For the first time since losing in the ACC Championship Game in March, the Tar Heels will take on Notre Dame.
Head coach Roy Williams said he expects his team to come out with more intensity when they travel to South Bend Saturday.
“Well you know we got our tails beat last game,” he said. “If you don’t step up right now there’s something wrong with you.”
Once again the Tar Heels look to break out of shooting slump that has plagued them for the past five games.
After shooting over 50 percent from the field in the majority of games before this stretch, the Tar Heels have shot under 40 percent in each of the past five games.
Point guard Marcus Paige is just 4-30 from three during this stretch.
Williams said he hasn’t seen anything like this slump since his first year at Kansas in 1988, when current Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Milt Newton had a rough shooting stretch.
“I just know at the end of the year at Oklahoma State, they had not lost a game at home,” Williams said. “we’re down two and we’ve got the basketball and I said ‘let’s take this Milt, knock this sucker in and get the crap out of town.’ We went for three to win the game, he made the three and we got the crap out of town. That’s the only time I can remember something like this.”
Even forward Isaiah Hicks, who leads the team in field goal percentage, is coming off a 2-8 game in which he scored 8 points.
“Everybody would like to make every shot they shoot, but it don’t work like that,” Hicks said. “Even me I missed a lot of layups and stuff. Sometimes it goes in, sometimes it don’t.”
Hicks said the Tar Heels need to be patient and the shots will start falling again.
“We were kind of thinking about it too much,” he said. “Trying to force us to make shots but it doesn’t work like that. It’s going to fall sometime.”
Tip off on Saturday is at 7 p.m. Make sure to tune into WCHL starting at 5:30 for all of your pregame coverage. Joey DeVito 97.9 FM WCHL.
Related Stories
‹

Breaking Down Michael Malone's Challenge to Jarin Stevenson, UNC's Gentle GiantEarlier in the offseason, a fellow reporter and I were discussing Tar Heel senior forward Jarin Stevenson. As the team’s only returning starter and one of the only familiar faces fans can latch on to after an offseason of upheaval, he projects to be a key player for UNC in 2026-27. That prominent role, plus […]

UNC Men's Basketball vs. USC (2026): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off TimeUNC fans will get their first look at head coach Michael Malone’s Tar Heels Friday night when Carolina takes on USC in a preseason exhibition at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro. It’s UNC’s first game of any kind in Greensboro since the 2023 ACC Tournament. If you aren’t making the trip to the game, here’s […]
![]()
The Morning News: Alert Carolina, Armed Robbery Arrest, Seth Jarvis Helping KidsIn today's news: UNC students raise concerns about Alert Carolina, and Chapel Hill police make an arrest in yesterday's armed robbery.

Tar Heel Athletes, Teams Volunteer Around Chapel Hill for Annual Montross Day of ServiceTo honor the birthday of the late Eric Montross, The Rams Club issued a call to action for UNC teams and fans to volunteer.

Are They Eligible? Keeping Up with UNC's Rece Verhoff, Cameron Fens and OthersStudent-athletes across the country are currently embroiled in an eligibility fight against the NCAA. The athletes, who graduated high school in 2022, are seeking a fifth year of eligibility under the NCAA’s new rules. However, the NCAA is countering that the rule only applies to students currently in college from the 2026-27 academic year forward. […]
![]()
The Morning News: CHCCS Bus Issue, Chapel Hill Poet Laureate Search, UNC Men's Basketball ScheduleIn today's news: UNC scholars study the impact of the CHCCS bus snafu on families, and Chapel Hill seeks a new poet laureate.

UNC Men's Basketball Releases 2026-27 ACC ScheduleThe ACC revealed the men’s basketball league schedule for the 2026-27 season Wednesday afternoon. UNC’s league games begin Dec. 30 and end March 6. Mark your calendars 📅 pic.twitter.com/BXaZ7OHdJd — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) September 9, 2026 The Tar Heels will begin conference play by hosting Cal at the Smith Center Wednesday, Dec. 30. Carolina is […]
![]()
The Morning News: Orange County Honors Jamezetta Bedford, Michael Lombardi ResignsIn today's news: Orange County names its new crisis diversion facility after the late County Commissioner Jamezetta Bedford.

Michael Malone Announces Full UNC Men's Basketball Coaching StaffMichael Malone and the UNC men’s basketball program have officially announced the full coaching staff for the 2026-27 season, Malone’s first as head coach of the Tar Heels. Official. pic.twitter.com/KmX5Ct793x — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) September 3, 2026 The staff features three holdovers from former head coach Hubert Davis’ staff: Sean May and Pat Sullivan will […]

'Something Much Bigger than Myself': Highlights from Michael Malone's Sep. 3 Press ConferenceUNC men’s basketball head coach Michael Malone met with the media at the Dean Smith Center Thursday morning. In his comments, Malone addressed eligibility issues around center Cameron Fens, the shifting legal landscape around college sports, his coaching style and more. Read highlights from the press conference, which have been lightly edited for clarity, below: […]
›