College basketball finally tips off this week and there are a couple of changes to know for this season. For the past three years, UNC has had a 2-digit number in the loss category. This is Miami’s third straight road game against a ranked opponent and fourth in six games overall.
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Among the accomplishments: A ninth consecutive win -the longest win streak in a single season since 1914. Looking at the pieces that return, it’s not hard to see why. A layup by Justin Jackson – after a Kennedy Meeks steal – prompted a Fairfield timeout as UNC’s lead climbed to 16 with about 8½ minutes to play.
The Tar Heels are living up to their No. 1 ranking early in the season. Compare that figure with other top-five teams like Kentucky and Duke. You could also make the argument that all four of those players returning have legit National Basketball Association potential. Yeah, UNC is pretty stacked. Meeks and Johnson (16 points, 10 rebounds on Friday) patrolled the paint, while guards Berry, Nate Britt and Theo Pinson combined to shoot 7-of-9 from behind the arc.
Sure North Carolina would need to lose one more time and UM would still need to run the table for the the Coastal title to shift places, but the feeling around both teams’ seasons would alter drastically.
“I have confidence in the role they played a year ago, and now we’re going to ask them to play a different role”, Williams said.
Sophomore guard Joel Berry says that’s part of the team’s overall strategy, and is something that will likely carry over into Sunday’s game with the Stags-another team likely to concede a significant size advantage. Miami’s offense didn’t help, committing three turnovers, but the the Hurricanes’ sloppy defense allowed 7.2 yards per play.
The Tar Heels had a number of commitments in the 2016 class on hand, along with almost two-dozen targets in 2017 and beyond. Of course, the matchup with #3 Maryland on December 1 is a huge game. North Carolina are 3-8-1 ATS in their last 12 home games and are 11-29 ATS in their last 39 Sunday games. The game did tighten down the stretch, but UNC ultimately won by a final score of 26-19. With a 6-4 mark that includes a 3-2 record in the conference, things have not gone according to plan for Al Golden’s bunch. So, they should handle their business in that respect, as well as rolling through teams like Clemson, Wake Forest and Pittsburgh. The Tar Heels also totaled 17 assists. Another goal by the Terriers about a minute later forced Shelton to put her starters back in the game.
“This was a history week because they are now one of only two teams in 125 years of football at the University of North Carolina which has won seven games on this field”, Fedora said.
“I’m kind of at a loss of words for it”, senior offensive lineman Landon Turner said when reminded of what UNC had accomplished on many levels Saturday.
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“It’s one of the biggest opportunities we’ve had since we’ve been here”, senior safety Deon Bush said. Iowa State is coming in with a strong team and they finished second with Oklahoma with 12-6 records in the conference.
