ROY WILLIAMS

More than two million people of all ages volunteered in 2021 to support The Salvation Army in the USA despite the lingering pandemic. The Salvation Army relies heavily on volunteers to fulfill its mission and accomplish all its tasks, especially during the holiday season. Salvation Army volunteers need to be available through Dec. 24, Monday through Saturday. Be an Angel Tree volunteer — Holiday shoppers can adopt a child or senior through the Angel Tree Program, making Christmas dreams a reality. Go to SalvationArmyFlorida.org/ or call 786-618-0217 for more information about the Angel Tree, to donate, or learn more about how you can support The Salvation Army this Christmas.

Roy Williams and Jim Calhoun will join John Beilein and Lon Kruger in a star-studded cast of coaches that will be inducted into the National College Basketball Hall of Fame in November.

There are strong connections between North Carolina and Kansas.

Kansas coach Bill Self finds himself in the same spot that longtime North Carolina coach Dean Smith once did.

North Carolina, Duke and Kansas are bona fide basketball bluebloods, the best of the best in the men's college game.

The Duke-North Carolina rivalry has been filled with future NBA stars and intense finishes through nearly 100 meetings in Mike Krzyzewski's Hall of Fame tenure with the Blue Devils.

RJ Davis scored a career-high 30 points and eighth-seeded North Carolina beat defending champion Baylor 93-86 in overtime in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina and first-year coach Hubert Davis got themselves off the NCAA Tournament bubble and now hope to make trouble for defending national champion Baylor in a featured matchup of the second round.

Brady Manek scored 28 points, Caleb Love had 21 of his 23 points before halftime and North Carolina routed Marquette 95-63 in first-year coach Hubert Davis’ NCAA Tournament debut.

Kansas earned a No. 1 seed for the 15th time on Sunday, second only to North Carolina for most in college hoops history, and will open the NCAA Tournament in the Midwest Region against the play-in winner between Texas Southern and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Fort Worth, Texas.

The famed rivalry between No. 9 Duke and North Carolina is changing.

The opening week of the college basketball season, as it usually is, was filled with marquee games.

Gonzaga is the preseason No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 men's college basketball poll.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is facing a changing landscape in men's basketball amid coaching retirements, roster upheaval and a bumpy showing in last year's NCAA Tournament.

It was April 7, 2003.

North Carolina now faces the challenge of finding Roy Williams’ successor.

Roy Williams, the University of North Carolina men's basketball coach, is retiring after leading the team to three NCAA championships, the university announced Thursday. Williams, 70, spent 33 seasons as a head coach, including 18 at his alma mater, North Carolina, and 15 years at Kansas. Williams graduated from North Carolina in 1972 and took a coaching job at Charles D. Owen High School a year later. In 1978, Williams took an assistant coaching position at North Carolina head coach Dean Smith. As a head coach, Williams reached 900 wins in fewer games and seasons than any coach in NCAA history.

North Carolina Hall of Fame basketball coach Roy Williams is retiring.

ACC teams finished with a 4-7 NCAA Tournament record, marking the league's lowest win total and winning percentage in this event since 1979. Duke went 13-11, withdrew from the ACC Tournament due to a positive COVID-19 test and ended a string of 29 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. When the NCAA Tournament brackets came out, the ACC teams with the best seeds were Florida State and Virginia at No. “We weren’t quite as good at the top,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim said after the first round of the NCAA Tournament. AdThe ACC’s one pleasant NCAA Tournament surprise was Syracuse, which sneaked into the field with a No.

The best COVID-19 vaccine shots in America just might be the two that went into Sister Jean’s arm. The breakout star and model for the most coveted bobblehead of the 2018 NCAA Tournament is now eight months beyond her 101st birthday and still serving as chaplain for the Loyola Chicago basketball team. 1 seed Illinois, is bound to provide a much stiffer test of Sister Jean’s faith. AdYet her celebratory fist bump at the buzzer was one of the signature moments of the first full day of an NCAA Tournament canceled a year ago due the pandemic. 8 North Carolina hardly qualified as an upset, unless you count Tar Heels coach Roy Williams’ first-ever loss in a tournament opener.

– North Carolina coach Roy Williams lost his first opening-round NCAA Tournament game in 30 tries as ninth-seeded Wisconsin blew out his eighth-seeded Tar Heels 85-62 on Friday night. “I thought (Wisconsin) played very well and Roy Williams didn’t coach very well,” Williams said. Brad Davison scored 29 points and D’Mitrik Trice added 21 points for Wisconsin. “Obviously, our league has been phenomenal and it was such a grind to go through, specifically the schedule we had down the stretch,” Wisconsin coach Greg Gard said. North Carolina never won more than three straight games all season.

