Inside Carolina: A UNC athletics podcast

With eight teams selected for the NCAA Tournament, the ACC stands in much better position nationally and looks to redeem it's collective image in the 2026 big dance. While eight teams in is progress, only two of those - Duke and Virginia - are higher than a six seed with North Carolina and Louisville earning those slots. 

Inside Carolina senior reporter Greg Barnes joins Tommy Ashley to discuss the Tar Heels and the rest of the league as March Madness is finally here. Barnes and Ashley look briefly at Carolina's matchup with VCU and potentially Illinois before checking i...

North Carolina fizzled out early in the ACC Quarterfinals and returned to Chapel Hill to await their postseason fate. Now they're officially in the "Lose-or-Go-Home" part of the season as the NCAA Tournament awaits. The usual Coast to Coast crew of Sherrell McMillan, Sean Moran and Joey Powell bring on Inside Carolina analyst Rob Harrington and senior reporter Greg Barnes to dig into UNC's real postseason chances and what the Tournament may look like as a whole.

The crew focuses on the matchup with VCU. Harrington highlights UNC's six seed as a fair placement despite Caleb Wilson's...

Inside Carolina senior reporter Greg Barnes and Tommy Ashley discuss the aftermath of North Carolina's quick exit in the 2026 ACC Tournament with a game performance all too familiar in the Hubert Davis era at UNC. Barnes and Ashley go into the clear disconnect that has permeated this roster at times - and did again on Thursday night - and look ahead to how this game and end of the season will affect the NCAA Tournament seeding. 

Finally, the IC duo look at the future and the importance of next weekend for not only the program but especially f...

North Carolina's quarterfinal loss to Clemson played out as so many games have in the Hubert Davis era in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels came out flat, played a lethargic 35 minutes and appeared on their way to another disappointing loss, this time in the ACC Tournament in Charlotte. But a furious rally and a Tiger shutdown provided a miracle chance at the end. Jarin Stevenson's three-quarter heave fell way short and UNC heads home to await NCAA selection Sunday with a 80-79 loss on Thursday night.

Inside Carolina's Rob Harrington and Tommy Ashley break down the loss...

For old school folks, the ACC Tournament starts in the quarterfinals and on Thursday night, Duke and Florida State open the evening session while Hubert Davis and North Carolina and Clemson battle for the second time in ten days in the nightcap. Both the Tigers and Tar Heels seek to bolster their NCAA Tournament resumes in this one while injuries to key players will play an important role on the court. Big man Carter Welling left Wednesday's game with Wake Forest and is out for Clemson while Caleb Wilson season ended last week.

Inside Carolina senior reporter...

Inside Carolina senior reporter Greg Barnes and Tommy Ashley discuss the origins and current debates surrounding UNC's Smith Center. Barnes' reporting delves into the 1980s fundraising effort that fully funded the project with private monies and considered at the time as one of the biggest achievements of the UNC athletic and donor communities. The conversation highlights the ambiguity in the documentation regarding seat licenses and what those licenses ultimately mean both within the renovation discussion and the relocate discussion.  

Barnes highlights the potential legal challenges ahead though he makes the point that all current original do...

North Carolina's first ACC series against Virginia ended in dramatic walk-off fashion as freshman Tyler Howe tied the game in the bottom of the ninth and won it in the 12th inning. The performance kept the broom out of Cavalier hands and while the Wahoos still got the series win, Scott Forbes's team found out how important staying in the fight and playing clean baseball translates into the win column. 

Coach Forbes joins Tommy Ashley to discuss the past weekend, the lessons learned across the program and the week ahead with a Bucknell visit on Tuesday and a...

Inside Carolina's senior reporter Greg Barnes and Tommy Ashley discuss the ACC and North Carolina's recent history in the league tournament. On Sunday's Coast to Coast podcast, Sherrell McMillan brought up an interesting point when discussing the often referenced Roy Williams point about the ACC Tournament being but a mere cocktail party and not as important as the NCAA Tournament. 

