Tar Heel Blog Podcast: for North Carolina Tar Heels fans

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 ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 initial bliss having worn off, Brandon told us about how dysfunctional the Chicago Bulls organization currently is, but how Coby White could start to represent the light at the end of the tunnel. Their last first-round pick from UNC turned out well enough.  We work late so you can yell at us in your car. Go ahead and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, so you can enjoy our musings on your next morning commute!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 and leave us a 5-star review and subscribe on your podcast platform of choice.  Go Heels!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 baseball, and more baseball you shall get. Enjoy the games!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 commentary is to log on to your podcasting app of choice, leave a five-star review, and have it read on-air so it is part of the public record and a potential topic for future pontification. Thanks for listening, and Go Heels!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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, but seriously, do that. If you leave a topic request in the reviews, it will make for great #offseason #content as we continue to grow our humble podcast. Thanks for listening, and Go Heels!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I didn't mention it on-air, but it is freaking bizarre to me how few Regional Semifinal appearances a lot of schools have. Between the Banners, Episode 14, doesn't detail that at all, but host Chad Floyd is joined by Quintin Schwab and Jake Lawrence to talk about the Sweet 16/Elite Eight weekend. Discussed:  - The volume shooting of Auburn's guards, and if that scares our esteemed guests; - Coby White, Seventh Woods, and avoiding turnovers; - Carolina's obvious advantages against the Tigers; - A potential date with Houston or Kentucky on Sunday (holy crap just realized the rest of the regional is cat mascots) - The other three brackets: is Gonzaga the best team? Can guard play derail Duke? IS OREGON FINAL FOUR BOUND?!? We agree too much, but we have fun in so doing. Come join!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

THE HEELS MOVE ON TO THE SECOND WEEKEND, Y’ALL!  Host Chad Floyd (@Chad_Floyd) has the unique pleasure of hosting a postgame podcast with our usual postgame hosts Tanya Bondurant (@TanyaBondurant) and Brandon Anderson (@THBBrandon).  Spoiler alert: we talked about the Tar Heels beating Washington by 22.  How did the Heels navigate the Washington 2-3 zone, and how did their experience against Syracuse inform that?The Heels’ defense was quite good. The Heels shut down Jaylen Nowell, because Kenny Williams did Kenny Williams things. NASSIR LITTLE!LUKE MAYE! COBY WHITE! Auburn might have some strengths, but my god does Carolina expose some of their very blatant weaknesses. Go ahead and subscribe here, leave a 5-star review on the same site, and we will read your reviews on air. Whatever you want to say. Just do it. See what happens. The Heels will take on Auburn on Friday night, and we’ll be back to talk about it.  Go Heels.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices