By james art 
Grant Halverson/Getty Images
North Carolina suffered a 70-50 loss at James Madison on Saturday, but the disappointment didn’t stop there.
According to Cllct.com’s Darren Rovell, the Tar Heels paid the Dukes $500,000 to visit Chapel Hill for Saturday’s contest.
North Carolina fell into an early 11-0 hole in the first quarter. While the Tar Heels briefly took a 14-11 lead, James Madison scored 28 points in the second quarter and had a 53-21 halftime advantage.
The 53 points are the most North Carolina has ever allowed in a half in school history, at Chip Alexander on Raleigh News & Observer.
Head coach Mack Brown’s squad struggled on both sides of the ball in various spots throughout the game.
Although the Tar Heels managed to score 50 points and rack up 616 yards of total offense, they also committed five turnovers and failed to convert on seven of their nine third-down opportunities.
North Carolina gave up just 17 points in the second half after James Madison’s first-half barrage, but the team still allowed Dukes quarterback Alonza Barnett III to dominate through the air and on the ground. Barnett finished 22 of 34 for 388 yards, scoring seven total touchdowns.
The Tar Heels aren’t the only team to pay an opponent before subsequently losing the game in 2024, but it’s still an embarrassing result. Florida State paid Memphis $1.3 million before falling to the Tigers on Sept. 14, and Notre Dame had to give Northern Illinois $1.4 million after a Sept. 7 loss.
UNLV was also a recent Group of Five team that upset a Power Conference opponent, earning $700,000 after beating Kansas on Sept. 14.
The Tar Heels have won by a combined 53 points in their last two games against Charlotte and NC Central, but they were on the opposite end of a lopsided result Saturday.