Legendary head coach Bill Belichick officially headed back to school in December. It’s going, uh, alright?

Belichick won six Super Bowls with the New England Patriots before parting ways with the team in 2023. He was shopping around for a head coaching position since, and finally took a job at the University of North Carolina, with the guarantee that his son, Stephen Belichick, would get the coaching job when he retired.

The promise of the “Bill Belichick experience” is the promise of being run like an NFL franchise.  “Everything we do here is predicated on building a pro team,” said general manager Mike Lombardi following the hiring. “We consider ourselves the 33rd [NFL] team.”

That’s a bold statement to make about a team that finished 13th in the ACC last season, with an overall record of 6-6, but it’s one that Belichick has adhered to. The team receives “Pro Performance Nutrition” and visits from former Patriots, and Belichick has had the numbers on the practice jerseys removed – a nod to the idea that “the name on the front matters more than the name on the back.”

Part of Belichick’s appeal, to begin with, was the impact his reputation would have on recruiting. UNC’s recruiting class, though, has jumped just one spot in nationwide rankings, from 32 to 31. Its composite rank has also dropped dramatically, from spot 26 to 41. All to say: the name-brand strategy has been perhaps less successful than it was touted to be.

These few months wouldn’t be a success by the PR metric, either.

Belichick didn’t seem particularly inclined to engage with the fans during the program’s “Practice Like A Pro” experience, which about 2,000 fans attended. Fans didn’t know which player was which, since they didn’t have numbers. And Belichick didn’t so much as acknowledge the crowd, let alone sign a few autographs.

And then there’s the girlfriend. Jordon Hudson, 24, is reportedly “intimately” involved with UNC operations, particularly public relations. Belichick has requested that she be copied on many of his staff emails. (Belichick recently turned 73, in case you have lost track.) The Hudson story has grown larger than any other narrative around the Belichick coaching campaign, which may influence the ‘NFL team’ appearance Belichick is looking for.

Hudson was in the news again this week for frequently interrupting Belichick’s interview with a CBS reporter.

It certainly hasn’t looked ideal for Belichick in the first part of his stint with the Tar Heels. For a coaching staff being paid $20 million, the only way to fix that is by winning. Luckily for Belichick, he has practice.

No amount of legal gray area will make a difference in the eyes of the public. If Bill Belichick decides to leave UNC for the NFL before beginning his first season as the Tar Heels’ head coach, it would constitute one of the greatest betrayals in the history of football.

Speculation surrounding Belichick’s future at UNC kicked up almost immediately after he accepted the jobs. Several head coaching positions in the NFL have opened up since then, fueling the fires further. Because Belichick has only signed a term proposal, a non-binding agreement in anticipation of an official contract, some have already begun to discuss whether his buyout can be enforced. 

Assuming contractual arrangements take effect, it would cost Belichick or his next employer $10 million to get out of his UNC deal. After June 1, that number drops to $1 million. The debate over whether this can be enforced without an official contract is of no interest to UNC general manager Michael Lombardi.

“Bill Belichick committed to North Carolina. He committed it to me, he committed it to the university,” Lombardi told Pat McAfee earlier this month. “There’s been no conversation about anything. This is the best job we could have at the time of our lives, and we’re going to really embrace it and work hard to make North Carolina proud.”

The question of whether Belichick can legally make a clean exit in the eyes of the law is largely irrelevant. The fact of the matter is that he has already done enough work as the Tar Heels’ coach to impact the lives of hundreds of people. 

Belichick has already recruited dozens of players, either by recruiting them through the portal or coaxing current Tar Heels out of it. He has just begun talking with high school players and has made left several strong impressions. He has already begun building a coaching staff, hiring former NFL head coach Freddie Kitchens as tight ends coach and longtime Patriots strength and conditioning coach Moses Cabrera in the same role. His son, Steve Belichick, is leaving Washington to become UNC’s defensive coordinator, taking an assistant with him. 

As the NFL return hype has escalated, Belichick has done nothing publicly to suggest he is leaving UNC. He has commented on the matter once, stating at his introductory press conference that he didn’t take the UNC job to leave. 

The fickle nature of football’s coaching landscape makes such statements difficult to accept, but Belichick’s actions since signing his term proposal have given every indication that he is trying to build something in Chapel Hill. The damage of an exit now would be exponentially more far-reaching than it would have been a month ago. It will only get worse as he continues on in the role.

Belichick, 72, has been the news lately for his relationship with his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson.

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New UNC football head coach Bill Belichick has reportedly declined several opportunities to return to the NFL next season, including a position with the Las Vegas Raiders. Minority owner Tom Brady is said to have personally delivered a pitch to Belichick, but the 72-year-old coach is standing by the Tar Heels.

At Belichick’s introductory press conference last month, he told reporters that he didn’t “come here to leave,” expressing a deep interest in coaching at the collegiate level.

Bell Belichick News

“I always wanted to coach in college football but it never really worked out,” Belichick said. “I did some good years in the NFL, and that went OK, but this is really kind of a dream come true.” 

With the game of coaching musical chairs starting up at the end of the NFL’s regular season, it’s natural that Belichick would be one of many coaches to receive calls from rebuilding teams. He has not been afraid to quickly jump ship in the past; his decision to leave the Jets in 2000 without ever having coached a game for the team led directly to his dynastic years in New England. 

Within two days of the 2024 season ending, the Jaguars, Patriots and Raiders all parted ways with their head coaches. The Jets, Bears and Saints did so earlier in the season and are looking for ways forward as well. All six teams are at some stage of a rebuild, as opposed to the relatively clean slate Belichick is receiving at UNC.

Some speculated that Belichick, the oldest coach in college football when he steps on the sidelines next fall, would struggle to adjust to the rapidly shifting NIL landscape. But the eight-time Super Bowl winner has hit the ground running, stepping directly on the recruiting trail in an effort to build a new core in Chapel Hill.  

After a moderately successful foray into the transfer portal, through which Belichick has already gained at least 13 players, he began recruiting high school prospects earlier this week. In his first stop Monday, he met with edge rusher Zavion Griffin-Haynes, a four-star recruit who decommitted from UNC when the program parted ways with head coach Mack Brown. Griffin-Haynes was reportedly impressed by his conversation with Belichick, however, and could rejoin the Tar Heels’ incoming class.

“He was telling me stuff coaches never told me,” Griffin-Haynes told Rivals. “Showing me stuff about my game, and just telling me stuff about the NFL and the program’s come up.”

Brady and others may make a few more calls to get Belichick back in the big leagues, but within a month, the future Hall-of-Famer has jumped into his new position feet-first. New talent is pouring into Chapel Hill already, and the off-season is far from over.

Following his 24-year tenure with the New England Patriots, nobody would have predicted Bill Belichick to have trouble finding a job.

Belichick, 72, holds the record for the most Super Bowls as a head coach (six), and led the Patriots to a 266-121 regular season record in his time there, including 19 consecutive winning seasons. He received NFL Coach of the Year honors three times in that span and held down the largest coaching contract in sports at $25 million a year.

After Tom Brady‘s departure and retirement in 2020, though, the Patriots fell into decline. Belichick was finally fired after a 4-13 season in 2023, and Jerod Mayo assumed the head coaching position in 2024.

Belichick was considered one of the top available coaches for ailing franchises such as the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Tennessee Titans, all of which were looking for coaches following the 2023 season. Belichick interviewed with the Falcons – twice – but the team ultimately elected to hire Raheem Morris from the Rams.

“People need to adapt, and if they don’t… things can change,” said Patriots owner Robert Kraft, discussing the choice to fire Belichick, later adding, “I had given him so much power. He had full control over everything. And shame on me, I should’ve had some checks and balances better.”

Belichick is reportedly “very surprised” he hasn’t heard from NFL teams about coaching in 2025, despite three teams – the Jets, Saints and Bears – having vacancies, according to NBC Sports. One team that has reached out, though, is the University of North Carolina, which has been looking to hire since firing Mack Brown at the end of their season.

The Tar Heels finished 13th in the ACC this season, totaling a 6-6 record and a 3-5 conference record. A Belichick hiring would open the door to other former NFL hires, including potentially Matt Patricia and Ben McDaniels, in addition to capitalizing off his expertise and experience.

One factor for Belichick’s openness to college sports is likely a plan of succession. His son, Steve Belichick, currently serves as defensive coordinator for the University of Washington. Per Ollie Connolly of The Guardian, the elder Belichick is seeking “a guarantee that Stephen Belichick will be named the school’s coach in waiting,” which would be much easier to obtain than in the NFL.

