Tar Heel Blog Podcast: For North Carolina Tar Heels Fans

Don’t Punt to Gio is back with a vengeance, as its time to put a bow on Mack Brown’s first full recruiting class as head coach at North Carolina. Host Chad Floyd is joined by Jake Lawrence to (yet again) sing Brown’s praises for doing an admirable, if not recently-unprecedented, job of locking up a lot of the top talent in the state of North Carolina. Discussed: Bringing in the headliners, especially in the trenches. The skill position talent: we might not see the returns on it immediately, but its definitely there. How the quarterback room shapes up for the next 5 years. Way too much excitement about this defensive class. Superlatives! Highest upside, favorite player, biggest sleeper, you name it. There are approximately seven defensive players better than any Carolina has signed in the past five years in this class alone. If you like what we do, don’t be shy! Leave us a comment to let us know what you think, fire up Apple Podcasts and drop us a 5-star review, and please PLEASE go ahead and subscribe.

SB Nation's Caroline Darney joins Lauren to talk about North Carolina (OMG Cole Anthony is hurt) and go in-depth on all of their favorite ACC Network commercials. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After an inconveniently-timed hiatus, Don’t Punt to Gio is back to discuss...well, a lot. Host Chad Floyd is joined by Jake Lawrence, and they get into four main topics: the State win (its still fun to discuss), Carolina’s All-ACC honorees, the Military Bowl vs. Temple, and the coaching carousel. Did Carolina achieve catharsis against State, or was that the beginning? How screwed, exactly, is N.C. State right this second? Congratulations to Charlie Heck, Sam Howell, Dazz Newsome, and Chazz Surratt. What kind of proof of concept can be built from high honors in the conference? Temple and the Military Bowl: at least its not Navy! Oh god, coaches. Lane Kiffin to Ole Miss (and the innumerable outcomes of that marriage)! Former UNC OL coach Sam Pittman to Arkansas! Eli Drinkwitz to Mizzou! Mike Norvell to FSU! Coach hiring season really is the best, the most absurd, and I can’t get enough of it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All the bowl game assignments are out, and the North Carolina basketball team has dropped two straight, so Lauren welcomes back SI Heel Maven's Brant Wilkerson-New to talk all things bowl games and basketball. Subscribe to make sure you never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are about 12 hours outside of another rough game for the Tar Heels. The team went into John Paul Jones Arena and got handed what is becoming a traditional beating against Virginia 47-56. While the merciful thing to do would be not to discuss what happened, we did it anyway. In this episode, we discuss: Armando Bacot’s surprising return to the starting lineup UNC’s shooting woes continue Free throw struggles all but costing the Heels the game Breaking down UNC’s rough schedule against tough defensive teams Jeremiah Francis and Anthony Harris made their Tar Heel debuts Diffusing NCAA Tournament concerns Best/worst of the game Cole Anthony vs. Coby White talk If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever application you use to listen to podcasts. You’ll be able to stay up to date with What in Tar Nation, Don’t Punt to Gio, and Between the Banners so you don’t miss an episode. We’ll be back following next week’s game against Wofford with mo

Tanya Bondurant and I are back for another edition of What in Tar Nation! On this week’s episode, we discuss UNC’s performance in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas. They finished the event with a 2-1 record, beating Alabama and #11 Oregon while falling to Michigan in the second round. Discussed in this episode: UNC surviving Alabama’s hot shooting in the opening game of the tournament Brandon Robinson’s return and the immediate impact that he had against the Crimson Tide The team coming out against Michigan firing on all cylinders before getting demolished...and then mounting a comeback to only lose by nine A heated discussion about Cole Anthony’s play style Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot dominating the Oregon Ducks in the paint Cole Anthony’s last-minute heroics Best and worst of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament (spoiler: there is an adequate amount of referee bashing) If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever applicat