The Texas basketball team walks around the concourse at Victory Field at the NCAA college basketball tournament, Wednesday, March 17, 2021, in Indianapolis. This is life at a basketball tournament being played in a pandemic. Starting Thursday, in an attempt to get through 67 games uninterrupted, the NCAA has placed players, coaches and staff under a virtual lock and key. “But it was not NCAA staff that encouraged meals to be had in restaurants,” he said. “Gotta make sure the game’s sharp by the time springtime comes.”Ad___More AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket

So is North Carolina. The Blue Devils are 8-8 and 6-6 in the ACC after beating North Carolina State on Saturday, a win that ended a three-game losing streak. The Scarlet Knights were poised to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991 before the tourney was canceled last season. A team on the NCAA Tournament bubble can't really afford consecutive losses late in the season. ___AP Basketball Writer Aaron Beard in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

(AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek, File)North Carolina players apologized Tuesday for not following school and athletic department COVID-19 guidelines during a celebratory gathering after a win at rival Duke. “Our intention was to celebrate privately within our group,” the players and managers said in a statement released by the school. “But they realize they did make a mistake, for which they are paying a very significant price,” Williams said. The Tar Heels (12-6, 7-4 ACC), who have won seven of nine, are scheduled to visit ninth-ranked Virginia on Saturday. “We have worked too hard for eight months doing the right things to make those kinds of mistakes at this point in the season,” the players and managers said.

(AP Photo/Garett Fisbeck)NORMAN, Okla. – De’Vion Harmon scored 22 points and Oklahoma beat No. 9 Kansas 75-68 Saturday for its second victory this month over a top-10 opponent. Kansas, which entered the game coming off losses at Oklahoma State and No. Marcus Garrett had 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Jayhawks, who were limited to two offensive rebounds. Oklahoma: Oklahoma hasn’t cracked the Top 25 this season, but now is in sole possession of third place in a league with five top-15 teams.

For many years Coral Gables Hospital’s CEO Cristina Jimenez and her staff personally donate gift cards that the Coral Gables Woman’s Club gives to each of its dental clinic patients during the holidays. With just a few weeks notice, the hospital staff managed to collect $535 in $15 gift cards for the children. For an overworked staff that are heroes in their own right, their generosity was even more appreciated by dental clinic director Dr. Iris Torres and club president Ruth Martinez, who was able to thank the staff in person. In more good news for the Coral Gables Dental Clinic, 1st Empire Elite Financial and EZ Title Services joined forces to sponsor Coral Gables Woman’s Club’s Gringo Bingo on Dec. 15 to raise more than $1,000 for the club’s free children’s dental clinic. Finally, Gloria Gab LIVE Show resumed Dec. 15 with Junior Orange Bowl past president and longtime JOBC Basketball chair Chuck Little.

14 West Virginia rally from 19 down in the second half to beat Oklahoma State 87-84 on Monday night. Miles McBride scored 19 of his 21 points after halftime for the Mountaineers (9-3, 2-2 Big 12), including 14 in the final four minutes. “He loves those moments,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said of McBride, who had two fouls in 10 minutes during the first half. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys led for virtually the entire first half and well into the second. Oklahoma State: The Cowboys head out on the road to face Kansas State on Saturday.

FILE - In this March 27, 1993, file photo, Kansas coach Roy Williams raises his arms in victory after cutting a piece of the net after the NCAA Midwest Regional final in St. Louis. He was the guy that gave Roy Williams a chance, Williams told The Associated Press. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File)A Hall of Famer with three national championships and a familiar face at the Final Four, it would seem Roy Williams was destined for big things in basketball. He was the guy that gave Roy Williams a chance, Williams told The Associated Press. They wanted a high-profile coach and told Budig it would be a huge mistake to hire Williams.

NEW YORK Gene Budig, the self-effacing educator and baseball fan from small-town Nebraska who became the head of three major universities and the last president of the American League, died Tuesday. Mixing his passion for academics and athletics at Kansas, Budig oversaw a smart move in 1988. Budig became an assistant professor of educational administration at Nebraska in 1967 and rose to full professor, assistant vice chancellor and assistant vice president and director of public affairs. He moved to Illinois State in 1972 as a vice president, dean and professor of educational administration and its youngest full professor. Budig is survived by his wife, Gretchen Van Bloom Budig, and three children: Christopher Budig, Mary Frances Budig and Kathryn Budig; sister Mary Ann Myers; brother Richard Budig; and five grandchildren.

For the second time this week, the Hurricanes played a road game in North Carolina, this time against the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Since then, the Tar Heels have only won three of their last 12 games. With 10:18 left in the first half, Miami had only managed to score four points, all coming from senior center Rodney Miller. Miami attempted 14 3-pointers, but only managed to score one, while the Tar Heels boasted a three-point percentage of 42.9 percent. However, considering UNC had dropped its last two games after leading by double digits going into the second half, Miami remained hopeful.