Barnes and Ashley break down UNC's lack of success in the tournament in the past quarter century - Carolina has three titles since 2000 - and the lack of NCAA Tournament success on top of that - one E...

Inside Carolina senior reporter Greg Barnes joins Tommy Ashley to discuss the fall out from North Carolina's loss at Duke on Saturday night and what the Heels need to shore up as they prepare for the ACC Tournament. Barnes highlights what the Tar Heels do well - when they are locked in - and what cannot happen with a one and done tournament time scenario now at hand.  

As the news of Caleb Wilson being done  fades in the rearview mirror, how can Hubert Davis push his team to focus on the strengths of Henri Veesaar and Se...

North Carolina achieved a perfect home record this season by beating Clemson on Tuesday, then got steamrolled by Duke in the regular season finale. To pour salt in the wound, rather than get Caleb Wilson back for a March run, he broke his thumb and has likely played his last game in Carolina Blue. 

So, what now? The Tar Heels must now embrace the personnel that they have, take what they've learned in the past four months, and figure out who they want to be for the ACC Tournament and wherever the NCAA sends them afterward. Sherrell M...

Inside Carolina analyst Rob Harrington and former Tar Heel Dewey Burke join Tommy Ashley to break down North Carolina's 76-61 loss at Duke on Saturday night in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Cameron Boozer was too much for the Carolina defense and Duke's ability to extend offensive possessions with offensive rebounds eventually wore down Hubert Davis's team in the second half.  Burke and Harrington discuss the Blue Devil defense - Duke turned 14 UNC turnovers into 24 points.

Derek Dixon's 17 points led the Heels while Henri Veesaar (11pts), Seth Trimble (10pts) and Jarin Stevenson (10pts) joined the freshman in double figures. B...

Inside Carolina's Greg Barnes, Spencer Haskell and Tommy Ashley break down the news that Caleb Wilson is out for the season with a broken right thumb.

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Inside Carolina senior reporter Greg Barnes joins Tommy Ashley to break down round two of the best rivalry in sports - Carolina vs. Duke. The Tar Heels have locked in the four seed in the ACC Tournament while Duke sits atop the league standings, but none of those rankings matter on Saturday at 6:30p in Cameron Indoor Stadium. 

Barnes and Ashley go in depth on defending Duke's Cameron Boozer and the challenges UNC's Henri Veesaar and Jarin Stephenson will face on that end of the floor as well as the importance of staying on the floor in t...

North Carolina's ACC baseball season begins on Friday with the Virginia Cavaliers coming to Boshamer Stadium for a three game series against the Tar Heels. It will be the first time since the 2024 College World Series the two long time rivals have matched up and the first time since the 2023 season the Cavs have made the trip south to Chapel Hill. Carolina's last series win came in the 2021 season when the Heels took two of three from UVa in Boshamer Stadium. Both teams have had success in the early non-conference season with Carolina owning a 12-1-1 record while...

Inside Carolina senior reporter Greg Barnes joins Tommy Ashley to discuss the latest on the Smith Center decision and the new financial numbers that were released on Wednesday, March 4. Barnes, the leading reporter throughout this renovate/relocate process, answers your questions and provides insight into the complete process and the decision making around the biggest topic in Carolina Basketball in some time.

Barnes also outlines the challenges presented by any of the options from traffic concerns, mixed use revenue, and other factors that ultimately shape the decision and outcomes of those decisions.

**Call t...

North Carolina completed an 18-0 home slate on Tuesday night with a 67-63 win over Clemson on Senior Night. While Seth Trimble struggled in his last game in the Smith Center, his other teammates stepped up to provide enough for the Tar Heels to get by the Tigers and set themselves in good position for a double-bye in next week's ACC Tournament. 

Luka Bogavac banged in six three-pointers on his way to 20 points and Jarin Stevenson grabbed a career high ten rebounds in the winning effort. Inside Carolina's Sherrell McMillan and Tommy Ashley discuss the win and t...

