CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — RJ Davis scored 26 points and Ian Jackson scored 18 points and North Carolina controlled SMU for an 82-67 win in a contest it never trailed. Reserve Chuck Harris scored 18 points for SMU. 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.… Continue Reading
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Freshman Ian Jackson scored a season-high 26 points, RJ Davis added 23 points, including five 3-pointers, and North Carolina beat Campbell 97-81 in the Tar Heels’ final nonconference game of the season. Elliot Cadeau added 12 points and a career-high 12 assists, Drake Powell also scored 12 points and Jalen Washington added 10 for North Carolina (8-5). Cadeau made a jumper to spark a 15-3 run, Davis followed with a 3-pointer that gave UNC the lead for good with 16:09 left in the first half and Cadeau capped the spurt with a layup that made it 22-12 with 12:41 to go until halftime. Colby Duggan led Campbell (5-8) with a career-high 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, 5 of 9 from 3-point range.… Continue Reading
NEW YORK (AP) — RJ Davis made the tying and go-ahead free throws with 13 seconds left, and North Carolina erased a 16-point deficit for a 76-74 victory over No. 18 UCLA on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden. Davis scored 17 points and gave the Tar Heels (7-5) their first lead since the opening minutes. Ian Jackson scored a career-high 24 points. Seth Trimble added 12 and forced a UCLA turnover that set up the free throws by Davis as North Carolina outscored UCLA 33-15 over the final 12-plus minutes and shot 46.8%. Tyler Bilodeau tied a career high with 26 points but the Bruins (10-2) had a nine-game winning streak stopped.… Continue Reading
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau couldn’t hold back the tears as he walked off the floor at the Spectrum Center following the Tar Heels’ 90-84 loss to No. 7 Florida. The Tar Heels again suffered through a lackluster first half against a big-time opponent, only to awaken in the second half and turn a 17-point deficit into the 4-point lead. But the Tar Heels faltered down the stretch, the victim of poor rebounding and untimely mistakes. One of those belonged to Cadeau, who dribbled the ball off his leg and out of bounds along the baseline with 1:26 left in the game with the score tied at 84. North Carolina wouldn’t score again.… Continue Reading
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Will Richard scored 22 points, Alijah Martin added 19 points and No. 7 Florida held off a furious second half rally by North Carolina to remain unbeaten with a 90-84 victory in the Jumpman Invitational. R.J. Davis had 29 points and eight rebounds for the Tar Heels, who battled back from a 17-point first half deficit to take a 4-point the lead midway through the second half. Florida jumped out to a 35-17 lead after making 6 of 12 3-pointers, while UNC missed its first 11 shots from beyond the arc.… Continue Reading
North Carolina continues one of the most daunting schedules in Division I basketball this week. The Tar Heels face No. 7 Florida in Charlotte in the Jumpman Invitational on Tuesday night, then head to Madison Square Garden on Saturday to face No. 18 UCLA, which is riding an eight-game winning streak. North Carolina already has lost to eighth-ranked Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse, No. 2 Auburn and No. 20 Michigan State in Maui and No. 6 Alabama at home, and earned what has turned out to be a marquee victory over No. 21 Dayton, which just entered the AP poll this week.… Continue Reading
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Backup guard Cade Tyson scored a season-high 23 points and made five 3-pointers in the Tar Heels’ 93-67 victory over La Salle. Tyson shot 9-for-14 overall, including 5 for 10 on 3-pointers. He was averaging 2.7 points through UNC’s first nine games. RJ Davis scored 13 points, Seth Trimble had 10 points, eight rebounds and four assists, and Ven-Allen Lubin had 10 points for North Carolina. The Tar Heels shot 58% in the second half and 54% overall despite unimpressive 3-point shooting — 10 for 31 — and poor free-throw shooting — 11 for 23. Demetrius Lilley scored 16 points for La Salle.… Continue Reading
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Seth Trimble scored 19 points and No. 20 North Carolina held off upset-minded Georgia Tech for a 68-65 victory in the ACC opener for both teams Saturday. Trimble was 5 for 6 from the field and 8 for 9 on free throws for the Tar Heels (5-4, 1-0 ACC). RJ Davis added 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Ian Jackson chipped in 15 points off the bench. Lance Terry scored 22 points for Georgia Tech (4-5, 0-1). Baye Ndongo had 19 points and 12 rebounds. UNC played without graduate transfer Ty Claude, who spent last season at Georgia Tech, because of an injury to his right eye.… Continue Reading
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Mark Sears scored 20 points, Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon each had 15 points and No. 10 Alabama beat No. 20 North Carolina 94-79 on Wednesday night in the ACC-SEC Challenge. Clifford Omoruyi and Derrion Reid each scored 11 points and Grant Nelson had 10 points to help the Crimson Tide (6-2) beat three straight Top 25 opponents for the first time in three seasons. The rematch of Alabama’s Sweet 16 victory last season wasn’t close. Freshman Ian Jackson scored a season-high 23 points, RJ Davis had 18 and Seth Trimble added 12 points for the Tar Heels (4-4). They’ve lost three in a row.… Continue Reading
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Tre Holloman and Xavier Booker combined for eight points in overtime and Michigan State held off No. 12 North Carolina 94-91 for third place in the Maui Invitational. Holloman made his first start of the season and led six scorers in double figures with a career-best 19 points for the Spartans. Jaden Akins and Coen Carr scored 14 points apiece, Jeremy Fears Jr. and Frankie Fidler had 13 each and Booker had 12. Drake Powell scored 18 points and Elliot Cadeau had 17 for the Tar Heels. North Carolina’s Seth Trimble sent the game into overtime with a 3-pointer with 5.2 seconds left in regulation.… Continue Reading