UNC basketball

Roy Williams may not be coaching anymore, but he will always be one of the biggest UNC basketball supporters. See his reaction to the UCLA win here.

There was never a doubt that Roy Williams would always be a part of the UNC basketball program. Williams was excited to see the Tar Heels take home the victory, as it will mark the program’s first Elite Eight appearance since 2017. During his first year of retirement, Williams has continued to be an active supporter of the program.

After the UNC basketball program's Sweet 16 victory, Brady Manek and the walk-ons had some fun performing some classic rock on TikTok.

After Manek’s ejection against Baylor, the senior transfer knew that he cost his teammates some laps in practice. This is not the only March Madness TikToks that Manek has put together. Brady Manek and some of his UNC basketball teammates are having fun courtesy of TikTok, as they performed some classic rock music in the senior’s latest post.

UNC basketball's Brady Manek has become the talk of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. An inadvertent (or totally on purpose, depending on your ...

Staying out of foul trouble will be essential for both Manek and UNC. Manek will likely match up with Jaquez, the Bruins’ second-leading scorer. UNC faces No. 4 seed UCLA in the Sweet 16. Manek started all 31 games he played in and averaged 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds, knocking down 38.0% of his six three-point attempts per night. RJ Davis had a game-high 30 points for Carolina in the win over the Bears. Had Manek stayed in the game, he would have surely eclipsed that total. He had 21 points and seven rebounds in an ACC Tournament win over Virginia and had 28 points and 11 boards in the NCAA Tournament opener against Marquette.

UNC and Duke are the closest they've ever been to meeting in the NCAA Tournament, but coach Hubert Davis is using the Bible to help keep his team focused on ...

This is the seventh time the Blue Devils and Tar Heels have been two wins away from meeting. This is the 10th year they’ve been placed on the same side of the bracket, allowing for a clash on Final Four Saturday, in the national semifinals. In addition to playing a home and home series every ACC season, Carolina and Duke have met a total of 25 times in the postseason.

PHILADELPHIA --- North Carolina is one win away from the 2022 Final Four. After defeating UCLA 73-66 on Friday night, the Tar Heels will take on NCAA ...

For Carolina, it's been a different hero in every game to get to this point. Brady Manek scored 28 points in the first-round blowout of Marquette. R.J. Davis had 30 points in the wild overtime win over Baylor. And on Friday it was Caleb Love who dropped 30 points, 27 in the second half, to push the Tar Heels past UCLA. PHILADELPHIA --- North Carolina is one win away from the 2022 Final Four. After defeating UCLA 73-66 on Friday night, the Tar Heels will take on NCAA Tournament Sweetheart Saint Peter's on Sunday at 5:05 pm (CBS) in the Elite 8.

A five-star UNC basketball recruit was in attendance for the Tar Heels' thrilling victory over the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet 16.

Wilcher will have that opportunity, too, but he’ll have to wait until the fall of 2023 as he’s still just finishing his junior year at Roselle Catholic. Now, the consensus five-star prospect will have an opportunity to see them take their successful season one step further when they face off with the 15th-seeded Saint Peter’s Peacocks for the right to play in the Final Four. It was fitting that Wilcher, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound guard, got to watch a current UNC guard, Caleb Love, go off for his career-best 30-point game, which featured a dazzling 27-point second-half performance that carried the Tar Heels to the finish line.

A No. 15 seed making history, Coach K looking as magical as ever, a potential rematch with UNC and more give us an Elite Eight no one expected.