We put all of our takeaways from three games against fairly hapless Carolina basketball foes into one, and tried to project them upon three much tougher opponents. This is episode 28 of the Between the Banners podcast, the UNC basketball show on the Tar Heel Blog Podcast. Host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) is joined by Jake Lawrence (@therealestRJL) to talk about the Alabama game, and what follows, including: How is Brandon Robinson re-incorporated into the lineup? Does his presence create a trickle-down effect, reducing the minutes of Armando Bacot, Christian Keeling, and Andrew Platek? Can Keeling take the step up to P5/whatever we call it on this level competition? The opponents we haven’t established yet: what can we learn against (potentially) Michigan, Oregon, Seton Hall, and Gonzaga? Buckle up, friends. The odds that the Heels leave this week 7-0 are pretty low. What’s a reasonable expectation, what can we learn from three games in three days, and what would you like to see? Hit our comments and let us

Lauren welcomes the Athletic's Nicole Auerbach to the show to discuss Week 12 of the ACC as Pitt-UNC battled in a close one, Clemson is in War Machine mode, how Virginia Tech keeps cruising, and more. Subscribe to your favorite ACC team's network to make sure you don't miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Another week, another episode of Don’t Punt to Gio, your UNC football podcast on the Tar Heel Blog Podcast. Host Chad Floyd is joined by Al Hood to discuss: Whether or not the Tar Heels need to reach a bowl to consider year one under Mack Brown a success. There’s a lot to unpack there. Vaguely previewing the State game in two weeks without actually previewing the State game in two weeks. Charting Carolina’s path to 6-6. Discussing the ACC’s fairly complicated bowl tie-ins. There are a few chokepoints that make this really interesting, and we explained them to the best of our collective abilities (actually, pretty well). We played bowl committee! Taking turns, we slotted each ACC program in bowl games, based on speculation that they have results in the next two weeks that are almost certainly not going to happen as we imagined. This was a good one. If you enjoyed it, go ahead and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi

What in Tar Nation is back as Brandon joins Tanya to recap UNC basketball’s win against Gardner-Webb Friday night. The team improved to 3-0 on the season so far, but we definitely have some opinions about how things are going. Discussed in this episode: 9 pm start times are cruel and unusual punishment TV Teddy and High Knees Ref complaints Cole Anthony had an okay-not-great game but still scored almost 30 Praise for Garrison Brooks’ defense Free throw improvement, three-point struggles Was last night a turning point for Christian Keeling getting going? Adjusting expectations for a very young team Basketball has been wild so far, making it hard to know what to expect If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever application you use to listen to podcasts. You’ll be able to stay up to date with What in Tar Nation, Don’t Punt to Gio, and Between the Banners so you don’t miss an episode. We’ll be back to recap the Elon game next week. Until the

Lauren brings The Athletic's Grace Raynor on to talk about Clemson's standing in the College Football Playoff rankings, and discuss all the upcoming Week 12 games. Will the weekend go "full Coastal" as Georgia Tech faces Virginia Tech? How will Thursday night's UNC-Pitt game shake out? That and more on this week's episode. Plus, Lauren's son makes his picks. Subscribe to your favorite ACC team's feed now to make sure you don't miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) is joined by Jake Lawrence (@therealestRJL) to talk about tomorrow night’s road trip to Pittsburgh, PA to face the Pitt Panthers. On the front end, the guys get into a little bit of praise for Pitt’s defense as it has finally come together under Pat Narduzzi. How does Carolina scheme an effective running game into the mix? Can Sam Howell hit on enough deep throws to make the potential lack of a running game a moot point? After being nice to the Panthers on one side of the ball...whew boy you’ve gotta talk about how bad their offense is. So we did that. After some picks, we hit a commercial and run through the College Football Playoff top 25 from Tuesday night, and it devolves into us talking in circles about how the committee...talks itself into circles. If you’re up for it, definitely stick around. No matter what you do, go ahead and leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you won’t miss a beat! Learn more about your ad choices

By golly, we have a lot to talk about in the first postgame edition of Between the Banners of the 2019-2020 season. Host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) and Jake Lawrence (@therealestrjl) take an immediate deep-dive into the Tar Heels’ 76-65 win over Notre Dame on Wednesday night. It was Cole Anthony’s show, no doubt, but there was a lot to discuss— both good and bad— from the Heels’ win. As a bonus, Puff Johnson committed to UNC as the fifth member of the 2020 recruiting class, so there’s a little extra bonus content if you stick around. Anthony: my goodness. Leaky Black’s sophomore year Danny Green impression Christian Keeling and Justin Pierce: adjusting to a new role, new league, and new competition. ANDREW PLATEK APPRECIATION! Honestly, Chad gushing over Armando Bacot, and Jake doing the same about Garrison Brooks, both of which are fair. Puff Johnson: what he can bring, where he fits, and are the Heels done with 2020? If you like it, tell us! Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts and it WILL BE RE

