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
‹
'This is a Horrendous Feeling': UNC Men's Basketball Faces Harsh Reality After ACC Tournament Exit
A locker room inside Charlotte’s Spectrum Center might seem like an odd place to see a fork in the road, but that’s exactly what the Tar Heels found when they trudged back inside following their 80-79 defeat to Clemson in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night. Because now, Carolina can’t afford to play flat-footed basketball […]
Clemson Outlasts UNC Men's Basketball in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals
No. 5 seed Clemson made No. 4 UNC’s stay in Charlotte a short one, beating the Tar Heels 80-79 in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals Thursday night. The Tigers were playing their second game in two days, while the game was Carolina’s first at the tournament. UNC led by six points early at 14-8, but Clemson […]
UNC Men's Basketball in the 2026 ACC Tournament: How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off Times
The 2026 ACC Tournament will take place in Charlotte this week. UNC received a double bye into Thursday’s quarterfinal round as the No. 4 seed in the field. The Tar Heels are seeking their first tournament title since 2016. If you aren’t following the team to Charlotte, here’s how you can follow along at home: […]
Chansky's Notebook: The X-Factor
With no Caleb Wilson for the remainder of the season, it’s up to UNC’s supporting cast to carry the water for the Tar Heels.
Here's the Complete Bracket for the 2026 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2026 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament begins Tuesday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. UNC is the No. 4 seed in the field and is seeking its first tournament title since 2016. Here’s the complete tournament bracket, which will be updated throughout the week:   For ACC Tournament ticket information, click here. Chapelboro.com does not charge […]
Chansky's Notebook: The State of Basketball
As usual, the state of North Carolina will be punching well above its weight in this year's NCAA Tournament.
UNC's Caleb Wilson Named First Team All-ACC, Henri Veesaar Named to Second Team
UNC’s Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar each earned All-ACC honors Monday afternoon. Wilson was named first team All-ACC, while Veesaar received a spot on the second team. Despite playing in just 24 games due to injuries, Wilson still finished as the UNC leader in steals (36), finished second in blocks (33, two behind Veesaar’s 35) […]
UNC Basketball in the AP Poll: Women Up to No. 15, Men Down to No. 19
Both the UNC men’s and women’s basketball teams made moves in the most recent AP Polls, which were released Monday. The women’s team moved up one spot to No. 15, while the men’s team slipped two spots to No. 19. On the men’s side, the Tar Heels dropped after splitting their final two games of […]
Caleb Wilson's Injury Stings for UNC Men's Basketball. Its Lack of Effort vs. Duke Stings Even More.
Whether UNC likes it or not, it will have to navigate the postseason without the services of injured freshman star Caleb Wilson.
No. 1 Duke Pulls Away in 2nd Half, Smothers UNC Men's Basketball in Regular-Season Finale
No. 1 Duke broke open what had been a five-point game at halftime with a smothering defensive performance in the second half, pulling away from UNC for a 76-61 win in the regular-season finale in Durham Saturday night. With Caleb Wilson sidelined after breaking his right thumb in practice during the week, the Carolina offense […]
›