How They Got Here: UNC Basketball in the Final Four

Carolina is back in the Final Four for the first time in five years and 21st time overall. The No. 8 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels have had quite the wild ride to New Orleans. And while more ups and downs are certainly coming for the team in the Big Easy, here’s a look back at how the team got there.

First Round: (8) UNC 95, (9) Marquette 63

Carolina’s largest win of the tournament came in their first game, as the Tar Heels led 53-25 at halftime and were never really threatened over the full 40 minutes. In fact, perhaps the most discomfort the team felt was when Marquette’s Darryl Morsell wrapped his forearm around Caleb Love’s neck during a scramble for a loose ball. Love took exception to the play and Morsell was assessed a technical foul.

Love got back at the Golden Eagles by torching the nets in in Fort Worth. He scored 21 of his 23 points in the first half, including six three-pointers, which tied a single-game NCAA Tournament record for all UNC players. Love eventually ceded the high-scoring mantle to Brady Manek, who ended with 28 points on 10-15 shooting to kick off his final NCAA Tournament.

The Tar Heels led by as many as 35 points in the game, and the 32-point margin of victory ended up being the largest in the history of 8-9 games in the NCAA Tournament. For a full recap of the game, click here.

Second Round: (8) UNC 93, (1) Baylor 86 (OT)

Where to start? The Tar Heels earned one of their most memorable NCAA Tournament wins in program history by defeating the defending national champions. Carolina led by as many as 25 points midway through the second half, on the strength of 26 points from the red-hot Manek. But the complexion of the game changed in the blink of an eye, as Manek was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul and ejected from the game for elbowing Baylor’s Jeremy Sochan in the face while fighting for a rebound.

With Manek out of the game, UNC’s offense crumbled in the final 10 minutes, struggling against the Baylor press defense and allowing the Bears to embark on an NCAA Tournament record-tying comeback. Baylor erased the 25-point Tar Heel lead and tied the game at 80-80 with under a minute to go in regulation. R.J. Davis missed a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime. With Caleb Love already having fouled out, things looked bleak for the Tar Heels.

But Carolina got gutsy performances in the extra session from Davis, Dontrez Styles and Justin McKoy. Styles knocked in a crucial three-pointer to open overtime, Davis made the play of the game with a tough layup while being fouled, and McKoy hit critical free throws to seal the game. Baylor made only one shot in overtime, and UNC pulled away for a remarkable win. Davis ended with a career-high 30 points. For a full recap of the game, click here.

Sweet 16: (8) UNC 73, (4) UCLA 66

Carolina found itself in a dogfight with yet another member of the 2021 Final Four, as the Tar Heels and Bruins went back-and-forth all night in Philadelphia. UCLA led by as many as eight points in the first half and by three points at halftime, before Love finally recaptured the magic of his first-half performance against Marquette.

Love came out aggressive in the second half, using both drives and jumpers and essentially becoming Carolina’s entire offense. The Tar Heels needed every one of those plays, as Manek had an unexpectedly cold shooting night in his first game back from his ejection against Baylor. At one point, Love scored 12 straight points for the Tar Heels. But Carolina could never pull away from the Bruins, and trailed by three points in the final minutes.

Love then hit the final two of his six three-pointers, which tied his own record he set against Marquette for threes in an NCAA Tournament game by a Tar Heel. The first came off of an athletic save from Armando Bacot off a miss from Love, while the second gave Carolina a 67-64 lead it wouldn’t relinquish. A clutch putback from Bacot with 15 seconds to go sealed the win. For a full recap of the game, click here.

Elite Eight: (8) UNC 69, (15) Saint Peter’s 49

The Elite Eight saw Carolina take on the Cinderella to end all Cinderellas: No. 15 seed Saint Peter’s. The Peacocks were the first-ever No. 15 seed to advance all the way to the Elite Eight. But the Tar Heels didn’t fall victim to yet another March Madness upset, scoring the first nine points of the game and never trailing. Carolina led by as many as 21 points in the first half and never let the Peacocks get closer than 19 in the second half.

Bacot became the fourth Tar Heel to score 20 points in this year’s tournament, and his 22 rebounds secured his second 20-20 game of the season and gave him 29 double-doubles, which are the most in the nation. Manek bounced back from his off night against UCLA to score 19 points on 7-11 shooting in the 69-49 win. Manek, along with every other player on the Carolina team, will be appearing in his first-ever Final Four. It’s perhaps even sweeter for Manek, who made it a personal goal to advance to at least the Sweet 16 in his final year of eligibility, after never making it that far with Oklahoma.

Head coach Hubert Davis stole the show by being moved to tears after the game. He became the first Division I head coach to advance to the Final Four in his first season since Carolina’s own Bill Guthridge in 1998. Davis devoted much of his media availability after the game to reminiscing on his memories of Guthridge, Dean Smith and Roy Williams. Williams was in attendance, as he has been for every UNC game during the tournament. For a full recap of the game, click here.

 

Featured image via Todd Melet

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