NC State caught Carolina’s answer to a shooting slump right between its Wolfpack eyes.
On a day honoring the coach who liked to say, “It looks a lot better when the ball goes in,” and on a day celebrating the team and player who hit perhaps the biggest shot in UNC history, the Tar Heels literally couldn’t miss when it counted.
Down to two big men with the “indefinite” leave of absence for Dawson Garcia and little behind (on this day) splendid sophomore guards Caleb Love and R.J. Davis, the Tar Heels ran the smaller and woebegone Wolfpack out of the gym on the way to their most impressive both-ends game of the season to stay unbeaten (12-0) in the Dean Dome and alive for a spot in the NCAA tournament.
State, crippled since opening night with the loss of center Manny Bates and clearly playing only for an NIT bid, still appeared dangerous with its athleticism and string of close conference losses. This was not one of them, evidenced from Carolina making its first four 3-pointers, 8 of its first 10 and 10 of 15 in the first half to lead by 25 and, thanks to some stifling defense, an early “game over.”
It was another wacky day in the ACC with losers beating winners and the middle of the league bound together to barely hold its postseason head above water. For example, Virginia Tech (3-7) won at Florida State (6-4) and Syracuse (4-6) crushed Wake Forest (7-4) in the Carrier Dome.
After Chapel Hill avoided another snowstorm, the Smith Center was packed to salute its most recent Hall of Fame coach, Roy Williams, and hail the 40-year anniversary of the 1982 Tar Heels, who won Dean Smith’s first national championship, including the then-freshman whose left-wing jumper beat Georgetown and launched him toward GOAT status.
With a team that often longed for someone like Michael Jordan, James Worthy or Sam Perkins, the current Tar Heels did very well on their own, thank you, scoring a season-high 100 points in pounding the Pack from the opening tip with howitzers from behind the arc and open-floor fluidity they haven’t always shown during this up-and-down campaign.
Armando Bacot got his 34th career double-double (plus 6 blocks) but not an offensive rebound until early in the second half when he retrieved his own missed bunny at the basket. That’s how well all the Heels were shooting after four frigid games averaging under 35 percent from the floor.
At 15-6 and 7-3 in the ACC, they try to win their fourth straight for a second time this season Tuesday night at languishing Louisville, hoping to keep their ticket to the Big Dance open for punching.
Photo via Todd Melet.
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Louisville at the Yum Center would be a desperately needed quad 1 win