Basketball Season Tips Off, Luka In Limbo, Carolina Crushes 'Cuse, UNC Lands 4-Star LB

Plus: Happy 40th to Tyler Hansbrough, Tar Heels in the NFL, Volleyball's big upset, UNC Basketball 'Watchalongs' with Theo Pinson

Demon June breaks loose vs. Syracuse | Photo: UNC Athletics

It’s another big sports week in UNC athletics. Men’s and women’s basketball tips off Monday with Luka Bogavac’s eligibility still in limbo. Football landed a big-time 4-star linebacker and blasted Syracuse. Psycho-T turns 40, Erin Matson goes 13-0 against Duke, and we may get to attend UNC Basketball watch parties with Theo Pinson. On to the updates…

Football

Carolina Football put together its best performance of the season on Friday night, beating Syracuse, 27-10, at the Carrier JMA Wireless Dome.

Freshman running back Demon June was the story of the night, amassing 182 total yards and two touchdowns. The Tar Heel defense allowed just 147 total yards, but to be fair, Syracuse started a true freshman walk-on at quarterback who was just 4-of-18 for 39 yards. Still, Carolina took care of business and now faces another very winnable game this Saturday as they host Stanford (4:30 p.m. kickoff on the CW).

UNC defensive end Melkart Abou Jaoude, who has racked up 5 sacks in the last two games, was a featured guest on the Carolina Insider podcast last week and spoke about his unique journey from working in a bagel shop to starring for the Tar Heels.

In the NFL, former UNC linebacker Cole Holcomb was selected by his Steelers teammates as the 2025 recipient of the Ed Block Courage Award, following his remarkable comeback from last season’s gruesome knee injury that most felt would be career ending.

And Drake Maye is blossoming into an NFL superstar in his second professional season. The official NFL social media team is already hyping him up as a legitimate MVP candidate alongside some of the biggest names in the league.

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Maye didn’t have his best game on Sunday, completing 19 of 29 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns to go with one interception and a fumble. But the Patriots did enough to beat the Falcons, 24-23.

Former UNC linebacker Cedric Gray also had a big day for the Titans, while wide receiver Josh Downs found the end zone for the Colts.

Here’s the weekly rundown of Tar Heels in the NFL, courtesy of R.L. Bynum at Tar Heel Tribune.

Basketball

UNC Basketball officially tips off the 2025-26 season on Monday night, hosting the Central Arkansas Bears, alma mater of longtime Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls teammate Scotty Pippen. The Bears are coming off a 9-24 (4-14 Atlantic Sun) season, so it should give Hubert Davis a chance to tinker with different lineup combinations and get the younger players some court time.