North Carolina
Pitt vs North Carolina Takeaways: Five Years in, Jeff Capel’s Rebuild Bears Fruit
PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers wanted to mount a livid comeback and defend their lead right down to the very closing seconds, however pulled out their first win over a ranked opponent in two years by outlasting No. 25 North Carolina at house to maneuver right into a share for first place within the ACC with Miami.
It wasn’t fairly for the entire recreation, however Pitt does not depend model factors and the power on the Pete was in contrast to something that is been felt over the previous seven years. This program is 3-0 in ACC play and has introduced itself as a critical NCAA Event contender for the primary time since Jamie Dixon was the top coach.
Jamarius BurtHim
Pitt wanted each little bit of Jamarius Burton’s career-high-shattering 31 factors. He stored the offense afloat when made buckets from the surface had been onerous to return by. Burton’s recreation is straightforward nevertheless it was lethal in opposition to the Tar Heels. He did not make a 3-pointer however made 14 of 16 pictures from two-point vary and added six rebounds for good measure.
North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis put it succinctly: “Nobody on our staff may guard him.”
Burton was hitting his signature mid-range pictures but additionally bullied his method in for layups and was inventive as soon as Carolina grew to become sensible to his scoring. Pump fakes had been employed successfully to seek out his method across the changes his defenders made. Essentially the most senior member of this Pitt staff – the one who has seen this staff hit devastatingly low factors – was at his greatest when the staff wanted his greatest probably the most and now he can get pleasure from his place on the middle of this system’s peak.
Hinson Comes Up Clutch
For all that Burton did to maintain the Panthers afloat, he scored his thirty first and closing level with 2:55 to play within the recreation. His staff led by three at that time, however Carolina tied the sport up lower than a minute later. Whereas he wasn’t capable of finding the underside of the web throughout the closing jiffy, Pitt’s greatest participant survived the worst first half of his season up to now to assist ship a win.
Blake Hinson, who’s led the Panthers in scoring this season, scored seven of his 16 factors within the closing two minutes. His second 3-pointer – made with 1:28 left within the recreation – gave the Panthers’ the separation essential to survive a dicey closing 5 seconds by which they practically gave the sport away and his protection in crunch time was essential to defending the dwindling lead.
It takes some excessive confidence to maintain one’s head within the recreation throughout a poor taking pictures efficiency however Hinson did simply that. He contributed in a number of methods – utilizing his measurement to double-team Armando Bacot and power turnovers from traps, rebounding properly after which making clutch pictures down the stretch.
Pitt Wins Ugly however Seems to be Good
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Coming into this recreation, the components for Pitt to win appeared clear – hit some 3-pointers in opposition to a staff that struggles to defend them, include Armando Bacot as greatest you’ll be able to and power another person to beat you.
The Panthers did nearly none of that however received anyway. Bacot’s 22 factors and 13 rebounds got here in a dropping effort as Pitt tied a season-low in 3-point makes and shot 20% from distance however made 24 of 38 makes an attempt from contained in the arc. They leaned on excellent protection for your complete recreation as properly, with their particular person defending and communication taking a giant step ahead in opposition to a staff with immense expertise.
It is onerous to understate the sort of momentum the Panthers have after topping a ranked opponent for the primary time in 695 days. No. 13 Virginia, Clemson and a highway journey to No. 15 Duke make up the following 4 video games on Pitt’s schedule and they’re hitting the hardest a part of their schedule on the proper time.
They’re tied with Miami for the perfect document within the ACC – simply barely after practically squandering a seven-point lead within 10 seconds – however they’ve however hit the height of the Jeff Capel period in Pittsburgh after beating UNC. This staff has lived as much as the very best expectations Pitt followers may have had earlier than the yr started and have validated the boldness they’ve in each other. That is the fruit that Capel’s rebuild was imagined to yield and it is higher late than by no means.
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North Carolina
As energy needs grow, North Carolina faces solar roadblocks
North Carolina’s solar energy landscape is at a crossroads as the state works to meet its ambitious climate goals.
Under House Bill 951, passed in 2021, North Carolina is required to cut carbon emissions in the energy sector by 70% from 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. However, meeting these targets is proving difficult as energy demand surges.
Jeff Hughes, a commissioner with the North Carolina Utilities Commission, says that it’s challenging to maintain grid reliability while pursuing aggressive decarbonization goals.
“If we have two gigawatts of load coming in the next three or four years, it’s going to be very difficult to model our way, to solarize our way out of it,” Hughes said, pointing to the growing demand from industries like AI-driven data centers.
Duke Energy, the state’s largest utility, has said fossil fuels are essential to ensuring reliable power amid increasing demand. Critics argue that the company’s reliance on natural gas and coal could derail progress toward cutting emissions.
North Carolina has long been a leader in solar energy, initially driven by smaller, five-megawatt projects. Today, the focus has shifted to larger installations, which are more efficient but face growing local opposition.
Carson Hart, CEO of Carolina Solar Energy, said scaling up has been key to increasing clean energy capacity. “Moving to these bigger projects has been really beneficial for getting more megawatts in the ground and meeting the state’s climate goals,” Hart said. But she noted that large projects often draw pushback from residents concerned about aesthetics and land use.
