UNC football coach Bill Belichick may no longer be in the NFL, but he took center stage on Super Bowl Sunday in a new role. Belichick joined actors and Massachusetts natives Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, and Jeremy Strong, along with his girlfriend Jordon Hudson during a Dunkin’ commercial. Please click here for more.

Bill Belichick has added former NFL linebacker and New England Patriots star Jamie Collins, an eight-time Super Bowl winner, to his North Carolina coaching staff ahead of the 2025 season. Please click here for more.

UNC basketball has an NCAA Tournament-like turnaround for a game that could determine if the Tar Heels are going to make the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels (14-10, 7-5 ACC), who earned a one-point win against Pitt over the weekend at the Smith Center, will face Clemson (19-5, 11-2) on Monday (7 p.m., ESPN) at Littlejohn Coliseum. Please click here for more.

North Carolina got a late step-back jumper from RJ Davis and employed an aggressive, scrambling defense in the closing seconds to hang on for a 67-66 victory over Pittsburgh in Chapel Hill. (2/08)

The Tar Heels had a week to prepare in order to avenge a Jan. 28 loss at Pitt and it seemed to show early as Carolina got out to a 26-15 lead in the first 11 minutes. During one stretch, UNC big man Ven-Allen Lubin scored nine straight with assists from Eliott Cadeau, Davis and Ian Jackson.

But, as Carolina faithful have seen all season, the Tar Heels went cold as an opponent took advantage. This time Pitt went on a 10-0 run, eventually tying the game before the Heels took a 35-32 halftime advantage.

The second half saw eight ties and 12 lead changes with the last coming when Davis hit a step-back jumper from just past the free throw line with 51 seconds to go to give UNC a 67-66 lead.

Pitt’s Jaland Lowe, who scored 15 points, had two chances to give Pitt the lead but after his second miss, Lubin rebounded and Lowe fouled out of the game. The Tar Heels ended up having two chances in the last 20 seconds to wrap it up at the free throw line but Lubin missed the front end of a one-and-one before Seth Trimble did the same a couple of seconds later.

Carolina’s defense ended up winning it when the Heels forced a loose ball that ate time away and then Cadeau was solid covering Ismael Leggett, who’s off-balanced shot in the lane came up short at the buzzer.

“All we needed was one stop there at the end,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said pointing to deflections, disrupting passing lanes and simply hustle plays in the closing seconds.

While Coach Davis liked the defensive adjustments and execution during the game, it took a shot from RJ Davis to give Carolina the win. Late in the shot clock, when the designed play didn’t work, Davis took it upon himself to make something happen. That’s when he hit the winning shot with 51 seconds left.

“He’s finding a real nice rhythm out there on the floor,” Coach Davis said of Davis, who has struggled to find his shot. “I have always had confidence in him.”

Davis led Carolina with 18 points while Lubin had 17 and Trimble added 15.

Cam Corhen led Pitt, now 14-9 overall and 5-7 in the ACC, with 17 points.

Carolina improves to 14-10 and 7-5 in the conference with a big game coming up Monday night at Clemson.

Box score

There will be no shortage of new Tar Heels this fall, as North Carolina head football coach Bill Belichick and general manager Michael Lombardi announced the addition of 19 student-athletes to the program on National Signing Day Wednesday. Please click here for more.