It may be late in the season, but Pete Nance finally had his signature game as a Tar Heel.
The graduate transfer from Northwestern dominated in Carolina’s win against No. 6 Virginia Saturday, scoring 22 points on 7-10 shooting (4-4 on three-pointers), blocking four shots, dishing out two assists and grabbing two steals in the 71-63 win.
𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐍.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/09wMtL05kO
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) February 26, 2023
“I thought they were locked in,” head coach Hubert Davis said after the game. “They had to be locked in, because I was there. And I didn’t cool down.”
Nance’s 22 points were more than his last four games combined. His four threes made were also more than his last eight games combined, and his most in an ACC game this season. And according to those with knowledge of the situation, the performance may have been inspired by a particularly sweet-and-sour treat.
“I went into Coach Davis’ office,” Nance said, “and we were having a debate between Insomnia Cookies and Crumbl. But I told him that my favorite that I have in my house all the time are lemon Oreos.”
“I said, ‘I’m going to Harris-Teeter right after practice,'” Davis said. “I’m gonna go look for the lemon Oreos, and if I can’t find it, we’re gonna get in a brawl… so I went into Harris-Teeter, and there they were.
“After every pregame meal [at home], he goes up to my office and takes a nap on my couch,” Davis went on. “When he went in there [today], I had the Oreo cookies laying down. And so right after the game, I walked into the locker room and said, ‘Guys, you have no idea what allowed us to be pretty good today.'”
Lemon Oreos? It’s a strange twist on the reliable classic, and clearly not for everyone.
“That’s a Pete thing,” said senior center Armando Bacot.
The Oreo-less Bacot finished with 11 points and just six rebounds while fighting through foul trouble. Nance only had a pair of rebounds himself, but Carolina still dominated the glass, outrebounding Virginia 34-23. UNC’s leading rebounder was its smallest player: R.J. Davis, who grabbed 10 boards to go along with 16 points in his fourth career double-double and third this season.
Davis shot 2-4 on three-pointers as part of an efficient team-wide effort from downtown. Against the vaunted pack-line defense of the Cavaliers, the Tar Heels sank 10 of 22 three-point tries, led by Nance’s 4-4 performance. Puff Johnson added in a pair of threes off the bench, while Caleb Love and Leaky Black each made one.
“At the end of the day, we’re gonna have to be able to knock down some perimeter jump shots,” Hubert Davis said. “Without us being able to shoot the ball from beyond the arc, it’s just not enough space for Armando to go to work.”
Nance did his best to suffocate any Virginia space inside, as all four of his blocked shots came in the second half. The Cavaliers attempted to rally multiple times, cutting the lead down to as little as six points, but had to endure a miserable stretch of 12 consecutive missed shots. Many of those were affected by the 6-11 frame of Nance.
“Defense is something that you can do if shots aren’t going in or are going in,” Nance said, “so I think that was the main thing I was happy about.
Carolina fans will also be happy to know Saturday’s game was the team’s first Quad 1 win of the year, and a major step in the right direction as far as an NCAA Tournament resume is concerned. But there’s still work to do, starting with a quick turnaround to a road trip to Florida State Monday night. The Seminoles are just 9-20 on the season, but defeated Miami on a buzzer-beater earlier on Saturday.
To earn a win in Tallahassee — something UNC hasn’t done since the 2015-16 season — the Tar Heels will need the Pete Nance who showed up against the Cavaliers.
Which means Hubert Davis has an urgent item on his to-do list.
“As soon as I leave you guys,” Davis said, “I’m going to Harris-Teeter.”
Featured image via Todd Melet. For a full photo gallery of the game, click here.
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