Beyond that, a collegiate head coach generally has much more autonomy than one in the NFL, controlling a number of the responsibilities of an NFL general manager. That system would arguably be more familiar to Belichick than a traditional NFL system, given the amount of power he had in New England.

With this news, former Patriots Brady, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman were asked on Fox NFL Kickoff whether they could imagine Belichick in a college program. All three issued emphatic no’s.

“I think there’s a lot of things he could do,” Brady said. “And obviously he’s tremendous—even showing his personality. But getting out there on the recruiting trail and dealing with all these college kids? That would be frightening.”

“Any time as a coach you join with an organization, whatever level it’s at, you just want a shared vision with that person,” said Belichick on The Pat McAfee Show, noting, “I don’t think it really matters where the program is.”

Belichick is expected to accept a UNC offer if one is extended.

Duke rallied in both regulation and overtime to defeat North Carolina 98-96 on Saturday night. With a pair of plays for the history books, Tre Jones and Wendell Moore Jr. both dealt major blows to North Carolina.

Jones hit a jumper to force overtime and Moore scored as time expired in OT.

“There’s really nothing to put into words,” Jones said. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around what happened.”

Duke was down 13 in the final minutes of the game and with a slight back and forth, the game went to OT, where Moore delivered the final blow against the Tar Heels.

“If you don’t care who won the game, you had to enjoy that as a big-time college basketball game,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “I care who won the game, so I did not enjoy the final outcome.”

For Duke, Jones proved to be the weapon they need, especially when it comes to big moments.

“He was at another level tonight,” Duke coach Mike Kryzewski said.

The Tar Heels seemed to recover from season-long struggles, but were killed in their free throw game. They made just 21 of 38 free throws, including 5 of 12 at the end of regulation.

“It was just so tough, the way we lost,” UNC freshman Armando Bacot said. “I was just stressed out the whole time, I couldn’t even look at it. And the way they won, it was just sad. But I tip my hat off to them.”

Duke will look to continue with this momentum as they host No. 8 Florida State on Monday night, while UNC will visit Wake Forest on Tuesday night as they look to bounce back from this disappointing loss.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams did not hold back his feelings about his team on Sunday after they suffered a 96-83 loss to Georgia Tech. Off to an 8-6 start on the season, Williams called his team “the least gifted team I’ve ever coached in the time that I’ve been back here.”

On his weekly radio show Roy Williams Live, the Tar Heels coach voiced his frustrations.

SLIDESHOW: 50 GREAT SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019

“We stunk, ok. We were not very good,” Williams said. “The crazy thing about it is, our team, and we’ve had some very gifted teams, this is not a very gifted team. It’s just not.”

Williams began coaching the Tar Heels in 2003 and this season is the first time UNC has lost six of its first 14 games in his era. Williams blamed a lot of the poor start to the lack of talent, having lost quite a few players to the NBA Draft, as well as an injury to star player Cole Anthony.

Colby White, Cameron Johnson and Nassir Little were all first-round picks in the draft.

Williams’ overall record at UNC is 461-139, as he’s led them to three national championships, nine Atlantic Coast Conference titles and three ACC tournament championships. He has also received one AP National Coach of the Year and two ACC Coach of the year awards.

North Carolina will play Pitt on Wednesday at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, as they seek their first win of ACC play.

Without their star player Cole Anthony, the North Carolina Tar Heels were  in a downward spiral. Now, they are in danger of not making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years.

They have lost five of their last six, and now with Anthony out after having arthroscopic knee surgery. Cole, the son of former NBA player Greg Anthony stated that if all goes well, he is set to return in one month, missing about seven games. When asked if there were any encouraging signs as to how his team played without Anthony, Legendary Head Coach Roy Williams replied ‘no.’

“I’d love to have Cole with us because he was playing better than anybody else on the offensive end, and second or third-best grade wise on the defensive end, but it is an excuse,” Williams said. “I’m glad that I’m able to get Anthony (Harris) and Jeremiah (Francis) some time, because I think in the long term, that may help, but I just don’t know that I will live that long.”

SLIDESHOW: 50 GREAT SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2019

UNC’s ranking has not been favorable this year (95th), and neither has their schedule. They played top 15 teams five out of the past six teams. The good news is they have an easier schedule ahead. UCLA has a sightly better record, (7-4 to 6-5) but they are not as strong, Yale (9-3) plays in the weaker Ivy conference, Georgia Tech (4-5), Pittsburgh (8-3), and Clemson (5-5).

