For a moment on Tuesday night it appeared as if the No. 9 ranked UNC men’s basketball team was on its way to its second loss in three games.
The Tar Heels were down by eight points with less than five minutes to play, but then exploded on a 21-3 run to defeat the Kansas State Wildcats 80-70–in Kansas City–to win the CBE Hall of Fame Classic Championship.
“I told ‘em at the three-minute and 28 second [mark] that I felt like we were in good shape—that our team could be made right now” UNC head coach Roy Williams said after the game. “A team is made during the season. It’s not made in preseason practice.”
Justin Jackson’s star continues to rise after winning tournament MVP honors. (Todd Melet)
Williams now sees his team improve to 5-1 this season, all while senior point guard Marcus Paige sits with a broken hand.
The late surge–which included a rare dunk by Kennedy Meeks and three-pointers from Joel Berry and Theo Pinson—helped hand the Wildcats their first loss of the year, dropping their record to 4-1.
It also spoiled a career night for Kansas State guard Kamau Stokes, whose hot shooting touch carried his team, and led to a game-high 24 points.
“The Stokes kid, he was really something,” Williams said. “If I’m not mistaken he had made four threes in all their games previous to this one. He made six of ‘em today—six out of eight. One time I think we fouled him, and he still made it.”
Sophomore wing Justin Jackson continued his recent dominance for the Tar Heels, dropping 22 points and handing out six assists—his third straight 20 point effort. He was also named the tournament’s MVP when it was all said and done.
Not wanting to see that type of production go to waste, the wiry, 6-foot-8, Jackson brought his teammates close and delivered a simple message in the closing moments.
“I called everybody together and I said, ‘We’re only gonna do this together,’” Jackson said. “We had four minutes to do it. And so we went out there got a few stops, got some good shots, and guys knocked ‘em in.
“From here on out,” he continued. “When we play together, and when we get defensive stops like Coach tells us we need to do–we can play with anybody.”
The frontcourt duo of Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson combined for 26 points, while Theo Pinson added 11.
The Tar Heels will now get a week off before taking on the nation’s No. 2 ranked team. (Todd Melet)
However, it was clear that the team could use Paige back as soon as possible.
Guards Joel Berry and Nate Britt contributed just 12 total points on 4-of-14 shooting, while turning the ball over five times.
Williams was happy to escape Kansas City with the win, but the coach says these games take their toll on his body as he ages.
“I’m only so old, there’s only so many little hops I got left out there,” Williams said, referencing his trademark jumps he does when he gets angry. “I think [we] can build on it. But what [we] need to build on is to see it on tape and see the mistakes [we] made that put [us] in that spot. And then change those.
“And then see the enthusiasm and the effort that [we] had there at the end—and then build on that.”
Up Next:
Next up for the Tar Heels is a long Thanksgiving break before coming back next Wednesday to take on the nation’s No. 2 ranked team, the Maryland Terrapins—possibly with Paige back in the lineup.
Game Notes:
- Brice Johnson led UNC with 10 rebounds, but no other Tar Heel even had five.
- Not until the Tar Heels scored with nine seconds remaining did either team hold a double digit lead.
- UNC shot 55 percent in the second half after making 39 percent in the first.
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