Unfriendly foes are singing a swoon song for UNC Athletics.

Carolina has arguably one of the best athletic programs in all of collegiate sports, a regular high-finisher in the annual Learfield Directors Cup.

The Tar Heels have long been representative in football and a powerhouse in basketball. But their highest regard comes mostly from dominating Olympic sports with more ACC and national championships than any other ACC school. Not even close.

But these things tend to go in cycles and right now critics are claiming UNC is on a downward trend.

For example, field hockey won three straight NCAA titles, and that couldn’t possibly go on forever. It didn’t as those Tar Heels won another ACC tournament but dropped their first NCAA game.

While women and men’s soccer continue to be national contenders, both also had ignominious ousters from the 2021 NCAA tournaments, the women losing at home to unranked South Carolina and the men dropping their second-round game at New Hampshire.

Football did not come close to meeting its preseason expectations and ended the regular season with a shocking loss at NC State after apparently having the game won.

Men’s basketball is coached by a non-Hall of Famer for only the second time since 1952. The team is not necessarily in a rebuilding mode, but is still trying to blend a new roster together after six games.

This, of course, is only the fall and early winter sports report.

Lesser marquee teams like cross-country, fencing, swimming and volleyball (which capped its regular season with a five-set win at Duke) are doing well. And the conclusion of the winter sport seasons (incuding a 6-0 start for women’s basketball) and the spring, with perennial powers in lacrosse, may turn the tide back in UNC’s usual direction.

Carolina has had head coaches well into their senior years, three currently who are Hall of Famers with national championships. Someday they will all be succeeded by younger coaches with steep climbs to match the results of their legendary predecessors.

Time will tell if this is merely a temporary swoon or a more accurate indication of what lies ahead.

 

Photo via ACC Media.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Related Stories
‹
UNC and Football Communities Share Tributes in Tylee Craft's Memory After His Death
Hundreds of UNC and football community members shared posts on social media honoring Tylee Craft after his death was announced on Saturday.
ACC Unveils New Football Schedules Through 2030; UNC Making 1st Trip West in 2025
The ACC has announced its new football schedule – including new conference entrants Cal, Stanford and SMU – for the 2024 through 2030 seasons. Though the league will expand to 17 teams next season, all conference members still play only eight ACC games each year. UNC’s first trip out west will be in 2025, when […]
On Air Today: The Athletic's Brendan Marks on ACC Realignment Talks
As ACC discussions of adding Stanford, Cal, and Southern Methodist reportedly ramp back up, The Athletic's Brendan Marks joins 97.9 The Hill.
Art’s Angle: Painful End
CHARLOTTE — Well, they came to see a freshman quarterback. And when the blue wave washed out of Bank of America Stadium after three quarters, you knew it wasn’t the best freshman in the ACC who had been on display. The few orange-clad fans who also left early weren’t exactly whooping it up – more […]
Glenn's Notebook: Party Like It's 2016!
When the Atlantic Coast Conference places five teams in the men’s basketball Top 25, it’s expected. Heck, in some years, it’s even viewed as a disappointment. The ACC putting five teams in the football Top 25 is much less common, and when two of those teams are ranked in the national top 10, the league […]
Art’s Angle: Heels Have ‘A Chance’
Three take-aways from Carolina’s pleasing 41-10 win over Virginia Tech. The Hokies (along with Commonwealth cousin Virginia) may be the worst team in the ACC, a shadow of what they used to be. The ACC Coastal Division and the mythical “State Championship” are still out there for the Tar Heels to win. Drake Maye has […]
UNC Football Picked 3rd in Coastal Division in ACC Preseason Poll
The ACC football preseason polls are out, and in the last season of divisional play in the conference, Coastal Chaos continues to do its thing. Carolina was picked third in the Coastal Division, behind first-place Miami and second-place Pittsburgh, the reigning conference champions. But there wasn’t quite a consensus as to a Coastal champion, as […]
Chansky's Notebook: No Divisions Daunting
The ACC is spoiling Mack Brown’s plan to be conference champion. When Brown returned to Carolina for his second stint, he was asked about the Tar Heels’ realistic chances to win their first ACC championship since 1980. He smiled and said, with divisional play, he liked their chances better than when he was here from […]
ACC Eliminating Divisions, Adopting New Scheduling Model Beginning in 2023
The ACC is shaking up its football schedules. The conference officially announced it would eliminate the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions and move to a 3-5-5 scheduling model beginning in 2023. Under this model, each ACC team plays three conference opponents every year and rotates between the the remaining 10 teams, playing five each year for […]
Chansky's Notebook: Song Of Success
Unfriendly foes are singing a swoon song for UNC Athletics. Carolina has arguably one of the best athletic programs in all of collegiate sports, a regular high-finisher in the annual Learfield Directors Cup. The Tar Heels have long been representative in football and a powerhouse in basketball. But their highest regard comes mostly from dominating […]
›