By the time their schedule gets tough again, Anthony is set to return. In his absence, Williams has been trying to develop his young core of players, but apparently it has not been working.

“I have some guys who have lost some confidence with their shot,” Williams said. “Some other guys have got to do better on the defensive end. But our whole team and the coaching staff, we’ve got to do a heck of a lot better.”

Among those who they are developing, freshman Armando Bacot, has struggled recently shooting 2 for 14 and 1 for 6 the last few games.

The Tar Heels play the Bruins on Saturday at 3:00pm EST.

Attention, all NCAA basketball fans! The Gonzaga Bulldogs will visit the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night, and tickets are still available online.

UNC Vs. Gonzaga Basketball Tickets (Dec. 15)

This will be a rematch of the 2017 Final Four Championship Game, which saw UNC beat fellow No. 1 seed Gonzaga 71-65. South Carolina and Oregon had also reached the Final Four that year.

This year, Gonzaga (9-1) is fourth in the West Coast Conference. The No. 4 Bulldogs’ only loss came in their most recent game against No. 3 Tennessee on Sunday.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Meanwhile, the Tar Heels (7-2) are first in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Tickets to Saturday’s game at Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina — which will start at 7 p.m. EST — are available for sale on StubHub and start at $47.50.

NCAA basketball may have drawn headlines in recent months due to FBI investigations into some college programs’ illegal recruiting tactics, but the sport remains beloved by many fans. In October, a jury in New York found three defendants accused in a major NCAA pay-for-play scandal guilty: James Gatto, a former Adidas employee, a lawyer and former Adidas consultant named Merl Code and Christian Dawkins, a former runner for NBA agents. The trio was found guilty on felony charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud after a three-week criminal trial in federal court in New York.

The Daniel Patrick Moynihan federal courthouse saw a deliberation of over 19 hours, and the monumental case of corruption concluded with a verdict of guilty for seven charges.

The No. 9 North Carolina Tar Heels will host the Miami Hurricanes on Tuesday night, and here are all the facts to know before the big ACC matchup.

Miami vs. UNC basketball preview

The day will mark senior night at UNC’s Dean Smith Center, and some Tar Heels seniors have already admitted how special the evening will feel for them, as it will be their final regular-season home game.

“Senior Night is going to be really emotional for me, but I’m just trying to do my best to soak everything in and enjoy this team, enjoy what’s going on and try to do my best to lead this team back to where we want to be and that’s making another Final Four,” said UNC guard Joel Berry. 

Miami’s head coach echoed Jim Larrañaga echoed some of Berry’s sentiments: “This is a very short turnaround for us, it’s Senior Day at Carolina, we’re expecting a very vocal crowd and a lot of enthusiasm. They’re on a six-game winning streak and playing their best basketball of the season. They’ve got a very versatile team. Normally, they’re very, very big; this team is different and has a lot of three-point shooting.”

North Carolina’s  (22-7, 11-5 ACC) latest six straight victories have all been conference wins, and they are also undefeated in February. Their last triumph was a 78-74 win at Syracuse on Wednesday.

The Hurricanes (20-8, 9-7 ACC), meanwhile, dropped three straight conference games to start off the month but then made some lineup changes and rebounded to win their last two games. Lonnie Walker’s last-second three-pointer to defeat Boston College on Saturday gave Miami 20 wins this season, and also boosted their NCAA Tournament resume.

ESPN has Larrañaga’s team currently slated as the No. 8 seed in the Midwest. In 16 games, freshman guard Walker is leading the Canes with 13.8 points per game and shooting 36.2 percent from three. He’s scored in double digits in 11 ACC games, including a career-high 25 points against Louisville and a 23-point performance against Florida State.

In Miami’s last meeting vs. UNC, the Tar Heels dominated 78-53, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. Isaiah Hicks led North Carolina with 19 points. UNC leads the all-time series 21-7.

Here are all the details about the game:

North Carolina (22-7, 11-5 ACC) vs. Miami (20-8, 9-7 ACC)

Place: Chapel Hill, N.C. – Dean E. Smith Center
Date/Time: Tuesday, Feb. 27, 9 p.m. EST
TV Channel: ESPN (Rece Davis, Jay Bilas)

GLENDALE, AZ – APRIL 03: The North Carolina Tar Heels celebrate after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship game at University of Phoenix Stadium on April 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Tar Heels defeated the Bulldogs 71-65. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

The No. 9 Duke Blue Devils will visit the No. 21 North Carolina Tar Heels, and here are some facts to know before the ACC matchup.

