North Carolina
No. 4 North Carolina blasts Florida State in ACC quarterfinals
RJ Davis scored 18 points and Armando Bacot added 14 points and 10 rebounds as No. 4 North Carolina cruised past Florida State for a 92-67 victory in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals Thursday afternoon at Washington, D.C.
Cormac Ryan added 14 points and reserve Seth Trimble had 12 points, including a highlight-type dunk for the Tar Heels, the top-seeded team in the tournament who shot 52.3 percent from the field. Harrison Ingram provided nine points and 10 rebounds.
North Carolina (26-6) will play in Friday night’s first semifinal against either Wake Forest or Pitt.
Primo Spears came off the bench to lead ninth-seeded Florida State (17-16) with 17 points. Jamir Watkins posted 12 points and Jalen Warley had 10 points, but the Seminoles couldn’t repeat the success from a day earlier when they topped Virginia Tech in the second round.
The Tar Heels pulled away with a 20-4 run late in the first half for a 46-27 lead and they were up 46-30 at the break.
By then, Ryan had started to heat up in the team’s first game since his season-high 31 points Saturday at Duke in a game that determined the ACC regular-season championship. Ryan finished with three 3-point baskets on four attempts.
Davis, who earlier in the week was named the ACC Player of the Year, shot 7-for-15 from the field, including 2 of 5 from 3-point range.
The Seminoles shot just 4-for-16 (25.0 percent) on 3-pointers, yet were within 52-39 three minutes into the second half.
But unlike the first two meetings of the season, when the Seminoles led in the second half before falling to the Tar Heels, they couldn’t keep this one close. North Carolina led by 20 or more points for most of the second half, including the final 13:43 of the game.
Bacot notched his 15th double-double of the season, pushing his school-record total in that category to 83 games.
North Carolina kept up its trend of racking up big rebounding margins, holding a 49-24 advantage on the boards to help compensate for 13 turnovers.
—Field Level Media
The North Carolina Tar Heels will be a young program across the board next season, with well over two dozen freshmen and numerous additions from the transfer portal this offseason. Expectations for the 2026 season are lowered dramatically after a disastrous first season for head coach Bill Belichick, though those expectations could help the Tar Heels fly under the radar.
As the Tar Heels approach the end of spring ball, it is time to look at the veterans of the team—the ones who have the experience to lead, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Let’s look at three underrated seniors for the 2026 football season.
Ade Willie, Cornerback
Willie joins the Tar Heels program after four years with Michigan State, as the former 4-star player in the 2022 recruiting class gets an opportunity to not only provide depth to the secondary, but potentially start Week 0 against TCU.
Willie played in over 30 games with the Spartans and brings experience in the secondary at cornerback and safety, along with quality length and closing speed to the football. For a defense that needs players to step up, the redshirt senior from IMG Academy will be asked to do so.
Isaiah Johnson, Defensive Lineman
The defensive line is beginning to look like one of the Tar Heels’ strengths for the 2026 season. Johnson, a former transfer from Arizona, enters his redshirt senior year looking to add another year of production after 40 tackles and two sacks this past season.
North Carolina has an impressive group of starters with Malkart Abou-Jaoude, Leroy Jackson, and incoming transfer Jaylen Harvey. Johnson adds value to the group as a run defender with the ability to penetrate the pocket. While not discussed as a key player, Johnson’s name will be used plenty during the regular season as a potential standout for the program’s defensive front.
Coleman Bryson, Safety
Bryson was a reserve player for the Tar Heels’ secondary last season as a big nickel defender in the rotation. Heading into his redshirt senior year, the former Minnesota Gopher is looking to become a full-time starter in the secondary.
It wasn’t long ago when Bryson was making plays as the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl Defensive MVP. His special teams abilities were valuable for North Carolina last season, and he flashed at times in coverage against tight ends, including a pass breakup in the season-opener against TCU. The Waynesville, North Carolina, native could be a key defender on the back-seven in 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Friends and family members gathered in Washington state on Saturday, remembering former Miss North Carolina Carrie Everett, who died on Easter Sunday. Another memorial service is planned in North Carolina next month.
Web Editor : Sydney Ross
Posted
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | First Quarter
Virginia 3, North Carolina 0 | Q1 8:19
After a faceoff win by Henry Metz, Brendan Millon finds Truitt Sunderland to give the Hoos a 3-0 lead. Timeout North Carolina.
Virginia 2, North Carolina 0 | Q1 9:00
Brendan Millon gets the scoring started for the Cavaliers with a question mark style goal. On the defensive end, Jake Marek opens the game with three early saves with his third save setting up a transition goal by Tommy Snyder.
Virginia vs North Carolina pregame notes
UVA owns a 59-33 advantage since the series began in 1938.
The 59 wins are UVA’s most against any opponent in program history (followed by 51 against Duke).
In Chapel Hill last year, the Tar Heels defeated the Cavaliers 18-9, snapping UVA’s six-game series win streak.
UVA has won nine of the last 11 meetings, dating back to 2018.
The Hoos have won the last two meetings with Carolina at Klöckner Stadium, 11-4 in 2022 and 14-6 in 2024.
The Tar Heels’ four goals in 2022 marked the fewest goals in a game under Joe Breschi, who was named UNC’s head coach in 2006.
The last time the Tar Heels knocked off the Cavaliers at Klöckner was a 16-13 decision during the first of three games between the two teams in 2021.
Later that year, UVA claimed back-to-back meetings against the Heels, including in the NCAA semifinals on the way to capturing the 2021 national title over Maryland.
Follow
-
Culture27 minutes agoPoetry Challenge: Memorize “The More Loving One” by W.H. Auden
-
Lifestyle33 minutes agoPhotos: How overfishing in Southeast Asia is an ecological and human crisis
-
Technology45 minutes agoBlue Origin successfully reused its New Glenn rocket
-
World51 minutes agoDistress call captures tanker under fire, Iran shuts Hormuz trapping thousands of sailors
-
Politics57 minutes agoTrump ally diGenova tapped to lead DOJ probe into Brennan over Russia probe origins
-
Health1 hour agoExperts reveal why ‘nonnamaxxing’ trend may improve mental, physical health
-
Sports1 hour ago‘Demon’ Finn Balor settles score with Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania 42
-
Technology1 hour agoiPhone and Samsung flashlight tricks you should know