Chansky's Notebook: A Silver Lining

You know the bad news, so let’s get to the unexpected good news.

The Tar Heels don’t break a seven-straight losing streak at Virginia when their All-American goes out with a bad left ankle sprain 1:18 after tip-off. Armando Bacot did not return, but it resulted in freshman Jalen Washington breaking out with 12 points in the first half that UNC led 29-27.

And while Bacot may be out for a few games, Hubert Davis can let his ankle heal as much as possible and still have a chance to win at Louisville Saturday and at home against BC and N.C. State next week. A chance.

The 6-10 Washington, recovered from serious knee surgery that cost him his senior year in high school, showed his array of skills including a second baseline jumper of the season and some nifty moves around the basket. He had a free throw in the second half to go with his 6 rebounds for the night.

Justin McKoy, the transfer from Virginia, scored a basket and fought for 6 boards in the first half and D’Marco Dunn scored 5 points as the bench outscored the starters 19-10, another good sign for the future.

Carolina grew its lead to eight points early in the second half, but the Cavaliers’ 20-5 scoring run put them in control of the game. The Heels twice closed the gap to one or two possessions when Caleb Love, who had been bothered most of the night by the defense of UVa’s Reece Beekman, suddenly hit three longballs. He must have heard the UNC fan base yelling or mumbling under their breath, “Get hot! Get hot!”

“We were more concerned with how Armando was, not whether he would come back in the game,” Hubert Davis said. “It was next man up, but there were too many blow-by’s, loose balls we didn’t get to and too many offensive rebounds we gave up. Mistakes are good if we learn from them and grow from them. You have to have commitment and consistency at this level.”

The Wahoos missed three straight free throws late to give Carolina a fighting chance, but they snuffed out each rally on 3-pointers by subs who made all six of the longshots Virginia had for the night. Plus, there were some late defensive breakdowns and the back end of 13 turnovers that led to 19 Virginia points for the game that did UNC in.

The Tar Heels scrapped and played hard but those errors left them 11-6 (3-3 in the ACC) after their fourth true road loss made their record away from home 3-6 with veteran big men Bacot and Pete Nance now battling injuries.

Bacot took most of the summer recouping the high ankle sprain he suffered at the Final Four; hopefully, this one to his other foot isn’t as bad.

Featured image via Associated Press/Mike Kropf

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Chansky’s Notebook: A Silver Lining

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