Duke vs. UNC Basketball preview

Duke (19-4, 7-3 ACC) is coming off an 81-77 loss at St. John’s on Saturday. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said after the game that he drew up six plays during timeouts that day, but that his team failed to execute them.

“I don’t know what happened, if someone had a laser from the stands and said, I’m going to make you mind dead or whatever,” said Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils are third in their conference.

Meanwhile, UNC (17-7, 6-5 ACC) is sixth in the conference. The Tar Heels crushed Pittsburgh 96-65 on Saturday, a victory that snapped a three-game losing streak.

Krzyzewski said his players will need to work as a team and not as individuals, while sophomore center Marques Bolden said it’s impossible to truly prepare a freshman for a major contest against an opponent like UNC, especially on the Tar Heel’s home court.

“We just try to tell them to play their game and not play to the crowd or their environment because we know it’ll be an away game and a hostile environment,” Bolden said. “We just tell them to do what you’ve been doing and play hard.”

North Carolina is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the NCAA. They rebound 38.2 percent of their misses, which is third best in the nation. Duke is first in the country in offensive rebounds, but has struggled with defensive rebounds.

UNC, led by coach Roy Williams, also ranks 15th in opposing 2-point percentage and 313th in opposing 3-point percentage.

Duke vs. UNC:

Date: Feb. 8, 2017

Time: 8 pm EST

Place: Smith Center, Chapel Hill, NC

TV Channel: ESPN

CHAPEL HILL, NC – DECEMBER 21: Joel Berry II #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives to the basket against the Northern Iowa Panthers during the game at the Dean Smith Center on December 21, 2016 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

The No. 19 North Carolina Tar Heels will visit the No. 20 Clemson Tigers on Tuesday, and here are all the facts to know.

UNC vs. Clemson basketball preview

The Tar Heels (16-6, 5-4 in ACC) have lost two straight games and four of its last eight ACC contests. North Carolina — which is sixth in its conference — is shooting 43.7 percent in conference play, while its opponents are shooting 43.0 percent.

Roy Williams’ UNC also ranks 12th in league games in turnover margin (minus 1.2) and 11th in three-point field goal percentage (33.5).

Clemson (17-4, 6-3 in ACC) is 11-0 at home, including 4-0 in conference play. The Tigers also had a 10-game win streak earlier this season, and boast a solid defense.

The Tigers received bad news last week when senior forward Dante Grantham suffered a season-ending knee injury in their victory over Notre Dame. Grantham was second on the team in scoring (14.2 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg), while shooting 42 percent from three-point range. To make matters worse, Michigan graduate transfer Mark Donnal is questionable for Tuesday’s game while he undergoes concussion protocol. Donnal suffered a hit to the head late in Saturday’s win at Georgia Tech. He’s averaging 3.8 points and 1.9 rebounds off the bench.

Furthermore, Clemson is 5-1 this season in games decided by five points or less or in overtime.

North Carolina improved to 59-0 at home against Clemson with an 87-79 victory on Jan. 16. Clemson made 15 straight field goals in the second half of that game. The Tar Heels lead the overall series against the Tigers, 132-20. UNC has won 10 in a row and 20 out of 21 in the series.

Clemson vs. UNC: 

Date: January 30, 2018

Time: 7 pm EST

Place: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, SC

TV Channel: ESPN

MEMPHIS, TN – MARCH 26: Kennedy Meeks #3 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots in the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 26, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

One year ago, North Carolina felt crushed after losing to Villanova 77-74 in the NCAA championship game at the buzzer.

North Carolina Earns Sixth NCAA Title vs Gonzaga With 71-65 Win

On Monday night in Glendale, Arizona, the Tar Heels (33-7) found themselves on the other side of the coin when they defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 71-65 to win their sixth national title and third under coach Roy Williams.

“At the end, when you’re watching your kids jump around,” Williams said, “there’s no better feeling in the world as a coach.”

After the game, Williams also praised his counterpart at Gonzaga, Mark Few, calling him one of the best coaches in college basketball.

