North Carolina
North Carolina is the Final Four contender people aren’t talking about enough
Connecticut flexed its muscles throughout the non-conference schedule and has shown its ability to adjust without Donovan Clingan. Purdue and dominant big man Zach Edey appear primed to potentially pull a Virginia, losing to a No. 16 seed one year and winning it all the following season.
Those two teams are probably the safest bets to reach the Final Four in Glendale, Ariz. Here’s another not enough people are talking about: North Carolina.
The most disappointing team in the country last year, the first one to start the season ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason poll and not reach the tournament since the field was expanded to 64 in 1985, has shown the potential to be the final group standing.
While other contenders have struggled against lesser competition or dropped games nobody expected them to — seven top-10 teams lost in the past week and the top 10 went 9-10, with nine of the losses coming to unranked teams — Hubert Davis’ seventh-ranked Tar Heels have been remarkably consistent. They are defending well, are balanced and have shown the maturity not to overlook anyone. In this six-game win streak, North Carolina is beating the opposition by an average of 21.1 points. It obliterated Syracuse by 36 on Saturday.
RJ Davis, a White Plains native who starred at Archbishop Stepinac, is one of the premier guards in the country, averaging 20.4 points, 3.3 assists and shooting a robust 41 percent from 3-point range. Armando Bacot is averaging a double-double for the third straight season. Transfers Harrison Ingram (Stanford) and Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame) have made instant impacts at both ends of the floor. Five-star freshman point guard Elliott Cadeau is coming on.
Defense, though, is the big difference between this year’s edition and last year’s disappointing version. The Tar Heels are ranked fifth in defensive efficiency, a major improvement after they were 46th a year ago. The opposition is shooting just 28.9 percent from 3-point range and 39.5 from the field overall. Those are both top-30 figures nationally. So is North Carolina’s rebounding margin at plus-6.3.
Offense was never going to be a problem with these Tar Heels, not after adding Ingram, Ryan and Cadeau to Davis and Bacot. They weren’t an elite defensive team early in the season, but have shown marked improvement of late.
Still, North Carolina has mostly flown under the radar, despite owning the second-most Quad 1 wins (five) in the country. Only Purdue, with six, has more. Maybe part of it is it dropped early-season games to top teams such as No. 4 UConn and No. 6 Kentucky. Last year’s team was so disappointing, expectations from the outside were lowered somewhat for the ACC power.
But it’s now the middle of January, and North Carolina has proven up to this point it is nothing like last year’s team. It just may be the opposite. It’s certainly on a very different trajectory.
Missed the boat
Arkansas, USC and UCLA were all considered NCAA Tournament teams in the preseason. Arkansas and USC were ranked 14th and 21st in the AP poll, respectively. Now, these three are battling it out over who is having the country’s most disappointing season.
At this point, I would give the ignominious edge to Arkansas, simply because of how much success Eric Musselman has had in the transfer portal era remaking his teams on a yearly basis. I’m not even ready yet to say with certainty he won’t turn it around this winter, although it seems pretty unlikely it will happen with the Razorbacks sitting at 113 in the NET rankings and having lost three straight to fall to 9-7.
USC was supposed to have among the best backcourt duos in the country in Boogie Ellis and five-star freshman Isaiah Collier, but it has been a sieve on defense, ranked 86th in efficiency. Now Collier is out for at least the next month with a hand injury, and the only real fascination with the 8-9 Trojans is watching the development of Bronny James, LeBron James’ son. Then there is UCLA, sporting a 6-10 record and headed to its worst season since it won 11 games in 2003-04. The Bruins just lost by 46 points to Utah this week — 46! Mick Cronin brought in a seven-man freshmen class, and has spent a large portion of the season complaining about his roster’s deficiencies and the school’s Name, Image & Likeness shortcomings.
Musselman, Cronin and USC’s Andy Enfield have all had a ton of success at their respective schools, the three coaches each reaching the last three tournaments and the first two advancing to the second weekend in 2001, 2022 and 2023. All were integrating several new pieces into their rosters. And all three are suffering through trying years. It’s a reminder that while the transfer portal era can lead to fast turnaround, it has also created a greater amount of variance. These three programs are prime examples of that.
