goal coming into college was to win a National Championship. I came up short my sophomore year, but also just how my legacy was to be remembered and my impact on this program and my teammates.”

Trimble did enter the portal, he made the decision to return to UNC. And he also pointed to the team having some unfinished business to attend to.

“Going off of what RJ said, I had a lot of unfinished business for myself and I had a lot of goals that I didn’t want to do just anywhere, I wanted to get done at North Carolina,” Trimble said. “That was a big reason why I came back. I took a lot of time like [RJ Davis] did, but I made the right decision in the end.”

There is a lot of potential for this team coming into this season and having the defensive prowess of Trimble back with the shooting and scoring capabilities of RJ Davis is going to make Carolina basketball win this year.

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Coaches and players echo “connection” for UNC at ACC Tip-Off

“Connected” like never before is the sentiment from coaches and players alike for the upcoming women’s basketball season.

In Charlotte, North Carolina, the second day of women’s basketball was featured as a part of the ACC Tip-Off media event. Yesterday, a plethora of women’s college basketball teams were interviewed that finished today with a few teams including UNC women’s basketball.

Represented at the media event for the Tar Heels were head coach Courtney Banghart and veterans Lexi Donarski, Alyssa Ustby, and Maria Gakdeng.

Head coach Courtney Banghart was asked first media day what excites her most about the upcoming season.

I think that this is a really connected group. It’s a popular time to talk about those types of words, but it’s not a word I would have always used and this group is really connected with one another. We have a healthy blend of experience with a lot of youthful talent. Most importantly, our experience tangibly sheds that to their peer groups in a really connected way, and we’re healthy!

Coming into a season where the team lost its best scorer Deja Kelly to the transfer portal, hearing that the girls have come together and are seeking to play as one unit could be huge for the upcoming season.

In the same press conference, Alyssa Ustby, a fifth-year senior this year, echoed Banghart’s sentiment about the team saying “I attribute a lot of my successes to my teammates … just being a part of an incredible program that has coaches who are invested in my development.”

There will be ebbs and flows to the upcoming season for the preseason ranked No. 13 Tar Heels, but there is nothing better than seeing full-court basketball played when no one cares who gets the credit.

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