 Joel Berry II led UNC with 22 points, six assists, three rebounds, two steals and one block, and the junior guard was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Kennedy Meeks added 7 points and 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels, contributing a key block in the final seconds that helped spur early victory celebrations from their fans at the University of Phoenix and left Gonzaga’s players feeling despondent, knowing that scoring six points in less than 10 seconds to tie the game and force overtime was too unrealistic a feat.

The Bulldogs (37-2) were playing in their 19th straight NCAA Tournament but first-ever Final Four.

When North Carolina played in Greenville, S.C., in the early rounds of the N.C.A.A. tournament, the Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney talked to Williams and reminded him that the Tigers won the national championship game one year after losing it, and urged Williams to help his team get the title. “Win it just like we did,” Swinney told him.

The Tar Heels are now the fourth men’s college basketball team to do exactly that.

“We won’t be remembered as a team that lost in the finals,” Meeks said.

Kris Jenkins, the Villanova player who scored the title-winning shot against North Carolina last year sat in the stands on Monday, watching his half brother, Tar Heels point guard Nate Britt help his team on their redemption tour. Jenkins said he felt more nervous watching Britt play this year than he did playing for Villanova last year.

“Amazing, man,” Jenkins said. “Amazing. That’s all I can say: amazing.”

Gonzaga started off strong with outside shooting (5 of 9 from 3-point range). The Bulldogs went on a 13-point run to lead for almost 15 minutes of the first half.

In the first half, North Carolina got big dunks from players like Theo Pinson, who dunked in front of Gonzaga center Przemek Karnowski.

Despite missing 11 of their first 13 3-point attempts, North Carolina still managed to just trail by three (35-32) at halftime.

However, after the Tar Heels went on an 8-0 run to open the second half, a 3-pointer from Jordan Mathews re-gave Gonzaga the lead (41-40) with 16.5 minutes remaining.

Nigel Williams-Goss and Johnathan Williams scored back-to-back 3-pointers for the Bulldogs, who began the second half shooting 3 of 19 from the field. After that, North Carolina led just 62-60 with 3:08 left.

“They did everything we asked them to do,” Few said. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough, and some last-minute defensive errors cost the Zags the game.

In the final minute, as the Tar Heels led 66-65, Isaiah Hicks hit a bank shot to stretch North Carolina’s lead to 3. After Meeks blocked a shot from Williams-Goss, the ball was passed to Justin Jackson, who raced, nearly alone, to the opposite end of the court and landed a dunk that made the crowd at the University of Phoenix roar.

Hicks blocked a shot from Gonzaga’s 7-footer Zach Collins in the second half. Collins scored 9 points before fouling out with 5 minutes 3 seconds remaining.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” Jackson said.

“It’s the best feeling I’ve ever felt,” said Hicks, who made the key layup with 26 seconds left to put North Carolina ahead by 3. “I haven’t cried like this in years.”

The UNC Tar Heels opened up the second half with a huge, 8-0 run, and turned their three-point deficit at the break into a five-point lead (40-35) over the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

UNC Tar Heels Open Second Half With 8-0 Run, Take 40-35 Lead vs Gonzaga

Berry provided much help for North Carolina during that burst, and Gonzaga coach Mark Few decided to take a timeout after his team missed three shots from the lane.

The Bulldogs turned the ball over twice less than 30 seconds into the second half, both from guard Josh Perkins. 

Justin Jackson, meanwhile, hit two free throws for the Tar Heels.

Przemek Karnowski, one of Gonzaga’s 7-footers, looked a little lost, shooting 0-4, all from close range, after getting a finger in the eye in the semifinal.

One of the Bulldogs’ other big men, freshman Zach Collins, contributed two baskets and four rebounds after coming off the bench.

Josh Perkins was the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ top scorer in the first half with 8 points.

Gonzaga Leads UNC 35-32 At Halftime In NCAA Championship Game 2017

Another 3 by Perkins and a jump-shot by Jonathan Williams gave the Bulldogs a 7-point lead with 10 minutes remaining.

North Carolina then got within 2 thanks to a 3-pointer from Joel Berry and another shot from Justin Jackson.

Despite their strong rebounding skills, the Tar Heels were out-rebounded in the first half, 14-8.

Former UNC star Michael Jordan is not attending the game in Phoenix, as he did, last year when the Tar Heels lost. However, Michael Phelps is attending, looking very tan:

Tar Heel Kennedy Meeks, meanwhile, set a new single-tournament record for a player from his school with just nine rebounds in the first 20 minutes.