Football may have been super frustrating this weekend, but college basketball is back this week to improve all of our moods. Brandon joins me to breakdown the Tar Heels’ loss to Virginia Saturday night before we dive into talking about the season ahead for Carolina on the court. Discussed in this episode: Football frustration What went wrong with the defense against Virginia Appreciating Sam Howell and Dyami Brown’s amazing game Does Phil Longo have a red zone problem? It’s basketball season! Excitement over Cole Anthony Leaky Black being a low key sleeper The Large Sons lineup What is the ceiling/floor for this UNC team If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever application you use to listen to podcasts. You’ll be able to stay up to date with What in Tar Nation, Don’t Punt to Gio, and Between the Banners so you don’t miss an episode. Go Heels! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Chad Floyd is joined by Streaking the Lawn's Caroline Darney to discuss the big Carolina/Virginia game on Saturday night. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy Halloween! Lauren and Emily Brand (@sportsbroad) talk about all of this weekend's football games with a spooky twist. Emily and Lauren compare all of this week's games to horror or Halloween movies, and you'll want to know which team embodies Hocus Pocus perfectly. Plus, Lauren's son makes his picks! Make sure you subscribe to your favorite ACC podcast feed to make sure you don't miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Part deux of the basketball preview podcasts is upon us, as host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) is joined by Jake Lawrence (@therealestrjl) to run through the ACC. Shoutout to Joe Giglio of the News and Observer, as we used the linked rankings to frame our discussion. Discussed: The bottom five is really about who keeps their job, right? Brad Brownell at Clemson and Danny Manning at Wake are firmly on the chopping block. Oh, Virginia Tech is bad again. Hate to see it. Pitt: one of us thinks they’re going to surprise. No offense Joe, but Jake called you his spirit animal in one sentence and retracted it when he heard where you had Georgia Tech ranked. Chad and Jake talking themselves in circles about the top 5 in the ACC— Louisville returns the goods, but overachieved last year. Duke, UNC, and UVA? Well, two of the three have proven capable of winning the regular season title in the last decade. N.C. State, Notre Dame, and Miami: sleepers? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the realm of “things that we’re really excited about that completely snuck up on us”, you wouldn’t think basketball season would be one of them! With the advent of the ACC Network, it turns out the Tar Heels tip off a WEEK from tonight, so...its probably high time we start talking about the season ahead. Host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) is joined by longtime pal Akil Gurupuran (@akillesheel17) to break down the UNC basketball roster in part 1 of a multi-part North Carolina basketball season preview. Discussed: The guys are briefly yet immediately sidetracked by some of the quirks of the new schedule, including a Virginia game on the day of the ACC Football Championship. They agree on their projected starting lineup, which saves some valuable time. Breaking down each player individually: what to expect from Cole Anthony? Christian Keeling as X-factor? Garrison Brooks’ statline will be: _____? After the break, some glowing words about Leaky Black’s potential role, and the versatility of he and Justin Pierce

In true ACC fashion, Week 9 was full of wacky football action. The Tar Heel Blog's Chad Floyd joins Lauren to talk about all the games that happened, and discuss how the Coastal is *still* wide open. Oh, and stick around for a talk on what kind of "dad energy" the coaches give off. Subscribe to your favorite ACC feed to make sure you don't miss an episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Now that we’ve all had a chance to catch our breaths following UNC’s huge win over Duke on Homecoming, Brandon joins me for another episode of our What in Tar Nation podcast. There is even a little disagreement among the hosts when it comes to the special teams so far this season. Discussed in this episode: The lackluster offense The defense saving everyone’s bacon again Praise for Jay Bateman knowing exactly what Duke was going to call We love the navy uniforms, sorry not sorry The kicking controversy that shouldn’t have been Chazz Surratt! If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or whatever application you use to listen to podcasts. You’ll be able to stay up to date with What in Tar Nation, Don’t Punt to Gio, and Between the Banners so you don’t miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices