After shaking off the cobwebs midway through the first half Saturday afternoon at the Dean Smith Center, the 15th-ranked Tar Heels utilized their superior rebounding advantage to take control–on the way to an 80-66 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
UNC didn’t have its best shooting performance by any means, but it ultimately had no impact on the final result.
The Tar Heels shot just 42 percent, but were able to grab their own misses seemingly at will–manufacturing 26 second-chance points on 19 offensive rebounds.
Junior forward Luke Maye led the charge against the Yellow Jackets with a team-high 17 points and 11 rebounds himself, but UNC also received important contributions from Theo Pinson and—more surprisingly—from freshman big man Sterling Manley off the bench.
Pinson finished with 11 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, while all of Manley’s nine points and three rebounds were recorded in the first half.
Theo Pinson tied his career-high with 10 rebounds to go along with his 11 points in UNC’s win over Georgia Tech on Saturday. (Todd Melet)
Those nine points came at a crucial time, however, as he recorded a put-back slam and three more easy hoops around the rim to help UNC build a seven-point lead at halftime—one it would not relinquish the rest of the way.
“We didn’t shoot the ball as well as I want to shoot it, but give their defense some credit there,” Tar Heel head coach Roy Williams said afterwards. “Rebounding was big for us, there’s no question.
“Twenty-six to four on second-chance points, that’s where we try to make a lot of our stuff,” the coach continued. “And I thought Sterling gave us a huge lift in the first half.”
Cameron Johnson and Joel Berry gave the Tar Heels four players in double figures, as they represented the bulk of the offense down the stretch.
Johnson had seven of his 16 points over the final 10 minutes.
Berry, meanwhile, also had 16 points–with nine of those coming during the same span. The point guard also added eight rebounds for UNC, but his scoring came while making just three of his 17 shots from the floor.
The Tar Heels needed a superb effort down low on a day when they struggled with turnovers and converting shots from the perimeter, which has been their bread and butter for much of the year.
While converting on just one of their first nine three-point attempts in the first half, UNC allowed Georgia Tech to reel off a 10-0 run and take control of the game briefly. The Tar Heels also turned the ball over 10 times over in the first 13 minutes to help the visitors open up a five-point lead.
With the three-pointers struggling to find the bottom of the net against Georgia Tech, Joel Berry said the Tar Heels made more of an effort to get the ball inside. (Todd Melet)
During this time frame, the Tar Heels were held scoreless for six and a half minutes before Johnson finally got a three-pointer to fall.
From there, Berry said there was a much more focused effort made on ball security and getting the offense inside.
“We just didn’t want to settle for threes,” Berry told reporters. “We wanted to get the ball inside.
“The threes weren’t there because they were trying to spread out their zone,” he continued. “Their defense was a little different than what you’re used to seeing because its like a zone and a matchup man-to-man at the same time.”
It was the fourth consecutive victory for the Tar Heels, all of which have come against ACC competition.
Following back-to-back losses a couple weeks ago, things are starting to trend in the right direction—something Pinson refuses to take for granted given how quickly things can change.
“The thing is, it’s hard to get wins in the ACC,” Pinson said. “When you have a winning streak like this, you just want to keep it going. You know every night’s gonna be a battle.
“And we’ve got a quick turnaround,” he continued. “We’ve got a big-time game on Monday night against Virginia Tech we’ve got to be ready for. It’s tough every night. It’s a tough schedule.”
Up Next:
It’ll be a short break for the Tar Heels, who will have Sunday off before traveling Blacksburg for the game against Virginia Tech. Tip-off that night is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Game Notes:
- UNC finished the game with a 46-25 edge in total rebounds over Georgia Tech.
- It was the Tar Heels’ 15th consecutive ACC win at home.
- Referee Ted Valentine–who made news during UNC’s loss at Florida State when he turned his back on Joel Berry–was one of the officials in the game. It was his first time officiating a Tar Heel game since the incident.
- Last season’s ACC Player of the Year–former UNC wing Justin Jackson–was recognized at halftime for winning the Patterson Medal, the school’s top athletic honor.
Cover photo via Todd Melet
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