More updates to follow soon.

The 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game is set for Monday night at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

NCAA Championship Game 2017 Preview: Gonzaga vs UNC

The game will begin at 9:20 p.m. EST and will air on CBS, and can also be live-streamed on the NCAA’s website.

The two teams facing off are both top seeds in the tournament: the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

North Carolina leads the country in rebounds, and this in particular helped them defeat Oregon in the Final Four last weekend. Tar Heels point guard Joel Berry is still recovering from injuries to both ankles that have hindered his performance. Berry played 35 minutes in UNC’s win over Oregon, but shot just 2 of 14 from the floor for 11 points.

The Tar Heels played in last year’s championship game, but lost to Villanova 77-74 after a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from the Wildcats. Only three teams have ever won a national title after losing the final game the year before.

Gonzaga, who are making their 19th straight NCAA Tournament appearance, but its first showing in the Final Four, defeated South Carolina 77-73 in the semifinals last weekend.

According to the NCAA’s website, the predicted winner is Gonzaga, who is forecasted to win 76-73.

MEMPHIS, TN – MARCH 26: Kennedy Meeks #3 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots in the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament South Regional at FedExForum on March 26, 2017 in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

A UNC fan was ejected from the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Wednesday following a verbal dispute with Louisville coach Rick Pitino during the Tar Heels’ 74-63 victory over the Cardinals.

UNC Fan Ejected After Altercation with Louisville’s Rick Pitino

Pitino began heading toward the locker-room tunnel past the student section at halftime when a male fan “got in my face and said something I didn’t like,” the 64-year-old coach stated.

“I take it from the students all the time; you expect it from the students. But from an adult? And then to turn his back on me like he’s a coward?” Pitino said. “And he is a coward, but North Carolina is a classy place and he doesn’t speak for the rest of the people.”

According to ESPN’s Maria Taylor, the fan in question shouted, “Pitino, you suck!”

Pitino responded by also angrily yelling at the heckler, and had to be restrained by his coaching staff. Louisville trailed 33-30 at halftime.

Jonathan Jones of Sports Illustrated caught the altercation between the coach and the fan:

Jeff Greer of the Courier-Journal reported on the aftermath of the heated exchange:

“I’ve always said this is the classiest place in college basketball, until I met a fan on the way out,” Pitino said. “It always reminded me of a class place, but they’re getting just like some of the other places now.”

North Carolina coach Roy Williams wasn’t informed of the incident until after the game and said he apologized to Pitino.

“I don’t like that. We’re North Carolina. We don’t have to be like everybody else,” Williams said. “You can raise Cain, you can boo, but you don’t have to say stuff that we as coaches have to put up with on the road. I hope that never happens again at North Carolina.”

Pitino, a Hall of Famer, has been a college basketball head coach since 1978, including two stints in the NBA. He has long been a polarizing figure, which partly explains Wednesday night’s incident at UNC.

Justin Jackson scored 21 points for the Tar Heels (24-5, 12-3), and Donovan Mitchell also scored 21 for the Cardinals (22-6, 10-5).

Louisville next host Syracuse on Sunday, while UNC will visit Pittsburgh on Saturday.

SYRACUSE, NY – FEBRUARY 18: Head coach Rick Pitino of the Louisville Cardinals calls a play for his team against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at the Carrier Dome on February 18, 2015 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeated Louisville 69-59. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)

The No.8-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels had discussed starting games quicker and gaining the lead on opponents earlier.

UNC Tar Heels Rout Northern Iowa 85-42 Thanks To Second-Half Surge

On Wednesday night, despite their late start, the Tar Heels (11-2) used a late surge at the end of the first half and a great second-half outing to defeat the Northern Iowa Panthers (5-6) 85-42 at home.

Four UNC players scored in double-digits against Northern Iowa, led by Kennedy Meeks’ 18 points. Justin Jackson scored 12 points and Joel Berry II and Isaiah Hicks both added 11 for the Tar Heels. Berry played in his second game back from injury.

UNC coach Roy Williams said he believed Meeks made the difference in the game. After the game, Williams told Meeks he was proud of him.

“In the second half I thought he was the best player in the game for us today,” Williams said. “He’s got to have that attention and got to have that attention to detail and listen.”

Former Miami and North Carolina coach Butch Davis told ESPN on Monday that he is leaving the network immediately to become head football coach at Florida International University.

