logo
Cold shooting dooms UNC in NCAA Tournament exit vs. Ole Miss

Cold shooting dooms UNC in NCAA Tournament exit vs. Ole Miss

USA Today22-03-2025

Cold shooting dooms UNC in NCAA Tournament exit vs. Ole Miss UNC couldn't overcome an eventual 22-point deficit.
Too many times during their 2024-2025 basketball season, the North Carolina Tar Heels needed late-game comebacks to keep themselves within a fighting chance of victory.
UNC came back from a 20-point deficit against Dayton in the Battle 4 Atlantis, winning 92-90. North Carolina (23-14, 13-7) ACC) nearly shocked Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals, but a missed free throw and lane violation thwarted that comeback attempt.
On Friday, against Ole Miss in their Round of 64 NCAA Tournament matchup, the Tar Heels found themselves in a massive hole once again.
UNC trailed by 18 points at halftime, then later by 22 early in the second half, en route to a 71-64 loss that ended its season. The Rebels' defense forced North Carolina to take shots it didn't want to, while North Carolina's defense couldn't stop a physical Rebels offense.
Tar Heels junior guard Seth Trimble, who recorded nine points, four rebounds and a steal in 27 minutes off the bench, spoke postgame about he and his teammates' slow start.
"We were really lifeless in the first half, Trimble said in a postgame interview transcribed by InsideCarolina. "We had no passion. We had no joy. We looked like the group we were a few months ago."
Head coach Hubert Davis also gave his take on UNC's slow start, pointing to a lack of competitive fight and dealing poorly with Ole Miss' physicality.
"I just know in the first half, we didn't play nearly as well as we needed to play, and what was missing was that competitive fight," Hubert said. "It had nothing to do with Xs and Os. It was just a competitive fight on both ends of the floor, to do the things that we needed to do and needed to execute. And that's why I called an early time-out, to let them know that they were very far from where we needed to be, in order to beat a team like Ole Miss."
North Carolina shot just 38.1 percent (24-of-63) as a team, with an ice-cold 5-of-24 mark from deep. The Tar Heels couldn't break the Rebels' physicality and defense early, which later cost them and ended their season.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Arizona baseball vs. North Carolina in NCAA Tournament: Super Regional Game 3 time, streaming info, odds and more
Arizona baseball vs. North Carolina in NCAA Tournament: Super Regional Game 3 time, streaming info, odds and more

Yahoo

time40 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Arizona baseball vs. North Carolina in NCAA Tournament: Super Regional Game 3 time, streaming info, odds and more

It's Game Day! On the road to Omaha! The Arizona Wildcats (43-19) are one win away from the College World Series, but to get there it has to beat the North Carolina Tar Heels (46-14) in Game 3 of the NCAA Baseball Tournament's Super Regionals. Advertisement Here's all the info you need to watch, listen to or follow the game online: Arizona-North Carolina game time, details: Date: Sunday, June 8, 2025 Time: 9 a.m. PT Location: Boshamer Stadium; Chapel Hill, N.C. Line: According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Arizona is a 3.5-run underdog, with a +230 moneyline, and the over/under is 14. The Wildcats have a 30.8 percent chance to win, per College Baseball Insiders. How can I watch Arizona-North Carolina? Arizona-North Carolina will be shown on ESPN2. Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Jensen Lewis (analyst) will be calling the game. How can I stream Arizona-North Carolina online? The stream of Arizona-North Carolina can be viewed at How can I listen to Arizona-North Carolina on the radio? You can listen to Arizona-North Carolina on Wildcats Sports Radio 1290 AM. How can I follow Arizona-North Carolina? By following us on Twitter (X) at @AZDesertSwarm and our editor Brian Pedersen (@realBJP) or the team account (@ArizonaBaseball). Arizona-North Carolina pregame coverage: SB Nation Reacts: Arizona baseball fans hopeful for a deep NCAA Tournament run NCAA Baseball Tournament: What Chip Hale, Tony Pluta and Tommy Splaine said after Arizona's Super Regional win at North Carolina NCAA Baseball Tournament: Arizona rallies multiple times to beat North Carolina, force 3rd game in Super Regionals Advertisement More from

Rory McIlroy squeaks into PGA weekend after driver reportedly ruled non-conforming
Rory McIlroy squeaks into PGA weekend after driver reportedly ruled non-conforming

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Rory McIlroy squeaks into PGA weekend after driver reportedly ruled non-conforming