Inside Carolina senior reporter Greg Barnes joins Tommy Ashley to discuss North Carolina vs. Clemson, highlighting the importance of the matchup for both teams. Clemson, having fallen off since a hot start to the season, is now trying to secure a double bye in the ACC tournament and a decent NCAA seed. Carolina heads into the final two games of the regular season in a similar situation in league play as the double-by or not double-bye will likely come down to the ACC's tiebreak policy.  

Barnes and Ashley point to the physical play of Clemson and how H...

North Carolina's hot start on the season includes two series sweeps, midweek success and a tie in the rubber match of the annual East Carolina series. Last weekend's demolition of Le Moyne College provided an opportunity for head coach Scott Forbes to see all of his available position players in action and at the plate and his pitching rotation a chance to hone their craft ahead of the start to the ACC slate.

Forbes spoke to Inside Carolina's Tommy Ashley on their weekly show about the progress of his team, how he grades his team's performances regardless...

Inside Carolina's senior reporter Greg Barnes and Tommy Ashley discuss the future decisions of UNC players Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar ahead of the NBA Draft. With the new era of NIL and rev share, how are pro decisions impacted for players not in the elite echelon of draft prospects. Barnes and Ashley dig into the topic based off a IC message board thread asking 'Would Caleb Wilson Come Back for 5 Million' and while the decision should be easy for talents like Wilson, what about players on the level of Veesaar? Do late first round picks have easy decisions...

North Carolina took care of business this week, beating Louisville and VT at home, improving their record to 4-1 without superstar freshman Caleb Wilson. The trio digs deeper into North Carolina's unexpected success without Wilson, highlighting Seth Trimble's 30-point game against Louisville and Henry Veesaar's 26 points Saturday. While the scoring outputs are key, the improved defensive discipline and offensive consistency were noteworthy as those two issues have given the Heels problems on and off this year.

The discussion also covered the importance of role players like Jonathan Powell and Zayden High, and the potential impact of Caleb...

While injuries in sports are never a good thing, North Carolina's ability to come together as a group in the wake of Caleb Wilson's setback took another step forward on Saturday night. The Heels handled Virginia Tech with a collective effort, getting the 89-82 win and setting up a final week of regular season play with momentum and chemistry Hubert Davis's team will need when tournament season begins in just ten days.

Inside Carolina's senior reporter Greg Barnes joins Tommy Ashley to discuss the win, the keys that led to the win, the pivotal players that have...

Inside Carolina senior reporter Greg Barnes joins Tommy Ashley to discuss North Carolina's Saturday night ACC matchup with Virginia Tech in the Smith Center. With the regular season winding down, UNC has another chance to pad their postseason resume with a win over a Hokie team that has been hit or miss during the conference season. Mike Young's squard comes in fresh off a blow out of Wake Forest, but sits 7-8 in league play and is just 2-5 on the road during that time. 

Carolina will have a healthy Henri Veesaar and the IC duo discusses t...

In a special Coast to Coast, Sherrell McMillan and Joey Powell talk with Terrence "Munch" Williams to discuss his new book, "Here Are the Answers: A Roadmap for Navigating Success in the Business of Youth Basketball," and break down the business, mentorship, and infrastructure behind elite grassroots basketball. 

Through that lens, we examine how those principles shaped Dylan Mingo and what UNC fans should understand about the ecosystem that prepared him for Chapel Hill. This conversation goes beyond rankings and highlights to explore the structure, decision-making, and character development that often dovetail with long-term success at Carolina. 

Inside Carolina's senior reporter Greg Barnes and Tommy Ashley discuss the exceptional performance of freshmen in college basketball, noting the potential for the first ten NBA draft picks to be freshmen. They highlight Caleb Wilson's injury and its impact on his All-American and Player of the Year prospects, comparing it to Zion Williamson's 2019 situation. In that season, Williamson missed six game due to injury and still earned National Player of the Year awards. Greg mentions other top players like Kansas' Darryn Peterson, Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson, Illinois' Keaton Wagler and the competition among freshmen for not only the top...

As the ACC season comes to a close, the debate over postseason awards has begun. Inside Carolina's senior reporter Greg Barnes and Tommy Ashley discuss the league's success through the lens of the men on the sidelines leading their teams into March.

