The Tar Heels were tough enough with their manhood on the line.
Despite blowing big leads in both halves, Carolina made the plays and shots to somehow survive at Syracuse when it looked bleak. It was a must-game the Heels had to have before a week off with Pitt, Duke, Wake Forest, Clemson, Miami and the rematch at N.C. State in their next six games.
The Orange generally don’t lose close games at home and this time shot better than UNC from the field, the arc and the foul line and outrebounded the team in blue to have a two-point edge and the ball with 90 seconds remaining in a thrilling game that had six lead changes and three ties.
Pete Nance, who may have had his true baptism to college basketball, got tougher as the night went on with Armando Bacot spending a good part of the second half on the bench in foul trouble. Nance had 13 points in the second stanza, including the fortuitous go-ahead basket after missing a free throw to tie the game. He played all 40 minutes and was the difference.
Leaky Black, who did not play well on offense while dogging Syracuse leading scorer Joe Girard, got faked out of his shorts to let Girard get open for the 3-pointer that gave the Orange their last lead, 68-66. But Leaky was there when Nance missed the tying free throw, knocking the rebound loose from Girard, who tried to save the ball over the end line. Nance got it and dropped in the layup for the lead, and R.J. Davis took the brutal charge on a flagrant foul that put the game away on two free throws by Caleb Love.
Carolina played well against the Syracuse zone, moving the ball for 14 assists on 16 first-half baskets, finishing with 20 feeds on 26 buckets. But the Cuse climbed back in both halves and nearly pulled it off at the end. In the battle of 6-3 teams in the ACC race, Carolina earned its 10th win in the last 12 games and its second victory on the road.
“Playing on their home floor is difficult,” Hubert Davis told Jones Angell after the 72-68 win. “We need to be stronger with our moves to get to the free throw line, which we did better in the second half. R.J. put his body on the line, got hit twice in the face, once in the nose, injured his elbow and dislocated a finger. Now, we can take a deep breath during a week off.”
With Bacot missing a double-double by 3 rebounds, Nance learned how he, too, had to put it all on the line and finished with his 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and a block in his best all-around effort of the season.
Love had a sneaky good game, draining his first three 3-pointers, making 2 clutch foul shots and finishing with 15 points and 5 assists. Got to love him!
Featured image via Inside Carolina/Jim Hawkins
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I thought everyone played well. Nance was big for sure and I hope all the work Caleb has been putting in continues to pay off like it did in this game. It’s not an easy place to play even though we are a team with pretty good success on the Orange home court.
When you take out the 3 losses that occurred sans* the best player in the country (Bacot) we’re actually a pretty good basketball team, one capable of beating anyone and winning a championship. Of the other 3 losses, 1 was a 4OT loss to the current #2 ranked team, a 5 point loss to a the current #12 ranked team, and then the 2 point loss to Pitt at Pitt.
Not the perfect season some wanted, but this a team that no one will want to play in the NCAA’s.
*Va, VT without Bacot and Indiana with an injured Bacot playing only 28 minutes