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Daily Tar Heel •

'Go Heels, Go America': Ben Griffin's journey from UNC to the Ryder Cup

Ben Griffin quit golfing in 2021.

He had just fallen off the Korn Ferry Tour, a progression tour below the PGA, the year prior. He had $17,000 in credit card debt and no sponsor to help with the expenses.

“I kind of pushed my dreams completely to the side and wanted to start fresh,” Griffin said.

He didn’t want to move to a big city, so he came back to the one place he always called home — Chapel Hill.

Griffin was a Tar Heel born and bred. His parents, Cowan and Erika, both graduated  from U...
Daily Tar Heel •

With Trimble out, Luka Bogavac steps into starting role in UNC men's basketball's 89-74 Radford win

Junior guard Luka Bogavac wasn’t supposed to start on Tuesday night against Radford.

That certainly wasn’t the plan— at least not until two days earlier, when the news of senior guard Seth Trimble’s broken arm shook the UNC men’s basketball program.

The early season challenge was supposed to be beating Kansas. Now, the Tar Heels have to overcome the loss of their captain and starting shooting guard.

So, head coach Hubert Davis gave Bogavac the nod. Just over a week ago, the guard hadn’t e...
Daily Tar Heel •

Blanca Thomas leads the charge to replace rebounding, post production

Seventeen rebounds per game went out the door for UNC women’s basketball.

Head coach Courtney Banghart isn’t trying to rewrite basketball math,but the numbers don’t lie.

So how does she replace that kind of production? She doesn't — at least not directly. But she can redistribute it — get a little longer, a little tougher, a little smarter.

And standing at the middle of that equation is sophomore Blanca Thomas, the 6-foot-5 center. On a team that ranks among the nation’s youngest, leadership...
Daily Tar Heel •

No. 16 UNC baseball beats Elon, 12-10, behind four home runs

No. 16 North Carolina baseball (25-8, 8-7 ACC) took the trip down I-40 and defeated Elon (11-21, 3-6 CAA), 12-10, in a barn-burner at Latham Park.

Multi-home run games from sophomore third baseman Gavin Gallaher and graduate right fielder Tyler Bass gave the Tar Heels the edge over the Phoenix. First-year pitcher Ryan Lynch threw a career high six strikeouts, highlighting a rather lackluster performance from the UNC bullpen.

Elon opened the scoring in the bottom of the second, with a sacrifice...
Daily Tar Heel •

No. 8 UNC men's lacrosse cruises past Virginia, 18-9, to open ACC play

UNC sophomore longstick midfielder Brett Koopman (34) reaches for the ball during the men's lacrosse game against Virginia on Saturday, Apr. 5, 2025, at Dorrance Field.

No. 8 North Carolina men’s lacrosse (8-2, 1-0 ACC) opened conference play with a 18-9 win over Virginia (5-6, 0-2 ACC) Saturday afternoon at Dorrance Field.

The Tar Heels’ 18 goals were the most against an ACC opponent since they scored 19 against Syracuse in 2023. Sophomore attack Dominic Pietramala continued his run, scoring...
Daily Tar Heel •

Walker McDuffie records seven strikeouts in No. 5 UNC baseball's win over VCU

Top of the fourth. Tie game, 4-4. Bases loaded. Two outs.

After first-year pitcher Ryan Lynch’s last pitch hit a batter to put the Tar Heels in a jam, head coach Scott Forbes made a call to the bullpen.

Yet, it wasn’t a more experienced pitcher he was opting for.

Avenged Sevenfold’s “Hail to the King” rang from the speakers of Boshamer Stadium as Walker McDuffie, the first-year pitcher from Broadway, N.C., trotted to the mound from the left field dugout. It was clear from the first warmup pit...
Daily Tar Heel •

No. 11 UNC men's lacrosse conquers Stony Brook, 9-4, behind a third quarter run

The No. 11 North Carolina men’s lacrosse team (2-0) defeated Stony Brook (1-1), 9-4, Friday evening at Dorrance Field.

A big UNC run late in the third quarter lifted the Tar Heels to victory in a game highlighted by sloppy turnovers and excellent goaltending. Graduate goaltender Michael Gianforcaro was a backline anchor with 11 saves, while redshirt-sophomore attackman Dominic Pietramala led the offense with five goals.

UNC had the game’s first man-up opportunity midway through the first, but...
Daily Tar Heel •

Analysis: Lack of size challenges UNC's frontcourt ahead of Duke game

North Carolina entered this season with a question the program hadn't asked for the past five seasons: who's going to be the starting center?

When the Tar Heels fell to Alabama in last season's Sweet Sixteen, then-graduate center Armando Bacot — a man who once said he “would die for this school” — walked off the floor for the last time. He made four all-ACC teams en route to claiming the program's all-time rebounding title, once held by former forward Tyler Hansbrough. It was clear his absence...
Daily Tar Heel •

Three takeaways from UNC women's lacrosse's exhibition against Elon

The UNC women’s lacrosse team hosted Elon in an exhibition game at the Bill Koman Practice Complex on Saturday afternoon.

Although no official score was kept, it was clear after the Tar Heels scored within the opening 35 seconds that they were in control. Clocking in at No. 4 in USA Lacrosse’s preseason rankings, UNC's roster is reloaded and hungry following the team's first round exit in last season's NCAA tournament.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the first look at the 2025 team:

Gradu...
Daily Tar Heel •

17-year-old guard Lanie Grant adjusts to Division I basketball after reclassifying

Courtney Banghartmade the trip from Greensboro to Richmond's Siegel Center following a second-round elimination in last season's ACC tournament in March.

The UNC women's basketball head coach went to watch James River High School play in the Virginia state championship, led by then-junior North Carolina commit Lanie Grant.

Grant left her heart on the court. The 5-foot-9 guard dropped 40 points in what was a losing effort for James River, falling to the powerhouse program of Princess Anne High...
Daily Tar Heel •

Analysis: Youth and experience highlight talented backcourts in UNC-Duke matchup

With UNC men’s basketball cruising through conference play, its mixed bag of experience in the backcourt has proven to be a formidable test for opponents.

Led by senior guard RJ Davis, the Tar Heels play with high intensity, even prompting former legendary Duke guards to give their flowers.

“I just like the way they play,” Jay Williams reluctantly said on ESPN in January. “It’s a fast-paced style of play — I like it. They allow RJ Davis to go.”

Davis has quarterbacked North Carolina's offense...