CHARLOTTE – Rory McIlroy's driver was reportedly ruled non-conforming on Tuesday at the PGA Championship, and he was forced to play a backup, which could explain his struggles off the tee at Quail Hollow Club. The U.S. Golf Association administers the driver testing for this championship, and the results are confidential, but SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio reported McIlroy's TaylorMade Qi10 driver exceeded the limits for spring-like effect. Advertisement In a statement Saturday from PGA of America chief championships officer Kerry Haigh, the association confirmed that the USGA was 'invited' to test drivers this week and that it's consistent with similar programs on the PGA Tour and at other majors. 'The standard process is for about a third of the field to be randomly tested under the program. That was the case at Quail Hollow this week,' Haigh said. 'Finding driver heads that have crept over the line of conformance is not an unusual occurrence, especially for clubs that are hit thousands of times over a long period of time. The results are kept confidential to protect players, who are unaware the club has fallen out of conformance and not responsible for it falling out of conformance other than hitting the club thousands of times. 'Players are simply asked to change heads if necessary, and all do without issue. To publicly identify players whose club did not conform can lead to that player being questioned unnecessarily. Neither the USGA nor the PGA of America have any concerns about player intent.' The PGA Tour began testing drivers in 2019 to combat normal wear and tear, which pushes drivers passed the limit for spring-like effect. A player who uses a non-conforming driver in tournament play would be disqualified. Advertisement McIlroy has struggled off the tee this week, hitting just 10 of 28 fairways and ranking 35th in strokes gained off the tee. He made the cut on the number at 1 over following a second-round 69. It's unclear if the driver that was deemed non-conforming was the same McIlroy used to win last month's Masters. He declined to speak with the media following his round. Article updated with PGA of America statement May 17 at 2:39 p.m. EDT.

Kade Anderson's dominant outing carries LSU in 4-1 win over Arkansas at the College World Series

time3 hours ago

Kade Anderson's dominant outing carries LSU in 4-1 win over Arkansas at the College World Series

OMAHA, Neb. -- Kade Anderson limited Arkansas' high-powered offense to three hits and a run in seven-plus innings, LSU knocked Razorbacks ace Zach Root out of the game early, and the Tigers beat the rival Razorbacks 4-1 in the College World Series on Saturday night. Anderson, a projected top-five overall pick in the MLB amateur draft next month, kept Arkansas batters off-balance with his four-pitch mix and struck out seven to become the national leader with 170. 'Outstanding performance, one we've been accustomed to on opening night of every weekend,' LSU coach Jay Johnson said. 'He got stronger as the game went along, and he executed pitches at a high level, which you have to do against that offense. Offensively, we did just enough.' LSU (49-15), which won the SEC regular-season series against the Razorbacks in Baton Rouge last month, improved to 4-0 in all-time CWS meetings. The Tigers will play UCLA on Monday night as they continue their bid to win a second national title in three years. Arkansas (48-14), in its 12th CWS and looking for its first championship, meets Murray State in an elimination game Monday. 'Obviously, we need to move on from this one and get over it and not think too far down the road,' Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. 'We have to take care of business Monday because if we don't, there's no Tuesday. You can't get all uptight about it. These guys have come back and won games. They've done some great things this year.' The matchup between the No. 3 national seed Razorbacks and No. 6 Tigers marked the first time since the NCAA Tournament went to its current format in 1999 that the highest remaining seeds have met in their CWS opener. The Tigers were up 3-0 in the second inning after Root (8-6) issued two walks and allowed a bunt single to Daniel Dickinson to load the bases. Chris Stanfield singled in a run and another was forced in when Root plunked Michael Braswell III in the foot. The third came home when Josh Pearson grounded to short and beat the relay throw to first on the double-play attempt. That was all for Root, whose 1 2/3 innings marked his shortest start of the season. 'When you're facing that caliber of arms, you aren't going to get a ton (of runs) maybe like you would playing in SEC ballparks where home runs are a real thing with every pitch of the game,' Johnson said. 'We did an excellent job setting the table. I've coached enough games here to know getting the lead is really important.' Van Horn said it was a hard decision to take out Root. 'The game was about to get out of hand,' Van Horn said. 'Yeah, it's early. The wind was blowing in. Scoring a lot of runs against Anderson, to me, was something that wasn't going to happen. I hated to do it, but I felt like it was the right decision and I'll stand by it.' Gabe Gaeckle, who moved to the bullpen after making nine starts, kept his team in the game. He allowed just three hits, and his 10 strikeouts and six innings were career highs. Gaeckle left with two outs and a runner on second in the eighth. Cole Gibler came on and Derek Curiel sent his 0-2 pitch to left for an insurance run. Anderson (11-1) held the Razorbacks scoreless until the sixth when Reese Robinett connected for his third homer of the season. 'Real cool moment,' Anderson said of his night. 'Just taking it all in. That's why you come here. Really proud of our team. Doesn't matter the stat line. We won the game and that's all I really care about.' The left-hander from tiny Madisonville, Louisiana, went seven innings for the third straight start and departed after Cam Kozeal singled leading off the eighth. Chase Shores retired three straight and turned things over to freshman Casan Evans in the ninth. Evans worked around Charles Davalan's leadoff single to finish off the Razorbacks. The full house of more than 25,000 was evenly split between the fan bases. Well before first pitch, Arkansas fans countered passionate 'L-S-U' chants by raising their arms and doing the Hog call: 'Wooooooooo. Pig. Sooie!' Influencer and former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne was in the front row in a half-LSU, half-Pittsburgh Pirates No. 30 jersey with the name of her boyfriend, Paul Skenes, on the back. Skenes pitched on LSU's 2023 title team before he made his fast rise in the majors.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store