Thought of the Day
The only limits you have are the limits you believe.
March 21st 2025
Trump orders a plan to dismantle the Education Department while keeping some core functions
By COLLIN BINKLEY and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Education Department, advancing a campaign promise to take apart an agency that’s been a longtime target of conservatives.
Trump has derided the Education Department as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology. However, completing its dismantling is most likely impossible without an act of Congress, which created the department in 1979. Republicans said they will introduce a bill to achieve that.
The department, however, is not set to close completely. The White House said the department will retain certain critical functions.
Trump said his administration will close the department beyond its “core necessities,” preserving its responsibilities for Title I funding for low-income schools, Pell grants and money for children with disabilities. The White House said earlier it would also continue to manage federal student loans.
The president blamed the department for America’s lagging academic performance and said states will do a better job.
“It’s doing us no good,” he said at a White House ceremony.
Already, Trump’s Republican administration has been gutting the agency. Its workforce is being slashed in half, and there have been deep cuts to the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which gathers data on the nation’s academic progress.
Advocates for public schools said eliminating the department would leave children behind in an American education system that is fundamentally unequal.
“This is a dark day for the millions of American children who depend on federal funding for a quality education, including those in poor and rural communities with parents who voted for Trump,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said.
Democrats said the order will be fought in the courts and in Congress, and they urged Republicans to join them in opposition.
Trump’s order is “dangerous and illegal” and will disproportionately hurt low-income students, students of color and those with disabilities, said Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The department “was founded in part to guarantee the enforcement of students’ civil rights,” Scott said. “Champions of public school segregation objected, and campaigned for a return to ‘states’ rights.’”
Supporters of Trump’s vision for education welcomed the order.
“No more bloated bureaucracy dictating what kids learn or stifling innovation with red tape,” Tiffany Justice, co-founder of Moms for Liberty, said on social media. “States, communities, and parents can take the reins — tailoring education to what actually works for their kids.”
The White House has not spelled out formally which department functions could be handed off to other departments or eliminated altogether.
The department sends billions of dollars a year to schools and oversees $1.6 trillion in federal student loans.
Currently, much of the agency’s work revolves around managing money — both its extensive student loan portfolio and a range of aid programs for colleges and school districts, like school meals and support for homeless students. The agency also is key in overseeing civil rights enforcement.
States and districts already control local schools, including curriculum, but some conservatives have pushed to cut strings attached to federal money and provide it to states as “block grants” to be used at their discretion. Block granting has raised questions about vital funding sources including Title I, the largest source of federal money to America’s K-12 schools. Families of children with disabilities have despaired over what could come of the federal department’s work protecting their rights.
Federal funding makes up a relatively small portion of public school budgets — roughly 14%. The money often supports supplemental programs for vulnerable students, such as the McKinney-Vento program for homeless students or Title I for low-income schools.
Colleges and universities are more reliant on money from Washington, through research grants along with federal financial aid that helps students pay their tuition.
Republicans have talked about closing the Education Department for decades, saying it wastes taxpayer money and inserts the federal government into decisions that should fall to states and schools. The idea has gained popularity recently as conservative parents’ groups demand more authority over their children’s schooling.
In his platform, Trump promised to close the department “and send it back to the states, where it belongs.” Trump has cast the department as a hotbed of “radicals, zealots and Marxists” who overextend their reach through guidance and regulation.
Even as Trump moves to dismantle the department, he has leaned on it to promote elements of his agenda. He has used investigative powers of the Office for Civil Rights and the threat of withdrawing federal education money to target schools and colleges that run afoul of his orders on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports, pro-Palestinian activism and diversity programs.
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, dismissed Trump’s claim that he’s returning education to the states. She said he is actually “trying to exert ever more control over local schools and dictate what they can and cannot teach.”
Even some of Trump’s allies have questioned his power to close the agency without action from Congress, and there are doubts about its political popularity. The House considered an amendment to close the agency in 2023, but 60 Republicans joined Democrats in opposing it.
During Trump’s first term, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos sought to dramatically reduce the agency’s budget and asked Congress to bundle all K-12 funding into block grants that give states more flexibility in how they spend federal money. That move was rejected, with pushback from some Republicans.
