A clutch three-pointer in the final minute from junior guard Kenny Williams capped a wild rally on Sunday for the seventh-ranked Tar Heels in Knoxville, as they came from behind to defeat No. 20 Tennessee 78-73.
Prior to Williams’ big shot—which came with 33 seconds left on the clock–UNC had trailed since the game’s opening minutes. The Volunteers bothered the Tar Heels with their defensive pressure early on, building a six-point halftime lead in the process.
Fittingly enough, it was a move to increase his own team’s defensive pressure that proved to be the turning point for UNC head coach Roy Williams.
Luke Maye scored 11 of his 15 points for UNC in the second half against Tennessee. (AP Photo/Crystal LoGiudice)
Down by one point with just under a minute to play, the decision was made to employ a full-court press on Tennessee’s inbounds attempt. The move forced the Volunteers into a careless turnover that ended up in the hands of UNC forward Luke Maye.
Not long after, the younger Williams received a pass from Theo Pinson and the rest is now history.
“I kicked the ball to Theo, and when I saw him coming back I knew he wanted to do a little handoff,” Kenny Williams told reporters afterwards. “I just got myself ready.
“As soon as he started dribbling towards me, I got myself ready to shoot,” he continued. “I knew I was gonna have an open shot because I knew he would screen. So I just stepped into it and knocked it down.”
Senior point guard Joel Berry–who scored a game-high 21 points—combined with Pinson to seal the game for UNC with free throws in the final seconds.
Williams and Maye, meanwhile, each finished with 15 points for the Tar Heels–while combining to score 19 of the Tar Heels’ 46 points in the second half.
Although Pinson didn’t quite reach double figures, he nearly posted a triple double. The do-everything swingman tallied seven points, eight assists and nine rebounds—and even attempted to set a screen for Williams after passing him the ball on the game’s most important play.
Having trailed for so long, it was exactly the kind of recovery Roy Williams wanted to see from his leaders.
Freshman forward Garrison Brooks provided a solid interior presence for head coach Roy Williams and the Tar Heels on Sunday. (AP Photo/Crystal LoGiudice)
“I was surprised at halftime, when I walked off the court and saw it was 38-32,” the coach said. “Because that was the first time I had really looked at the score the whole half. I thought we were down 20.
“I told them at halftime that I felt lucky, because I didn’t think we had played very well and were just down six,” he continued. “Just do what I tell you to do and we’ll have a chance there at the end.”
These types of performances have become somewhat standard issue for UNC’s top four players—especially in winning efforts–but this game also provided a chance for the younger Tar Heels to go through the adversity of a close top-25 matchup on the road.
As it turned out, freshmen forwards Garrison Brooks and Sterling Manley stepped up to the challenge and then some. Brooks chipped in nine points and eight rebounds, while Manley added 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
The two young big men showed exactly what the Tar Heels needed from them in a hostile environment, which could prove to be an invaluable experience in a couple of months when conference play heats up.
“You know, the first thing Coach said when we got in the locker room [after the game] was that the young guys grew up a bit today,” Kenny Williams said. “And I think we all did.
“This was a tough environment,” he added. “The crowd was really into it. They played really well. The fact that we pulled it out, it tells us a lot about this team.”
Up Next:
UNC will return home to the Smith Center for a date with Wofford on Wednesday, Dec. 20. That game is scheduled to tip-off at 9 p.m.
Game Notes:
- Graduate transfer Cameron Johnson–who has been out all season for the Tar Heels with a sprained neck–dressed out in full uniform and went through warm-ups prior to the game. He did not play, however.
- Tennessee made just three of its final 18 shots from the field.
- UNC is 10-1 all-time against Tennessee.
Cover photo via Crystal LoGiudice (Associated Press)
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