Inside Carolina: A UNC athletics podcast

In this week's episode of the Shooting It Straight podcast, Justin Jackson and producer John Bauman recap UNC's performance in non-conference play as that portion of the season comes to a close. What were some of the biggest lessons that were learned about this North Carolina men's basketball team during a tough non-conference slate? They also discuss ACC play, including an early preview of what t...

North Carolina spent the week away from campus since the last episode of the show, but had one last out-of-conference tuneup in the Smith Center on Sunday against Campbell University. Playing without an injured Seth Trimble, North Carolina relied on an aggressive performance from Elliot Cadeau and offensive outbursts by RJ Davis and Ian Jackson to cover up a lackadaisical team defensive performanc...

The end of the 2024 season - and of the Mack Brown era - came to a painful end as the UConn Huskies dominated a depleted North Carolina team, 27-14, in the Fenway Bowl. An ‘audition game’ of sorts for many on the Tar Heel roster highlighted areas of both concern and potential as the Bill Belichick rebuild has officially begun in Chapel Hill. Inside Carolina’s Buck Sanders and Jason Staples join ho...

North Carolina’s trip to Boston for the Wasabi Fenway Bowl is more than just a chance to close the 2024 season on a high note. For returning Tar Heels, Saturday’s matchup presents a unique audition setting with the Bill Belichick era set to begin once the final seconds tick off in Fenway Park. Inside Carolina’s Greg Barnes, Jason Staples and Joey Powell join host Tommy Ashley for a breakdown of no...

Bill Belichick hit the ground running at North Carolina and as he and GM Michael Lombardi continue to mine the transfer portal for talent, the Inside Carolina crew of Buck Sanders, Jason Staples, Taylor Vippolis and host Tommy Ashley convene a roundtable to discuss where things stand for the Tar Heel program roughly three weeks into the new coach/new approach era. Recruiting expert Don Callahan jo...

Shooting It Straight with Justin Jackson is back! The Tar Heel legend returns for another season of Carolina Basketball analysis, but now it's a live show every week. In this special episode, Theo Pinson joins the show. Justin and Theo will discuss all things UNC basketball, including breaking down North Carolina's win over UCLA and looking ahead to 2025. To learn more about listener data and our...

After a grueling schedule thus far produced more losses than the Tar Heels would like, UNC basketball found themselves in a volatile week before the 12 Days of Christmas had even begun. After a valiant effort against Florida that resulted in another tough loss, North Carolina did salvage a win of consequence over UCLA with another comeback. Ian Jackson showed up in his hometown and showed out to t...

With perhaps the season on the line in Madison Square Garden, North Carolina finally found a way to finish on top in the end, getting a much needed win, 76-74, over UCLA. The Tar Heels needed all of Ian Jackson’s 24 points and late free throws by RJ Davis to complete the type of comeback that had failed over and over before Saturday. Inside Carolina’s Dewey Burke and Tommy Ashley break down the wi...

Inside Carolina's Taylor Vippolis is joined by National Champion and Final Four Most Outstanding Player Joel Berry, from the ACC Network, to break down UNC's loss to Florida in the Jumpman Invitational as Carolina falls to 6-5 on the season. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://po...

A month ago, North Carolina football recruiting was floundering. Days ahead of National Signing Day, the Heels lost nearly every top commit and the outlook was dire. Then along came Bill Belichick and a re-affirmation by Bryce Baker and thus a massive U-turn for UNC on the recruiting trail - especially in the transfer portal. Inside Carolina’s Don Callahan joins host Tommy Ashley for a dive into t...

Another poor first half, another loss for North Carolina has the 90-84 margin mirrored so many of the Tar Heels’ first ten games of the season thus far. Inside Carolina’s Sherrell McMillan and Tommy Ashley break down the loss and discuss the common themes that Hubert Davis’s team continue to put on tape against strong competition. RJ Davis and Ian Jackson were the highlights with both the vet and...

In this episode of the 'Shooting It Straight' podcast, Justin Jackson and producer John Bauman discuss UNC's win over La Salle. Who is the Tar Heels' best five group of players? Justin and John break it down, discussing all of the different options Hubert Davis has gone with in the starting lineup this season. Then, the duo talk through the performances of Elliot Cadeau and Cade Tyson against La S...

