It was a tale of two halves in the Smith Center Tuesday night.

The first featured hot shooting galore, as Carolina and the visiting Furman Paladins traded blows throughout the entire 20 minutes. A late eight-point lead for the Tar Heels evaporated quickly, and Furman even took a late 36-34 lead.

Graduate guard and Raleigh native Alex Hunter led the way for the Paladins, scorching the nets for 17 points on 6-8 shooting, and perhaps making UNC head coach Hubert Davis re-evaluate his in-state recruiting practices. With Hunter and guard Jalen Slawson leading the way, Furman entered the halftime locker rooms dead even with Carolina, 39-39.

Sophomore forward Dawson Garcia led UNC with 16 points in the first half, 11 of which came in the opening minutes. He would finish with 20 points on the night. Graduate forward Brady Manek took charge late in the half for 11 points on 5-6 shooting. But Carolina’s offense was not the issue; instead, the defense had fans concerned, with the Paladins shooting 15-28 in the period and 8-15 from behind the three-point line.

“We were giving them open shots,” Davis said after the game. “We were giving them everything that they wanted, whether it was from three-point range or their post players being able to score around the basket… I felt like they were more physical than us on both ends of the floor, and so from a defensive standpoint, that had to change.

Things did indeed change after halftime. Furman’s red-hot offense completely disappeared from the scene, with the Paladins managing just 22 points in the second half. The 15-28 clip gave way to a 9-32 rate, with Hunter in particular struggling to just four points after his 17-point showing in the opening half.

UNC took advantage of the cold spell, using dominant inside play from junior forward Armando Bacot to open up a lead as large as 22 points. Bacot scored with ease against the undersized Paladins, and finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds. It’s his sixth double-double in 10 games this season.

“At halftime, Coach went in and challenged me, because Dawson and Brady, they got off to a really good start,” Bacot said. “And I couldn’t really get a shot up, couldn’t find the ball. He just mainly told me to just go out there and be aggressive, and just force the guards to give me the ball.”

Bacot, Garcia and Manek did more than just score; they completely neutralized Furman’s rebounding. For the game, Carolina grabbed 12 offensive boards to just four for the Paladins. UNC turned those rebounds into 19 second-chance points, while Furman didn’t have any. It’s the first time the Tar Heels have not given up a second-chance point since December of 2018.

“The emphasis was definitely attack the rim through post penetration, and offensive rebounds,” Garcia said. “And I think we did a good job of that tonight.”

“[Regardless] of if it’s Furman or Michigan or whomever we play, I feel like that we have an advantage down low on the block,” Davis said. “We’ve got some bigs that can do a number of different things. Not just Armando, but Dawson and also Brady. And that’s a strength for us.”

Furman’s ice-cold second half shooting meant the Paladins ended the game with just 61 points. It’s the fifth straight game Carolina has allowed 63 points or fewer to the opponent, after allowing an average of 83 points per game in the season’s first four games. UNC hadn’t allowed 63 points or fewer in five straight games since the 2010-11 season. The 74-61 victory means Carolina is also on a five-game winning streak, its longest since the beginning of the 2019-20 season.

Now, the competition ratchets up to perhaps its highest level all season. UNC will take a trip out west to Las Vegas and play No. 4 UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic. The Bruins are 9-1 this season and coming off a trip to the 2021 Final Four.

“That’d be a huge win for us,” said the forward-thinking Bacot. “I feel like we can put everyone on notice.”

 

Featured image via Todd Melet. For a photo gallery of the game, click here.

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