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Heel Tough Blog: Duke Recap
Grant Halverson - Getty Images For a rivalry matchup that had just about everything to offer going into last night’s game, what it did not have was a UNC buzzer-beater against Duke, but that changed in a big way last night, as senior guard Seth Trimble knocked in a three with 0.4 left on the clock to beat Duke 71-68. The 0.4 seconds led was the only time on the clock that Carolina led, after trailing by as many as 13 in the first half and 12 at halftime. They trailed by 9 at

Joshua Marlow
Feb 86 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Duke Preview
@UNCMBB As the second half of the ACC season is set to begin, it does with the first of two matchups between North Carolina and Duke, as the greatest rivalry in sports is ready to write another chapter in a legendary story. The Tar Heels enter tonight’s matchup riding a four-game winning streak after a win over Syracuse earlier this week, giving Carolina a respectable 18-4 record, including being 6-3 in the ACC. But Duke enters as the team with the better record, as the Blue

Joshua Marlow
Feb 74 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Syracuse Recap
Bob Donnan- Imagn Images Well, that was a little too close for comfort wouldn’t you say. After leading by 32 points, the Tar Heels had to hold off a furious late rally from the Syracuse Orange for an 87-77 victory that extended their home win streak to thirteen to start the season. The night started a little sloppy with neither team getting off to a hot start, but it wasn’t long before the bigs started making their presence felt on both sides. For the Tar Heels, it was the co

Anthony Pagnotta
Feb 34 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Make Late Add to OL Via the 2026 HS Recruiting Class
@shiftteambigd- Instagram After the Tar Heels signed 39 commits in the early signing period, it seemed like they were done in the 2026 recruiting class, but that apparently was not the case. As first reported by Inside Carolina, the Tar Heels have landed a commitment from 2026 3✮ IOL Dujuan Davis after offering him earlier in the day. Davis chooses the Tar Heels over offers from Florida Atlantic, South Florida, Ole Miss, Rutgers and Western Kentucky. Davis, the No. 2387 overa

Anthony Pagnotta
Feb 22 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Syracuse Preview
@UNCMBBStats After dispatching Georgia Tech 91-75 on Saturday, the Tar Heels are back in action later tonight, as they host Syracuse, in the first of two home games this week at the Smith Center. After going 0-2 out west back in the middle of January, Carolina has won three straight games, to get to 17-4 on the season, and 5-3 in the ACC, with the schedule set to heat up over the back half of the season, the team is in position to compete for a top-4 seed in the ACC Tournamen

Joshua Marlow
Feb 24 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Georgia Tech Recap
Colin Hubbard - AP It was another high-scoring affair for Carolina Basketball, who raced past Georgia Tech, 91-75 on the road, to secure a third straight win, and improve to 17-4 on the season, and 5-3 in the ACC, as they near the midway point of conference play. With the 91 points today, Carolina has scored 85 points or more in 5 of their last 6 games, and it’s crossed the 90-point threshold in 3 of the last 5 contests, a big reason why it owns the nation’s #2 offense in Jan

Joshua Marlow
Jan 314 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Georgia Tech Preview
@UNCMBBStats After having a week off, the Tar Heels return to action this afternoon, in Atlanta, against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Carolina last played last Saturday and won at Virginia, erasing a 16-point deficit in the process, to reinstate belief in this team. The win at Virginia not only dramatically changed Carolina’s chances to compete to finish top four in the ACC, but it also moved Carolina’s projected seed line in the NCAA Tournament as well. Georgia Tech ent

Joshua Marlow
Jan 314 min read


Heel Tough Blog: NCAA Tournament Check In - January
It’s the final week of January, and we’re just seven Sundays away from the 2026 NCAA Tournament field being selected, and that means that projections for the Big Dance are starting to heat up. In just about every game moving forward, you’re going to hear something or see a graphic from that specific network about their bracketology projections, so if you’re not ready to see Joe Lunardi on your TV screen, you might want to start preparing. The Tar Heels are enjoying their last

