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Heel Tough Blog: Notre Dame Preview
MSN After going 0-2 last week while on the West Coast, the Tar Heels are back home tonight, as they host Notre Dame, looking to get back to .500 in ACC play. The two losses last week dropped Carolina from 14th to 22nd in the AP Poll, and they fell in the all-important NET rankings after suffering two more Quad 1 defeats. They are hoping that getting back to the East Coast, and the Smith Center, where the team is 11-0 this season, will help get the team closer to playing to th

Joshua Marlow
6 hours ago4 min read


Heel Tough Blog: California Recap
@UNCMBBStats Looking to bounce back after a midweek loss to Stanford, the Tar Heels suffered their second straight defeat, and their third loss in four games, with an 84-78 loss to California, to fall to 14-4 on the season, 2-3 in the ACC, and 3-4 in Quad 1 games. Carolina, which trailed 54-37 at the half and by as much as 20 in the second half, did make it a two-possession game late in the second half, but poor shot selection denied them a chance at completing the comeback,

Joshua Marlow
3 days ago5 min read


Heel Tough Blog: California Preview
@UNC_Basketball After losing to Stanford on Wednesday night, the Tar Heels will look to respond later today against California to avoid going 0-2 on this West Coast road trip. Carolina’s defense plagued them for a third straight game on Wednesday night, allowing Stanford to score 95 points, om 57% shooting from the field, 57% shooting from behind the arc on 16 makes, the second most makes against UNC in program history. In their last three games, UNC has given up 44 made thre

Joshua Marlow
4 days ago3 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Stanford Recap
CBS 17 Despite leading for 38 minutes last night, the Tar Heels lost at Stanford, 95-90, to fall to 14-3 on the season, and 2-2 in the ACC, with both losses coming away from Chapel Hill. Carolina built a double-digit lead in both the first and the second half, but it didn’t matter, as sensational Ebuka Okorie had arguably his best game of his young college career, scoring 36 points and handing out 9 assists. Stanford shot 57% from the field, including 57% from behind the arc,

Joshua Marlow
6 days ago5 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Stanford Preview
ESPN For the first time since they joined the ACC, the Tar Heels have to travel to California to take on both Stanford and California, in a rare West Coast road trip during conference play, which is a result of conference expansion. Last year, Carolina hosted ACC newcomers, SMU, Stanford, and Cal, with return trips taking place this year, and will be completed by the end of the week. The last time we saw the Tar Heels, they held on to beat Wake Forest, 87-84, to improve to 14

Joshua Marlow
Jan 144 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Wake Forest Recap
Cory Knowlton- Getty Images The Tar Heels picked up their 500th win in Smith Center, but it was far from as easy as it should have been against Wake Forest. The Tar Heels got off to a fast start, racing out to a 14-4 lead early in the game, causing Wake to call timeout. Behind big halves from their two big men, the Tar Heels were able to control the first half despite allowing eight threes and turning the ball over eight times and led the game 49-38 at the half. After both te

Anthony Pagnotta
Jan 114 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Wake Forest Preview
UNCMBBStats After a week off, the Tar Heels return to action later today, as they host Wake Forest, looking to bounce back from the loss to SMU last Saturday, which dropped the team’s record to 13-2 overall, 1-1 in the ACC, and 17th in the AP Poll. The loss to SMU wasn’t expected, but so wasn’t the defensive performance in that game, as Carolina allowed a season high 97 points on 60% shooting from the field, 53% shooting from behind the arc, making it the second-worst defensi

Joshua Marlow
Jan 104 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Transfer Portal Haul Continues for UNC in Form of Penn State Pass Rusher
Kate Hildebrand - Collegian.PSU.edu The transfer portal news continues for Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels, as they’ve landed their second transfer of the day, in the form of Penn State pass rusher Jaylen Harvey, who was on campus over the weekend for a visit. Harvey, who is a former four-star recruit, may have limited stats from his time in Happy Valley, but he arrives in Chapel Hill with three years of eligibility and a ton of upside for this staff to tap into. During his

Joshua Marlow
Jan 52 min read


Heel Tough Blog: SMU Preview
Sports Illustrated For the first time in ACC play, and just the second time this season, the Tar Heels hit the road, as they are set to take on SMU later this afternoon at the Moody Center. Carolina’s lone road game prior to today was a win at Kentucky back in the first week of December in the annual ACC/SEC Challenge, which gave confidence to a team, playing without Seth Trimble at the time. The Tar Heels opened conference play earlier this week, with a 79-66 win over Florid

Joshua Marlow
Jan 34 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Florida State Recap
ESPN.com After a sluggish start, the Tar Heels were able to flex their muscle and took down Florida State, 79-66 on Tuesday night in the Smith Center, to improve to 13-1 on the season, and 1-0 in ACC play. It was the first game in 8 days for the Tar Heels, and the 1-11 shooting start would suggest they were sluggish, but once they found their footing, there was no denying who the better team was. Caleb Wilson was sensational once again, posting a 22-point, 16-rebound, double-

