Woosh . . . now it’s on to Wisconsin.
Great basketball teams can play any style, and the Tar Heels will face that challenge tonight when they try to win the Maui Invitational against Wisconsin. Carolina routed previously unbeaten Oklahoma State Tuesday night 107-75, but they’ll be no scoring 100 points against the rugged Big Ten Badgers.
Oklahoma State spread the court and tried to dribble penetrate, but Roy Williams’ best defensive team in years would have none of it. On offense, the Heels slipped to the basket repeatedly, shot 57 percent for the game and were never threatened after building an early double-digit lead. The Cowboys’ Jawun Evans had another 30-point night but needed 25 shots to get there, while Joel Berry was more efficient, scoring 24 points on only 10 shots and six free throws.
As free-flowing as this game was, with six Tar Heels in double figures and a seventh with nine points, the challenge against Wisconsin will be just the opposite. The Badgers will try to take away Carolina’s running attack and play five-on-five, with center Ethan Happ making it much more difficult for the Heels’ trio of big men, which again dominated the paint with 36 points and 18 rebounds.
But it was the guard play that demonstrated UNC’s versatility, as Berry, Justin Jackson with 22 points, Nate Britt with 13 and Kenny Williams’ nine showing Oklahoma State how to share the ball with 16 assists, 10 by Berry and JJ. The now 6-0 Tar Heels are suddenly being called one of the best teams in the country against a schedule that gets tougher with every game. Wisconsin, which out-rebounded Georgetown 50-21 and held the Hoyas to 38 percent shooting in the other Maui semifinal, will easily be their most difficult test thus far.
ESPN announcers Dan Shulman and Jay Bilas gushed over Carolina’s offensive prowess and especially its defense, which limited Oklahoma State to 27 percent from the floor besides the spectacular Evans. So far the Heels are making a mockery of what was supposed to be a tough tournament field. They get the chance to finish the job tonight at 9:30 pm on ESPN2 and win the Maui title for the third time.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe:
Related Stories
‹

Chansky's Notebook: Snap DecisionsArt Chansky says it may be time for Bill Belichick and UNC to make a change at the quarterback position following Saturday's loss at Clemson.

Chansky's Notebook: Maye's MissionWith an upgraded receiver room and a massive target on his back, Drake Maye is poised for a hugely important 2026 campaign.

Chansky's Notebook: Fool Me Once...Little Kool-Aid will be consumed by Carolina fans before the noon kickoff from Dublin. Fool me once but not again. It is a great trip to Ireland for the Tar Heels fans who bought the plane tickets and hotel rooms to tour the Emerald Isle and see if their team is any better than Bill […]

Chansky's Notebook: Getting Filthy Rich-erThere are seven teams with $40 million plus rosters and five others just behind the tally from college football as the 2026 season begins. The SEC leads payrolls (LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee), with four from the Big Ten (Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and USC), one from the ACC (Miami) and […]

Chansky's Notebook: Power to the People!Wednesday's announcement of a two-year, two-game series between UNC and NC State in Greensboro sent a clear message.

Chansky's Notebook: The Five StagesChapelboro's Michael Koh breaks down the stunning news of Seth Trimble's commitment to Louisville via the transfer portal.

Chansky's Notebook: Carolina ConundrumThere is no question Mike Lombardi will lose his job as football general manager and leave Chapel Hill, writes Art Chansky.

Chansky's Notebook: The One Who Got AwayMack Brown was a very good football coach. His father was a high school coach in Tennessee, and his older brother Watson preceded him into mid-major positions. The peripatetic Brown held nine assistant jobs and one as a head coach in 15 years before he was 35. That included being the athletic director at Tulane […]

Chansky's Notebook: The Cost of BusinessCarolina has released its salary structure for the 2026-27 men’s basketball season, and right now it has to be a game of wait and see. Mike Malone is making $7.5 million in his first college head coaching season and his new top assistant Chuck Martin is making $500,000. Here is where it gets interesting. The […]

Chansky's Notebook: Code of ConductWhen he left Carolina as chancellor in 2024, Kevin Guskiewicz was dogged by policy confrontations with the UNC Board of Trustees. Guskiewicz found himself in the same position after only two years at Michigan State despite strong support from Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Spartans’ Hall of Fame basketball coach Tom Izzo. He visited […]
›