Leavitt is one of three administration officials named in a lawsuit by The Associated Press on First and Fifth Amendment grounds. The AP says the three are punishing the news agency for editorial decisions they oppose. The White House says the AP is not following an executive order to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.
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This story has been corrected to reflect the name of the group supporting Trump’s education initiatives. It is Moms for Liberty, not Moms for Justice.
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The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Tar Heels and Rebels fighting for respect going into NCAA tourney matchup
By RICH ROVITO Associated Press
MILWAUKEE (AP) — On one side of the court, it’s Seth Trimble and North Carolina. On the other, it’s Jaemyn Brakefield and Mississippi.
Two motivated teams facing off in the NCAA Tournament on Friday.
North Carolina was a controversial selection when it received an at-large bid on Sunday. But the 11th-seeded Tar Heels posted a dominant 95-68 victory against San Diego State in the First Four on Tuesday night.
Next up is sixth-seeded Ole Miss in a South Region game in Milwaukee.
“We’re the University of North Carolina. We know that whatever we do, there’s going to be hate,” Trimble said. “This isn’t anything new for us. We know how to block it out. We’ve been doing a really good job of that.”
A good job, indeed. Since trailing Duke 52-28 in the ACC semifinals, UNC has been on a tear, outscoring opponents 138-90 over roughly three halves.
“Nothing is going to be handed to us just because we’re North Carolina,” forward Jae’Lyn Withers said. “We don’t have any leeway to get comfortable because we already have people who don’t believe that we should be here.”
North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said he has gone to great lengths to encourage his players to block out the noise.
“I always talk to the guys about focusing on what is real. What is real is our preparation and our play,” Davis said. “I think we have a lot more left to prove, not to anyone who doubted us but more to ourselves. Everyone in this locker room knows that we’re capable and that we deserve to be in this tournament.”
Ole Miss also has faced criticism. Despite going 22-11, including a 10-8 record in the rugged SEC, a veteran college basketball analyst labeled Mississippi a “fraud” while predicting a first-round loss.
That didn’t sit well with coach Chris Beard in his second season at Ole Miss.
“Was the guy doing us a favor and giving us some locker room material? We don’t need that,” Beard said. “If I had a younger team, I would have called him and thanked him for saying that because it’s great motivation. But with this older team, we have experienced guys. We spent zero seconds talking about it.”
Opinions, whether positive and negative, come with the territory, Beard said.
“It’s what’s great about college basketball. Everybody’s got an opinion,” he said. “It’s the spice before the game but we really spent no time worrying about that.”
Brakefield said the players quickly brush aside anyone questioning the team’s ability to make a run in the tournament.
“We try to be the best versions of ourselves,” he said. “So, we’re just blocking out all the noise this week and just sticking to ourselves.”
Guard Sean Pedulla said the team should be respected for its work in “ the best conference in college basketball history.”
“We felt like it was kind of silly to be called frauds,” he said.
Ole Miss guard Matthew Murrell said the team is mainly focused on soaking in the opportunity of playing in the tournament and facing a marquee program like North Carolina.
“But obviously, as competitors, it’s something that motivates us,” Murrell said.
Forward Malik Dia said the team will have one goal in mind when it takes the court at Fiserv Forum on Friday.
“We’re all about Ole Miss basketball and taking this program to a level it’s never reached,” he said.
Orange-Lemon Macaron
Orange-Lemon Macaron
Orange-Lemon Macaron Recipe from Maia Ming Designs
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serving size: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 1 cup almond flour (100 grams)
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar (100 grams)
- 2 egg whites, room temperature (75 grams)
- 1/4 cup castor sugar (65 grams) (note: I blended my regular sugar in the coffee grinder to make it finer instead of using castor sugar, this worked fine)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- a pinch of salt
- 1-2 drops orange or yellow food coloring gel (make the color darker than you want your final macarons, because they will get lighter in baking)
- orange and lemon zest to sprinkle on top of the macarons (if desired)
For the Lemon Curd Filling
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- grated zest from half a lemon
- grated zest from half an orange
- 6 well beaten eggs
Directions
- Sift the almond flour and confectioners sugar together through a fine-mesh sieve.
