Latest news with #JalenWashington
USA Today
08-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UNC basketball 2024-25 player review: Jalen Washington
UNC basketball 2024-25 player review: Jalen Washington Jalen Washington started nearly half of his games at UNC during the 2024-2025 college basketball season. The 2024-25 UNC basketball season is in the books, and with that, it's time for our player season reviews for the campaign. We're continuing our review with Jalen Washington, the center who never lived up to his hype as Armando Bacot's replacement. Washington was a solid backup who enjoyed big moments, most notably his double-double and game-ending block against NC State, but Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin took Washington's starting spot after strong late-season play. Ironically, Washington is now on Vanderbilt a season after Lubin's arrival. With North Carolina landing a transfer portal commitment from 7-foot Arizona center Henri Veesaar, Washington no longer had a path to starting minutes. Though he started just under half the Tar Heels' games this year, Washington is a starting-caliber center. I really wanted to see Washington play more, but Hubert Davis' decision to insert Lubin into the starting lineup was a no-brainer. I'm glad Washington stuck with UNC for three seasons, but I can't blame him for wanting to pursue opportunities elsewhere. It'll be interesting to see how Washington fares against tougher competition in the SEC. 2024-25 stats: 5.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 0.5 assists per game, 59.4 percent field goal shooting in 36 games (16 starts) Season in Review It only took three games for North Carolina to see how special of a player Washington can be, as he scored a career-high 18 points in a 107-55 blowout against fellow NCAA Tournament team American. Washington followed that game up with a pair of solid performances in Maui: eight points and five rebounds against Hawai'i, then nine points five rebounds and two blocks against Dayton. Upon the Tar Heels' return from the islands, Washington's production and minutes dipped. Washington also scored in double-digits against Campbell, Boston College and Florida State, plus poured in an 8-point, 8-rebound outing against Ole Miss in the NCAA Tournament. Washington is a good player, but he never put up the kind of consistent numbers fans expected and hoped for. What's next? Washington will play his fourth and final season of college basketball in Music City, joining a Vanderbilt Commodores team that just snapped an 7-year NCAA Tournament drought, under first-year head coach Mark Byington. Not only will Washington likely get a clear-cut starting spot, but he'll also join forces with former UNC teammate Tyler Nickel. Both Washington and Nickel entered Chapel Hill in the same recruiting class, so they are familiar with each other's game and can showcase strong chemistry. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions
USA Today
02-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
UNC hosting 7-foot transfer portal center for April 2 visit
UNC hosting 7-foot transfer portal center for April 2 visit UNC shouldn't let this 7-foot center leave Chapel Hill without a commitment. Even with a late-season burst from Ven-Allen Lubin, the North Carolina Tar Heels have a massive need they need to address at center for their 2025-2026 season. Outside of Lubin, center production was sparse. Jalen Washington enjoyed a few solid games here and there, but nothing fans want to see from a second-string center. I actually really liked what I saw from Ty Claude in limited minutes, but he's more of a power forward at 6'7". James Brown rarely played, despite the incoming hype about his commitment. Sunshine may very well be on the horizon for UNC, though, which is hosting a transfer portal center from a storied basketball program, that made the Sweet 16 in March. According to InsideCarolina, Arizona Wildcats center Henri Veesaar, a 7-footer who experienced a massive increase in playing time from his freshman season, is expected to visit North Carolina on Wednesday, April 2. We're writing this story on April 1 and – no – this is not an April Fool's Joke. The Tar Heels are actually hosting an uber-tall center for a visit. "We've got to get bigger," UNC head coach Hubert Davis said on his radio show earlier this week. "We just do. From A to Z, we just do. And we talked about the physicality of Ole Miss (in the NCAA Tournament) and their positional size was bigger than us. And pretty much that's the way we were the whole season. So that's one of the things that we're definitely going to address is, we've got to get bigger. In terms of that physicality, you have to have a presence, you have to be bigger. And that's what we're addressing." Thought Veesaar only started five of Arizona's 37 games and averaged just under 21 minutes per game, he set career highs with 9.4 points and five rebounds per content. Veesaar helped the Wildcats nearly knock off Duke in a 100-93 loss during the Sweet 16 – scoring 13 points (7-of-8 on free throws), pulling down six rebounds and blocking one shot. Claude, Jae'Lyn Withers and Jalen Washington are all gone, so a Veesaar commitment is greatly needed. We don't want to see North Carolina strike out this year, like how it did in the 2024 offseason. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UNC basketball loses center to transfer portal
North Carolina's 2025-26 basketball roster will look different next season. After a disappointing end to the past season, the Tar Heels needed to revamp the roster, and after meetings with players this week, we now know the fate of a few players. On Tuesday, it was Elliot Cadeau who entered the transfer portal and then a few minutes later, center Jalen Washington did the same. The former four-star recruit leaves North Carolina and will now find a new home in the portal. Washington's decision comes as UNC players are having exit meetings with coaches. And more news could be coming in the next few days. NEW: North Carolina forward Jalen Washington has entered the NCAA transfer portal, @PeteNakos_ averaged 5.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this — Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal_) March 25, 2025 The center began his career as a backup to Armando Bacot and showed promise in his first year. But after the next two seasons went on, Washington didn't develop into the big man that UNC had hoped for. This year, his minutes decreased as the Tar Heels' used Ven-Allen Lubin as the center and often went with a smaller lineup at times. Washington averaged 5.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game this season for the Tar Heels. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions. This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball loses Jalen Washington to transfer portal
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UNC basketball muscles through Virginia for third straight win
North Carolina took the court on Saturday facing another 'can't lose' game in terms of their NCAA Tournament chances. With a Virginia team that has hovered around .500 in the ACC all season long, this was a game the Tar Heels needed to take care of business. And they did just that. The Tar Heels jumped out to a huge, early lead, going up 21-4 in the first couple minutes of the game and really never looked back in the 81-66 win over Virginia. They led the entire way for the third-straight game, something they haven't done much of this season. As a team, they shot 48% from the field, 56% from the three-point line, and 81% from the free-throw line in one of the most complete games this team has put together this season. While UNC jumped out to that lead, there was a sequence in which Virginia was able to get back into it. Virginia crawled back into the game after a flagrant foul was called on Jalen Washington and then a technical on Jae'Lyn Withers a few minutes later. Both were questionable calls. They ended up going into the halftime break with a 46-34 lead. This game was different than most of North Carolina's game this season in that their front court provided huge sparks throughout the game. Withers led the team with 16 points and 11 rebounds in his second straight start. He also shot 5-for-8 from the field and 4-for-6 from the three-point line. Ven-Allen Lubin had 14 points and six rebounds, while Jalen Washington and Cade Tyson combined for five points. "Hello young fella!" 🗣️ @powellxdrake — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) February 22, 2025 Meanwhile, the two freshmen combined for 27 points as Ian Jackson shot 3-for-3 from behind the arc and 5-for-7 from the field. The team's leading scorer RJ Davis also chipped in his 12 points with three rebounds and two assists. The team will have a quick turnaround as they take on Florida State at the Tucker Center in Tallahassee, Florida, on Monday, February 24th, with only four games remaining in the 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. This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball powers past Virginia in another double-digit win
USA Today
19-02-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Betting predictions, odds, and picks for UNC basketball vs NC State
Betting predictions, odds, and picks for UNC basketball vs NC State NC State will travel to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Wednesday night for an ACC battle with the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Dean E. Smith Center. The Tar Heels come into this game with a 15-11 overall record and an 8-6 record against teams in the ACC. They bring momentum into this contest after taking down Syracuse 88-82 on the road, snapping a four-game road losing streak, dating back to the last time these two teams met. The Wolf Pack has the exact opposite record of UNC with a 10-15 overall record, but they have dropped all the way to just 3-11 against teams in the ACC, picking up their third conference win over the weekend, beating Boston College by eight points, snapping a nine-game losing streak. The last time these two teams took the court together was at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh. The Tar Heels came away with a 63-61 win after a game-sealing bucket and block from Jalen Washington, who ended that game with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Ian Jackson also had 21 points in the win. Let's take a look at the betting odds and our predictions for this round two matchup. North Carolina vs NC State game odds: All College Basketball Odds via BetMGM: Point Spread: North Carolina -11.5 Money line: North Carolina -600, NC State +425 Over-under: 146.5 total points North Carolina vs NC State injury updates: North Carolina, no injuries to report NC State, Mike James (G) - out indefinitely (knee) North Carolina vs NC State prediction, pick North Carolina is still in must-win situations for the rest of the year, regardless of how bad the team is. With a NET ranking of 124, NC State has dropped to a Quad 3 game for the Tar Heels. Currently, they are 4-0 against teams with a Quad 3 ranking. However, with teams like this, who are 3-11 in ACC play, it will take more than another two-point win to prove to the committee that they deserve a chance at the NCAA Tournament. They need to win this game by double-digits. It should be an easy task to jump out to that lead; they did the same thing against Syracuse. However, keeping that lead has been their problem. They let Syracuse jump back into the game late, and if they are not careful, the same thing will happen today. I'm taking the UNC -11.5 with the over 146.5 total points. Prediction: North Carolina 83, NC State 69 North Carolina vs NC State channel, start time, streaming: The North Carolina vs NC State game starts at 7:00 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN. Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