Ashley and Barnes discuss the ACC's recent coaching changes and the impact on the conference's performance. They highlight the decline in ACC quality due to the addition of more teams and the departure of iconic coaches. The conference has bounced back after last season's disastrous performance and the impressive coaching performances have driven the rise...

As the ACC season comes to a close, the debate over postseason awards has begun. Inside Carolina's senior reporter Greg Barnes and Tommy Ashley discuss the league's success through the lens of the men on the sidelines leading their teams into March. 

Ashley and Barnes discuss the ACC's recent coaching changes and the impact on the conference's performance. They highlight the decline in ACC quality due to the addition of more teams and the departure of iconic coaches. The conference has bounced back after last season's disastrous performance and the impressive coaching performances have driven the rise. C...

Inside Carolina's senior reporter Greg Barnes joins Tommy Ashley discuss North Carolina's 78-74 win over Louisville, highlighting Henry Veesaar's impactful performance and Seth Trimble's 30 point night. They note Carolina's solid 27-minute stretch but criticize their late-game execution, citing a 44-point deficit over the final 10 minutes in 15 ACC games and the free-throw woes (319th in nation). 

Barnes and Ashley praise Hubert Davis for motivating the team and highlight Carolina's success without Caleb Wilson, noting improved defensive play with key players stepping up. The conversation also covers ACC standings, with Carolina tied for 5th at 10-5, and the importance o...

Inside Carolina's Rob Harrington and Tommy Ashley break down North Carolina's key three point win over Louisville in the Smith Center on Monday night. The Heels led by as many as 16 points and played some of their best basketball on the season on both ends of the floor to build the lead. The Cardinals rebounded from the drought to make the final margin close as Hubert Davis's team struggled closing the game on the offensive end and at the free throw line. Seth Trimble's 30 point effort led the way while Henri Veesaar and Luka Bogavac dropped 12 points a piece. Louisville...

North Carolina’s week begins with North Carolina A&T and VCU in the midweek followed by the last non-conference series of the season as LeMoyne comes to Boshamer Stadium for a three game series Friday-Sunday. Head coach Scott Forbes joins Tommy Ashley to discuss the weekend that was against East Carolina, the lessons learned from those battles and the plan for the week ahead.   This show is brought to you by Inside Carolina, the No. 1 site for UNC sports coverage and community. Visit http://www.InsideCarolina.com   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for info...

Inside Carolina's senior reporter Greg Barnes joins Tommy Ashley to preview North Carolina's Big Monday matchup with Louisville in the Smith Center at 7pm on ESPN. UNC handled Syracuse two short days ago as Henri Veesaar returned to the lineup and was too much for Cuse. But tonight's challenge is on the Tar Heel backcourt as the Cardinals boast three sharpshooters of their own in Mikel Brown, Jr., Ryan Conwell and Isaac McNeely and will look to take Carolina out from deep early and often. Barnes highlights the importance of this game for UNC's standing not only in the ACC...

It was an eventful week in which North Carolina landed a blue-chip recruit to its '26 class, was throttled at NC State, and then got Henri Veesaar back from injury in time to win at Syracuse. Now UNC returns home to host ranked Louisville and Virginia Tech this week. Sherrell McMillan and Sean Moran join Joey Powell to analyze the important takeaways from the week and focus forward on where the Tar Heels stand and what they need to accomplish. The Coast to Coast is delivered by Salvio's Pizzeria. http://salviospizza.com The Caleb Wilson is brought to you by...

North Carolina went to upstate New York and got a much needed win against Syracuse on Saturday. More importantly, Henri Veesaar returned to play 26 minutes, and poured in 19 much-needed points. While the game was ugly due to some sloppiness and a high number of fouls called, it does allow the Tar Heels to get the bad taste of Tuesday's abomination out of their mouths. Inside Carolina analyst Rob Harrington and Joey Powell break down North Carolina's 77-64 win.   This show is brought to you by Inside Carolina, the No. 1 site for UNC sports coverage and community. Visit http://www.InsideCarolina.c...