- Whisk egg whites and salt at a low speed and add the castor sugar after a minute while the egg whites are still clear.
- Beat the egg whites into stiff, glossy peaks. Start for two minutes at a low speed, then two minutes at high speed. (My blender only has two speeds.) The goal is to create the meringue peaks without over-whipping the batter. If the batter is over-whipped, the macarons tend to hollow out underneath the shells and there are more air bubbles.
- Add half of the dry ingredients. Fold with a spatula from bottom of bowl upward, then press the flat side of the spatula firmly through middle of mixture and rotate the bowl slightly. This process is called “macaronage” and reduces air bubbles in the batter. Add the second half of the dry ingredients and continue the macaronage until batter is glossy and flows like lava. Honestly, this is something that is part luck and part practice, there are countless videos online for how to achieve a proper macaronage!
- Add the food coloring, vanilla and lemon juice towards the end of the macaronage process.
- Rest a pastry bag inside a vertical cylinder to transfer the batter into the bag, then close the top. Cut a small hole in the bottom tip of the pastry bag. The batter should be fairly stiff, but you don’t want it to come out too quickly, I cut my hole to less than 1 cm in diameter.
- Either onto a parchment sheet or a macaron mat, pipe batter into 1 inch round cookies. (A macaron mat helps to make the cookies uniformly round and the same size, I also find the raised rims helpful to contain the batter from spreading out on the sheets. My macarons on parchment paper are never very round, but some people use a template with circles underneath the parchment paper.)
- Drop the baking sheets firmly onto the counter 2 or 3 times to release air bubbles. With a toothpick, pop any remaining air bubbles and smooth out the holes before you let the macarons rest. Sprinkle a little zest onto the surface of each macaron. Let the macaron sheets sit for 30-40 minutes to dry so that they create a slight crust on the surface.
- Preheat oven to 180ºC.
- Place the macarons in the oven on a lower rack and lower the heat to 170ºC. Bake macarons for 16 minutes, after 8 minutes it’s a good idea to take the tray out and face the front to the back, this way both ends of the tray get evenly baked. Only bake 1 sheet of macarons at a time. If your macarons are very large, bake a few minutes extra.
- Fruit curd filling: Mix and stir the butter, sugar, juices and zest over a low heat. Add the eggs gradually and stir continuously for 15-20 minutes until the mixture thickens. Let cool before spreading onto your macarons.
- Once the macarons are completely cooled, remove them from the sheets and use a butter knife or spatula to spread the filling on half of the cookie shell bottoms. Then sandwich the macarons together with the remaining shells. Just to be really decadent, I made some with pure lemon-orange curd and others with a 50/50 blend of whipped cream and curd, both were delicious. (The photos show the filling with whipped cream). Store the macarons in a closed storage tin in the refrigerator or in the freezer. I often keep the shells frozen and wait to fill the macarons right before serving.
March 20th 2025
Thought of the Day
Nothing messes up your Friday like realizing it is only Thursday.
McNeese State’s Will Wade confirms he’s been in contact with NC State about its coaching job
By KYLE HIGHTOWER AP Sports Writer
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — McNeese State coach Will Wade knows his name is in the mix during the college basketball coaching carousel.
And unlike some coaches during this time of year, he’s not being coy talking about it.
Asked Wednesday if he or his agent had been in contact with N.C. State about its opening, the second-year McNeese State coach addressed the rumor mill directly.
“Yes,” Wade said during 12th-seeded McNeese State’s news conference in advance of its NCAA Tournament Midwest Region first-round matchup with fifth-seeded Clemson.
N.C. State fired coach Kevin Keatts on March 9, an abrupt end to an eight-year tenure that saw the program’s fall this year prove too much to overcome even when framed against last season’s remarkable finish. The announcement came a day after the Wolfpack closed a 12-19 season and failed to even qualify for the ACC Tournament as the reigning champion.
