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BOSTON — By the end of a game that is supposed to be a reward for a season well played, North Carolina looked like a football program in such perilous straits it would be willing to pay someone like Bill Belichick something like $50 million to fix things. QED. As the new coach might say, the Tar Heels are on to Belichick. Saturday’s 27-14 loss to Connecticut in the Fenway Bowl started poorly and fizzled to the end, not unlike the Tar Heels’ season, one that began with reasonable optimism and a win at Minnesota before descending into a series of trials and tribulations that saw Mack Brown fired before the regular season was over en route to a 6-7 finish and fifth straight bowl loss. On Friday, J.J. Jones took pains to make sure Brown wasn’t forgotten, reminding people that he was the reason why every player on the roster was here even if things hadn’t worked out the way they had planned. But just as Brown’s final game at North Carolina saw N.C. State dancing on the Kenan Stadium turf instead, the season’s final game under interim coach Freddie Kitchens — who will remain on Belichick’s new staff — was nothing to remember. “It’s a disappointing result for us,” Kitchens said. “I thought our guys kept fighting all the way to the very end. We just kind of ran out of time there but we never gave up. These guys have been through a lot these last three weeks. The ability to show up for work every day has been unbelievable to see with these guys. I commend them for everything they’ve done these last few weeks.” With all the injuries and critical opt-outs, including offensive lineman Willie Lampkin on the eve of the game after practicing all month, the Tar Heels weren’t exactly at full strength to start. When quarterback Jacolby Criswell went down clutching at his shoulder after a seven-yard scramble in the first quarter, they were left with true freshman Michael Merdinger, who not only had yet to take a snap this season but is currently in the transfer portal. It took North Carolina 29 minutes and 37 seconds to achieve a first down, and only Chris Culliver’s 95-yard kickoff return prevented a first-half shutout. By the time UNC figured out, midway through the fourth quarter, that its best offensive play was a direct snap to running back Caleb Hood — a quarterback in high school who became, essentially, the Tar Heels’ fifth quarterback of the season — it was too late for anything but a consolation touchdown pass to John Copenhaver. That 17-yard strike from the Richmond County product was the third completion and first passing TD of Hood’s career, to go with two rushing and one receiving, and Copenhaver’s 10th and final TD catch at UNC. Of the Tar Heels’ 206 yards of offense, 139 came in the fourth quarter. Still, not only was this postscript to the Brown Era a third straight loss — and UNC’s second debacle in the Boston area in six weeks — it ended the Triangle’s football winning streak against UConn, a seven-game run going back 17 years to Duke’s 45-14 home loss to open a 1-11 season. Kitchens is now the other half of the answer to a trivia question, with Ted Roof. The ACC also had won the first two editions of the Fenway Bowl, a run noted on the manual scoreboard on the Green Monster, one of several nice touches that capitalized on the historic venue. (Although they don’t dump clam chowder on the winning coach. Yet.) Which is good, because the football wasn’t particularly picturesque. Connecticut opened with a leadoff double to right — a 47-yard run down the first-base line on the first play from scrimmage — and never really looked back. Defense, in a statement that tests the bounds of obvious, was never this North Carolina’s team strength. Shorn of offense with Criswell hurt and Omarion Hampton preparing for the draft, the Tar Heels struggled to keep up. Any thoughts Jones and others might have harbored of winning one for Mack evaporated quickly on both sides of the ball. “At the end of the day, we need to do a little better than that, in my opinion,” defensive lineman Beau Atkinson said. You could say things didn’t end well, but they rarely do. A program in dramatic transition looked very much the part on Saturday. The players probably deserved better than this, for sticking it out to the bitter end of a season racked with disappointment and loss, but even their minds were clearly preoccupied with what happens next, whether that’s in Chapel Hill or elsewhere. Why wouldn’t they be? They’re only human. “I’m definitely ready for the offseason now that this game is over,” said Atkinson, who is eligible to return. “And just ready to go to work and try to get me and the rest of the D-line and this defense as a whole better. That’s my main focus now.” If they weren’t looking forward before, there’s nothing else left now. The final punctuation has been applied to Brown’s second stint at UNC. It’s officially the Belichick Era. They’re on to TCU. ©2024 The News & Observer. Visit at newsobserver.com . Distributed at Tribune Content Agency, LLC.ATLANTA (AP) — Kara Dunn scored a season-high 28 points, Dani Carnegie had her career high with 24 points, and No. 13 Georgia Tech rolled past Pittsburgh 100-61 on Sunday. Dunn made 10 of 14 shots and 7 of 8 free throws to go with seven rebounds and three assists. Carnegie, a freshman who averages 14.5 points per game off the bench, made 9 of 16 shots, including 4 of 11 3-pointers. Georgia Tech made 11 of 19 shots (58%) in the first quarter and broke out to a 31-18 lead. The Yellow Jackets led 53-28 at halftime after Dunn scored 20 points, 13 in the first quarter. For the half, she made 7 of 10 shots and went 5 for 5 from the free-throw line. A 10-0 run in the third quarter pushed Georgia Tech's lead to 77-43 and the Yellow Jackets held the Panthers to four free throws over the final 3 1/2 minutes of the period. Tech's largest lead was 42 points after a 3-pointer by Chazadi Wright with 4 1/2 minutes left in the game. Wright finished with 16 points and Tonie Morgan had 15 points and eight assists. Pitt (8-7, 0-2 ACC) was led by Khadija Faye with 22 points. Brooklynn Miles scored 11 and Aislin Malcolm had 10. At 14-0 overall (2-0 ACC), Georgia Tech is chasing the highest ranking in program history. The Yellow Jackets reached No. 11 in the Associated Press poll on Feb. 7, 2022. Georgia Tech hosts Syracuse on Thursday. Pitt plays at No. 14 Duke on Jan. 5. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here . AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
The Chicago Cubs have acquired three-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros in exchange for corner infielder Isaac Paredes, No. 7 Cubs prospect and third baseman Cam Smith and right-handed pitcher Hayden Wesneski, per ESPN's Jeff Passan . Tucker, who turns 28 in January, has posted a per-162 game average of 35 home runs and 111 RBI over his past four seasons. He's also registered an .888 OPS and 145 OPS+ during that time. He's been one of the greatest outfielders in the game, and now he makes his home in Chicago, which looks to make the playoffs for the first time since 2020. There's questions about the ripple effects of this move, namely what it potentially means for outfielder Cody Bellinger, who could be heading out of town, maybe to the New York Yankees. And then there are the Astros, who lose a superstar in Tucker and are trending in the wrong direction after getting swept out of the playoffs in the American League Wild Card Series. This is ultimately another monster move in a dramatic hot stove season to say the least. Here are some winners and losers from the trade. With Tucker now on the Cubs, one can guess that Cody Bellinger's days in Chicago could be numbered. There's already plenty of speculation connecting Bellinger to the New York Yankees, a team his father Clay Bellinger played for from 1999-2001. Jon Heyman of the New York Post and ESPN's Jesse Rogers connected the two. The Yankees have a dire need for an outfielder with Juan Soto leaving for the New York Mets. They also need corner infield help, and Bellinger could be a fit at first as well. Bellinger's left-handed power bat could take great advantage of the short porch in right field as well. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him crack 30-plus home runs in the Bronx. He hasn't hit over 30 since smacking 39 during his 2017 rookie season and adding 47 more during his 2019 NL MVP campaign, but some time in New York could rejuvenate that power. Bellinger has two years and $52.5 million remaining on his contract , so this wouldn't break the bank for the Yanks, who in theory have a lot of money they'd be willing to spend after seeing their $760 million offer to Juan Soto get rejected. Ultimately, a Bellinger-Yankees move here would be a huge win. It also almost seems inevitable to getting done. Sure, the Cubs are paying a price for a player who could very well be a one-year rental. Simply put, though, Tucker is a great ballplayer. Teams shouldn't just let chances to acquire great ballplayers to go by the wayside. Plus, the Cubs haven't won a playoff series since 2017. They had the resources to make a move and try to put an end to that slump. Chicago has the talent in place to make a run. Even though the Cubs went just 83-79 last season, it's not as if they were that far off from competing in the playoffs. Tucker can certainly get them there. Credit ultimately goes to Chicago for making a huge improvement to the team's roster and getting this done. And as for Tucker, he's in a great spot. Not only is he reportedly happy to be a Cub, but he's surrounded by talent that can help vault him to another excellent year. And that could push Tucker to a monster contract in free agency, whether that be with Chicago or someone else. Yes, the Astros are getting talented players back. Paredes, who is entering his age-26 season, has managed a .776 OPS and 119 OPS+ over his past three seasons. His defensive versatility certainly makes him a valuable asset. The 21-year-old Smith was a first-round 2024 draft pick who just posted a 1.004 OPS in 32 games over Single- and Double-A ball. The 26-year-old Wesneski allowed only a .198 batting average in relief last year, and he also struck out 67 batters in 67.2 innings. That all being said, losing Tucker stings. Obviously, the Astros would have preferred signing the impending free agent to a long-term deal and keeping him. That's not happening, though. One can't help but wonder if this is the beginning of the end of the Astros' perennial playoff and World Series contention days. Tucker is gone. Alex Bregman could very well be gone in free agency (although adding Paredes and Smith certainly helps). Pitcher Framber Valdez' name has been thrown around in trade rumors . Former superstar ace/future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander is now a free agent, and his best pitching days are behind him at age 42. Jose Altuve, another future Hall off Famer entering his age-35 season, just posted his lowest OPS (.790) over a full season since 2023. Houston snuck into the playoffs as AL West champions at 88-73 before being swept two games to zero by the Detroit Tigers. At this point, the Astros' first losing season since 2014 is on the table.