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
‹
Kelly's Career Night Leads UNC Women's Basketball Past MiamiJunior guard Reniya Kelly scored a career-high 24 points to help UNC overcome a halftime deficit and beat visiting Miami 73-62 at Carmichael Arena Thursday night. CROWN HER 👑 A career-high 24 points for Reniya! pic.twitter.com/8ryipYktI7 — Carolina Women's Basketball (@uncwbb) January 16, 2026 Kelly’s outburst came after the junior from Alabama hadn’t reached double […]
UNC Men's Basketball at Cal (2026): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off TimeUNC will wrap up its west coast swing Saturday when it visits Cal in Berkeley. It will be only the second time the Tar Heels have visited the Bears’ Haas Pavilion. If you aren’t out in California with the team, here’s how you can follow along at home: Broadcast Schedule Those hoping to listen on […]
Chansky's Notebook: Unlikely LosingWith the ACC much stronger than last season, close games and losing is inevitable, but not the way UNC has been doing it.
UNC Men's Basketball Collapses Late in Loss at StanfordStanford finished the game on an 11-3 run to overcome a late deficit and stun UNC 95-90 at Maples Pavilion Wednesday night. UNC had led for almost the entire game thanks to strong efforts from Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, who both finished the night with 26 points. But they were outgunned by sensational Stanford […]
Chansky's Notebook: On the CoastArt Chansky discusses the changing nature of college basketball as both UNC and Duke begin west coast swings in California tonight.
'The Basket's Still the Same Height': Hubert Davis Downplays Effects of UNC's California TripThe UNC men’s basketball game at Stanford Wednesday night will set a record for the longest distance traveled by the Tar Heels to play an Atlantic Coast Conference contest. From the Dean Smith Center to the Cardinal’s Maples Pavilion, the team’s journey will take it 2,788 miles from sea to shining sea. That seemingly unbreakable […]
UNC Men's Basketball at Stanford (2026): How to Watch, Cord-Cutting Options and Tip-Off TimeUNC begins a west coast swing late Wednesday night when it visits Stanford in Palo Alto, CA. It’s just the third time ever the Tar Heels have visited the Cardinal’s Maples Pavilion, and their first time doing so as an ACC foe. If you aren’t making the cross-country trek with the team, here’s how you […]
UNC Women's Basketball Falters in 2nd Half in Blowout Loss at Notre DameNotre Dame outscored UNC 40-23 in the second half to blow open a close game in South Bend Sunday afternoon and beat the Tar Heels 73-50. It’s Carolina’s second straight loss and its largest margin of defeat since the end of the 2023-24 season. UNC had hung tough for much of the first half, trailing […]
'It's More Than Just Wins': Tar Heels Speak on Dean Smith Center After Arena's 500th VictoryWhile UNC fans may not care to remember all of the Tar Heels’ 87-84 win against Wake Forest Saturday night – particularly the part where the Demon Deacons nearly erased a 15-point deficit in the second half – the game was historic for one reason: it was the 500th Carolina victory at the Dean Smith […]
UNC Men's Basketball Survives Late Rally, Beats Wake Forest for 500th Smith Center WinUNC nearly let a 15-point second-half lead slip away but held on by the skin of its teeth to defeat Wake Forest 87-84 at the Smith Center Saturday night. It’s the 500th win for the program at the Smith Center. HEELS WIN.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/ZjnOFvqowg — Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) January 11, 2026 UNC began the […]
›
