Tar Heel Blog Podcast: For North Carolina Tar Heels Fans

Brandon Anderson joins Tanya Bondurant for a new show that dives into the latest happenings surrounding UNC sports. In this first episode, they discuss: -Carolina football's schedule: How many wins will they be able to pull off in Mack Brown's first year back on campus? -Alcohol Sales: When will UNC be ready to start selling alcohol, and will it be a disappointment if they're not ready for the first game against Miami? -The Rich Paul Rule: Seriously, what is the NCAA doing anymore? Remember to subscribe to the podcast through your favorite podcast app, and if you like what you hear, be sure to leave us a five-star review! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) is back with Jacob Cowden (@jacobcowden28) to preview the 2019 SEC football season!  A little housekeeping: we are still working to retrieve the audio file for last week’s (obviously unpublished) Big Ten preview, so, for our Tar Heel Blog-reading Rutgers fans: we’re working on it.  Discussed in this one:  Georgia occupies the same tier, talent-wise, as Alabama and Clemson. Can they take the next step?Does Florida pose a legitimate threat to Georgia’s SEC East crown? Can South Carolina be a top-20 team while losing 8 games? The SEC West: basically, it would be really fun if Alabama didn’t exist.Why? Because LSU, Texas A&M, and Auburn could all be legitimately awesome.Also, the other eight teams I didn’t mention in this synopsis! If you remotely enjoy what we’re doing, go ahead and leave us a 5-star review on your podcast host of choice. Subscribe so you’ll get the (randomly scheduled, at this point) Tar Heel Blog Podcast in your feed the second it hits. As always, thanks for l

Round two of Don’t Punt to Gio’s conference previews is live!  Working our way west to east, albeit unintentionally, host Chad Floyd is joined by Jacob Cowden to talk about the nation’s most unstable and entertaining conference, the Big XII.  Discussed:  Jacob’s realization that many of the conference’s locales would be a hard sell for recruits. “Come spend your next four years in (Waco, Manhattan, Ames, Lubbock, Stillwater) might be a tougher sell than we realized! Oklahoma: still the class of the conference. Can their defense improve and make them competitive in the CFP?Differing opinions on Texas. Chad’s rogue pick to join Oklahoma in the conference championship game. Four new coaches! What to expect of Matt Wells (Texas Tech), Chris Klieman (Kansas St.), Neal Brown (West Virginia), and Les Miles (Kansas). A quick touch on realignment scenarios, because we’d be remiss not to discuss them in this league. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The ACC and SEC have their summer media days starting this week, so...let’s talk about the Pac-12!  Along with host Chad Floyd, guest Jacob Cowden brings his unique west-coast expertise to talk about the nation’s westernmost Power 5 conference.  Larry Scott, the nation’s worst conference commissioner, defended to an extent by Jacob;Really, really chalky picks by both guys on the podcast;Justin Herbert, K.J. Costello, Jacob Eason: is the Pac-12 North the cradle of quarterbacks for 2019? Looking back on some of our favorite #Pac12AfterDark moments;A malaise over the Southern Cal program, but is UCLA in worse shape? Give us a listen and get your week started right! While you’re doing so, go ahead and leave us a five-star review (it really helps us out). Your host will read it on air, no matter what it says. We’ll be back with another conference, and some more good stuff from ACC Kickoff later this week!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Greensboro defensive end Myles Murphy, a composite borderline top-100 overall recruit in the country, committed to North Carolina on Monday. Of course, that means we had to talk about it!  Host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) is joined by eternal optimist Jake Lawrence (@therealestRJL) in a quick breakdown of the nation’s #5 strongside defensive end.  Discussed:  The staff’s perseverance in winning out a recruitment that long seemed to be a lost cause to South Carolina;The versatility of Jay Bateman’s scheme, and how Carolina could potentially fit seven or eight guys into one defensive line class; A little discussion on those fits, where Sean Martin and A.J. Beatty could be more hybrid DE/LB;And, of course, the token mentions and discussions of Kedrick Bingley-Jones and Desmond Evans, who could create the best defensive line recruiting class since the days of the first Mack Brown era.Its a fun, lively discussion! If you enjoy it, go ahead and pop over to your favorite podcast app, subscribe and leave a five-star rev