But the Tar Heels certainly earned their place in gutting out a physical, overtime victory over No. 1 Baylor, then outplaying an experienced UCLA team Friday. They’ve lost three times since Jan. 24 and found a way to make the inevitable chaos work for them. And of course, the Tar Heels now draw Saint Peter’s, which could deprive the public of that fated matchup, but also build on one of the greatest Cinderella runs ever. After the Tar Heels memorably spoiled Coach K’s final game at Cameron Indoor (and then bowed out too early for a rematch in the ACC tournament), it’s hard to imagine a more seismic story than that. In Mike Krzyzewski’s final year as coach of the Blue Devils and Hubert Davis’s first helming Carolina, we’re pretty damn close to that happening: one more win for each, and that particular game will take place. As you may have heard, the Peacocks of Saint Peter’s, the No. 15 seed in the East region, have stolen just about all the thunder there was for the taking in a men’s tourney that, after three rounds has seen three No. 1 seeds bow out, many of its biggest stars erased, and chaos erupt across the bracket, all while the winningest college coach of all time has staved off defeat in the face of retirement. Objectively, we know Houston can beat Villanova, and Villanova can beat Houston. Jay Wright and Kelvin Sampson are two of the best. Saint Peter’s improbably toppled heavily favored Purdue on a Friday night that also saw a No. 8 seed (North Carolina) and a No. 10 seed (Miami) advance to the regional finals. Throw the seeds out and enjoy that one. No. 4 Arkansas and No. 5 Houston, physical teams led by experienced head coaches, took down the tourney’s top two seeds (respectively, Gonzaga and Arizona) on their way here. Miami was a true wild card, escaping USC in the first round, knocking off Auburn in the second, then drawing a fellow low seed in Iowa State, which it handled with poise. He was a fisherman, and the patron saint of various nautical craftsmen: shipbuilders, fishermen and netmakers. For those among us not particularly well-educated on their patron saints, let this author present some hastily-researched fun facts about Saint Peter. He is recognized as the traditional first pope of the Roman Catholic church.

The Gamecocks lost in astonishing fashion to Missouri back in late December and to Kentucky in the SEC Tournament championship game. That's a short list of ...

The Tar Heels, 25-6, have won nine of their last 11 games including a pair of decisive victories over Stephen F. Austin and Arizona in the NCAA Tournament’s first and second rounds. They’ll have to bring their A-game to Greensboro Coliseum if they want to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2014, as South Carolina has lost just two games this season. That’s a short list of blemishes for a team that finished the regular season with a No. 1-ranking and ambitions of winning a national title.

Follow along as The Sporting News is tracking live updates and scores from the Sweet 16 matchup between 8-seed UNC and 4-seed UCLA.

UNC and UCLA have met a total of 13 times over the programs' storied histories, first matching up in the 1968 NCAA Tournament national championship game. UCLA misses on the other end before the teams trade 3s from Caleb Love and Johnny Juzang, respectively. 11:17 p.m.: UCLA's Jaylen Clark and UNC's Love trade 3s. He sinks both free throws to close the gap again (UCLA leads 60-58). UNC ball with 2:30 left in the game. 11:44 p.m.: Love misses his first 3 attempt but an incredible effort by Bacot to keep the ball inbounds gives him another shot. The Bruins have only 15.5 seconds to mount a comeback, down possessions. 11:51 p.m.: Jaquez gets one last look at a 3 but has it bounce off the back of the rim. 11:52 p.m.: Officials put 0.4 seconds back on the clock for a ticky-tack foul. But the Bruins were outrebounded 43-34 in the game — despite having higher field goal and 3-point shooting percentages than UNC (45.2 to 40.9 and 35.7 to 32.3, respectively). Bacot got a tip-in bucket to extend the lead to 69-64 with 22 seconds remaining, essentially ending the game then and there. His play was the catalyst for the victory, but perhaps the most impactful play of the game was an unbelievable effort by Armando Bacot to keep the ball inbounds and set up a Love go-ahead 3 with 1:06 remaining.

Courtney Banghart's UNC women's basketball team lost an NCAA tournament Sweet 16 game to Dawn Staley South Carolina basketball team Friday night in ...

In the league’s annual preseason polls, North Carolina was picked to finish seventh in the ACC by both the head coaches and the media. In all, South Carolina outscored North Carolina 17-8 in the second quarter, and took an eight-point lead into halftime. In addition to all the expected returners, UNC will also add a pair of former ESPN Top 20 recruits — Teonni Key and Kayla McPherson — who redshirted this season to rehab injuries. The Heels will also add incoming freshman Paulina Paris, a guard tabbed as the 27th-best recruit in the nation by ESPN. UNC missed its first six shots from the floor in the second quarter and finished it shooting just 1 of 9 for an 11.1% clip. When that started happening, the Heels had to adjust, which gave South Carolina largely free reign on the offensive glass. The Tar Heels led by a point after ending the first quarter on a 6-1 run. That was largely the difference of the game. Especially since South Carolina made less than 23% of its shots from behind the arc in its pair of wins last weekend. The plan didn’t really work though, because South Carolina made more of those open 3-pointers than the Heels expected. When she got the ball in the paint, UNC collapsed on her. Kelly drove to the basket, pulled up from mid-range, shook off defenders with her silky handles, and defended hard.

Brady Manek is on a scoring tear as UNC meets UCLA in the Sweet 16. He had to watch the Tar Heels' overtime escape of Baylor from the locker room.

North Carolina is 1-1 against UCLA in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA won 78-55 behind 34 points from Lew Alcindor to claim the 1968 NCAA title. North Carolina survived Baylor 93-86 in overtime and as the victorious Tar Heels bounced into the locker room, they greeted the emotional Manek with hugs. “It was all over the place,” Manek said. “It was unbelievable,” he said this week. A lot of really good energy in the locker room, and just a really good group of guys.” Manek was ejected with 10:08 remaining in regulation against Baylor, for what was ruled a flagrant elbow to the head of Baylor forward Jeremy Sochan while boxing out for a rebound. Near-constant replays on the feed, cued up for the fans attending the game in the arena, continually interrupted what Manek and Hoots watched. Series: North Carolina leads 10-3 and has won the last five meetings. It was stressful all the way around.” This is a new experience for me, and I’m just going to enjoy it.” He needs 11 points to reach 2,000 points across his five-year college career, and has unlocked a level of March Madness he never had experienced in three previous trips at Oklahoma. “He’s been on fire.”

PHILADELPHIA --- Armando Bacot came back for these moments. To beat Duke inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. To win a game in the NCAA Tournament.

I want you to get to the Final Four. I want you to get to the final game. The experience I wanted to be a part of." "I definitely do feel like now they have their own stories, their own testimonies, their own memories of being in big-time moments and coming up big in big-time games. "This is the North Carolina experience I came to the school to have. I feel like it's been a great experience and been good for us all just to be a part of it." To beat Duke inside Cameron Indoor Stadium. To win a game in the NCAA Tournament. To advance to the Sweet 16.

SportsLine's model revealed its college basketball picks for UCLA vs. North Carolina in the Sweet 16 of March Madness 2022.

Before making any North Carolina vs. UCLA? And which side of the spread hits over 50 percent of the time? North Carolina odds. Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out. The Bruins are facing an inexperienced North Carolina team that is No. 220 nationally in that category. The model also says one side of the spread hits in over 50 percent of simulations. The Bruins are one of the best defensive teams in the country, which will be the deciding factor on Friday night. SportsLine's model is leaning over on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 145 points. North Carolina also ranks in the top 10 of the country in free throw rate allowed, effectively keeping the opposition away from the charity stripe. The Tar Heels also win on the margins with an above-average assist rate and a low turnover rate of 16.7 percent. UCLA and revealed its coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2022. No. 8 seed North Carolina will try to pull off its second consecutive upset when it faces No. 4 seed UCLA on Friday night.

Love scored 30 points in the win as the No. 8 seed Tar Heels move on to face Saint Peter's on Sunday.

#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/sQtjQVQ8pr March 26, 2022 Saint Peter's in the Elite Eight in my bracket." It could potentially be what stands between a Final Four matchup between Duke and North Carolina, which has never happened before in the NCAA Tournament. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/224Oj5kgEO March 26, 2022 "We have peace and confidence to be able to close out games because we've done that before," said Davis of UNC's strong second half. The not-so-secret sauce behind UCLA's Final Four run a season ago was its ability, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Johnny Juzang, to generate offense with two of the best shot-creating wings in college hoops. Baylor in the second round. In March, it has come alive and emerged as a real contender with perhaps two of the most impressive wins this tournament -- first over No. 1 seed Baylor in the second round and now with a Sweet 16 win over UCLA -- which was a Final Four team last year -- on Friday. "At the end of the day, you just need guys to step up. He scored 20 of his team's 27 points over the final 12:53 of regulation and keyed a 12-2 run to the finish line for the Tar Heels that brought it home. North Carolina players not named Brady Manek could not buy a basket in the first half of Friday's Sweet 16 game vs. The spiritual is about team spirit, the team comes first."

The UNC basketball program has a date with the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet 16 and a former Tar Heel has us even more hyped for the game than we already were.

Are they destined for a trip to the Final Four in New Orleans? With each victory, they get one step closer. The Tar Heels earned their place in the NCAA Tournament and the opportunity to advance to the Elite Eight with a win over the Bruins on Friday night. Do the Tar Heels have more left in them this month?

Two of the most historic college basketball powerhouses are facing off in the East Regional Semifinals in Philadelphia.

Juzang came right back and hit a 3, though, putting the Bruins back on top. Juzang missed another jumper, but Bernard got the offensive board and flipped it back up and in. Bernard knocked down a corner 3-pointer, only for Caleb Love to come back and hit an open look from deep on the other end. Jaquez stole the ball at midcourt, tipped it to himself and got free on the fast break. 12:00 a.m.: Love just would not cool down, and the Bruins did not have an answer. But just as it seemed like UCLA could vault back ahead, Manek slashed to the lane going for a rebound and threw down a putback slam that made it 26-24. North Carolina got a midrange jumper to fall, though, and made it 22-16 before a foul sent the teams into another media timeout. Whether it's layups or 3s, North Carolina has counted on him to hit everything, and he pretty much has. The two sides have combined for 17 national titles, one of which the Bruins won over the Tar Heels back in 1968. Jaquez was a full participant in pregame warmups, hitting corner 3-pointers and taking off for multiple dunks. The Peacocks, who were playing on National Peacock Day, have become the highest-seeded team ever to make the Elite Eight. Johnson had a block, Watson pulled down some big boards and Clark battled for loose balls.

Isaac Schade presents Quick Hitters from North Carolina's 73-66 win over UCLA in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.

Next up is the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament against St. Peter's on Sunday, March 27. You know the TV executives are hoping with everything for that to become a reality. - Shout out to the women’s basketball team. - I don’t want to be guilty of projecting into the future, BUT if Duke wins on Saturday and North Carolina wins on Sunday, the teams will play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. They did, however, make the necessary plays to stop themselves from losing touch with UCLA. Carolina stayed connected enough (three point halftime deficit) to be able to turn things around in the second half. - The first half was mostly devoid of whistles. - After a hard fought, closer-than-the-final-score-indicates type game, North Carolina beats UCLA for the sixth time in a row and has now knocked out half of the 2021 Final Four participants in back-to-back games. It’s his 28th this season, which ties him with Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe for most in the country, and the 46th of his career. To answer my question, both players had taken and made a three-pointer within the first 90 seconds. How about this sequence from the big man that occurred from 2:12-0:15 of the second half: Block on Jaquez, HUGE save on the baseline back out to Love for a game-tying three-pointer, assist to Love for go-ahead three, monster defensive rebound on Jaquez miss, offensive rebound and tip-in for five-point lead with 15 seconds left. His six threes tie the mark for most made by a Tar Heel in a single NCAA Tournament game, which has now happened four times. The game featured eight ties and 14 lead changes.

The Tar Heels are one of eight teams remaining after a 73-66 win over UCLA. 2. Love, who wasn't good at all in the first half, was simply sensational in the ...

Next on that list is Tim Duncan. Bacot finished with his 28th double-double of the season, putting up 14 points to go with 15 rebounds. At that point, Manek hadn't made a shot in the half, was largely down on himself, and Carolina was down by two. . Johnson was credited with two rebounds but was actually responsible for another offensive rebound that he saved under the Tar Heel basket. Until the possession with under a minute to go, the Tar Heels had taken 14 of their last 15 shots from three-point range and ten in a row. Carolina also ran a play for Manek out of a timeout with just over three minutes left. 2. Love, who wasn't good at all in the first half, was simply sensational in the second half.