Playing in New York’s Madison Square Garden for the first time in more than a decade, the UNC men’s basketball team made sure to put on a show.
The Tar Heels came back from a 14-point first-half deficit and used a game-tying buzzer beater by Pete Nance to force overtime against No. 23 Ohio State Saturday afternoon. In the extra period, UNC used tight defense and clutch baskets from Caleb Love and Armando Bacot to pull away for the 89-84 win. It’s Carolina’s first win over a ranked team this season.
BIG DUB.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/iWEyQM0z7z
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) December 17, 2022
UNC led by as many as five points early in the game, but then saw the Buckeyes rip off a 26-7 run to take a 34-20 lead. The Tar Heels sliced it to as little as five points late in the half, but a buzzer-beating three by Ohio State’s Justice Sueing moved the margin back to nine points, 44-35, at halftime and quieted the Carolina-heavy crowd in New York.
Senior center Armando Bacot, who scored 12 of UNC’s final 15 points of the first half after a slow start, carried his positive momentum into the second. He and the Tar Heels opened the half on a 10-2 run, with a Bacot dunk punctuating the spurt and cutting the Buckeye lead back down to a single point.
But it seemed every time Carolina made progress, Ohio State had an answer. More big baskets from Sueing, Brice Sensabaugh and Sean McNeil gave the Buckeyes some breathing room, extending the lead back up to as large as 11 points at 66-55 with 7:14 remaining. UNC needed another run if it was to earn a signature non-conference win.
And while it wasn’t always pretty, the Tar Heels got one.
Through several hectic minutes, Carolina whittled away at the advantage with free throws (UNC ended with 19 on the night) and a long three-pointer from Caleb Love. Love tried his luck again and again from outside, perhaps auditioning for the NBA in the home of the New York Knicks, but he missed more often than not. One particular miss found the hands of junior guard R.J. Davis, whose and-1 putback cut the Buckeye lead back down to 69-67.
After a pair of Ohio State free throws, graduate wing Leaky Black became just the second Tar Heel after Love to hit a three-pointer, slicing the lead back down to one. A split pair of Buckeye free throws later, Davis raced down the floor and laid in a finger roll to tie the game for the first time in the second half. A step-back three from Davis on Carolina’s next possession gave the Tar Heels a 75-74 lead, their first since the score was 14-12.
But it looked like the rally might all be for naught when, after a breathless late-game exchange left the score tied at 77, Sensabaugh broke that tie with a short jumper with two seconds to go. Down 79-77, Carolina was facing yet another gut-wrenching defeat in a big game.
With two timeouts remaining, Hubert Davis used his first with the ball 94 feet away from the target. With the help of a long pass, Carolina moved the ball into the frontcourt by taking just .8 seconds off the clock before using its last timeout. The odds were suddenly that much better for the Tar Heels.
UNC’s play would go to Nance, isolated to the right of the basket. After reeling in a long inbounds pass from Black, Nance turned and swished a fadeaway jumper. His bucket beat the buzzer by a fraction of a second and sent the game into overtime.
WE'RE HEADED TO OT IN MSG‼️ @UNC_Basketball pic.twitter.com/qEOStWJA1W
— CBS Sports CBB (@CBSSportsCBB) December 17, 2022
Carolina seized control in the overtime by scoring the first four points. Though the Buckeyes cut that lead down to one, they never tied the game or took the lead again. Another jumper from Love, four free throws from R.J. Davis and stout defensive possessions iced the win away for the Tar Heels.
The win improves UNC’s all-time record against Ohio State to 13-3, and is the Tar Heels’ first win in Madison Square Garden since the 2010-11 season. Bacot finished with 28 points (one shy of tying his career-high) and 15 rebounds, securing his 56th career double-double. He’s now four shy of tying Billy Cunningham’s UNC record. Love and Davis poured in 22 and 21 points, respectively. Nance ended with just eight and shot 0-6 on threes, but had the biggest two points of the night.
In a performance reminiscent of last season’s “Iron 5,” Carolina only got three minutes from its bench (all from Puff Johnson) in the second half and overtime. Love was one of three Tar Heels to log 40 minutes or more. No doubt exhausted after the draining effort, Carolina will have until Wednesday night to recover before facing another Big Ten opponent. The Tar Heels will play Michigan in the Jumpman Invitational on Tuesday night. That game will tip off at 7 p.m.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications
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