Marcus Paige hit two free throws with 3.9 seconds left to secure a memorable Tar Heel victory Friday night in Greensboro.
The No. 5 seed North Carolina men’s basketball team battled past top-seeded Virginia , 71-67, to advance to the ACC Championship game for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
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With the victory, the Tar Heels improved to 24-10 overall while the Cavaliers dropped to 29-3 on the season.
Roy Williams was fired up Friday night (Todd Melet)
“We made some big plays down the stretch. Made six of our last seven free throws. I think that was big. We’re especially pleased to be here still playing,” UNC head coach Roy Williams says.
Freshman forward Justin Jackson scored a season-high 22 points to lead the Carolina scoring charge. Jackson’s smooth, serene movements impressed all in attendance in the packed-out Coliseum.
“I always knew I was a shooter. Obviously, like you said, the numbers didn’t show it. But for me, I knew it would come around sooner or later,” Jackson says.
Justin Jackson shot the lights out of the ball (Todd Melet)
In addition to Jackson’s stellar performance, Paige contributed 14 points and five assists. Junior forward Brice Johnson posted 13 points and six rebounds.
The Tar Heels led wire-to-wire and imposed their pace of play on the Cavaliers, who appeared tentative early.
“That wasn’t who we were to start. And again, Carolina came after us. They were charged and just the easy looks they got, we were on our heels, their pressure really bothered us, and we just looked, I don’t know what the word is,” UVA head coach Tony Bennett says.
But after a 30-23 halftime lead for UNC, UVA guard Malcolm Brogdon got a pep talk from Coach Bennett. It worked.
Brogdon came to life and played like the champion he is down the stretch, knocking down clutch shot after clutch shot. He epitomized cool under pressure and his calm demeanor and poise was exemplary. In one stint, Brogdon scored 12 straight points for the Cavaliers.
Everything was left on the floor – hustle plays abound (Todd Melet)
On the other side of the floor, Paige embodied many of the same characteristics. Whenever the Tar Heels needed a bucket, he delivered.
“We competed at the highest level we’ve competed all year, and that was one thing that was a positive for us,” Paige says.
Back and forth they went down the stretch. Things got dicey for UNC when Brogdon cut the deficit down to a single point with 1:16 remaining, but the Tar Heels never truly faltered. UVA just upped the ante, like it normally does, in the money minutes.
The difference? Carolina finished with a 54.8-percent shooting clip from the floor, including a sharp 50 percent from three-point land. Virginia shot 44 percent overall and just 31 percent from behind the arc.
Brogdon tallied 25 points to lead all scorers while Anthony Gill and London Perrantes each finished with 12 points apiece.
In the Greensboro Coliseum, the Cavaliers remain winless against the Tar Heels in the ACC Tournament, dropping to 0-6 all-time.
Brogdon fights for the ball with JP Tokoto (Todd Melet)
Saturday night at 8:30 p.m., the Tar Heels will have the chance to become the first team to win the ACC Tournament by winning four games in four days. Their opponent? Notre Dame. Not Duke.
Jackson says fatigue shouldn’t be an issue for Carolina.
“Honestly, there’s no excuse. We made it to the championship, and other teams played games these past couple days. So we’re going to get rested up tonight, come out tomorrow whatever time the game is, and be ready to play them,” Jackson says.
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