ESPN’s Butch Davis, Former UNC Football Coach, Hired As New FIU Coach

FIU Panthers athletic director Pete Garcia confirmed the news Monday.

The University signed Davis, 64, to a five-year contract. Salary details were not released, but a Tuesday press conference was called to introduce the new head coach.

“To say we are excited to have Butch Davis as our head coach at FIU is an understatement,” Garcia said. “There is no doubt that he will take FIU football to new heights.”

North Carolina sophomore attacker Chris Cloutier became the record-holder for goals in an NCAA tournament game, and the Tar Heels became the lacrosse national champions after defeating the Maryland Terrapins 14-13 in overtime in Philadelphia on Monday.

North Carolina Defeats Maryland 14-13 In OT To Win NCAA Lacrosse Championship

The Tar Heels are now the first unseeded team to win a national title in 43 years; this was North Carolina’s first national championship in 25 years. They suffered a stinging loss to Hofstra on Feb. 20.

“Pressure is a funny thing,” head coach Joe Breschi said. “We had zero pressure. We were picked the lowest we’ve ever been picked in the eight years since I’ve been here and last in the ACC, and these guys were on a mission.”

Despite the Tar Heels’ struggles in recent years, however, Maryland’s seemed to be far worse. The Terrapins, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA lacrosse tournament, have not won a national title in 41 years and breezed their way to the championship final.

When the Tar Heels’ Luke Goldstock was called for an unsportsmanlike penalty after he and Maryland defender Mike McCarney exchanged shoves with seconds left in regulation, there seemed to be a shred of hope in the air for the Terrapins as they headed into overtime with a man advantage.

Unfortunately, the Terps missed their best opportunity after Connor Kelly’s shot from wide was stopped by North Carolina goalie Brian Balkam.

Just minutes later, McCarney, who was not penalized despite pushing Goldstock earlier, was sent to the box for a one-minute slashing penalty following a scrum in front of Maryland’s goal.

Twenty-four seconds after that, Cloutier fired his shot from the right and into the net. Cloutier, who scored the same number of goals (19) in his last four NCAA games as he did in the previous 14 games combined, momentarily appeared shocked by his goal.

“Coach Metz told me he’d have my back,” the Canadian sophomore said about UNC assistant coach Dave Metzbower, who helped push him to his full capacity. “He did. He never gave up on me, and I’ll never forget him for that.”

Later, after the trophy presentation and the chaos subsided, players dropped onto the ground and made turf angels, while others walked around shouting, almost in disbelief, “We’re the champions of the world.”

“We’re national champions,” Breschi said. “Can you believe it?”

While the Tar Heels tossed aside their shoulder pads, helmets, and sticks in celebration following Cloutier’s goal, Maryland’s players seemed to hunch over as if in pain as they witnessed yet another national title stripped from their grasp. Some Terrapins fell to the ground right at the spot where they were standing; others grieved together behind the net.

“We’ve got to take care of each other,” said Maryland coach John Tillman, himself winless in four tries as Maryland’s head coach. “We’ve got a lot of guys who are hurt, and they’re looking to me. As any parent knows, there are times you just want to make it better and you can’t. You can’t make it better.”

Breschi can certainly relate to that feeling of helplessness. Just last year, the third-seeded Tar Heels lost to Maryland in the quarterfinals. And yet, Breschi has been through far worse. In 2004, when Breschi was head coach at Ohio State, his 3-year-old son, Michael, was killed in the parking lot of his daycare center. Last weekend, the Tar Heels played their quarterfinal games in Columbus, the players dedicating the games to Michael Breschi. Coach Breschi also has four daughters.

The players said then and reiterated on Monday that their coach has been their inspiration, but the coach has received just as much as he’s given.

Breschi said that up until Saturday night, he was struggling to come up with inspiration for his pre-game speech. Having been born and raised in Baltimore, the coach is a die-hard Ravens fan, so he ultimately chose that.

“They kicked the door down in the Super Bowl,” Breschi told his team, “and I said, ‘That’s going to be you today.'”

The message appears to have worked, giving the Tar Heels just the motivation they needed for a crucial game.

PHOTO: PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 30: The North Carolina Tar Heels celebrate after defeating the Maryland Terrapins in overtime in the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship at Lincoln Financial Field on May 30, 2016 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Tar Heels defeated the Terrapins 14-13. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)