Game of the Week:
No. 22 Creighton at No. 4 Connecticut, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
The first quarter or so of the Big East season has been unpredictable. No. 11 Marquette and Creighton already have a combined five losses. Seton Hall is on top of the standings. UConn, however, has not been a surprise, continuing to win despite star center Donovan Clingan missing the last five games due to a foot injury. It has the opportunity to create even more separation between itself and one of its top challengers Wednesday night. The Bluejays have gotten going, winning four in a row including a gritty one-point victory over on-the-rise St. John’s on Saturday. Clingan has been making progress, and the Huskies sure could use him against Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner, the two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
Seedings
1: Purdue, Connecticut, Arizona, Kansas
2: Houston, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Tennessee
3: Kentucky, Baylor, Duke, Memphis
4: Marquette, Illinois, Clemson, Auburn
Stock Watch
Up
Seton Hall
Are the Pirates this year’s Marquette? A team undervalued and overlooked by the Big East coaches in the preseason, only to win the league crown? It’s not out of the question. Nobody in the conference is having a better season than do-it-all point guard Kadary Richmond, Seton Hall is tied with UConn atop the league standings and already owns wins over the Huskies and Golden Eagles, the two teams projected to be at the top of the Big East. Last year, Marquette was picked ninth and finished No. 1 in the conference. In October, Seton Hall was predicted ninth as well. History could repeat itself.
Jahvon Quinerly
St. John’s transfer David Jones has drawn most of the headlines for 13th-ranked Memphis’ fast start, and deservedly so, as its leading scorer. Quinerly is just as important to the Tigers. Few point guards have played better. The Hackensack, N.J. native is averaging career-highs in assists (4.4), rebounds (3.1), steals (1.1) and free-throw percentage (85.3) while posting 13.6 points and shooting 44 percent from the field. His latest tour de force: 23 points, 11 assists, four steals and five made 3-pointers in a rout at Wichita State.
Down
Rutgers
Rutgers was expected to struggle to make the NCAA Tournament this year after losing three starters, but the NIT was at least seen as very possible. The Scarlet Knights, however, don’t look like a team deserving of the postseason. Cliff Omoruyi has regressed, averaging nearly three points fewer than he did a year ago, and nobody has emerged to fill the void left on the perimeter by the departures of Paul Mulcahy, Cam Spencer and Caleb McConnell. Now tied for the Big Ten cellar with Michigan, they are headed to their worst season since 2018-19. Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, the five-star prospects headed to Piscataway, N.J. next year, can’t arrive soon enough.
Gonzaga
The Zags’ streak of 24 consecutive NCAA Tournament bids is in jeopardy. With a NET ranking of 49, no Quad 1 wins and now a Quad 2 loss at Santa Clara, Gonzaga may need to win the WCC Tournament barring a long winning streak. It does have Quad 1 opportunities left at Saint Mary’s and San Francisco, but neither of those are needle-movers for a team with a mostly empty résumé. Feb. 10 at sixth-ranked Kentucky will be enormous for coach Mark Few’s team and its at-large tournament hopes.
It was an eventful offseason in Chapel Hill, but the North Carolina Tar Heels recovered quite nicely, incorporating a formidable coaching staff and roster in just a few months.
Upon his arrival, head coach Michael Malone was faced with an uphill battle to revamp a roster, but he passed that test with flying colors. North Carolina’s style of play will look vastly different from last season, based on the players it acquired this offseason.
With that in mind, here are predictions for the five most efficient scorers on the Tar Heels’ 2026-27 roster. It is important to note that efficient scoring doesn’t necessarily mean each and every player on this list will also lead the team in scoring.
1. Matt Able
The 6-foot-6, 211-pound forward shot 41.6 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from three-point range last season at North Carolina State. That efficiency is a high baseline, as Able will be surrounded by more talent and placed in more advantageous spots in Malone’s system.
At North Carolina, Able could eclipse 40 percent from three-point range and near 50 percent from the field. Able doesn’t require a high volume of shot attempts to produce, which is why he is one of the most exciting players for me to watch next season.
2. Sayon Keita
Again, this doesn’t mean I expect Keita to emerge as one of the leading scorers on the roster. That being said, the former Barcelona center should be operating exclusively near the basket, and the majority of his shot attempts should come from close proximity.
Keita’s offensive production, for the most part, will generate from lobs, put-back dunks, and layups. There will be times Keita will be asked to create his own points in the post, but he will predominantly operate in the paint.
3. Jarin Stevenson
Malone prioritized retaining Stevenson, and the Alabama transfer’s role will expand in 2026. The 6-foot-9, 216-pound forward was an afterthought at the beginning of last season, but in ACC play, Stevenson’s production and efficiency took a major leap.