Though he didn’t elaborate on the extent of his contact with N.C. State, Wade has since been linked to the Wolfpack job and other schools after finishing up his second straight 20-win season at McNeese that ended with an NCAA tourney berth. The Cowboys enter this year’s tournament with 27-6 record and fresh off their second straight Southland Conference championship. He previously spent five seasons at LSU, two seasons at VCU and two at Chattanooga.
Wade, 42, said he’s always tried to be transparent with both his assistants and players during this time of year.
“Just tell it like it is,” Wade said. “You may not always like what I’m going to say, but I’m going to tell you what I think. I’ve always kind of been like that, and there’s no need to hide it. The guys are reading it on social media. It’s no secret. I’m not going to ask them to do something I’m not willing to do. It’s no good if you don’t address it and if you sit there and BS them. They can read right through the BS, so you might as well. Hey, this is what it is. Here we are, and we’ll figure it out.”
North Carolina lawmakers approve additional $528M for Hurricane Helene recovery
By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina lawmakers agreed Wednesday to spend another $528 million on still-pressing needs from Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding nearly six months ago, with an emphasis on home and private road repairs, agriculture and infrastructure to aid businesses.
House and Senate Republicans worked out their differences from competing versions of a bill and voted overwhelmingly this week for the compromise, which includes an additional $327 million to address the recovery from previous storms — some several years ago — and disasters not named Helene.
The measure went to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, who signed the bill — his first as governor — in a Wednesday evening ceremony. He told lawmakers last week during his State of the State address he was ready to sign a relief measure into law.
Stein had asked the GOP-controlled legislature for an additional $1.07 billion for Helene relief in the mountains last month. The final measure omits some programs sought by Stein or underfunds his requests, as Republicans took a more cautious approach. Lawmakers and Stein have said they anticipate more Helene aid to be appropriated in the months ahead.
“As we’ve said many times, this is our next step, not our final step,” GOP Sen. Ralph Hise of Mitchell County said Wednesday during debate on the final bill, which passed the Senate unanimously.
Before the latest measure, the General Assembly had already appropriated or made available more than $1.1 billion for Helene recovery activities, according to Stein’s office.
The bill “will enable us to get started on many important aspects of disaster recovery, but we have to be honest that the amount is inadequate and this is just the start,” Stein told reporters earlier Wednesday.
The funds pale in comparison to the record $59.6 billion in Helene damages and recovery needs estimated by state officials, who also reported over 100 deaths from the late September storm. Stein’s administration projects that disaster relief approved by Congress in December and other federal funding sources may ultimately provide more than $15 billion in Helene recovery funds to North Carolina. Stein is now seeking another $13 billion from Washington.
About 4,600 households in western counties were still receiving temporary housing assistance as of last week, and more than 200 public roads in the region remain closed or just partially open, according to state data.
The measure allocates $100 million to help repair or replace roads and bridges on private property that sometimes can be the only link between small communities and the outside world.
There’s $120 million to kick-start a home reconstruction and repair program while the state completes steps to receive nearly $1.4 billion from the federal government for similar construction and mitigation activities.
The measure provides $200 million to address Helene crop losses, debris removal and other agricultural recovery needs. There’s over $110 million more for agriculture losses farmers suffered during 2024 from damage caused by other storms and drought.
The final bill also locates an additional $217 million that would be used to complete close to 1,000 unfinished home construction projects for victims of Hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Florence in 2018 in eastern North Carolina. That program has faced lengthy delays and higher than planned expenses.
“Families who have waited far too long will finally get the relief they deserve,” House Majority Leader Brenden Jones said in a news release after Tuesday’s House vote. “With strict oversight to ensure every dollar is used properly — we are finishing the job once and for all.”
The final plan also locates $9 million for a voluntary student summer school program in districts that were closed for many weeks because of Helene. Stein requested the help, although the money provided is lower than what he sought.
The measure omitted Stein’s request for two business grant programs designed to help companies that suffered significant sales and economic losses or physical damages.
Republican lawmakers uncomfortable with direct payments instead agreed to spend $55 million on grants for local governments, which in turn could use the money for infrastructure repairs that could benefit small businesses, like sewer, utility and sidewalk repairs.
