CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — RJ Davis scored 26 points and Ian Jackson scored 18 points and North Carolina controlled SMU for an 82-67 win on Tuesday night in a contest it never trailed.
Drake Powell scored 17 points for the Tar Heels who finished shooting 47.4% (27 for 57) to 33.3% (23 for 69) for SMU. The Tar Heels (10-6, 3-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) now have won six of their last eight games following a three-game losing streak with two of those opponents then ranked in the top 10.
Reserve Chuck Harris scored 18 points, B.J. Edwards scored 15 points and Matt Cross 13 for SMU (11-4, 2-2). The Mustangs also dropped their matchup against ACC power Duke on Saturday.
While SMU missed opportunity vs. Duke, a few moments hinted at Mustangs’ promising future
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Elliot Cadeau started the game for North Carolina with a 3-pointer and followed with a layup. Boopie Miller’s jump shot a little more than four minutes in knotted the score at 6-all. Powell countered with a jump shot, Davis made 1 of 2 free throws, Powell and Davis followed with 3s and the margin was 15-6.
Powell made a 3 with 11:08 before halftime to give North Carolina its first double-digit lead at 23-13. Ven-Allen Lubin’s tip-in gave the Tar Heels a 30-19 advantage and they led by double digits the rest of the way. North Carolina led 39-24 at halftime. North Carolina reached its first 20-point lead at 55-35 on a pair of Ian Jackson foul shots with 13:39 left.
SMU hosts Georgia Tech Saturday. North Carolina heads to N.C. State on Saturday.
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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
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Michigan State’s Ade Willie celebrates after breaking up a Youngstown State pass during the first quarter on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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.
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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
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Oct 25, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels defensive lineman Isaiah Johnson (94) sacks Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Chandler Morris (4) in the second quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
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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.
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Coleman Bryson, Safety
Oct 25, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels defensive back Coleman Bryson (16) and linebacker Mikai Gbayor (4) react in the fourth quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
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.
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.
After a faceoff win by Henry Metz, Brendan Millon finds Truitt Sunderland to give the Hoos a 3-0 lead. Timeout North Carolina.
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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
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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.