Joshua Marlow
Dec 31, 20255 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Florida State Preview
Chris Seward - AP After an eight-day layoff, the Tar Heels return to action tonight in the Smith Center, as they host Florida State in their ACC opener. The last time Carolina was on the court, they were seen dispatching ECU in the final non-conference game of the season, improving to their first 12-1 start since the 2008-09 national championship season. After a handful of Quad 1 wins in the first two months of the season, ACC play will be about UNC solidifying its NCAA Tourn

Joshua Marlow
Dec 30, 20254 min read


Heel Tough Blog: East Carolina Recap
@UNCMBBStats Last night, Carolina concluded non-conference play with a blowout win over ECU, 99-51, to improve to 12-1 for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The two other times UNC started 12-1, they won the national championship (2004-05) and made the Elite Eight (2006-07). They were led once again by Caleb Wilson, and his 21-point, 12-rebound double-double, his ninth as a Tar Heel. With him scoring 21 points, he became the first UNC freshman since Phil Ford to score

Joshua Marlow
Dec 23, 20254 min read


Heel Tough Blog: East Carolina Preview
@UNC_Basketball It’s a quick turnaround for Carolina Basketball, after winning on Saturday against Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic, the Heels return home for the final non-conference game of the season, as they host ECU tonight at the Dean Dome. The win on Saturday improved Carolina’s record to 11-1 on the season, their first 11-1 start since the 2008-09 national championship season. While Carolina was led once again by Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, they were boosted b

Joshua Marlow
Dec 22, 20253 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Ohio State Recap (CBS Sports Classic)
@UNCMBBStats In dramatic fashion, the Tar Heels got past Ohio State, 71-70, to improve to their first 11-1 start since the 2008-09 national championship season. When UNC took an 11-point lead with under 8 minutes to play, it looked like they were going to cruise their way to another Quad 1 win, but give credit to the Buckeyes, and Bruce Thornton, they kept fighting, and took a three-point lead on a four-point play, going up 70-67 with under a minute to play. A nifty layup fro

Joshua Marlow
Dec 20, 20255 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Ohio State Preview (CBS Sports Classic)
@UNCMBBStats After beating ETSU on Tuesday, the Tar Heels are back in action this afternoon, as they will take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in what could be the final CBS Sports Classic. The win on Tuesday improved Carolina’s record to 10-1, their best start since the 2017-18 season, and it was powered by Henri Veesaar’s career-high, 26-point performance, as he and Caleb Wilson have formed arguably the best front-court duo in the country. Wilson added 20 points in the win, cont

Joshua Marlow
Dec 20, 20254 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Senior Guard Seth Trimble Set to Return Against Ohio State
After missing over a month of action, including nine games, senior guard Seth Trimble is set to return to the lineup for tomorrow’s game against Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic, according to Inside Carolina. Trimble, who suffered an arm injury in a workout after the big Kansas win back in the first week of the season, has been gearing up for his return for the last week, and is finally ready to compete on the court with his teammates, who led UNC to an 8-1 record without

Joshua Marlow
Dec 19, 20252 min read


Heel Tough Blog: East Tennessee State Recap
Scott Kinser- Imagn Images On a night where ranked teams around college basketball were being tested by mid-major opponents, the Tar Heels messed around with East Tennessee State for the first half in the Smith Center before running away from the Buccaneers in the second half. The first half looked very similar to what we saw from the team against USC-Upstate, where the Buccaneers were able to get to their spots on the floor and score the ball while also ripping down offensiv

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 17, 20254 min read


Heel Tough Blog: UNC Agrees to Home-And-Home Series With SEC Opponent
While the focus for Carolina Basketball is on ETSU tonight, the program was busy adding to its schedule for the 2026-27 season, adding a home-and-home with the Georgia Bulldogs out of the SEC. This is a two-game agreement that will be completed with a return trip to Athens for the 2028-29 season. UGA is set to visit Chapel Hill on November 13th of next season, making it the third straight season that UNC will play a marquee non-conference opponent in the first week of the reg

Joshua Marlow
Dec 16, 20252 min read


Heel Tough Blog: ETSU Preview
@UNC_Basketball After having to wait six days between the Georgetown win and the USC Upstate win, the Tar Heels are back in action just three days after beating the Spartans, as they host a solid ETSU team tonight in the Smith Center. The win over USC Upstate improved Carolina’s record to 9-1 on the season, the program’s best start since the 2017-18 season, when Carolina would earn a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. After a 1-0 week, the Tar Heels find themselves now ranked 12

Joshua Marlow
Dec 16, 20254 min read


Heel Tough Blog: USC Upstate Recap
@UNC_Basketball It wasn’t the best effort we’ve seen from the Tar Heels this season, but it was still good enough to earn an 80-62 win over USC Upstate, on a day where Carolina certainly didn’t play their best. Caleb Wilson led UNC once again, with his ACC-leading 7th double-double of the season, scoring 20 points, and grabbing 11 rebounds. He was 6-7 from the field, with a couple of highlight dunks, in the process. He would’ve had more points had he converted at the foul lin

Joshua Marlow
Dec 13, 20255 min read
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