After the blowout loss in Raleigh on Tuesday night, North Carolina basketball heads north in need of a rebound performance against Syracuse. Inside Carolina senior reporter Greg Barnes and Tommy Ashley look head to Saturday's game and discuss UNC's plan to get back in some sort of flow offensively regardless of the statuses of Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar. Barnes discusses three point shooting in the absence of Carolina's bigs and the importance of guard play against the Orange while Zayden High and Jarin Stevenson need to maintain their production against Donnie Freeman on the inside. The duo also take...

After the blowout loss in Raleigh on Tuesday night, North Carolina basketball heads north in need of a rebound performance against Syracuse. Inside Carolina senior reporter Greg Barnes and Tommy Ashley look head to Saturday's game and discuss UNC's plan to get back in some sort of flow offensively regardless of the statuses of Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar. Barnes discusses three point shooting in the absence of Carolina's bigs and the importance of guard play against the Orange while Zayden High and Jarin Stevenson need to maintain their production against Donnie Freeman on the inside. The duo also take...

Inside Carolina senior reporter Greg Barnes and Tommy Ashley discuss Kansas freshman Darryn Peterson and UNC's Caleb Wilson in the one and done era and how both players have handled injury troubles during their first, and only, season in college basketball. Jayhawk head coach Bill Self expressed some frustration with Peterson this week after the star freshman took himself out of a big game, another in a long line of missed opportunities for the Jayhawks to play with their complete roster in 2026. Barnes and Ashley discuss Wilson's approach to rehabbing his fractured left hand and the seemingly different approaches to...

Inside Carolina senior reporter Greg Barnes joins Tommy Ashley to discuss the aftermath of UNC's blow out loss and brutal performance in Raleigh on Tuesday night. There are several ways to view what happened on the court as the IC duo point out, but at this point in the season, things are what they are and the issues that play out on the court started well before the season began. Poor roster management, poor evaluations and a team that's been propped up by an elite talent in Caleb Wilson and a productive front court mate in Henri Veesaar. As Barnes...

Inside Carolina analyst Rob Harrington and Tommy Ashley break down North Carolina's blow out loss to NC State in Raleigh, 82-58. With a depleted frontcourt roster, UNC's only hope against the 'Pack was a solid effort and good shooting nice from the guards - and that did not happen. Carolina shot 15% from three and 32% overall while Zayden High and Jarin Stevenson were the only two Heels in double figures. State's Quadir Copeland finished with 20 points, six rebounds, seven assists.   This show is brought to you by Inside Carolina, the No. 1 site for UNC sports coverage and community. Visit http://www.I...

The Inside Carolina Coast to Coast crew reacts to the news that 2026 five star point guard Dylan Mingo has committed to Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels. The 6-5 Mingo, out of Long Island Lutheran, is ranked second in the class, and the number one point guard, by Rivals and chose the Tar Heels over Baylor, Penn State and Washington.   This show is brought to you by Inside Carolina, the No. 1 site for UNC sports coverage and community. Visit http://www.InsideCarolina.com   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our co...

Inside Carolina's Greg Barnes and Rob Harrington join Tommy Ashley to preview North Carolina's trip to Raleigh to face the NC State Wolfpack on Tuesday night. Barnes and Harrington highlight the key matchups for both teams as UNC will be without Caleb Wilson and possibly Henri Veesaar - one of the nation's best frontcourts. What needs to happen for the Heels to pull out the victory? Who will shine? And finally, Barnes rips the ACC as the conference powers that be have ruined the best rivalries in the sports with the new scheduling structure that has Carolina and State playing...

North Carolina head coach Scott Forbes joins Tommy Ashley to recap a solid opening weekend series and discuss what he and his coaching staff pull from sweeping Indiana. Forbes and Ashley go in depth beyond the scoreboard with what worked, what needs improving and how the pitching rotation and lineup continues to be a work in progress. The pair discuss the final sequence in the bottom of the ninth against the Hoosiers, the chaos of the play and how he and his staff managed the extra innings. The show closes with Coach Forbes speaking on transfer Erik Paulsen and the...