We’re not an NBA blog, and Between the Banners is not an NBA show. Now, having said that, we had to unwrap the specific brand of absurdity that only the Association can provide. Al Hood (@albhood) and a cameo by Akil Gurupuran (@akillesheel17) join host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) to unwrap the pure WTF of NBA Free Agency, which opened on Sunday at 6pm. Being good Tar Heels, we related the craziness back to some of the Heels in the NBA.  Theo Pinson’s role on the now must-watch Brooklyn Nets;Wayne Ellington and Reggie Bullock: plan F or G for the Knicks, but THEY’RE GETTING PAID EIGHT FIGURES, DAMNIT!; We totally forgot about Harrison Barnes’ $85 million deal for the first 50 minutes;Raymond Felton: still in the NBA, likely future Laker;Ed Davis as a mentor for Tony Bradley? Those are really the supplementary points to the plot: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, Kawhi Leonard, and are all on the move, and we unpacked as much of it as we possibly could.  Its not our normal beat, but it was still fun!  L

Following up on the kneejerk reactions from the 2019 NBA Draft last week, host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) and guest Joe Carpenter (@joecarpenteriv) came back to revisit last week’s festivities. The biggest talking point coming out of the draft was Nassir Little’s fall, but is that outweighed by the success of Coby White and Cam Johnson?  For those who have been living under a rock, Coby White went 7th overall to the Chicago Bulls, Cam Johnson exceeded any rational expectation at 11th to the Phoenix Suns, and Nassir Little came in well behind any reasonable expectation, dropping to Portland at 25.  Joe drops some nice historical nuggets and comparisons to Roy Williams’ results;Talk of how Coby’s emergence has already paid dividends with Cole Anthony; Cam Johnson has a brother with a North Carolina offer, that doesn’t hurt.And more! Go ahead and leave us a nice 5-star review, hit us on the ‘subscribe’ feature on your preferred podcast-listening tool, and keep on listening!  Until next time, go Heels.  Learn more

Jacob Cowden (@jacobcowden28) wrote about it, so you know what that means: we had to talk about it. Host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) brought the quarterback-ranking Tar Heel Blog colleague to discuss his rankings, break down some rationale, and let Chad quibble very slightly with his picks.  Discussed:  Chad didn’t do his research on Mercer’s QB;COASTAL CHAMP Kenny Pickett of Pitt;Interesting battles at N.C. State, Georgia Tech, and (possibly?) Miami;Ryan Willis: decent-to-good quarterback, should’ve just started his career at North Dakota State; Jake Bentley, and comparisons to Jake Browning (formerly of Washington), and it being confusing because this year’s Washington QB is Jacob Eason and we’re talking to Jacob Cowden;Trevor Lawrence: the best college QB this millennium.If you like what you hear (or you’re my mom, HI MOM!) go ahead and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. There’s likely a friendly app right there on your listening device to make that process seamless.  Go Heels!  Learn more about your a

Well, this one was a tough one to evaluate.  The North Carolina Tar Heels had an amazing first eleven picks in last night’s NBA Draft, with Coby White landing in Chicago with the 7th pick, and Cam Johnson moving from a borderline 1st-2nd rounder to 11th overall, where he was drafted by the Phoenix Suns.  Noted Chicago Bulls superfan Brandon Anderson (@THBBrandon) and Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) discussed each guy’s fits on their current NBA rosters, what it means for the Tar Heels going forward, and whether or not we get to dispel this stupid notion that Roy Williams cannot handle one-and-done talent (editorial note: honestly, it probably didn’t help!)  In a departure from Between the Banners 20, we talk ourselves into Little landing on a playoff team being a good thing for his development. In the previous pod, we talked about how that would benefit Cameron Johnson. We also touched on Cam, newly-minted veteran leader of the Phoenix Suns as a rookie. (Its a wonderful fit, don’t @ us.)  And finally, despite the in

Welcome to our (roughly) monthly North Carolina recruiting update!  Host Chad Floyd is joined by two talented guests in Akil Gurupuran and Jake Lawrence, and they catch you up with everything you need to know with regards to Mack Brown’s current recruiting efforts.  Those things may include:  The five recent verbal commitments: Sean Martin, Jefferson Boaz, A.J. Beatty, Jacolby Criswell, and Dontavious Nash;The difficulty in projecting guys like Martin, Boaz, and Beatty in Jay Bateman’s “positionless” 3-4 scheme;Optimism about the quarterback position, and a good 8-10 minutes on Carolina’s 21st century quarterback ebbs and flows;Dontavius Nash’s potential impact as a player, and as the bellcow for the 2021 class as a whole;Pining for Desmond Evans, Kedrick Bingley-Jones, and some more big names to go ahead and jump on board.If you like what you hear (hell, its the 9th ranked recruiting class in the country right now...this time last year the Heels weren’t cracking the top 10 in the damn conference) go ahead an

Come join co-editor Brandon Anderson (@THBBrandon) and host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) for a fun discussion of all things...June college basketball news! The guys start by talking about the Jalen Wilson announcement. Wilson, the nation’s 50th-ranked player, is likely to commit to Kansas today at 2, but in case he doesn’t...your ears are prepared.  After that, they dive in to the NBA Draft, which takes place next week and should see three Tar Heels drafted. Brandon debates whether Coby White would be ruined by his Chicago Bulls, Chad determines that Nassir Little would be ruined by his Charlotte Hornets, and they agree that Cameron Johnson can’t really go wrong. Go ahead and give it a listen! As you do, go ahead and subscribe so you get all episodes of the Tar Heel Blog Podcast, and leave us a 5-star review so we can read your sage words of wisdom on air. Til next time, Go Heels!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the depths of the simultaneous offseasons for the primary revenue college sports, there lies perhaps the most exciting NCAA Tournament of them all— the race to the College World Series*. *- Don’t believe me? Turn on the ESPN at-bat station (probably on ESPNU) on Friday and through the weekend. Thank me later. As such, the folks at Tar Heel Blog had to preview it. Joining host Chad Floyd is staff writer Jake Lawrence, whose piece breaking down the Chapel Hill Regional drops later today.  We discuss:  Strategies for navigating the quick four-team double-elimination tournament, from a pitching perspective;Mike Fox’s recent embrace of the Sabermetric revolution;The depth of the UNC offense, including Aaron Sabato and Michael Busch;Tennessee’s difficult yet impressive run through the SEC;Chad’s struggles to find stats on Liberty;...and UNCW! If you enjoy it, or just want more baseball content, go ahead and hit ‘subscribe’ on your podcast host of choice. Leave us a 5-star review telling us you want more basebal

In a last-minute decision to jump on and podcast, host Chad Floyd and guest Akil Gurupuran wax as poetic as they can (again, with zero planning) about the Tar Heels’ recruiting efforts for the 2020 class, thus far.  Discussed:  While the Heels rank 10th in the country in 247Sports team rankings, that is only good for fourth in the ACC. The absurdity of Clemson’s class, the surprise of Georgia Tech’s, and the lol’s at Virginia Tech’s are included.Way-too-early class superlatives! Who is the most underrated? Best? (Again, 8 months before signing day.)The offensive side of the ball is shaping up, how will the Heels round it out? The big, can’t miss names on defense.We ran into a little audio quality issue late in the podcast, as my Wi-Fi decided it wanted to take periodic breaks as we recorded. (Personal note: it helped me miss the Hurricanes, Braves, and Hornets all taking simultaneous L’s, so not the worst thing.) My apologies to those pining for the linebackers and defensive backs segments.  Learn more about

We did a lot of this on episode 18 of Between the Banners, but we needed more voices to discuss the 2019-2020 North Carolina Tar Heels basketball roster.  Ask and you shall receive! Host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) is joined by our friends Brandon Anderson (@THBBrandon) and Al Hood (@albhood) to break down the next Tar Heels hoopers.  Discussed:  What does Carolina do with the 5 spot? Sterling Manley is the incumbent, Armando Bacot offers some interesting upside.What roles do guys coming off of injury (Anthony Harris, Jeremiah Francis, Leaky Black to an extent) do in the backcourt? The wings are kindof a mess, but maybe in a good way? The three participants in the pod are officially Christian Keeling stans, but how do we sort out this rotation? Its a very fun program. Since I know you’ll enjoy it, subscribe on your podcast host of choice, leave a 5-star review with words and we will read it on the air. We’re looking forward to your participation so we can continue to give you awesome content.  Learn more about y

On Monday, colleague Joe Carpenter and I penned a piece on this here blog talking about what defines success for the Gridiron Heels in the upcoming football season.  We came back to talk about it, because you can fit more words into a podcast than one would want to read in an article.  As the title indicates, the overarching theme of the podcast is how Carolina can ‘win’ the 2019 season on the field. Discussed:  Does Carolina need to qualify for a bowl game to continue its upward trajectory? Why Chad is a little bit more rosy in his appraisal of the football team coming off the two previous debacles.Why Joe’s biggest thing is taking back the state of North Carolina— something upon which the host and guest agree wholeheartedly.If the first four months of the calendar year are any indication, success should not have a limited application moving forward.As ALWAYS, keep the great comments coming because they are inspiring a lot of our work on the podcast through the dreary summer months. A great way to leave comm

With the addition of William & Mary grad transfer Justin Pierce, the 2019-2020 North Carolina Tar Heels basketball roster appears to be complete, barring any unforeseen circumstances.  It would be inappropriate not to talk about it. With the help of Quintin Schwab, host Chad Floyd breaks down the Pierce recruitment, and what it may mean for different lineup combinations for the 2019-20 Heels.  What kind of player are the Tar Heels getting in Pierce?Do his numbers against better competition scare you? How important is getting a player of his size, given modern college basketball? And of course...what does this do to the projected rotation?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joe Carpenter (@joecarpenteriv) comes on to discuss the Anthony Harris commitment as the Heels land their second combo guard of the day. He planned to come on to discuss the transition from one era of Roy Williams' players to the next, and we did that too!  Damn good day to be a Tar Heel.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did the 2019-2020 North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team just become nationally relevant, or did they just become an ACC contender?  Chad Floyd is joined by Jake Lawrence (@therealestRJL) to bring some instant reactions to Cole Anthony's commitment to North Carolina. The combo guard chose the Tar Heels over Oregon, Notre Dame, and Georgetown on Tuesday morning.  - What does this mean for the UNC program? - How does this affect the Tar Heels' roster construction as the 2019-20 Heels are still in flux?  - What's next?  We did our best to get to all of that in roughly 15 minutes.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A new cast of characters on the coaching staff and the Kenan Stadium field calls for a unique group to break down the Spring Game!  Chad Floyd is joined by Akil Gurupuran (@akillesheel17) and Jacob Cowden (@JacobCowden28) to talk about the following:  - Early impressions from an insanely close three-way quarterback battle between freshmen Sam Howell, Cade Fortin, and Jace Ruder;  - The reimagining of the offensive line, and some explosive plays from some new names in the skill positions; - A work in progress on the defensive side of the ball. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Between the Banners Episode 15, we admit, is probably about a week late.  Bad scheduling, bad moods given the way Carolina’s season ended, and a terrible-looking national championship game to look forward to were not enough to make a podcast out of the sweetness of Duke blowing another preseason #1. Chad Floyd is joined by Jake Lawrence and Al Hood to run through the following:  Texas Tech/Virginia: an aesthetically-terrible-yet-maybe-good national championship? The over/under is 117.5. Which idiot took the over? The dark side of Muppets in ManhattanUnwrapping Carolina’s one-and-dones: Nassir Little and Coby White have moved on, and the Tar Heels are seeing the downside of the highest perceived benefit of OADs. How does Carolina fill in the gaps for the 2019-20 season? Let’s dance on Duke’s grave for a little while. Zion probably didn’t play at Duke for free, Mike Krzyzewski can’t really coach anymore, and Duke may be better-equipped with Tre Jones’ experience next year.SUBSCRIBE AND REVIEW, POR FAVOR! No, bu