A moment of silence. 1980’s throwback jerseys. The Four-Corners offense run to perfection. Soaring slams. Pulsating roars.

No, this wasn’t 1982, but if you closed your eyes, it could have been. Needless to say, it was Carolina’s day inside the Dean E. Smith Center.

***Listen to the story***

The No. 15 North Carolina men’s basketball team sped away from Georgia Tech Saturday afternoon in Chapel Hill, securing a comfortable 89 -60 win to improve to 19-8 overall and 9-5 in ACC action.

It was a celebratory mood inside the Smith Center Saturday (Todd Melet)

It was a celebratory mood inside the Smith Center Saturday (Todd Melet)

With the loss, the Yellow Jackets dropped to 12-15 on the season with a 3-12 mark in league play.

The Chapel Hill community will officially memorialize the late Dean Smith Sunday inside the showpiece that dons his name, but it’s Saturday’s dominant performance from his beloved Tar Heels that will probably make Coach Smith happiest.

Six UNC players finished in double figures in scoring with sophomore forward Kennedy Meeks leading the charge with 18 points to go along with six rebounds. The unselfish effort and tight teamwork would no doubt make Coach Smith smile.

Many observers were wondering how Carolina would respond from the disappointment at Duke Wednesday. Those folks received an emphatic answer.

Four corners! (UNC Athletics)

Four corners! (UNC Athletics)

“Okay, needless to say it was a great day for us.  Shoot 63 percent for the game and only have eight turnovers, it was a good bounce back from a very disappointing game Wednesday night.  We felt, like I said at the press conference Wednesday night, I thought we did some good things over there, but Duke made better plays down the stretch.  People were worried about the carry-over.  I wasn’t worried about that,” UNC head coach Roy Williams says.

***Listen to Roy Williams’ postgame remarks***

Georgia Tech junior forward Marcus Georges-Hunt tallied a team-leading 15 points, but the Jackets only managed to shoot 38 percent from the floor as a team, struggling to deal with UNC’s defensive aggression, especially early in the second half.

A potential Four Corners tribute to Coach Smith was something Coach Williams says he’s been pondering for weeks now, due to UNC’s extended road trip.

Paige battles for the ball with Yellow Jackets flanking him (Todd Melet)

Paige battles for the ball with Yellow Jackets flanking him (Todd Melet)

“It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for a long time, for two weeks anyway.  Some way to do something that would mean a great deal to him and would mean a great deal to me.  I thought that worked out great,” Coach Williams says.

Roy Williams was emotional for Coach Smith and his Tar Heels (Todd Melet)

Roy Williams was emotional for Coach Smith and his Tar Heels (Todd Melet)

Fittingly, the four corners play proved successful. Before the score, Coach Williams held up four fingers that served as a lasting memory for those in attendance.

In total, the first half shooting percentage of 61.3 percent was UNC’s second best field goal percentage of the season – a half against William & Mary the only 20 minutes better.

Out of the halftime locker room, the Tar Heels took over. An electrifying J.P. Tokoto aerial assault followed by a pretty Marcus Paige three-pointer gave UNC a 60-32 advantage with 15:15 to play in the contest. The game was essentially over.

Tokoto, who finished with 12 points and six rebounds, says Saturday’s win was absolutely necessary.

“You don’t want to lose a fifth, especially at home to anybody, not just Georgia Tech even if it was Duke, we would have came out with the same energy. We have to take this and keep moving forward. We are out of a drought now, but we could drop the next game very easily if we don’t come out to play,” Tokoto says.

Next up for Carolina comes round two of its rivalry matchup with N.C. State. The Tar Heels and Wolfpack will square off Tuesday night at 8 p.m. back in the Smith Center.

***Click here for full game photo gallery***

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