Historic Triple-Double, UNC Basketball Heads To Kentucky, Football Falls In Raleigh
Plus: Transfer portal season, football recruiting updates, Women's Basketball dominates in Cancun, Volleyball going dancing
Indya Nivar recorded the second triple-double in UNC Women’s Basketball history with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 10(!) steals, Bill Belichick’s first season at UNC goes out with a whimper as transfer portal season begins, Carolina Basketball heads to Kentucky, and Volleyball is going dancing. On to the updates…
🏈 Football
North Carolina football players not named Jordan Shipp (8 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD) didn’t put up much of a fight in Raleigh, falling 42-19 to NC State in the Tar Heels’ final game of the year. Just a sophomore, Shipp has emerged as one of the Tar Heels’ vocal leaders this season and announced his intentions to remain at UNC to help turn things around while pointing out “things that need to change:”
“There’s a couple of things that need to change. Probably the biggest thing we just need to start playing with more heart, more effort on every play. Just selling out every play, not taking plays off.”
It’s now transfer portal season as we wait to see how many players want out of Chapel Hill. The portal officially opens Jan. 2 and will remain open through Jan. 16.
Chris Culliver, who began the season as a starter after a few breakout moments last season as a wide receiver and kick returner, is the first familiar name to announce his departure this offseason.
Wide receiver Jason Robinson also declared his intentions to transfer. Robinson spent one season at UNC after transferring from Washington but did not record any stats this season.
🏀 Basketball
No. 16 UNC fell to Michigan State 74-58 on Thanksgiving Day at the Fort Myers Tip-Off. The Tar Heels shot just 4-for-23 from 3-point range, and Henri Veesaar got in early foul trouble which exposed the Tar Heels’ need for more depth at the center position.
Looking at the +/- numbers from the box score, the Tar Heels were outscored by just 2 points during Veesaar’s 28 minutes on the court but lost the game by 16, showing just how valuable Veesaar is to this team.
Despite the disappointing result, FOX Sports executives have to be happy, as it was the most-watched college basketball game in history on that network.
The No. 16 Tar Heels visit No. 19 Kentucky on Tuesday night (9:30, ESPN) in another huge opportunity for a major non-conference victory that could help tremendously come Selection Sunday.
🏈 Football Recruiting
On the football recruiting trail, “flip season” continues for Bill Belichick and staff as the Tar Heels secured the commitment of former Penn State kicker commit Adam McCann-Gibbs, a native of Northern Ireland who will be playing just an hour or so from home when UNC opens the 2026 season against TCU in Dublin, Ireland.
And as one UNC Football recruit commits, another has decided to look elsewhere. Three-star offensive lineman Eli Rickell announced he is decommitting and re-opening his recruitment.
Under the Friday Night Lights, Don Callahan at Inside Carolina compiled this week’s recruit rundown. Among the highlights…
Defensive back Julian Burns intercepted a pass and made six tackles in a 42-0 playoff win.
Wide receiver Keeyun Chapman caught five passes for 133 yards in a 42-23 playoff victory.
Defensive back Jamarrion Gordon made nine tackles, including two for a loss.
🏀 Women’s Basketball
On Thanksgiving Day, No. 12 UNC Women’s Basketball gave thanks to Indya Nivar, who recorded the second triple-double in program history with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 10(!) steals as the Tar Heels cruised to an 83-48 win over South Dakota State.
On Friday, Carolina took care of Kansas State. Per R.L. Bynum at Tar Heel Tribune, UNC tied the program single-game record with 14 3-pointers and beat Kansas State 85-73 for its fifth straight win. Lanie Grant scored a season-high 14 points and a career-high four 3-pointers, and the Tar Heels got 14 points from Indya Nivar, Nyla Harris, and Nyla Brooks.
The Tar Heels finished off their time in Mexico with their third straight victory in the Cancun Challenge with an 80-63 victory over Columbia. Lanie Grant (19 points) and Ciera Toomey (18) continued their sophomore breakout seasons in leading UNC to victory.
Nivar and Grant were named to the All-Tournament team, while Nivar was named MVP of the event.
🏅 Olympic Sports
No. 15 UNC Volleyball fell to No. 14 Miami, 3-2, on Senior Day in Chapel Hill on Saturday, but the Tar Heels are going dancing after receiving their second straight NCAA Tournament bid on Sunday night.
Head coach Mike Schall threw a watch party at his house, where the team watched the Tournament selection show. The Tar Heels will head to Madison, Wis., to face UTEP on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET.
🎂 This Week’s Tar Heel Birthdays
Happy birthday shoutouts to…
Nate Hobgood-Chittick, 4-year NFL Defensive Lineman, Super Bowl XXXIV Champion: Nov. 30 (1974-2017)
Cartwright Carmichael, UNC Basketball (1st UNC All-American in any sport), Baseball, Football: Dec. 5 (1902-1960)
Thomas Smith, 9-year NFL Cornerback: Dec. 5 (54)
Bill Currie, UNC basketball and football radio voice (1962-1971); Nicknamed “Mouth of the South”: Dec. 6 (1924-2008)
John Swofford, UNC Quarterback and Defensive Back, UNC Athletic Director, ACC Commissioner: Dec. 6 (76)
📰 Tar Heel Tidbits
Here’s a great story about how Nate Hobgood-Chittick, mentioned in the Birthdays section above, helped his former UNC roommate (and future 6x NFL Pro-Bowl center) Jeff Saturday get an NFL tryout after going undrafted.
Hobgood-Chittick brought Jeff Saturday to the attention of the Indianapolis Colts during the 1998 season, telling Colts executive Bill Polian: “There’s a guy selling electrical supplies in Raleigh right now who whipped all those first-round draft choices at North Carolina every day.” Polian agreed to bring Saturday in for a workout, and the rest is history. Saturday went on to be selected to six Pro Bowls over his NFL career as Peyton Manning’s center, winning Super Bowl XLI.
🏁 Final Thoughts
Thanks again to everyone for supporting the Tar Heel Times Newsletter. I hope you had a great weekend, and please leave a comment to let me know how you’re enjoying the content so far, what you’d like to see more of, or anything else that’s on your mind. I truly appreciate your support.
Go Heels!
James