ESPN, Tar Heel Nation forgives you. Well, maybe.

The cable network screwed up big-time when UNC’s ACC opener at Georgia Tech, scheduled on ESPN2 at 3 p.m., kept showing unbearably boring interviews from Formula 1 racing in Saudi Arabia. Whaaat!

The bulletin at the bottom of the screen said the game was streaming on the ESPN App, but that didn’t happen right away. So, most of us tuned into the great call by Jones Angell and Eric Montross on the Tar Heel Sports Network, as Carolina survived Tech making five straight 3-pointers and overcame a nine-point deficit to force a 31-31 halftime tie.

Thank the Lord we got to see the second half, because it was one for the ages. The transformed Tar Heels, who were playing selfish offense and virtually no defense in November, again proved Hubert Davis’ eternal optimism should be taken seriously.

Coming off a great second half against Michigan, Carolina doubled-down against the Jackets on their challenging home court before a charged-up crowd. After halftime, the Heels went 19 of 29, including a mind-boggling 7 of 9 from the 3-point arc to win going away, 79-62.

But it wasn’t just the ball going through the hoop, which all teams have those kinds of days. It was the sharing of the ball with 21 assists on 31 made baskets and team defense that took Tech’s leading scored and most accurate outside shooter in the nation, Michael DeVoe, completely out of the game (13 points and 1-5 on long balls).

Usually, teams don’t practice what coaches preach so quickly, but this one is finding it contagious and fun to play together on both ends of the floor. Davis relied on his big three – Armando Bacot, RJ Davis and Caleb Love – to combine for 55 points, 24 rebounds and 14 assists, all giving up good shots for better ones. And he played the hot hand of Brady Manek (15 and 5) as the co-big to Bacot after Dawson Garcia got into early foul trouble.

Defensively, Davis went with Anthony Harris to join Leaky Black to lock down DeVoe, who had averaged more than 30 points the last three games. “This was validation week,” Davis said, “to prove Michigan was not a one-game thing. It was all about toughness and grit.”

Sure glad we saw it.

 

Photo via AP Photo/Hakim Wright Sr.

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