In the final nine games of the season, with Caleb Wilson out of the lineup, Stevenson averaged 10.4 points and 6.4 rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the field. When Stevenson officially re-signed with North Carolina, Malone stated that he envisions the senior forward fulfilling a role similar to Aaron Gordon when Malone coached in Denver. With a potentially elite backcourt, Stevenson will have ample space to drift into, providing manageable looks at the basket.
4. Terrence Brown
Last season at Utah, the 6-foot-3, 174-pound guard shot 45.3 percent from the field, which is very impressive considering that he was a ball-dominant guard in the Big 12. However, Brown struggled from three-point range, shooting 32.7 percent from beyond the arc.
While I expect that to improve under Malone, Brown still expects to be shooting a handful of low-percentage shots along the perimeter. This is not to say that Brown will struggle; rather, it reflects where his shots will come from on the floor.
5. Neoklis Avdalas
The Virginia Tech transfer possesses a versatile skill set and can play both backcourt positions and on the wing. The 6-foot-9, 216-pound guard is a legitimate point guard option, according to his former coaches, and Malone is obviously aware of that.
Last season, Avdalas shot 38.6 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from three-point range, which was a disappointing output. However, those percentages should improve at North Carolina.
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RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Waste Management is providing up to $18 million in grants to help clean up additional debris from Hurricane Helene in the western region, state officials said Friday.
According to NCDEQ, applications are being accepted for the Debris Recovery & Disposal grant program, which is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the American Relief Act of 2025.
The program provides up to $18 million in grants to local governments, councils of government, and nongovernment organizations, according to NCDEQ.
State officials said applications are being accepted through Sept. 14. The maximum award is $3 million. The grants may be used for up to three years.
Counties, municipalities, councils of government, and nongovernmental organizations in FEMA-declared disaster areas due to Helene are eligible for the grants, according to NCDEQ.
According to NCDEQ, eligible projects include collecting and disposing of non-hazardous debris from private or public properties, clearing and managing debris at streambanks, floodplains, farmland, and local park lands, and removing debris to improve solid waste and recycling infrastructure.
Applications may be emailed to Chris Hollinger with the Division of Waste Management at chris.hollinger@deq.nc.gov.
State officials advise applicants to email or call Hollinger at 919-707-8284 or contact Jason Watkins at jason.watkins@deq.nc.gov or 336-776-9674 to discuss the eligibility of their project before applying.
More information about applying can be found on the NCDEQ website.
North Carolina
‘Infuriating, heartbreaking’: Raccoon recovering after getting caught in leg trap at Mecklenburg County park
The video above is a live stream of WBTV and affiliated programming, and may not be directly related to the article below.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A raccoon is fighting for its life after it got caught in a leg trap at a Mecklenburg County park this week.
North Carolina Wildlife Rehab said a group of children found the raccoon stuck in a leg trap at a Mecklenburg County park on Thursday, June 18, but did not specify which park.
“This is absurd, infuriating, and heartbreaking,” a spokesperson said. “Just think about how many animals may have already been harmed—and how many babies may have been orphaned because of this.”
Raccoon had heat stroke, front legs trapped
Wildlife Rehab said it’s unclear how long the raccoon was trapped, but both of his front legs were caught.
Thankfully, his legs were not broken; however, he suffered heat stroke and had a body temperature of 105.4 degrees.
“Please keep this sweet boy in your thoughts and prayers as he fights to recover,” a spokesperson said.
Multiple traps found on property
The children reportedly found the trap attached to a fence on an adjoining property, and investigators said officers found several more during their search.
“Thankfully, the kids did not attempt to free the raccoon themselves, though that easily could have happened,” a spokesperson said. “Instead, they immediately got their parents, who then contacted Animal Control.”
Officials said the raccoon was the second animal caught in a leg trap, and both incidents occurred at parks in Mecklenburg County.
Wildlife Rehab said the traps are illegal and cited animal cruelty. In North Carolina, however, foothold traps aren’t entirely illegal, but they’re strictly regulated by state law. They can be used in Mecklenburg County if they comply with state guidelines for trap size, jaw type, and proper tagging.
–> Also read: Trio stole donated blankets, beds from Cabarrus County animal shelter, director says
As of this writing, no arrests have been made, and no charges have been filed.
Copyright 2026 WBTV. All rights reserved.
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