Rural areas are at the heart of the state’s solar boom, hosting about 80% of large-scale projects. Reginald Bynum Jr., director of community outreach at the Center for Energy Education, said rural North Carolina plays a critical role in meeting the state’s clean energy goals.
“My job is to make sure rural communities don’t miss the movement,” Bynum said. “These projects bring jobs, economic growth, and opportunities to areas that desperately need them.”
The economic impact of solar energy is substantial. In counties with significant solar development, property tax revenues have increased by as much as 1,600%, according to the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association. These funds have supported schools, infrastructure, and emergency services in areas facing population declines and economic challenges.
The state’s clean energy sector also supports more than 110,000 full-time jobs, according to a report from e2, with many more expected as solar development continues.
Hughes said the state’s carbon plan, which is updated every two years, will play a key role in charting a path forward.
“There’s a lot of check and adjust that will occur over the next few years,” he said.
As North Carolina advances its solar energy ambitions, balancing the needs of developers, communities, and environmental goals will be essential to achieving a sustainable and reliable energy future.
North Carolina
3 men charged in connection with woman’s death at Cook Out restaurant in North Carolina
Two men have been charged with murder in the death of 29-year-old Davicia Jean Ann Lee at a Cook Out restaurant in Durham, North Carolina, last month. A third is facing a weapons charge.
Two men have been charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a woman at the fast-food restaurant Cook Out in North Carolina.
Twenty-three-year-old Alexander Kenyon Carlton Jr. and 19-year-old Calvin Jerade Spence Jr. have been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 29-year-old Davicia Jean Ann Lee late last month in Durham, the Durham County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release on Friday.
A third man, 18-year-old Jamari Treyvon McKnight, is charged with one count of going armed to the terror of the people, which basically means terrorizing someone with a weapon like a gun.
USA TODAY could not immediately find attorneys representing the three men.
The shooting occurred just after 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 26 at the Cook Out on South Miami Boulevard, according to the sheriff’s office. When deputies arrived at the scene, they found Lee dead.
The sheriff’s office called the shooting “an isolated incident” that happened after shots broke out following a fight, WNCN-TV reported.
Arrests made in fatal shooting of Davicia Jean Ann Lee
Detectives arrested Spence and Carlton on Thursday and took them to the Durham County Detention Center without bond on charges of carrying a concealed gun, felony conspiracy, going armed to the terror of the people and first-degree murder, the sheriff’s office said.
McKnight was also taken into custody and arrested Thursday night on misdemeanor going armed to the terror of the people, according to the sheriff’s office. The Morrisville police arrested him and he is currently being held in the Wake County Detention Center until his first court appearance, the agency added.
The investigation into Lee’s homicide is ongoing, while all findings are now in the process of being turned over to the Durham County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution, according to the sheriff’s office.
North Carolina
USC Trojans Predicted to Flip Recruits from Utah, North Carolina Before Signing Day
The USC Trojans are in pursuit of flipping two class of 2025 recruits, Nela Tupou and Alex Payne. Can the Trojans flip one or both of these players before national signing day?
Nela Tupou Player Profile
Nela Tupou is a 6-4, 220 pound tight end/defensive end out of Folsom, California. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the 43rd-best ATH in the class of 2025 per 247Sports.
Tupou committed to the Utah Utes in February of 2024, but he just recently visited USC last weekend for the Trojans’ 28-20 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
On3 is now predicting that Tupou will likely flip this commitment from Utah to USC.
Alex Payne Player Profile
Alex Payne is a 6-5, 265 pound offensive tackle out of Gainesville, Florida. He is rated as four-star recruit and ranked as the 16th-best offensive tackle in the class of 2025.
Payne committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels in January of 2024, but he as well as Tupou, visited USC last weekend.
In 247Sports recruiting analyst Tom Loy’s updated crystal ball prediction, he had Payne flipping his commitment from North Carolina to USC. Loy has a good track record of predicting where recruits will end up as his all-time hit rate for predicting recruits’ final destinations is 81.64 percent.
USC Bolstering Up Offensive Line to Go Along With Weapons
One of the glaring holes for the USC Trojans this season has been the offensive line. For USC to bounce back next season, they will have to get much better in the trenches. This has been exposed in their first season in the Big Ten. Landing Tupou, who can both be a factor in the run blocking scheme as a blocker, and Payne, one of the top tackle prospects in the country, would go a long way for next season and the future of the program.
Barring a flurry of transfer portal decisions, the Trojans will have an abundance of skill position talent coming back next season.
Freshman running back Quinten Joyner has been the second best back this season behind senior running back Woody marks.
Four of the Trojans five leading receivers are sophomores. Makai Lemon, Zachariah Branch, Ja’Kobi Lane, and Duce Robinson all have shown flashes of potentially being a number one wide receiver next season.
Add in the Trojans starting sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava and they have one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten. If USC continues to address the offensive line in the last days of the 2025 recruiting cycle and in the transfer portal this offseason, the Trojans could be a dangerous team next season.
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