“Late Night With Roy” Gets Basketball Season Underway

Basketball season officially began in Chapel Hill on Friday night, as UNC hosted its annual “Late Night With Roy” event.

Hosted by TNT’s Kenny Smith, a Tar Heel and a two-time NBA champion, the event showcased the dancing and singing skills of the nation’s preseason No. 1 team, and even featured a little bit of basketball.

The annual Blue-White scrimmage, the grand finale, saw the White team pull out a 41-32 victory behind 14 points from junior forward Isaiah Hicks. Senior Brice Johnson led the Blue squad with eight points of his own.

Head Coach Roy Williams wore a crowd-pleasing pink blazer and watched the night unfold from his familiar seat on the bench. Despite offseason knee surgery Williams even busted out his own moves, albeit just for a second.

A special tribute to UNC alum and former ESPN anchor Stuart Scott brought a strong emotional moment to what was otherwise a light-hearted affair.

Sydni and Taelor Scott accept the Tar Heel Trailblazer award. (UNC Athletics)

Scott’s daughters, Taelor and Sydni Scott, accepted a Tar Heel Trailblazer award in their father’s name from UNC Chancellor Carol Folt at center court. That followed a moving story from Sage Steele, a colleague of Scott’s at ESPN who fondly recalled the one time she got to host SportsCenter with him.

During that episode, which she said was back in 2007, Scott began by saying, “Welcome to SportsCenter, along with ‘S-Squared’, I’m ‘S-Squared.'”

In honor of that moment, Steele was presented with her very own UNC basketball jersey with “S-Squared” on the back.

Ten times in previous years Scott was the host of “Late Night With Roy.” Smith last hosted the event in 2005, which he pointed out by telling the crowd the last time he hosted the Tar Heels won the national championship. He said he came back to do it again this year because, “Coach called.”

The basketball itself was just a 20-minute scrimmage with a running clock. The White team featured a starting lineup with the night’s leading scorer, Hicks, along with Marcus Paige, Justin Jackson, Nate Britt, and Joel James. The Blue team consisted of Johnson, Kennedy Meeks, Joel Berry, Theo Pinson, and freshman Kenny Williams.

Perhaps tired from of a night consisting of numerous dance routines of all different styles, defense was not too much of a focus in the scrimmage.

It was a night for the fans. And there were plenty of them packing the Smith Center, each ecstatic that the long wait is over.

Basketball is back.

See more photos from Late Night With Roy.

‹

Same Sad Refrain: No PJ, No McDonald as Heels Face Holy Cross

Head Coach Roy Williams says the team is doing its best to just move on and handle the situation in the best way possible.

Tar Heels Crush Crusaders 112-34 In Final Tune-Up

With a balanced offensive approach and a staunch defensive effort, the UNC men's basketball team blasted Belmont Abbey 112-34 in a Friday night exhibition game at Dean E. Smith Center.

Jackson, Tar Heels Get Final Smith Center Tune-Up

The No. 6 North Carolina men’s basketball team will conduct its final preseason tune-up Friday night at 7:30 pm in the Smith Center when the Tar Heels welcome Belmont Abbey Crusaders to Chapel Hill for an exhibition contest.

Tar Heels Maul Oklahoma State, Earn Spot in Maui Championship

In perhaps its most impressive performance of this young season, the No. 4 UNC men’s basketball team toyed with the Oklahoma State Cowboys Tuesday night on the way to a 107-75 blowout victory—earning a berth in the Maui Invitational Championship Game as a result. At the rate the Tar Heels have put up points during […]

One on One: Taking a Knee and Remembering Dean Smith and Charlie Scott

Do you grit your teeth when an athlete or performer takes a knee during the National Anthem before a game begins? We have mixed feelings, don’t we? Like UNC-Chapel Hill basketball coach Roy Williams, who was angry when he first heard about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s pre-game protests of police violence against black […]

He's Back: Paige Scores 20, Leads Tar Heels Past No. 2 Maryland

In front of an electric, packed house at the Dean Smith Center on Tuesday night, senior point guard Marcus Paige returned to the UNC starting lineup and scored 20 points to help lead his No. 9 ranked Tar Heels past the No. 2 Maryland Terrapins 89-81. Now a member of the Big Ten, Maryland made […]

Tar Heels Get Back on Track, Defeat Northwestern 80-69

An upset loss at Northern Iowa on Saturday caused the UNC men’s basketball team to slip from first to ninth in the AP Top 25, but the Tar Heels recovered nicely on Monday—defeating the Northwestern Wildcats 80-69 in the semifinals of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic played in Kansas City. UNC improves its record […]

Big Men Dominate as No. 1 UNC Pulls Away From Wofford Late

Last Sunday’s sluggish performance against Fairfield left UNC head men’s basketball coach Roy Williams wanting to see his team’s effort level finally match its talent level. After a 78-58 victory over the Wofford Terriers in the Dean Dome on Wednesday night, Williams was much happier with what he saw from his No. 1 ranked Tar […]

No. 1 Tar Heels Roll Past Guilford In Exhibition

No Marcus Paige, no Justin Jackson, no problem for the nation’s number one men’s basketball team on Friday night. The Tar Heels handily defeated the Guilford Quakers 99-49 at the Dean Smith Center, in their only preseason exhibition game before next Friday’s regular season opener. “I feel pretty good to play, do some nice things, without […]

"Late Night With Roy" Gets Basketball Season Underway

Basketball season officially began in Chapel Hill on Friday night, as UNC hosted its annual “Late Night With Roy” event. Hosted by TNT’s Kenny Smith, a Tar Heel and a two-time NBA champion, the event showcased the dancing and singing skills of the nation’s preseason No. 1 team, and even featured a little bit of […]

›