Come Saturday, UNC will look to do something they haven’t done all season — beat a ranked ACC team.
The Tar Heels take on No. 11 Miami, searching for the win that was so close Wednesday night.
Down one, with only seconds to play, Joel Berry drove to the basket and missed the chance to win the game. It was UNC’s fourth consecutive loss to Duke.
“It’s a wonderful rivalry to be involved in,” head coach Roy Williams said after the game Wednesday. “But I’m tired of being just involved. We need to play better.”
Forward Brice Johnson said it would take some time before he got over the loss to Duke, but time is about to run out as guard Sheldon McClellan come to Chapel Hill.
McClelland is the most efficient offensive player in the country among players used in 20 percent of possessions and will be a handful for a UNC team that had trouble containing Duke’s Grayson Allen and Brandon Ingram on the perimeter.
He is averaging 16.1 points per game, while shooting over 50 percent from the field, nearly 40 percent from three and 87 percent from the free throw line.
“You’ve got to just sit down and guard your man,” Johnson said in the locker room after the Duke game. “They didn’t shoot very well but at the same time whenever they needed a basket they got it. We’ve got to be able to sit down and guard our man and not allow them to do that.”
Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. Saturday. Make sure to tune into WCHL for UNC Health Care’s Countdown to Tipoff at 11:30 for all of your pre-game coverage.
Related Stories
‹

Report: Buffalo Transfer Angelo Brizzi Commits to UNC Men's BasketballAngelo Brizzi, who spent the 2025-26 season with Buffalo, reportedly committed to head coach Michael Malone and UNC out of the transfer portal Wednesday. Inside Carolina first reported the news. UNC will be Brizzi’s fifth school in five years. The guard began his career at Villanova in 2022 – entering college in the same class […]

Freshmen, Transfers and More: Every Newcomer Joining UNC Men's Basketball for the 2026-27 SeasonAs Michael Malone embarks on his first season as the head coach of the UNC men’s basketball program, he’s gotten busy securing the additions of several newcomers to the program. Malone and his staff have mined from traditional high school recruiting and the transfer portal to fill out Carolina’s roster, and that work is continuing […]

Former UNC Player Ed Davis Among Several Indicted in NBA Gambling ScandalEd Davis, who played for the UNC men’s basketball team from 2008 through 2010 and helped the Tar Heels win the 2009 national title, is among six former NBA players who are being charged with conspiracy, bribery and money laundering as the result of a federal investigation. An indictment published Monday by the U.S. Attorney’s […]

Check out the Full Schedule for UNC's ACC Network TakeoverThe ACC Network will air a full day of UNC games from the 2025-26 academic year Wednesday, July 1. It’s part of a series of ACC Network Takeovers, which started June 24 and include all 18 member schools. UNC’s takeover includes wall-to-wall coverage from 12 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. The broadcast day gets underway with […]

Chansky's Notebook: What Happened to Henri?Blame Henri Veesaar's baffling slide in the NBA Draft on the muddled way the league and its agents do business.

UNC Men's Basketball to Face Illinois in Nashville Hoops Showdown in JanuaryUNC is adding another high-level non-conference matchup to its 2026-27 schedule. The Tar Heels will face Illinois in the Nashville Hoops Showdown on Saturday, Jan. 30. The matchup has been confirmed by both programs and by Bridgestone Arena, which will host the game. Tar Heels 🆚 Fighting Illini in Nashville pic.twitter.com/UuhExCctMB — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) […]

UNC's Henri Veesaar Drafted by Los Angeles Clippers, Traded to Atlanta HawksHenri Veesaar is league-bound. The seven-foot center, who spent the 2025-26 season with UNC after committing to the Tar Heels out of the transfer portal, was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the No. 52 overall pick in the NBA Draft, who then traded that pick to the Atlanta Hawks. Veesaar spent the first […]

UNC's Caleb Wilson Selected by Chicago Bulls with No. 4 Overall Pick in 2026 NBA DraftCaleb Wilson is headed to the Windy City. The Chicago Bulls selected the star UNC freshman forward with the No. 4 overall pick in the first round of Tuesday’s NBA Draft. Wilson is the highest-picked Tar Heel in the NBA Draft since Marvin Williams went No. 2 overall to the Atlanta Hawks in 2005. Carolina […]

UNC Men's Basketball to Host Arkansas, Women to Host LSU in 2026 ACC-SEC ChallengeThe matchups have been set for both the UNC men’s and women’s basketball programs in the upcoming ACC-SEC Challenge: the men will host Arkansas on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at the Smith Center, while the women will host LSU on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at Carmichael Arena. ACC/SEC challenge is set 🗓️ pic.twitter.com/AWzBSN1Cbv — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) […]

Greek Prospect Alexandros Samodurov Commits to UNC Men's BasketballAnother international prospect is making his way to Chapel Hill. Alexandros Samodurov, who has played professionally in Greece since 2022, announced his commitment to head coach Michael Malone and UNC Saturday. Samodurov, a 6-foot-11 forward, has played his entire professional career with the Greek club Panathinaikos. The club has seen sustained success during his time […]
›