Tar Heels Tidbits: Seventh Woods nearing a return, Joel Berry’s 3’s and more

Men’s basketball found its way back into the win column on Saturday night, Seventh Woods is nearing a return to the court, and Mack Hollins took part in Super Bowl 52

The North Carolina men’s basketball team got back on the right track Saturday night, putting on an impressive performance against the Pittsburgh Panthers in a 96-65 home victory.

Roy Williams believes that sophomore point guard Seventh Woods, who’s been out of the UNC lineup for the past 17 games with a stress fracture, is almost ready to return to the court.

And a five-star power forward in the class of 2018 has scheduled a visit with North Carolina, but he’ll also visit Duke in the same week.

We’ve got all of that and more in today’s edition of Tar Heels Tidbits.

Baseball

• North Carolina will play ECU in a unique three-game series this season beginning on February 23rd. The series’ first game will take place in Greenville, North Carolina on Friday night, followed by a Saturday night game in Durham. The final game of the weekend will be an afternoon tilt in Chapel Hill.

Basketball

• North Carolina ended its three-game losing streak on Saturday, beating Pittsburgh 96-65 in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels were led by Luke Maye’s 26 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals in a game-high 31 minutes. Joel Berry II added 12 points, six rebounds, six assists and zero turnovers as North Carolina improved to 17-7 overall and 6-5 in the ACC.
• Joel Berry’s 12 points against Pittsburgh came on four made three-pointers, moving him past Shammond Williams and into second-place all time in North Carolina history. His 234 made three-pointers put him 65 shy of first-place Marcus Paige. And while it’s unlikely that he catches Paige before the clock runs out on his college career, Berry is in good company.

• Luke Maye recorded his 11th 20-point game of the season against the Panthers. Over the last 20 years, only Maye, Tyler Zeller, Tyler Hansbrough and Sean May have had as many such games.

• Roy Williams expects sophomore point guard Seventh Woods to make his return to the court on Thursday against Duke. The second-year player out of Columbia, South Carolina has missed the last 17 games of the season thanks to a stress fracture in his right foot. His return is particularly important for the Tar Heels, who are currently without backup point guard Jalek Felton.

UNC in the Pros

• Despite being just one year removed from the University of North Carolina, former Tar Heels wide receiver Mack Hollins is a Super Bowl champion. As a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Hollins helped the team to a 13-3 regular season record and Super Bowl 52 crown.
• Former North Carolina basketball star John Henson had the best game of his six-year NBA career on Sunday, racking up 19 points and 18 rebounds in a 109-94 victory over the Nets.
• Charlotte Hornets starting power forward Marvin Williams missed his third consecutive game on Sunday. The 13-year veteran from North Carolina has been out of the Hornets’ lineup since suffering a sprained left ankle against the Pacers last Monday.

Recruiting

• Coby White scored a career-high 50 points on Friday night against Wayne County Day. The 6-foot-5, 170-pound combo guard also pulled down 17 rebounds in one of the best performances of his already impressive senior season.

• Class of 2018 five-star power forward E.J. Montgomery has set a date to visit the University of North Carolina. The 6-foot-10, 200-pound big man will be in Chapel Hill when the Tar Heels play Notre Dame on February 12th. Roy Williams offered Montgomery a scholarship on Wednesday after he and various assistant coaches took trips to watch the talented prospect play. Early conversations behind the scenes suggest that the Tar Heels have positioned themselves nicely with the elite big man. The bad news? Montgomery is set to visit Duke just two days later.