After trailing for a majority of the game on Saturday, the No. 7 UNC men’s basketball team put together a furious rally in the final minutes to defeat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 86-78.
The comeback was sparked by sophomore guard Joel Berry, who ignited the Dean Dome crowd with two critical late-game shots and a career-high 19 points.
“He stepped up and made a big three when it was a two point game,” UNC head coach Roy Williams said of Berry. “We got a stop [afterwards] and then he came down, took it to the basket, got fouled and made the shot for an old-fashioned three-point play.
Joel James provided a huge lift with an unexpected 11-point performance. (Todd Melet)
“And to me, those were the two biggest plays in the game right there,” the coach added.
UNC head coach Roy Williams sees his team improve to 13-2 this season with a 2-0 mark to begin ACC competition– after Berry’s six-point surge with five minutes to play gave UNC its first lead since the 14-minute mark in the first half.
With the crowd fully energized, the Tar Heels scored points on each of their final eight possessions to drop the Yellow Jackets to 10-4 overall and 0-1 inside the conference.
Despite struggling with turnovers early in the day, Berry’s emergence as the late game hero was a good sign for UNC—which in recent years has relied heavily on Marcus Paige to make all the plays in crunch time.
“I really wasn’t having a good game on the offensive end,” Berry said. “[But] they were paying a lot of attention to Marcus [Paige], so when he came off the ball screen I came up.
“It gave me a little confidence when I hit the three,” he added. “I felt like myself.”
Six players ended up in double figures for the Tar Heels, including 15 points for senior forward Brice Johnson—who tallied 11 rebounds for another double-double–and 13 for Paige.
Justin Jackson had 10 and Isaiah Hicks chipped in 12–continuing his run of solid performances with Kennedy Meeks out.
But it was the man starting in front of Hicks—Joel James—who provided the most unexpected lift.
James, not known for his scoring prowess, scored the team’s first six points and finished with 11. This after a pre-game chat with a former national champion forward, and now an assistant with the team—Sean May.
“Players go through ups and downs,” James said. “But luckily I had a good talk with Big May.
“He just told me that it’s basketball you know? Just gotta go out there and keep playing, have fun, and let the chips fall where they may every time [I] take the floor.”
The Yellow Jackets were able to stay in front on the scoreboard mostly due to the exploits of two of its guards.
Marcus Georges-Hunt scored 25 points by continually getting fouled on drives through the lane—sinking 12 of his 15 shots from the charity stripe. His teammate, graduate student Adam Smith, a Virginia Tech transfer, was lights out from beyond the arc—scoring 20 points while making 6-of-10 from long range.
The Tar Heel bench reacts after a big play. (Todd Melet)
These types of inspired performances have become the norm for Tar Heel opponents this season, something Hicks says comes with the territory.
“We got a target on our backs,” Hicks said. “You know, North Carolina. Other big schools have targets on their backs.
“So [we] know every night is gonna be a tough matchup. Can’t just go out there and think the other team’s just gonna lay down.
“Other players want to be us,” he added.
Despite giving its best shot, Georgia Tech was simply overwhelmed by UNC’s depth down the stretch.
With Paige struggling to connect on his jump shot and Meeks still sidelined with a bruised knee, the Tar Heels simply allowed new faces to shine. Berry and James were forced to take on bigger roles to help win this one, which made it easy for their coach to sum up what he saw afterwards.
“It was a Joel and Joel party there for a while tonight,” Williams said. “And I was happy they were both with us.”
Up Next:
A trip to Tallahassee awaits the Tar Heels, as they’ll face a quick turnaround before playing the Florida State Seminoles–who are 10-3 this season. Fresh off a loss against Clemson, though, the Seminoles should be plenty motivated.
Game Notes:
- Roy Williams set the ACC record for most wins by a head coach in his first 200 ACC regular-season games. Carolina is 143-57 in Williams’ first 200 ACC regular-season games. Dean Smith held the previous mark at 142-58.
- Carolina became just the third team to out-rebound Georgia Tech this season. The Tar Heels out-rebounded the Yellow Jackets, 39-29. Tennessee (by six) and Georgia (by one) also out-rebounded the Jackets.
- UNC is now 52-49 in Smith Center history when trailing at the half (trailed 42-39 at the break on Saturday).
- Joel James’ 11 points were the most he’s ever scored against an ACC opponent.
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines