Carolina’s first ACC loss came from an unlikely source.
The Tar Heels fell 74-73 to unranked Georgia Tech on Tuesday night in Atlanta as Yellow Jacket guard Naithan George hit a driving layup with seven seconds left to give the underdogs the win. R.J. Davis, who ended his night with 28 points, missed on the other end as the buzzer sounded. Davis shot through contact and appeared to draw a foul, but none was called.
Carolina began the night on the front foot, leading by 11 late in the first half. But a miserable finish to the period allowed Georgia Tech back in it. The Tar Heels turned the ball over four times in the final 5:34, made just one of their final 10 shots and missed their last six. The Jackets capitalized with a 12-1 run, tying the game 37-37 on a goaltend with seconds remaining in the half.
UNC edged in front by five early in the second, but Georgia Tech rode hot shooting from Kyle Sturdivant and the steady play of George to a lead as large as eight points at 68-60 with 5:12 remaining. Even worse for Carolina: Elliot Cadeau fouled out of the game with 5:49 left. All five of his fouls came in the second half.
But even without Cadeau, Carolina made a last-ditch attempt to steal its 11th win in a row. Three-point plays from Davis and Seth Trimble got the Tar Heels closer, and a three-pointer from Harrison Ingram cut the deficit to 72-71 at the 2:00 mark. Davis appeared to make the play of the game inside the final minute, corralling a loose ball, racing to the other end and muscling in a layup through a challenge to give Carolina the lead. But after a Yellow Jacket timeout, George slice into the lane and floated in a shot over Bacot to give Georgia Tech the lead right back.
UNC called timeout to set up its final play, but Davis’ shot through contact missed. He was the only Tar Heel to finish in double figures. Cormac Ryan and Harrison Ingram posted identical 3-14 shooting numbers, and Carolina as a team finished 28-77 (36.4 percent) from the field, it’s lowest percentage of the season. On the other end, three Yellow Jackets finished in double figures: George, Sturdivant and Miles Kelly. A banked-in three from Sturdivant with 3:27 remaining seemed to be a sign it was a night for an upset.
Carolina, which came into the game ranked inside the nation’s top 50 in free throw shooting, finished 9-17 at the line. Georgia Tech, which ranks outside the top 300, finished 15-17.
The Tar Heels will be back in action on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. when they host No. 7 Duke at the Smith Center.
Featured image via Associated Press/Alex Slitz
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