Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports Stop me if you’ve heard this before. (You have.) Cole Anthony coming back was supposed to solve UNC’s problems. He isn’t the reason they have played so poorly the last two games, but his return has not been the magic potion many of us wanted to believe it would be. The Tar Heels managed to play Florida State close, mostly due to Florida State’s turnovers, but a scoring drought in the last two minutes of the first half definitely foreshadowed the game turning ugly for Carolina. UNC had an eight-point lead at one point. They went to the locker room down one point after going ice cold to close out the first 20 minutes, and it was just a sign of things to come. Carolina went an entire 11 minutes without scoring in the second half. They missed 17 straight field goals to end up there. Those droughts have been the Heels’ undoing so many times this season, and it’s almost impossible for them to look worse than they do during those stretches. It was ugly in every facet of the imagination. Despite that, Florida State didn’t take advantage. It was enough to make the drought that much more infuriating, because there was a clear path to victory if the team had been able to make more than zero shots. Cole Anthony finished the game with 16 points to lead all UNC scorers. He had a poor night from the free throw line, missing five of his eight attempts. Christian Keeling showed up big late in the game with 14 points. Leaky Black finished the game with 10 points as the third and final scorer in double figures. Carolina was able to score 13 points off the 16 Seminole turnovers, but there was no way that could make up for the putrid 31% shooting percentage from the field. It was another night of struggle for Garrison Brooks. He got into foul trouble and finished the game with just five points. Florida State was much better on the boards, out-rebounding the Heels 43-37, which always seems to spell their downfall. Leonard Hamilton’s squad let Carolina hang around until the very end, which is quite the indictment considering all of the offensive struggles. The Seminoles did lead the way from the 15:50 mark of the second half on, so the relatively close score was more a tease than anything else. Florida State coming into the game ranked #8 in the country and Carolina keeping them close should feel like more of a victory. If you just saw the score and nothing else, you might think it was just that. Unfortunately, it just felt like FSU shot themselves in the foot so much that they couldn’t bury a team that didn’t score for more than a quarter of a basketball game. Winning would have felt like an absolute miracle. UNC will have to find a way to beat Duke at home if they want to avoid another three-game losing streak.

Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images A hockey game at Carter-Finley Stadium could become a reality for the 2020-21 season. In taking the next step toward making it happen, the Carolina Hurricanes have requested funding from the Centennial Authority, which is PNC Arena’s landlord. The team already has a financial commitment from the Raleigh Visitors Bureau for at least $125,000 and is seeking at least $200,000 from the Centennial Authority. That funding will be necessary before the NHL will approve a game, though it doesn’t seem like it’s going to require hard negotiating. The Centennial Authority chairman is quoted in the above-linked article noting that anything benefiting the Hurricanes tends to benefit the arena, so he sounds like he’s on board. The authority could vote on the funding in April. If that goes as planned, a Hurricanes game could be scheduled for some time in February 2021 at Carter-Finley Stadium. NHL officials already have been given an idea of what that would look like.

Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports UNC now has four in-state recruits for 2021. North Carolina has landed another highly-touted in-state football recruit. On Friday, athlete Gabe Stephens verbally committed to the Heels. Inside Carolina first reported the commitment. BREAKING: #UNC Football has landed another in-state four-star prospect in Gabe Stephens. STORY: https://t.co/vOssC7M4Kz pic.twitter.com/TvMcc2jdXW— InsideCarolina (@InsideCarolina) February 7, 2020 The 6’3, 195-pound athlete plays Mountain Island Charter in Mount Holly, North Carolina. A consensus four-star recruit by 247 Sports, Rivals, and ESPN, Stephens’ commitment continues to emphasize UNC’s focus on elite defensive talent. His current rankings are listed below. Rivals: Cornerback, 4-star, NR (national), #17 (position), #11 (state)ESPN: Safety, 4-star, no rankings listed247 Sports (organic): Athlete, 4-star, #127 (national), #9 (position), #8 (state)247 Sports (composite): Athlete, 4-Star, #240 (national, #17 (position), #13 (state) As always, rankings are fluid and it’s still early in the 2021 ranking process. Interestingly, all three major ranking services list him at three different positions, but his future is expected to be on the defensive side of the ball. This past season he lined up at defensive back, linebacker, and wide receiver. He accumulated 47 solo tackles and 85 total tackles. Those totals included 11 sacks and 14 total tackles for loss. As a receiver, he caught seven passes and four touchdowns. (All stats courtesy of MaxPreps). Stephens picked UNC over Ohio State, Florida, Virginia Tech, and South Carolina among others. Stephens is the fourth verbal commit for 2021, joining safety/athlete Dontavius Nash athlete/quarterback Caleb Hood, and linebacker Power Echols. All four players are from North Carolina, continuing Mack Brown’s efforts to lock down elite in-state talent. COMMITED?? @HawkMgmt @CoachDubb80 @CoachMackBrown @UNCCoachG @UNCCoachThig @DonCallahanIC @micsfootball @yfstephens pic.twitter.com/1vUqoIlgXR— ? ? ? (@gastephens05) February 7, 2020