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Heel Tough Blog: SMU Recap
Sam Hodde- Getty Images The Tar Heels came into Saturday’s second road game of the entire season with a chance to match the 14-1 start that the team got off to in the 2008-09 season and instead will leave Dallas with their most disappointing performance of the season and a second loss. It started early for the Tar Heels with some crucial turnovers that led to easy finishes at the basket for SMU and gave the Mustangs an early nine point lead. The Tar Heels were able to settle

Anthony Pagnotta
4 days ago5 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
5 days ago4 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


Heel Tough Blog: USC Upstate Preview
@UNC_Basketball After not having a mid-week game due to exams on campus, the Tar Heels return to action this afternoon against USC-Upstate from the Big South conference. The last time we saw Carolina, they routed Georgetown 81-61, to improve to 8-1 on the season, and 6-0 at home. That win was powered by the lethal combination of Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, who have emerged as one of the best duos in all of college basketball, combining to average 35 points and nearly 20 r

Joshua Marlow
Dec 13, 20254 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Georgetown Recap
Bob Donnan- Imagn Images The Tar Heels welcomed the Georgetown Hoyas to Chapel Hill on Sunday afternoon as they looked to build on the momentum they built with a win in Lexington against Kentucky earlier this week. The first half of the game was a back-and-forth affair between the two teams with the Tar Heels closing the half strong to take a 44-39 into the break. In the second half, they would put their foot on the gas, though, starting with the play of the big men and conti

Anthony Pagnotta
Dec 7, 20254 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Georgetown Preview
GoHeels.com After starting the season with a five-game homestand, the Tar Heels return to the friendly confines of the Smith Center for three straight games, beginning this afternoon against Georgetown. Earlier this week, Carolina secured a road win at Kentucky, 67-64 in the ACC/SEC Challenge, behind the heroics of freshman Derek Dixon, who scored 5 points in the final minute to help propel Carolina to a win. It was the first road win for UNC against a ranked opponent since w

Joshua Marlow
Dec 7, 20254 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Kentucky Recap
ESPN.com Looking to bounce back, against a desperate Kentucky team, UNC went on the road, into a hostile Rupp Arena and earned a 67-64 win, in the ACC/SEC Challenge, to give Carolina their first win in Lexington since 2007, and arguably the biggest win since winning at Duke back in March of 2024 to clinch the ACC regular season title. And while Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar both recorded double-doubles, it was freshman Derek Dixon, not even a starter, who came to the rescue,

Joshua Marlow
Dec 3, 20255 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Kentucky Preview
CBS 17 After having a few days off to regroup after the loss to Michigan State on Thanksgiving night, the Tar Heels return to action tonight, in the ACC/SEC Challenge, as they travel to Kentucky to take on the #18 Wildcats. The loss to Michigan State was the first loss of the season for Carolina, which is 6-1, and is ranked 16th in the AP Poll. Last week was the first time that the Tar Heels played on a neutral floor, and tonight will be the first true road game for Carolina,

Joshua Marlow
Dec 2, 20254 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Tar Heels Complete Flip of 2026 3✮ P/K
@adammcgibbs11- Instagram The Tar Heels hot streak on the 2026 recruiting trail continues after a day off and this time it comes in the form of a special teams addition. As he posted on social media on Friday afternoon, 2026 3✮ P/K Adam McCann-Gibbs has flipped his commitment from Penn State to UNC. The team landed his commitment after an official visit to Chapel Hill over the weekend that led to him rethinking his commitment according to Brian Dohn of 247Sports. The Tar Heel

Anthony Pagnotta
Nov 28, 20252 min read


Heel Tough Blog: Michigan State Recap (Fort Myers Tip-Off)
@UNC_Basketball Seeking their first 7-0 start since their last national championship, the Tar Heels instead were instead tripped up 74-58 by Michigan State, in a game that was closer than the final score, but not as close as it should’ve or could’ve been. Carolina took a 22-15 lead with less than 8 minutes left to play in the first half, which prompted a Tom Izzo timeout. After that timeout, Michigan State responded with a 13-0 run and never looked back, on their way to the w

Joshua Marlow
Nov 27, 20255 min read
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