Chansky's Notebook: 'Merry Christmas' Win

It took an elbow to the mouth to turn the Tar Heels into dudes.

If Carolina wasn’t quite ready to continue playing tough basketball with another physical Big Ten opponent, the Heels got the message late in the first half against Michigan in Charlotte.

“Our best players have to be dudes,” Hubert Davis said after the 80-76 win over the Wolverines. The Heels led most of the game but never comfortably against an athletic foe that got hot from the floor at any time. They trailed by as many as eight midway through the first half before mounting a 13-4 run to halftime that included a weird play when on one whistle, four personal and four technical fouls were called after a long visit to the TV monitor by the officials.

It began when Michigan’s 7-foot center Hunter Dickinson caught Armando Bacot in the mouth with his right elbow and a scuffle ensued under the basket with Caleb Love getting kneed in the face. It resulted in Carolina showing its own physicality and leading 41-34 at the break and occasionally by nine in the second half but never able to shake the maize and blue in front of a mostly light blue crowd at the Spectrum Center. It hurt the Heels, usually a good foul-shooting team, by missing 10 of 15 free throws before making 10 of their last 12.

When Michigan got hot and within one possession, some smart passing and shooting helped UNC grab its fourth straight win and a 9-4 record that should result in a national ranking that evaporated with the four-game losing streak.

Bacot returned late with four fouls and, after a steal by Leaky Black, converted a neat pocket pass from R.J. Davis. Black, who finished with 9 points and 10 rebounds, scored in traffic from the elbow. Davis then banked in a runner over Dickinson and combined with Love to make five straight free throws to seal the victory. The scoring guards totaled 37 points.

The celebrity-filled lower arena, led by Roy Williams and country music Tar Heel Eric Church under the home basket, was up and down for much of the game and appreciated the hard-fought effort for the last 36 minutes.

“When Armando got hit in the mouth, it was like ‘let’s start fighting,’ Hubert Davis said. “This team keeps getting back up. Armando is playing like a first-team All-American and first-round NBA draft choice.”

Bacot led all scorers with 26 points, but playing away from the basket much of the time pulled down only 5 rebounds and was still a dominating force all over the court. Especially after taking one for the team that is off until resuming ACC play at Pitt on December 30.

“We deserve a break, they earned it,” said Hubert. “Merry Christmas.”

Featured image via Carolina Basketball on Twitter

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Chansky’s Notebook: ‘Merry Christmas’ Win

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