North Carolina

No. 22 North Carolina is trying to fix mistakes as the ACC schedule gets tougher

Published

2 weeks ago

January 23, 2026

No. 22 North Carolina is trying to fix mistakes as the ACC schedule gets tougher

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina had built momentum with a strong start to the season before an abrupt four-game downturn, one notably marked by a complete inability to defend the arc.

The 22nd-ranked Tar Heels don’t have a lot of time to fix problems, either, not with the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule about to get tougher.

UNC visits No. 14 Virginia on Saturday, its first matchup against a ranked league opponent and one of six games ahead currently ranked as a Quadrant 1 matchup that tops a postseason résumé for March Madness. That trip to face the Cavaliers comes a week after UNC closed an 0-2 cross-country trip to play Stanford and California, two games that highlighted some of the defensive struggles of late.

“The No. 1 thing from last week for us was, there were multiple possessions where we were making mistakes in back-to-back possessions,” coach Hubert Davis said after Wednesday’s win over Notre Dame. “We would turn the ball over, not get back on defense, give up a 3. We would get to the free throw line, miss two free throws, come down, give an and-1.

“I felt like last week, we were letting one play affect us on the other end to the next play.”

Defensive troubles

The Tar Heels (15-4, 3-3) have shown promise. There was a rousing early win against Kansas and potential No. 1 NBA draft pick Darryn Peterson. There was a win at Kentucky without senior and top defender Seth Trimble.

And after beating Florida State to open ACC play, the Tar Heels had their first 13-1 start since the 2008-09 season.

Yet trouble soon emerged.

First came a loss at SMU in which the Mustangs shot 60% — including 20 of 28 for 71.4% after halftime — and nearly scored 100 points. The Tar Heels followed in a white-knuckle final few minutes to edge Wake Forest in a high-scoring meeting.

Then came the trip out west. First the Tar Heels squandered a double-digit, second-half lead while watching Cardinal freshman Ebuka Okorie go for a season-high 36 points in a 95-90 loss. Three days later, the Golden Bears shot nearly 56% and hit 10 3-pointers to build a 17-point halftime lead then held off UNC’s frantic comeback.

By the time the Tar Heels faced Notre Dame, UNC had allowed five ACC opponents to make 70 of 156 3-pointers for an average of 14 made per game. That 44.9% success rate was worse than all but three of 365 Division I teams (North Dakota, Coppin State and Louisiana-Lafayette) in that same span, according to SportRadar.

The Fighting Irish managed to shoot well from outside early in Wednesday’s game, but Notre Dame went just 2 of 13 on 3s after halftime and finished the game at 8 for 25 (32%).

The trick now is turning that into more than just a one-game bump.

“It kind of helped us get back in the zone … and kind of build everybody’s confidence,” big man Henri Veesaar said afterward. “I think today everybody was a little bit nervous before the game even, I could say, because we had just lost two and we were like, ‘What are we doing wrong?’”

Making corrections

Alabama transfer Jarin Stevenson said multiple things were emphasized defensively in recent film sessions. He mentioned defensive communication while handling pick-and-roll plays to avoid getting dragged down lower into the paint. There was doing a better job in closing out on shooters or pressuring the ball on the perimeter, with a goal of “just making the offense uncomfortable.”

That wasn’t much of a problem against the Fighting Irish, who have struggled badly since leading scorer Markus Burton was lost to left-ankle surgery in early December. But future opponents won’t be nearly as limited; Virginia, for example, ranks 17th in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency in KenPom’s analytics rankings.

Freshman star Caleb Wilson felt there was at least one takeaway from the Notre Dame win: The Tar Heels made a determined effort to turn the game into a blowout, then did so in a 91-69 win.

“It’s more about pride with us now,” Wilson said. “Our coach can say whatever you want. I hate the people that try to blame Hubert for our lapses. But our coach is teaching us the right thing.

“It’s all about our effort and us playing as hard as we can. Coach can only do so much. We’re the ones out there playing.”

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North Carolina

Davis Credits North Carolina’s Players for Comeback Win

Published

6 hours ago

February 9, 2026

Press Room

Davis Credits North Carolina’s Players for Comeback Win

If there were any doubts about the North Carolina’s mental and physical toughness, those were put to bed after Saturday night’s comeback win over the Duke Blue Devils. The Tar Heels overcame a 13-point deficit in the 71-68 win, which was capped off by Seth Trimble’s game-winning shot at the buzzer.

While speaking with the media during his postgame press conference, head coach Hubert Davis explained his team’s performance in adverse situations.

Davis’ Thoughts

Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) and North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) fight for the ball in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

It was a tale of two halves, as North Carolina played a flawless 20 minutes in the second half, which is when the team flipped the script. The 55-year-old head coach explained the issues the Tar Heels dealt with in the first half, and how those were minimized in the second half.

