Neither team held a double-digit lead all night. The game was played inside an 11-point window. Caleb Love committed seven turnovers, but made the plays he had to make.
For head coach Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels, it was just another day in the 2021-22 season.
Carolina and Louisville fought to the bitter end Monday night in the Smith Center. Each team punched and counterpunched throughout the evening, but it was the Tar Heels who threw the final haymaker, downing the Cardinals 70-63 to stay alive for a possible at-large bid to next month’s NCAA Tournament.
𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐍.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/O1hC5NrpuP
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) February 22, 2022
“It’s such a joy to be able to have a front-row seat and watch both of these teams compete against each other,” Davis said. “And tonight was unbelievable.”
As with the teams’ first meeting in the KFC Yum! Center, Monday night’s contest was tight throughout. Carolina opened up a six-point lead early after a three-pointer from sophomore guard R.J. Davis, but Louisville would answer with a 20-10 extended run to take a four-point lead at 27-23. Those would be the largest leads for either side before the game’s final minutes.
The two teams would enter halftime tied at 36-36, shooting a remarkably similar 45.5 percent (Louisville) and 45.2 percent (UNC). Graduate forward Brady Manek had a team-high 11 points at the break, hitting three of the team’s six three-pointers, all of which came within the game’s first seven minutes.
“The ball just finds him,” said Hubert Davis. “He knows how to get to open spots.”
Neither team would hold a lead larger than three points for the first 16 minutes of the second half. Five consecutive points from senior wing Leaky Black early in the period, capped off by a tomahawk dunk in transition, seemed to give Carolina momentum, but the Cardinals answered with four straight points of their own to take the lead back. The Tar Heels edged in front once again on a pair of free throws from Manek, and would tenuously hold a lead between one and three points for the next five minutes.
“I guess it’s good that we’re getting in these types of situations now, especially for March,” said junior forward Armando Bacot. “So we’ll kind of be more composed. And we’re starting to be way more composed in those situations… all this stuff is just character-building for us.”
That character would be tested after Louisville’s Jae’Lyn Withers knocked down a three with 6:23 to go which tied the game at 60-60. A fast break layup from R.J. Davis on the fast break gave Carolina its miniscule advantage back, but the Tar Heels couldn’t push the margin past two points for the next two and a half minutes. The defense held the Cardinals scoreless, but three-pointers from Manek, Love and Davis to potentially ice the game all went begging. At the next TV timeout, the score remained 64-60.
Fatigue appeared to be a factor for Carolina. Each starter played at least 31 minutes, with Love logging a full 40. The Tar Heels got just 20 minutes, and two points, out of their bench.
“I felt at times we were tired,” said Hubert Davis, who used only one reserve (Puff Johnson) in the second half. “The game that we played against Virginia Tech on Saturday, especially the guys that played big minutes, that’s a quick turnaround.”
“Being tired is not an excuse to not go out there and perform,” Bacot said. “Especially late in the game.”
After the timeout, a Manek fadeaway jumper finally gave UNC a precious four-point cushion. But it lasted all of 30 seconds after the Cardinals’ Malik Williams, who did not play in the first matchup in Louisville, hit a three late in the shot clock. Up by only a point with 90 seconds to go, R.J. Davis ran to the corner before finding Manek on a backdoor cut. After crouching to field the low pass, Manek jumped up for a layup, then gave the ball off to Bacot at the last second. The big man slammed home the final two of his 12 points to fire up the nervous Smith Center crowd.
“Plays like that show much we care about each other,” Love said. “How much we’re willing to share the ball with each other. It was a great sight to see.”
Love would provide his own sight to see after another Louisville miss, driving into the lane with the shot clock expiring to scoop in a layup. The bucket gave UNC a five-point lead, and another Louisville miss effectively clinched the win. After the Cardinals tied the game at 60-60, Carolina closed the game on a 10-3 run.
Love would finish with 16 points on 6-14 shooting (1-7 from downtown), five assists and seven turnovers. Like his 3-for-18 performance against the Cardinals earlier in the month, it may not have been the prettiest outing, but it got the job done. The Tar Heels are still undefeated when Love dishes out five or more assists.
Bacot posted a much tidier 12-point, 15-rebound double-double, his 21st of the season. The All-ACC candidate is just two double-doubles away from tying the single-season program record set by Brice Johnson in 2016.
With the win, Carolina reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 2018-19 season. The Tar Heels are now 20-8 overall and 12-5 in ACC play in Davis’ first season at the helm.
20 wins in his first season for the head man! let’s keep going!
— Caleb Love (@caleb2love) February 22, 2022
“This group has gone through a lot,” Davis said. “We’ve gone through injuries, we’ve gone through lineup changes. And we’re here. And not necessarily focusing on the 20th win, but just focusing on how much we have had to persevere to get to this point.”
Unfortunately for Davis and the Tar Heels, 20 wins is not a guaranteed spot in the NCAA Tournament. Though only one of UNC’s final three games is of the Quad 1 variety, each could effectively make or break the season. Lose to NC State on the road or Syracuse at home, and the NCAA bubble may pop. Beat Duke on the road, and the bubble is perhaps replaced with a punched ticket.
Just another week at the office for the Tar Heels.
Featured image via Todd Melet. For a complete photo gallery of the game, click here.
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