North Carolina's arrival to March Madness First Four delayed by 'travel issues'
Show Caption
Hide Caption
'His best trait is his versatility': Jayhawks' Hunter Dickinson on what makes Cooper Flagg so unique
Kansas Jayhawks' Hunter Dickinson on what makes Duke's Cooper Flagg such a special player.
Sports Seriously
Getting into the 68-team NCAA Tournament field was a long, anxious process for the North Carolina men's basketball team, which had to sweat out Selection Sunday in a way that a program of its pedigree isn't accustomed to doing.
Getting to their first March Madness game has proven to be equally challenging for the Tar Heels.
Coach Hubert Davis' team arrived late in Dayton, Ohio, Monday and missed its scheduled news conference and practice ahead of its First Four game Tuesday night against San Diego State. The NCAA acknowledged the change in plans, which it described in a statement as being related to 'travel issues.'
More: Can your picks survive March Madness? Join our Survivor Pool to find out
Those issues, according to the Raleigh News & Observer, occurred when North Carolina's NCAA-chartered flight arrived late at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. The plane landed in Dayton at 6:29 p.m. ET, about two-and-a-half hours behind its originally-scheduled arrival.
The Tar Heels had been slated to begin their 40-minute practice at 6:35 p.m. ET, but didn't take the floor until 8:11 p.m. ET.
'We just kind of stuck with it,' North Carolina forward Ven-Allen Lubin said, according to Luke DeCock of the News & Observer. 'It was affecting everybody on the team but we stuck together. We just hung out, talked, interacted with each other. We bonded. It wasn't an issue. We're here now.'
After an up-and-down regular season, North Carolina, with a 22-13 record and a 1-12 mark in Quadrant One games, was the last team in the NCAA Tournament field. When coupled with West Virginia's surprising exclusion, the move generated significant backlash and heated chatter, particularly since Tar Heels athletic director Bubba Cunningham was the chair of the tournament selection committee.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
North Carolina braces for dangerous surf from Hurricane Erin
Hurricane Erin is set to threaten large stretches of the US East Coast on Wednesday, bringing storm surges, rip currents, and coastal flooding, forecasters have warned. The Category 2 storm, currently over the Atlantic Ocean, is not expected to make landfall in the US but authorities have cautioned that high waves, flooding and road closures are likely. North Carolina is expected to be one of the worst hit areas, but no-swimming advisories have been issued at beaches as far north as New Jersey and Delaware. Erin has already barrelled through the Caribbean, drenching Puerto Rico, and is packing maximum sustained winds of 105mph (168km/h), said the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). The Outer Banks, a string of barrier islands off North Carolina, are already bracing for heavy surf and high winds. Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein warned people to begin preparing for the storm, which he said would bring life threatening currents. "It's a serious storm," he said. "No one should be in the ocean." Stein said the state had three "swift-water rescue teams" and 200 National Guard troops ready to assist people with boats, aircrafts and other vehicles. Authorities have ordered mandatory evacuations of Hatteras and Ocracoke amid fears that the main highway linking them to other islands could become impassable. Stein urged people to take the orders seriously, telling them to "take action now before it's too late". Meteorologists warn the hurricane is unusually big, with tropical storm winds spanning 230 miles from its core, and is forecast to get even bigger. On Wednesday and Thursday, the NHC said Erin would move between Bermuda and the US East Coast. Officials warned that life-threatening inundation from coastal flooding was possible from Wednesday, with waves up to 15ft (4.6m). Some roadways could be under water for several days. At least 60 people were rescued on Monday from rip currents – which flow away from the shore and can quickly pull people into the ocean - at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
Tom's Guide
2 hours ago
- Tom's Guide
How to watch Celtic vs Kairat on RTE Player — it's *FREE*
You can watch Celtic vs Kairat live on RTE Player, streaming for free today, Wednesday, August 20. The stream includes English commentary, and coverage will begin on the platform from 7:35 p.m. BST / 2:35 p.m. ET. Celtic arrive at this game as big favorites with Kazakhstan's Kairat making the 3,500-mile trip to Scotland. This game isn't one to miss and you can see whether the European minnows can see of Brendan Rodgers' Celtic for free on RTE you access RTE in the U.K., U.S., Australia and Canada? Read on and we'll show you how to watch UCL live streams from anywhere with a VPN for FREE. Soccer fans in Ireland can watch the 2025 UCL qualifier between Celtic and Kairat live for FREE on RTE via the RTE 2 channel. RTE 2 is a free-to-air channel in Ireland, you don't even need an account! Traveling abroad at the moment? Use NordVPN or another VPN service to trick your device into thinking you're still in Ireland. We watched RTE's coverage of the 2025 Champions League and the coverage was superb. Although RTE is only available to Irish residents, those who are from the Ireland but visiting the likes of the U.S., U.K. and Canada can stream it through the use of VPN (Virtual Private Network). The software sets your devices to appear to be back in your home country regardless of where in the world you are. So, it's ideal for sports fans away on vacation or on business. Our favorite is NordVPN. It's the best on the market: NordVPN deal: 3 Months Extra Free Boasting lightning fast speeds, great features, streaming power, and class-leading security, NordVPN is our #1 VPN.✅ 3 months extra FREE!✅ 74% off usual price Use Nord to unblock RTE and watch Celtic vs Kairat live online with our exclusive deal. It is really easy to watch, here's how. Using a VPN is incredibly simple. 1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite. 2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view an Irish service, you'd select Ireland from the list. 3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to RTE Player or another streaming service and watch the action. RTE will be showing full coverage of the action, with kick-off arriving at 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. ET. Commentary will be available in both English and Irish depending on your preference. Remember. Use NordVPN if you're outside Ireland on vacation. We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- NBC Sports
How to watch Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur live: Stream link, TV channel, team news, prediction
Pep Guardiola looks to keep the good times rolling at Manchester City and pour some cold water on Thomas Frank's early Tottenham Hotspur career when two Big Six sides meet at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday. Man City walloped Wolves at the Molineux in Week 1 as Erling Haaland scored a pair of goals and Tijjani Reijnders looked a natural fit for Pep Guardiola's system. WATCH – Manchester City v Tottenham Hotspur Spurs also had a great season-opening result, as Thomas Frank's men clobbered Burnley 3-0 in North London. Frank won at the Etihad Stadium with Brentford in 2022, but his record versus Guardiola isn't spectacular aside from that. Frank's teams are 2W-1D-5L versus City dating back to December 29, 2021, though they've never lost by more than two goals — a decent achievement against the City dynasty. For live updates and highlights throughout Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur, check out PST's live blog coverage below. How to watch Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur live, stream link and start time Kick off time: 7:30am ET Saturday Venue: Etihad Stadium — Manchester TV Channel: Peacock Streaming: Stream live on Peacock Manchester City team news, focus OUT: Mateo Kovacic (calf), Josko Gvardiol (knock), Savinho (undisclosed), Kalvin Phillips (achilles), Marcus Bettinelli (knock) | QUESTIONABLE: Rodri (groin), Phil Foden (ankle), Ederson (illness), Claudio Echeverri (ankle) Tottenham Hotspur team news, focus OUT: Manor Solomon (calf), Bryan Gil (knee), James Maddison (torn ACL - MORE), Dejan Kulusevski (knee), Destiny Udogie (knee), Radu Dragusin (knee), Kota Takai (foot) | QUESTIONABLE: Yves Bissouma (undisclosed) Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur prediction Spurs will get their chances but City are stronger from the start and significantly deeper in terms of game-changing players and ideas. Frank changes the latter quite a bit, but it's too early in the project to expect such a statement result. Man City 2-1 Spurs.