North Carolina got exactly what the doctor ordered with a home win over LaSalle this past weekend. After slogging through a win against Georgia Tech, the Tar Heels had a week off for exams, then got a tuneup to get back into game shape before heading on the road for two big matchups in the coming days - Florida on Tuesday, UCLA on Saturday. Cade Tyson announced himself with 23 points against the E...

It all looks better when the ball goes in the basket a coach once said and for North Carolina’s Cade Tyson, the shots were falling on Saturday afternoon. Tyson’s 23 points, including five threes, led the Tar Heels to the 93-67 win over LaSalle to move the Heels to 6-4 on the season. Inside Carolina’s Rob Harrington and Tommy Ashley break down the win and how Hubert Davis’s team can take Saturday’s...

Round one of the whirlwind around North Carolina football ended on Thursday afternoon with the introductory press conference for new head coach Bill Belichick, held in the Blue Zone overlooking Kenan Stadium. Inside Carolina’s team, along with a packed house of media from around the state and country and other notables, was in attendance and this edition of the show with Joey Powell, Buck Sanders,...

The Inside Carolina roundtable crew convenes to discuss the effect that Bill Belichick's hiring will have on North Carolina football. Buck Sanders, Jason Staples, Taylor Vippolis, Greg Barnes, Jeff Schoettmer and host Tommy Ashley go in-depth on the new era of college football in Chapel Hill and how Belichick's impact has dispelled the notion that UNC would never go 'all in'. To learn more about l...

The coaching search for North Carolina is officially over and the Tar Heels have landed a whale. Six time Super Bowl Champion coach Bill Belichick has been named as the new head coach in Chapel Hill and to say that the hire has produced shockwaves across the college football - and sports - world is an understatement. The Inside Carolina crew of Buck Sanders, Jason Staples, Taylor Vippolis and Greg...

In this episode of the 'Shooting It Straight' podcast, Justin Jackson and producer John Bauman discuss UNC's performance against Georgia Tech. Should the Tar Heels be posting up the ball more? Justin and John break down RJ Davis and Elliot Cadeau as well, pointing out areas where both guards can get better. The duo also discuss Justin's recruitment to UNC and what it was like for him as a player a...

After splitting two home games and North Carolina playing incredibly last week, North Carolina has a week off for exams to rest, heal, and recalibrate. Confidence seemed lacking throughout the lineup. Elliot Cadeau's troubles continued, as the point guard hasn't looked like himself since the Tar Heels played in the Maui invitational. Could the offense be reignited with some personnel shakeups? She...

North Carolina looked ragged again on Saturday hosting a Georgia Tech team that was without two major contributors. The Tar Heels needed a late three from Elliot Cadeau to stretch the lead out to seven points in the final two minutes and held on for a 68-65 win, snapping their three game slide. Rob Harrington joined host Joey Powell to discuss the Tar Heels inability to create any consistent offen...

Inside Carolina's Taylor Vippolis is joined by National Champion and Final Four Most Outstanding Player Joel Berry, from the ACC Network, to break down UNC's loss to Alabama and assess where does Carolina go from here. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoi...

Alabama came to the Smith Center on Wednesday night and rolled the North Carolina Tar Heels 94-79, notching another win for the SEC over the ACC in the now one-sided early season challenge. UNC’s starting guard trio shot 11-41 collectively while the Tide’s length and athleticism across the court produced easy basket after easy basket on the other end of the floor. The one bright spot for the Heels...

With North Carolina’s head coaching job search in full swing, National Signing Day is here and the recruiting side of the program keeps on rolling along. With a small class depleted with earlier decommitments, UNC general manager Pat Suddes and his team have pressed forward trying to secure the remaining members of the 2025 class. Inside Carolina’s Don Callahan and Greg Barnes join host Tommy Ashl...

Hubert Davis’s challenge heading into the Alabama game is twofold with this North Carolina team. The slow starts and big deficits are crippling UNC’s chances of success, but are those starts from the personnel weakness in the first five or a poorly constructed defensive plan, regardless of who’s on the floor? Inside Carolina’s beat crew of Adam Smith, Jeremiah Holloway and Evan Rogers join host To...

In this episode of the 'Shooting It Straight' podcast, Justin Jackson and producer John Bauman go deep on UNC's defense. How can the Tar Heels improve on that end of the floor? Justin and John break down clips from the Maui Invitational, pointing out areas where North Carolina can get better. The duo also discuss Drake Powell's strong tournament and whether or not he needs more minutes. To close,...