Here we go talking about Quad wins again. After the Tar Heels’ 75–68 victory at Florida State, they fell one spot to seventh even though none of the quad classifications for any games on the schedule changed. The Seminoles fell four spots to 86th. UNC gets another chance at a Quad 2 victory at 7 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN) at Georgia Tech before No. 12 Duke visits the Smith Center at 6:30 Saturday night (ESPN) in a Quad 1 game. Please click here for more.
Is it time to hand Wolfpack point guard reins to LJ Thomas?
Columnist says LJ Thomas is the only NC State guard who constantly sets up his screens and puts downhill pressure on the defense off the high screen. Please click here for more.
Clemson radio analyst says game against Duke was one of the worst officiated games he’s seen
One of the Clemson’s radio analysts, Tim Bourret, said the 72-71 loss at Duke was one of the worst officiated basketball games he’d seen in 46 years. Clemson coach said postgame that he felt like the game was “taken from us.” Please click here for more. And here for even more from the Clemson coach.
Former UNC Football Player leading Lions to new heights
Ben Johnson, a backup quarterback when in college at UNC, is in his fifth season with the Detroit Lions and in his second season as the offensive coordinator for the franchise. Betting money has him as the next Washington head coach. Please click here for more.
NFL conference championship teams featured 10 former NC high school players
Each of the four teams has at least one player from a North Carolina high school playing a significant role. There are 10 total players across the four rosters. Please click here to find out who they are.
Heels come from behind to beat FSU 75-68
North Carolina overcame a season-high tying 17 turnovers and an eight-point second half deficit to beat Florida State on the road 75-68. (1/27)
It was the 10th straight win for the Tar Heels, who move to 17-3 overall and 9-0 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
It took a series of runs in the second half to get the job done. Down 46-38, Cormac Ryan spurred a 10-2 run with a pair of threes to tie the score at 48-all with 17 minutes to go.
Immediately on the Heels of that run, the Tar Heels went on a 13-2 run, seven of which were scored by Elliot Cadeau. That put Carolina up by nine at 61-52.
The Heels extended the margin to 10 on Ryan’s third three of the half to make it 66-56 with just over eight minutes to play. But Florida State wasn’t through. The Seminoles went on a 7-0 run to cut the margin to three with less than six minutes to go.
A Ryan inbounds pass was intercepted by FSU’s Primo Spears, who went in for a bucket to cut the lead to just two at 70-68 with 2:36 to go.
UNC’s engine RJ Davis, who led the Heels with 24 points, scored on a short jumper in the lane with 45 seconds left. About 10 seconds later, Harrison Ingram came up with a game-sealing block that was followed by free throws from Davis down the stretch.
Carolina’s defense came up big as the Seminoles missed their last five shots and scored just one basket over the last five minutes of the game.
“The guys stepped it up defensively,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “Florida State hit 50 percent of their shots in the first half but only 36 percent in the second half… We defended without fouling. To hold them to only 11 free throw attempts was big.”
Meanwhile the Tar Heels hit 19 of 24 free throws. Cadeau, a freshman, scored a season-high 16 points with half of those points coming from the free throw line. Coach Davis said he did a good job penetrating the lane, scoring, getting fouled or distributing the ball to teammates. He had a game-high six assists.
Ingram once again accomplished a double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds. Ryan was the only other Tar Heel in double figures with 10 points.
Spears led Florida State, now 12-8 an 6-3 in the ACC, with 15 points.
The first-place Tar Heels, who are ranked second nationally, play at Georgia Tech Tuesday.
For a box score and more on the game, please click here.
Former UNC player Barnes does it all for Kings with career-high 39 in thriller
Harrison Barnes did it all for Sacramento on Thursday night to help the Kings win a thriller over one of his former teams. The 12-year NBA veteran scored a career-high 39 points and seven 3-pointers, hitting consecutive clutch baskets and getting a huge block as the Kings earned a 134–133 road victory over the Golden State Warriors before a national TNT audience. Please click here for more.
Athens Drive’s Valyo named boys cross country Player of the Year
Noah Valyo, who has signed with N.C. State to run next fall, did not lose to a single in-state runner during his senior season. He has been named the 2023 Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year in boys cross country, the first boys cross country athlete from Athens Drive to win the award. Please click here for more.
Longtime coach says Max Johnson has ‘same skill set’ of Sam Howell, Drake Maye
North Carolina continues its quarterback lineage with a new face in 2024, veteran signal-caller Max Johnson. Longtime college football coach and analyst Mark Richt is predicting that Mack Brown and the Tar Heels to go far in 2024, and explained why Johnson’s talent might be on par with some of UNC’s most recent gunslingers. Please click here for more.
UNC’s Carmichael Arena Lobby Dedicated In Miller’s Honor
Dr. Beth Miller spent more than 40 years working as part of the UNC Department of Athletics, and during that time she was part of thousands of gatherings in Carmichael Arena, whether cheering at games, coaching at practices, meeting with coaches or mentoring student-athletes. Please click here for more.