Opening night in the ACC brought a little bit of everything: a competitive loss for Miami, another uneasy showing from North Carolina, and a wave of freshmen making noise across the league.
The cleanest result belonged to Miami in the sense that the Hurricanes never let Florida turn the game into a runaway. They stayed in it for all 40 minutes before falling 77-67 to the preseason No. 1 team, and that alone says something about where this group can go.
Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis led the way with 24 points, while Somto Cyril added 13 points inside. The problem was the support around them.
Shelton Henderson, Malik Reneau and Caleb Gaskins combined for 16 points on 4/23 FG shooting, and Florida’s frontcourt eventually proved too much.
North Carolina, meanwhile, spent much of the night giving its fans the same uneasy feeling that hung over the preseason. The Tar Heels were trailing Western Carolina at home late before finally pulling away for an 80-72 win.
Matt Able was the biggest reason they escaped, finishing with 18 points in his return. But the rest of the offense was uneven, including Terrence Brown’s 14 points on 3/11 FG shooting.
The concerns with the Tar Heels continue.
Elsewhere, the league’s freshmen made a strong first impression. Pittsburgh got a huge debut from Chase Foster, who scored 23 points in a 96-57 win over Rider, the most by a Pitt freshman in his first game.
SMU also got a breakout performance from a newcomer, as international forward Jakub Szumert posted 27 points and seven rebounds in an 85-72 win over Southern. Wake Forest’s young core kept rolling too, with the Placide brothers and Gallagher continuing their strong preseason campaign in an 83-62 win over Maryland Eastern Shore.
Gavin Placide scored 20 points, while Gallagher added 13.
In Other News...
UNC Recruiting Momentum Just Got More Interesting For Belichick
North Carolinas push toward bowl eligibility has been the immediate concern, but the recruiting trail keeps giving the program reasons to look ahead. The Tar Heels are 4-4 and still need two more wins in their final four games to get back to the postseason, yet they also just added a notable piece for the future with a commitment from four-star tight end Greg Kirwan in the 2028 class.
Kirwan is ranked as the 21st tight end nationally for 2028, and his pledge gives UNC another building block at a position that should matter in the years ahead. For a program trying to stabilize on the field while stacking talent for the next wave, it is the kind of addition that keeps the recruiting momentum moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Is Still Battling For A Guard Who Could Shape Its 2027 Class
North Carolina remains in the thick of the chase for Jalen Davis, a four-star guard in the Class of 2027 who has narrowed his list to Gonzaga, UNC, UCLA and Washington. With one official visit still to come at Gonzaga, the Tar Heels are still very much in the mix for a player who could become one of the defining pieces of their next recruiting class.
For UNC, the appeal is obvious. Davis is the kind of guard prospect the staff has been prioritizing as it looks ahead to 2027, and the fact that the Tar Heels are viewed as a strong contender says plenty about where things stand. The final stretch of his recruitment now shifts toward the last visit and whatever comes after it, with Carolina waiting to see if it can close on a target that would carry real weight for the future. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Got The Win But One Early Problem Already Stands Out
Michael Malone picked up his first win as North Carolinas head coach, and the Tar Heels had enough offense to get past Western Carolina, 80-72. Terrence Brown and Matt Able helped carry the scoring load, combining for 32 points and four assists, while the bench also gave UNC some encouraging minutes in a game that had its share of useful early-season signs.
Still, the box score pointed to an issue that will not go away quietly. North Carolina was out-rebounded 41-32, a gap that stood out even in a win and underscored how much work remains in the frontcourt and on the glass. The depth looked promising, but the Tar Heels know the bigger tests will punish that kind of deficiency much faster than Western Carolina did. [Read more 🡒]