New North Carolina governor seeks to freeze tax cuts, phase out school vouchers in budget
By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Democratic Gov. Josh Stein on Wednesday urged Republicans in charge of the legislature to roll back upcoming income tax rate cuts and scale back private school vouchers that now can be received by families of all income levels.
Stein, who took office in January after eight years as attorney general, made the comments while releasing his first two-year state government budget proposal. He wants to spend $33.65 billion in the year starting July 1 — about $2 billion more than planned for this fiscal year — then increase it by $700 million the following year.
His plan for the nation’s ninth-largest state also seeks big raises for public schoolteachers, more money toward child care and affordable housing, and tax breaks for lower- and middle-income households.
“My budget ensures that we will be able to continue investing in our people, meeting their needs and keeping North Carolina strong,” Stein told reporters.
Stein warns of ‘fiscal pain’
Stein said his budget is balanced, even as a forecast from his budget office and the General Assembly shows year-over-year operating revenues would drop by $825 million in the 2026-27 fiscal year.
How does he do it? In part by asking lawmakers to halt already enacted laws by Republicans that next January would reduce the current individual income tax rate of 4.25% and the corporate income tax rate of 2.25% even further.
Unless the current-year’s rates are maintained, Stein said, “the truth is that we are in for some self-inflicted fiscal pain.” Otherwise, the individual income rate is also likely to fall even further in 2027 thanks to programmed “triggers” in the law if the state surpasses certain annual tax collection totals.
Stein’s administration has warned that these triggers could mean the state falls billions of dollars short of revenue necessary to provide services in light of population growth and inflation.
Democrats have complained that these rate cuts benefit the highest wage earners and corporations the most. In contrast, Stein does propose some targeted tax breaks for “working families,” including a state version of the federal earned income tax credit.
Republican response
Republicans who will approve their own two-year budget in the coming months, have downplayed past revenue predictions, saying previous tax reductions have boosted the state’s economy and fiscal picture.
With tax reform a major hallmark of the Republican agenda since taking over the General Assembly in 2011, GOP lawmakers are unlikely to back away from a downward arc for rates.
But they may have to pay more attention to Stein given the GOP is currently one seat short of a veto-proof majority in both chambers. That could give Stein more leverage compared to his predecessor Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s last two years in office.
New GOP House Speaker Destin Hall opened the door to considering changes later Wednesday, telling reporters that inflation, which can boost numerical revenues, may have thrown “off our numbers just a little bit.”
But “we’re not going to raise taxes obviously,” Hall said. Republican Senate leader Phil Berger’s office contends that Stein’s proposal raises taxes by preventing a lower tax rate.
Teacher pay vs. vouchers
Stein proposed average teacher pay raises of 10.7% over two years, with an emphasis on helping early-career instructors.
Stein said it’s part of a plan to raise North Carolina starting teacher pay from near the bottom in the Southeast to first in 2027.
Essentially Stein’s budget covers these increases by scaling back and ultimately phasing out taxpayer-funded scholarships for K-12 students to attend private schools. The General Assembly made the Opportunity Scholarship program universal in 2023 — meaning families of all incomes can now qualify.
“We have to meet the needs of our public school students,” Stein said.
Hall said he certainly wants to raise teacher pay robustly, but called Stein’s proposal to end the private school scholarships “a nonstarter with us.” Nearly 80,000 students are benefiting this school year from the aid.
Stein’s budget “rips educational freedom and parental choice from hardworking families,” Berger spokesperson Lauren Horsch said.
More Helene requests will come later
Stein’s budget didn’t include a package to address the historic flooding and damage caused by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina nearly six months ago. He said Wednesday he would issue another separate request in the coming weeks
The General Assembly has already appropriated or made available over $1.1 billion for Helene recovery activities, according to Stein’s office. And a bill signed by Stein into law Wednesday night appropriates over $500 million more.
Stein said that he’ll also “keep pushing Congress for meaningful help.”
State officials have estimated the storm caused a record $59.6 billion in damages and recovery needs.
