UNC head coach Roy Williams said last week that if his team was going to go to Washington D.C. and play in the ACC Tournament it might as well try and win the whole dadgum thing.
His No. 7 Tar Heels messed around and did just that in their 61-57 win over the No. 4 Virginia Cavaliers Saturday night—carried in the clutch by their defense and a signature performance by sophomore point guard Joel Berry.
The tempo of the game fit Virginia’s slow-paced, grind-it-out style perfectly—but in the end the tougher team won.
Joel Berry took home Tournament MVP honors for his clutch performance down the stretch against Virginia. (Todd Melet)
That’s become the new narrative with these Tar Heels, who held the ultra-efficient Virginia offense to just 36 percent from the field—the night after limiting Notre Dame in much the same way.
Like Rocky Balboa in Rocky II, the Tar Heels took their opponents best punches, but kept on fighting—and in the end came out champions. Although Williams had a different boxing analogy in mind.
“Playing Virginia we knew it was gonna be a battle all the way down to the end,” Williams said afterwards. “I was even dumb enough this morning to tell ‘em about Ali and Frazier—how they just fought and fought and fought.
“We thought it would be that kind of game because we have the greatest respect for Virginia’s program.”
After a back-and-forth first half—and a tie game at halftime—UNC trailed Virginia 44-42 with just under 10 minutes to play.
Then the Joel Berry Show started.
Berry tied the game with a pair of free throws, then hit a jumper to give UNC the lead for good, as the Tar Heels went on to complete a 20-7 scoring run for a 55-46 advantage.
Virginia closed the gap with a barrage of three-pointers in the last two minutes before Isaiah Hicks scored in the post and Berry hit four clutch free throws over the last 16 seconds, finishing with 19 points. And, yes, he was named the tournament’s MVP for his efforts over the weekend.
“I just tried to shoot it with confidence if I got the ball in my hands,” Berry said. “And that’s the reason I just hit those shots—just because it was all about confidence and using my instincts.
“Coach tells us all the time, ‘If you’re gonna shoot the ball, put it in the basket.’”
Also critical to UNC’s win was the way it held ACC Player of the Year Malcolm Brogdon in check.
Guarded most of the game by the smaller-but-quicker Marcus Paige, Brogdon scored 15 points on just 6-of-22 shooting.
The Tar Heels had a great defensive performance against ACC Player of the Year Malcolm Brogdon. (Todd Melet)
Virginia looked lost on offense for much of the second half, leading to an eight-minute stretch over those final ten minutes where the Cavaliers failed to make a single shot from the field.
“We had them to where they were taking shots they didn’t want to take,” Berry said. “Malcolm was going in and shooting fadeaway shots and that’s what we wanted.
“And then also, I think we picked up the intensity and got them out of what they wanted to do,” he added. “And limited them to one shot.”
Only Brice Johnson and Paige joined Berry scoring in double figures against Virginia’s pack-line defense—despite neither having their best offensive games.
Johnson scored 12 points, but was constantly harassed and double teamed—limiting him to just eight shots.
Paige scored 13, hit clutch baskets inside the arc but missed all seven of his three-point attempts.
Despite all that, the seniors will be able to leave Chapel Hill calling themselves champions—a feeling Paige tried to put into words.
“It’s been a long ride,” he said. “It’s been fun though. This is what makes it all worth it—is to have a team come together in my last year —work through a lot of adversity—and become outright champions and win the tournament.”
“To finally get over that hump and win it, and get a chance to celebrate with my team has been fantastic.”
Up Next:
UNC will likely receive a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament and play the first two rounds at the PNC Arena in Raleigh. However, that won’t be made official until the brackets come out late Sunday afternoon.
Game Notes:
- It is the Tar Heels’ 18th ACC Tournament Championship.
- Roy Williams has now won both the conference regular season and tournament titles in the same season three times.
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