Joshua Marlow
Jan 293 min read


Heel Tough Blog: 2026 Schedule Breakdown
Grant Halverson- Getty Images The 2026 schedule for the ACC was released on Monday evening, meaning that the Tar Heels 2026 schedule is now final. In what will be an important season for Bill Belichick and his staff, the Tar Heels will face one of the more difficult schedules in the country. Here’s a breakdown of the slate that is on the horizon for this fall. August 29th: vs. TCU For a second straight season, the Tar Heels will open the season with a matchup with the Horned

Anthony Pagnotta
Jan 274 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Virginia Recap
@UNCMBBStats With a big second half, the Tar Heels secured their biggest win of the ACC season, taking down Virginia, 85-80, to improve to 16-4 and 4-3 in the ACC. Carolina trailed by as many as 16 points late in the first half, but made it a 9-point game, with two late threes in the first half. That set the scene for the best second half that Carolina has played since the Kansas win, outscoring the Cavaliers, 51-37 in the final 20 minutes, to secure their second straight win

Joshua Marlow
Jan 245 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Virginia Preview
@UNCMBBStats After blowing out Notre Dame at home on Wednesday, the Tar Heels are on the road today, as they are set to take on #14 Virginia in a top-25 matchup. The win over Notre Dame snapped a two-game losing streak and got Carolina back to .500 in the ACC. Now the challenge is to take that level of play on the road, where the Tar Heels are just 1-3 so far this season, if they have any hopes of getting back into the ACC regular season race. Ryan Odom has done as good a jo

Joshua Marlow
Jan 244 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Notre Dame Recap
Bob Donnan- Imagn Images That’s more like it. After an 0-2 trip to the West Coast last week, the Tar Heels returned to the Smith Center looking to bounce back as they faced the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. In what was their most complete game of the conference season so far, the Tar Heels would blow out Micah Shrewsberry’s shorthanded squad 91-69. It started in the first half where the team navigated some more bumps guarding the perimeter shots to lead by nine at the break. A b

Anthony Pagnotta
Jan 224 min read


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
Jan 214 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Land West Virginia OL Transfer
Joe Sargent- Getty Images After a few quiet days last week, the Tar Heels are back to adding guys through the portal. After landing more help for the running back room earlier this morning, the team added another offensive lineman to a room that they are trying to completely overhaul this offseason. As first reported by Pete Nakos of On3 Sports, the Tar Heels have picked up a commitment from West Virginia transfer offensive lineman Brandon Homady earlier this morning. He has

Anthony Pagnotta
Jan 191 min read


Heel Tough Blog: LSU RB Commits to UNC
Randy J. Williams- Getty Images The past week has been pretty silent for the Tar Heels on the transfer portal front, but on Monday morning, the team got back to work as they added a commitment to their offensive backfield out of the SEC. As first reported by Pete Nakos of On3 Sports/Rivals, LSU running back transfer Kaleb Jackson committed to the Tar Heel staff over the weekend. He has two years of eligibility remaining. Jackson, who measures in at 6’0, 234 lbs., is a former

Anthony Pagnotta
Jan 192 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
Jan 185 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
Jan 173 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
Jan 155 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heel DB Who Entered Portal Expect to Return to UNC
@greg3smith- Instagram Yesterday, the Tar Heels lost a promising piece to the transfer portal, but it appears that may no longer be the case. As first reported by Inside Carolina on Thursday morning, the Tar Heels are expected to retain defensive back Greg Smith after he entered the transfer portal yesterday. He still has three years of eligibility remaining at the college level. Smith, who transferred in from Florida last offseason, will return to Chapel Hill after a redshir

Anthony Pagnotta
Jan 151 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Promising UNC DB Enters the Portal
Lance King- Getty Images Over the weekend, the Tar Heels lost two impactful defensive players to the portal and on Wednesday the team lost another promising young player on that side of the ball. As first reported by Hayes Fawcett of On3 Sports/Rivals, Tar Heel defensive back Greg Smith is entering the transfer portal. He will have three years of eligibility remaining wherever he lands. Smith, who transferred in from Florida last offseason, is leaving Chapel Hill after just o

Anthony Pagnotta
Jan 141 min read
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