UNC Women's Lacrosse 2026 Preview: Improving on Perfection

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, highlighting the play of Henri Veesaar and Derek Dixon, and discussing the familiar script of those late game comebacks that fall short in the past five seasons. Veesaar's 28 points and 17 rebounds led the Heels while Dixon's three second half three-pointers nearly saved his team from the early exit.  Up next for Carolina is the release of the NCAA Tournament brackets on Sunday, March 15th. The Tar Heels look to be seeded anywhere from 5th to 7th when the big dance bracket is revealed. **Call to Action:**  **Subscribe:** Follow 'Inside Carolina' wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode!  **Review:** Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help us reach more Tar Heel fans!  **Visit:** Explore http://www.InsideCarolina.com for breaking news, recruiting updates, and expert commentary on all things UNC sports.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 pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Greg Barnes joins Tommy Ashley for a brief look at Duke/Florida State and a deeper dive into an important game for Carolina against Clemson, not only for Hubert Davis but for the program as well. How will the Heels handle the physicality of Brad Brownell's team?  Can Carolina play well away from the Smith Center and build momentum here in March when every game is one and done? Barnes and Ashley hit on the key points as tournament season has arrived. **Call to Action:**  **Subscribe:** Follow 'Inside Carolina' wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode!  **Review:** Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help us reach more Tar Heel fans!  **Visit:** Explore http://www.InsideCarolina.com for breaking news, recruiting updates, and expert commentary on all things UNC sports.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 pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 donors hold the same beliefs in how their mid-1980s agreements should be handled.  **Call to Action:**  **Subscribe:** Follow 'Inside Carolina' wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode!  **Review:** Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help us reach more Tar Heel fans!  **Visit:** Explore http://www.InsideCarolina.com for breaking news, recruiting updates, and expert commentary on all things UNC sports.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 pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 long road trip to California to face the Golden Bears in Berkeley this weekend. **Call to Action:**  **Subscribe:** Follow 'Inside Carolina' wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode!  **Review:** Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help us reach more Tar Heel fans!  **Visit:** Explore http://www.InsideCarolina.com for breaking news, recruiting updates, and expert commentary on all things UNC sports.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 pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Elite Eight and one Final Four since 2017 - has weakened the Tar Heel brand on the national landscape.  Has Carolina's standard dropped? What does that mean for the Heels over the next decade? Those questions will need to be answered soon enough. **Call to Action:**  **Subscribe:** Follow 'Inside Carolina' wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode!  **Review:** Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help us reach more Tar Heel fans!  **Visit:** Explore http://www.InsideCarolina.com for breaking news, recruiting updates, and expert commentary on all things UNC sports.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 pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Seth Trimble while avoiding the traps of poor rebounding efforts and loose ball control.   UNC's ACC path, having earned the double bye with it's 12-6 league record, is not an easy one with all three possible options - Clemson, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech - giving Carolina a tough time in the Smith Center before losing in the end.  **Call to Action:**  **Subscribe:** Follow 'Inside Carolina' wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode!  **Review:** Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help us reach more Tar Heel fans!  **Visit:** Explore http://www.InsideCarolina.com for breaking news, recruiting updates, and expert commentary on all things UNC sports.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 pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 McMillan, Sean Moran and Joey Powell plot out what's to come as "madness" sets in on UNC Basketball. **Call to Action:**  **Subscribe:** Follow 'Inside Carolina' wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode!  **Review:** Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help us reach more Tar Heel fans!  **Visit:** Explore http://www.InsideCarolina.com for breaking news, recruiting updates, and expert commentary on all things UNC sports.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 pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Boozer's 26 points and 15 rebounds led the number one ranked Devils. Up next for Carolina is the ACC Tournament. The Heels have a double bye and will open play Thursday at approximately 9:30pm in Charlotte. **Call to Action:**  **Subscribe:** Follow 'Inside Carolina' wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode!  **Review:** Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help us reach more Tar Heel fans!  **Visit:** Explore http://www.InsideCarolina.com for breaking news, recruiting updates, and expert commentary on all things UNC sports.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 pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. Wilson, who has missed the past six games with a broken left hand, was expected to return on Saturday night at Duke, broke his right thumb while dunking in practice on Thursday according the reports and Haskell's information from sources close to the situation. The IC trio discusses Wilson's impact earlier in the season and Carolina's play without their star freshman. Now comes the question, how do the Tar Heels handle the loss and the finality of the loss with the Blue Devils and tournament play ahead. Barnes discusses the possible matchups for the fourth seeded Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament and how the NCAA Tournament selection committee may view Hubert Davis's team on Selection Sunday on March 15th. **Call to Action:**  **Subscribe:** Follow 'Inside Carolina' wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode!  **Review:** Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help us reach more Tar Heel fans!  **Visit:** Explore http://www.InsideCarolina.com for breaking news, recruiting updates, and expert commentary on all things UNC sports.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 pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 the pivotal moments of the game. Both teams have played well since Carolina's win in the first matchup so what adjustments will each coaching staff make, if any?  How will Caleb Wilson factor into Saturday night given his injury and given how important his performance was in game one? Finally, Barnes discusses the Cameron Indoor Stadium environment from floor level as student seating and home court advantages have been front and center in the arena discussions in the past weeks and months on the UNC campus. **Call to Action:**  **Subscribe:** Follow 'Inside Carolina' wherever you get your podcasts to never miss an episode!  **Review:** Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to help us reach more Tar Heel fans!  **Visit:** Explore http://www.InsideCarolina.com for breaking news, recruiting updates, and expert commentary on all things UNC sports.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 pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.