Ginger Bug Starter
Ginger Bug Starter
Ginger Bug Starter Recipe from Zero Waste Cheg
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serving size: 4 servings
Ingredients
To Start
- 1 tbsp grated unpeeled organic ginger
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
To Feed Daily
- 1 tbsp grated unpeeled organic ginger
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
Directions
- In a glass jar, combine about 1 tbsp grated unpeeled organic ginger and 1 tbsp sugar.
- Add 1 1/2 cups water and stir vigorously. Cover your jar with a small breathable cloth.
- Feed your bug 1 tbsp grated ginger and 1 tbsp sugar daily. Stir vigorously.
- Your bug should be ready to use in about 5 days. It will bubble and smell yeasty, have a cloudy yellow color with sludgy-looking white sediment at the bottom of the jar and some of the ginger will float to the top.
Davis perfect on six 3s as North Carolina routs San Diego State 95-68 in First Four
By JEFF WALLNER Associated Press
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — RJ Davis and his North Carolina teammates certainly looked as though they belonged in the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday night.
Davis scored 26 points and shot 6 of 6 from 3-point range to help the Tar Heels silence some skeptics with a dominant 95-68 victory over San Diego State in their First Four matchup.
UNC was a controversial NCAA selection on Sunday, but the Tar Heels played like a team with something to prove.
“We know we deserved to be here,” junior guard Seth Trimble said.
North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said his players were simply focused on the task at hand.
“I don’t think it was a weight on us to try to get into the NCAA Tournament,” he said. “My communication with them is to focus on us. It’s not the noise on the outside in terms of comments and critics. Focusing on our preparation, our practice and our play.”
Some hot shooting from long range didn’t hurt.
RJ Davis’ six 3-pointers tied Caleb Love’s program record for an NCAA Tournament game. Love had six against UCLA in 2022.
Hubert Davis went 5 for 5 from deep against Eastern Michigan in 1991.
“As a head coach, I don’t know what it looks like to exist without him on the sideline and on the floor, and I don’t want to think about it,” Hubert Davis said about RJ Davis.
The 14 made 3-pointers were the most for North Carolina in an NCAA Tournament game. UNC drained 13 against Marquette in 2022.
“I know that we hit a record number of 3s here, but made shots come and go,” Hubert Davis said. “The thing I was most proud of is we were getting steals and deflections, and I thought our defense was real good.”
Trimble had 16 points for the Tar Heels in a matchup of No. 11 seeds. They advanced to play No. 6 seed Mississippi in a South Region game Friday in Milwaukee.
Nick Boyd and Wayne McKinney III each scored 12 for the Aztecs (21-10).
North Carolina shot 61% in the first half and went 7 of 9 from 3-point range. RJ Davis’ long 3 just before the halftime buzzer gave the Tar Heels their largest lead to that point, 47-23.
“I think we did a good job of sticking to our game plan and playing Carolina basketball,” he said. “We got out in transition, we shared the ball.”
North Carolina (23-13) seemed a long shot to make the tournament with a 1-12 record in Quadrant 1 games, but was chosen Sunday thanks to a strong nonconference schedule and other metrics.
The Tar Heels were out to show the world they belonged, and San Diego State took the brunt of it.
“Obviously, we wish we’d have given them more of a game,” Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher said. “We hang our hat on our defense, and we couldn’t get stops. We knew we had to play in the 70s to have a chance, and they were up in the 90s.”
Unstoppable
San Diego State led the nation in field goal percentage defense, but had no answer for the Tar Heels. It was the most points the Aztecs allowed all season. The previous high was 80 in a loss to then-No. 3 Gonzaga on Nov. 18.
North Carolina shot 52.6% from the field, and 58.3% from 3-point range.
“We know who we are on the offensive end,” Trimble said. “We know what we’re capable of. This doesn’t surprise me, what we did tonight. It’s what I expect every single night.”
Extra work
Despite not knowing whether they were in or out, the Tar Heels practiced on Sunday, hours before the tournament selection show, and prepared to play.
“Yeah, we practiced on Sunday and then when we got here, and because of flight delays, this was the only practice that we had,” Hubert Davis said. “But it was a really good 40-minute practice. Look, we’ve had 98 practices and 35 games. We knew what we needed to do.”