North Carolina
No. 4 North Carolina braces for stern test vs. NC State in ACC final
WASHINGTON — This time a year ago, North Carolina was wondering if it would crack the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday. The Tar Heels didn’t, becoming the first team ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press poll to miss the field since it expanded to 64 teams.
And what a difference a year makes.
North Carolina hit the reset button in the offseason, reshuffling its roster after a disappointing campaign. Those pieces have proven to mesh, and now the No. 4 Tar Heels are eyeing their first Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title since 2016 when they face 10th-seeded North Carolina State on Saturday.
“Everybody expected this to be Carolina and Duke. Well, it’s Carolina and NC State,” Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said with a smile. “We play pretty good basketball at NC State, too.”
It will be the seventh time in the history of the ACC tournament that UNC and rival NC State have met in the title game. The Heels are 4-2 all-time against the Wolfpack in such games, last beating them for the crown in 2007.
Unlike a year ago, UNC (27-6) is not in a position in which it must worry about cracking the NCAA Tournament field. At stake now for the Heels is seeding.
But that’s all in the future. The immediate task at hand for the Tar Heels is winning what would be their 19th ACC crown.
“It would mean a lot to this program just because we haven’t won it in a couple of years,” guard RJ Davis said. “It just shows how much of a team we are and how resilient we are. We set goals at the beginning of this year, and for us to be one more game away means a lot, but the job is not finished. Just got to take it one game at a time.”
Davis, the ACC Player of the Year, saved the day for the Tar Heels in the semifinals against fourth-seeded Pitt on Friday. He scored just six points in the first half as UNC trailed by two at the break, then he exploded for 19 points in the second half to power UNC to a 72-65 victory.
Armando Bacot’s play was key, too, as he piled up 19 points and 11 rebounds.
“It’s not just tonight,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “RJ and Armando and Harrison (Ingram), they’ve shown up the entire season.”
This run for NC State (21-14) is reminiscent of its 1987 season, when it lived up to its “Cardiac Pack” nickname by winning two overtime games in the ACC tournament before beating UNC by a single point for the championship. That was the last time NC State won the ACC tournament.
After finishing their regular season on a four-game losing streak, the Wolfpack have now won four games in four days to advance to the title game. Since the tournament expanded to its current format, no team that played on its first day had ever advanced to the championship, until now.
“I’ve never worried about fatigue with our team. I really haven’t. I haven’t even talked about it,” Keatts said. “I’ve got 100 percent buy-in, and those guys are buying in and they’re working. I’m coaching them, but they’re doing all the heavy lifting.”
Along the way, NC State beat Louisville, Syracuse, No. 11 Duke and Virginia to make the championship game. Against the Cavaliers on Friday, the Wolfpack needed an improbable and ridiculous buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Michael O’Connell to push the game into overtime. Then, DJ Burns went to work, scoring seven of his 19 points in the extra period.
Burns is averaging 14.0 points per game in the tournament.
UNC beat NC State in both regular-season meetings this, winning by 13 points in Chapel Hill and nine in Raleigh.
The Tar Heels and Wolfpack last met in the ACC tournament in 2012, when UNC beat NC State in the semifinals.
Can NC State’s unlikely run continue by winning its fifth game in five days?
“Whatever happens, we’re battle tested,” NC State guard Casey Morsell said. “Move on to the next one and have a short memory.”
—Mitchell Northam, Field Level Media
North Carolina
How to watch Penn State Nittany Lions: Live stream info, TV channel, game time | Dec. 29
The North Carolina Central Eagles (4-10) and Freddie Filione V’s Penn State Nittany Lions (8-4) hit the court at Bryce Jordan Center on Monday, Dec. 29, beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
We provide more details below, and that includes how to watch this game on TV.
Here is what you need to prepare for Monday’s college basketball action.
Penn State vs. North Carolina Central: How to watch on TV or live stream
- Game day: Monday, December 29, 2025
- Game time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: University Park, Pennsylvania
- Arena: Bryce Jordan Center
- TV Channel: BTN
- Live stream: Fubo – Watch NOW (Regional restrictions may apply)
Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
Watch college basketball on Fubo!
Penn State vs. North Carolina Central stats and trends
- Penn State is averaging 78.2 points per game (173rd-ranked in college basketball) this season, while surrendering 74.9 points per contest (222nd-ranked).
- The Nittany Lions have struggled to accumulate rebounds this season, ranking 20th-worst in college basketball with 28.6 boards per game. They rank 109th by allowing 29.4 rebounds per contest.
- Penn State ranks 249th in college basketball with 13.5 dimes per contest.
- The Nittany Lions rank 10th-best in college basketball by averaging only 9 turnovers per game. In terms of forced turnovers, they rank 159th in college basketball (12.3 per contest).
- This year, Penn State is draining 6.8 threes per game (276th-ranked in college basketball) and is shooting 34% (181st-ranked) from three-point land.
- The Nittany Lions rank 324th in college basketball by allowing 9.4 three-pointers per game, but they are allowing a 37.8% shooting percentage from beyond the arc, which ranks ninth-worst in college basketball.
- Penn State is attempting 38.7 two-pointers per game this year, which account for 65.8% of the shots it has attempted (and 75.9% of the team’s baskets). Meanwhile, it is attempting 20.1 three-pointers per contest, which are 34.2% of its shots (and 24.1% of the team’s buckets).
Penn State vs. North Carolina Central Odds and Spread
- Spread Favorite: Nittany Lions (-22.5)
- Moneyline: Penn State (-12500), North Carolina Central (+2600)
- Total: 149.5 points
NCAA Basketball odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Monday at 2:23 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
Watch college basketball on Fubo!
Follow the latest college sports coverage at College Sports Wire.
While the North Carolina Tar Heels’ defense has been the most consistent feature of the team, the offensive operation has been up and down throughout the course of the season.
Those struggles extended into December, but with Seth Trimble returning to the lineup, there have been glimpses of what the offense can be when at full strength. The veteran guard had missed nine consecutive games, dating back to early November. Trimble had not played since Nov. 7 against the Kansas Jayhawks.
Let’s take a closer look at how North Carolina’s offense performed in the month of December.
Assessing the Tar Heels Offense in December
Through the first six games of this month, North Carolina is averaging 79.1 points per game, which is inflated by a 99-point outing against East Carolina this past Monday. The scoring output has not been the issue for Tar Heels. The problem has been the team’s slow starts, specifically when Trimble was not in the lineup.
While speaking with the media earlier this month, head coach Hubert Davis discussed North Carolina’s sluggish starts and how it was becoming problematic.
- “I don’t want them to take time because every team is different,” Davis said. “When you go into conference play, everybody has a way that they play on both ends of the floor. I don’t want to get off to slow starts. I felt like we did. It wasn’t just defensively. I didn’t feel like we were sharp on the offensive end. I think the first 12 shots that we took, seven of them were from three.”
- “I thought on both ends of the floor it took us a little while to get into the rhythm, and once we did, which it started with us defensively, I felt like it translated on the offensive end as well,” Davis said.
- “No, I don’t. I wouldn’t necessarily say that we’ve consistently gotten off to slow starts,” Davis said. “I would say that at times we haven’t been consistent at the beginning, where we’ve gotten off to a fast start and then we had a four- or six-minute lull on both ends of the floor. We allow a team to come back. We’re in a situation where maybe we could extend the lead.”
It is difficult to say that North Carolina has completely figured it out in Trimble’s first two games back in the fold, as the Tar Heels were lackluster in the first half against Ohio State, but were firing on all cylinders against East Carolina. It is somewhere in the middle, but conference play will reveal exactly where this offense stands. Overall, the offensive performance was a mixed bag in December.
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North Carolina
Wendell woman shares experience at an immigration detention center after being released
WENDELL, N.C. (WTVD) — A Wendell woman, detained by Border Patrol for more than a month, is sharing her experience at an immigration detention center after being released earlier this week.
Fatima Velazquez-Antonio was detained by Border Patrol agents on Nov. 18 while at an HVAC job site in Raleigh. For the last month, she stayed at a detention center in Georgia.
After having bond denied, she was finally released on Monday, and returned home to North Carolina on Tuesday. Her attorney had to file a habeas corpus petition, asking a judge to determine whether her detainment was legal.
“I’m so happy to be back home with my family,” said Velazquez.
It felt like an eternity.
– Fatima Velazquez-Antonio, on her month in immigration detention
Her boyfriend, Bryan Sanchez, said her return home was the greatest Christmas gift they could have asked for.
“I mean, it’s amazing that we got her back home,” he said.
Fatima Velazquez-Antonio came to the U.S. from Honduras as an unaccompanied minor at 14.
Velazquez came to the U.S. from Honduras as an unaccompanied minor at 14.
According to federal documents, Velazquez has no aggravated felony convictions, and the government identified her detainment as involving a non-criminal individual.
As previously reported, Velazquez’s attorney said Velazquez has no criminal record, and said she was allowed to stay in the country as her asylum case processed.
ABC11 asked Velazquez whether she received any explanation as to why she was detained.
“No, no one gave me any explanation,” she said.
For the last month, Velazquez said she spent 24 hours a day in a room with 60 other women.
“When you go to the bathroom, you have no privacy. It’s the same thing when you have to bathe. Everyone can see you,” she said. “It’s hard.”
Velazquez said her faith kept her strong.
“I prayed to God every day. Every day after I woke up and before I went to bed,” she said. “I asked him to help me, give me patience, and give me the strength to get through my ordeal. But it felt like an eternity.”
She said seeing the support from people in Wake County also helped her get through her time at the detention center, including a rally held by neighbors and elected leaders calling for her release.
“All the community and the governor, the congresswoman. I mean, all of that support helped a lot,” said Sanchez. “We appreciate that a lot, with all my heart.”
Velazquez said she hopes that one day she can personally thank everyone who has shared her story and called for her release.
“I know many of them didn’t know me, but I have to thank them from the bottom of my heart for their support,” she said. “Just, thank you so much. One day, I’d like to see them and thank them in person.”
Velazquez and her family are raising money to cover her legal expenses.
Sanchez is saving up money again to eventually buy her an engagement ring. The money he was saving for the ring had to be spent to retain an attorney for her.
Velazquez has a hearing next week for her case.
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