“Yeah, (that) we’d continue to fight. We were down, but I think one of the things that we were missing is we didn’t join the fight,” Davis said. “Every 50/50 loose ball they were getting, whether the ball was going up in the air on the ground, they were the first ones to get it. And we just continue to stick to it anytime, every time that we got knocked down, not only did we get back up, we kept taking a step forward. And as we continue to cut into the lead, our confidence just got better on both ends of the floor.”

“And then Henri [Veesaar] stepped up,” Davis continued. “He had zero defensive rebounds in the first half. He had a double-double for the second half. And so his ability to dominate points in the paint for us was huge, and Caleb kept us around in the first half, and then Henri, Derek hit some threes, Seth, other guys joined the party, and it was a team effort.”

Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) reacts with forward Jarin Stevenson (15) in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Following the game, Davis deflected all praise and gave credit to his players for sticking together when Duke had all momentum.

“It’s all them, nothing by me, nothing. The wins go to them, and the losses go to me. It is what it is, and it’s all them,” Davis said. “So, it was great. We talked about the mistakes that we’re making, that we can fix those mistakes, and we have the ability to make changes. So, that’s a good thing when you have problems and you can fix them… we just started to execute on both ends of the floor, and I felt confident that we can get back in the game.”

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North Carolina

Judge rejects Democrats’ plea for early voting sites at 3 North Carolina universities

Published

18 hours ago

February 8, 2026

Press Room

Judge rejects Democrats’ plea for early voting sites at 3 North Carolina universities

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge refused Sunday to help in attempts to open early voting sites at three public North Carolina universities, declining requests to overrule decisions by Republican-controlled elections boards leading up to the state’s upcoming primary.

U.S. District Judge William Osteen rejected arguments by the College Democrats of North Carolina and some students that they were likely to win a recent lawsuit because decisions by GOP board members placed undue burdens on the right to vote.

The decision by Osteen — nominated to the bench by President George W. Bush — to deny a preliminary injunction or a temporary restraining order can be appealed.

Early in-person voting for the March 3 primary begins this coming Thursday. It features nomination races for U.S. Senate and House, the legislature and local elections.

Osteen also wrote that formally backing efforts to open the sites so close to voting could risk confusion.

Osteen’s ruling marks a key decision on policy preferences by the State Board of Elections and elections boards in all 100 counties since a state lawrecently shifted them from having Democratic majorities to Republican majorities.

The College Democrats of North Carolina — an arm of the state party — and four voters sued in late January accusing the state board and boards in Jackson and Guilford counties of violating the U.S. Constitution.

The lawsuit involves votes by the state board and the two county boards to not include early voting sites at Western Carolina University, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina A&T State University, also in Greensboro. A&T is the largest historically Black university in the country.

An early voting site at Western Carolina has operated regularly since 2016. Sites at the Greensboro campuses have not been offered in midterm elections. Voting sites are offered at college campuses elsewhere in the state. Same-day registration is available at early voting sites.

Without the sites, the lawsuit says, students will be forced to travel off-campus to vote, imposing time and money upon those least familiar with voting.

Lawyers for the boards defended the panels’ actions, writing in legal briefs that there is no requirement boards must retain voting sites used in previous election cycles, and that site decisions were based on reasonable circumstances like parking access and past turnout.

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North Carolina

Wisconsinite Seth Trimble beats buzzer as North Carolina downs Duke

Published

2 days ago

February 7, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsinite Seth Trimble beats buzzer as North Carolina downs Duke

Menomonee Falls High School alumnus Seth Trimble delivered an all-time moment Feb. 7 for one of the greatest rivalries in sports.

The senior for North Carolina’s men’s basketball team hit a corner 3-pointer just before the buzzer, a shot that splashed through with 0.4 seconds left, to give the Tar Heels a 71-68 win in Chapel Hill. It capped North Carolina’s largest comeback win over Duke in 25 years, and it marked the first lead of the entire game for the Tar Heels.

Fans stormed the court twice – once after the shot and then again after referees cleared the floor with the 0.4 still on the clock. Duke’s long inbound pass was fumbled away as the horn sounded.

North Carolina trailed by 13 points before mounting a late rally. The senior Trimble finished with 16 points on 5 of 7 shooting, but it was his only 3-point attempt of the game. All the attention had collapsed on freshman Derek Dixon with the game tied on the final possession, and the freshman found a wide-open Trimble for the go-ahead basket.

The outcome marked Duke’s second loss of the season, dropping the No. 4 Blue Devils to 21-2 while No. 14 North Carolina improved to 19-4. Trimble averages 14.1 points per game and 4.2 rebounds for UNC, which has now won five straight games. Trimble missed more than a month early in the season with a broken forearm but has been back since late December.

Trimble, who won Mr. Basketball in Wisconsin in 2022, followed in the footsteps of brother J.P. Tokoto, who played for North Carolina from 2012 to 2015.

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