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The new-look Tar Heels did it the old-fashioned way.
In winning a fourth straight game for the second time this season, Carolina continued to show things it had not consistently done by beating Florida State in Tallahassee, denying Hubert Davis’ old NBA coach Leonard Hamilton his 200th ACC victory.
The Heels put six men in double figures, crushed the Seminoles on the backboards, especially on the offensive glass, and got important contributions from the bench. They changed defenses, played zone for much of the first half and full-court pressure in the second, and held on to win by 11 points against a team that shot 54 percent, hit half of its 3-point attempts and made 21 free throws, one less than UNC, which also had 18 assists to only eight turnovers.
Four starters were in double figures, led by R.J. Davis’ 20 points with 5 assists and Seth Trimble’s 17 of the 39 from the subs who earned the 78 minutes they played.
The Heels broke open a close game that had eight lead changes in the first 15 minutes with an unlikely 14-5 run. After Davis hit his only 3-pointer of the half to tie the score, Cade Tyson followed two long misses by teammates with a putback and Jalen Washington swished a 3 ball from top of the key. Tyson scored twice more and two free throws by Davis took control of the game.
Carolina led 49-43 at the half over the reputed second tallest team in college basketball (behind Duke), and it was needed as FSU rallied from a 14-point deficit to trail by only six midway through the second half, with rotating postmen Ven-Allen Lubin and Washington in serious foul trouble while scoring 10 points each and combining for 10 rebounds. Jae’Lyn Withers had his fourth straight impact game with 11 points, 5 rebounds and an early corner 3-pointer.
Every time FSU closed to under 10 points, big shots by Trimble, a red hot R.J. and making enough free throws produced the 96-85 final.
The projected board of contenders on the screen showed UNC with a 12.5 percent chance of making the NCAA tournament, but the selection committee likes teams that finish the regular season on a run. So if beating last-place Miami at home Saturday and Virginia Tech on the road next Tuesday for six straight Ws, and giving Duke a tougher test than in Durham, an at-large bid could come down to winning a couple of games in the ACC tournament.
Hubert Davis is taking them one at a time and enjoying the improvement he has seen in the four straight impressive victories.
“Anytime you play Saturday then Monday against Virginia and Florida State with one day in between,” he said, “and win on the road against a tall, athletic team, I am just so proud of this group. The key for us was making the easy play routine plays.”
Another hallmark of Carolina Basketball.
Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Maggie Hobson
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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