Beggars can’t be choosers.
That may have been going through UNC head coach Hubert Davis’ mind as his Tar Heels fought through an offensively-challenged second half to hold on for a 65-57 win over Virginia Tech in Blacksburg Saturday afternoon.
No, it wasn’t a pretty game. But it gave Carolina its first Quad 1 win of the season, and that’s certainly a sight for sore eyes in Chapel Hill.
𝐁𝐈𝐆 𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐍.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/roUTnxwpuA
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) February 19, 2022
After Davis challenged his team’s toughness following a disheartening home loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday, the Tar Heels showed their mettle in Virginia Tech’s Cassell Coliseum, long a house of horrors for Carolina.
“I’m so proud of them,” Davis said. “They’ve been knocked down, they’ve been scarred, and they seem to always get back up and continue to fight. And to win here, it’s just very difficult.”
The Tar Heels trailed by six early on, before five straight points from senior wing Leaky Black kickstarted a 22-8 Carolina run to end the first half. The sophomore backcourt duo of Caleb Love and R.J. Davis would provide the next 17 points of the run, with each of them draining three-pointers.
“We put our foot on their necks,” said Love. “And they couldn’t figure it out at the time. In the huddle, we were telling [ourselves], ‘Come on, keep going, keep going.'”
“We just stuck together,” said junior forward Armando Bacot. “We just played calm and composed, and we just took everything play-by-play.”
Carolina took a 38-30 lead into halftime. Considering the Tar Heels are undefeated this season when leading at the half, it was an encouraging sign. Even more encouraging? Carolina built its lead with zero points from Bacot.
But the big man immediately got himself involved in the second half, scoring UNC’s first four points of the period. Five consecutive points from Love, capped off by another long three-pointer, gave Carolina its biggest lead of the game at 47-33. Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, they would make only four more field goals for the remaining 14:36.
Carolina had plenty of chances to extend its lead and potentially blow the game open, due to poor shooting by the Hokies. Virginia Tech entered the game as the second-best three-point shooting team in the country, but shot just 5-26 from downtown. On the other end, sloppy stretches from UNC’s offense, including a particularly ugly sequence of three consecutive turnovers, kept the margin with arm’s reach. The Hokies finally put together a run, capped off by a Keve Aluma three to cut the lead to 49-44 with 8:41 to go.
Davis called timeout to settle down his team, and Virginia Tech wouldn’t get closer than five points the rest of the way. Two more layups from Bacot secured his 20th double-double of the season, making him just the sixth player in program history to record such a feat. A dunk from graduate forward Brady Manek and a jumper with 1:22 to go pushed UNC’s advantage to nine points, before the Hokies were forced to foul.
Love would score the final six of his 21 points from the foul stripe, going 2-2 on three consecutive one-and-one opportunities to ice the win, UNC’s first in Blacksburg in six years. He was just one off tying his season-high in the scoring department, but his seven assists were a season-best mark. UNC is undefeated when Love dishes out five or more assists this season.
“We’re one of the best teams in the country when he’s playing that confident,” Black said. “He’s playing like a vet, like a true vet.”
“To me, this was the best that I’ve ever seen him play,” said Hubert Davis.
A confident Love who scores 20 points every night? UNC would certainly be a formidable foe with that weapon in its arsenal. The problem is, no one knows when that weapon will be deployed. Carolina’s inconsistency as a team has maddened fans, players and the head coach this season. Perhaps there’s no better example of that than the Tar Heels following up their worst loss of the season with their best win.
But, once again, beggars can’t be choosers. Saturday’s win over the Hokies gives the Tar Heels two this season over another ACC bubble team, and bolsters its resume heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. Davis has made no secret of his admiration for his team’s bounce-back ability, but he was more wary after this game.
“I think we have, at times, struggled more when good things happen,” he said. “That’s gonna be a challenge for us in playing a Louisville team that’s very upset that we beat them on their home floor. Can we have the maturity to enjoy this win, but also get locked in and get ready to go?”
Tune in Monday night at 7 p.m. for the next episode of the ACC’s best drama: the North Carolina Tar Heels.
Featured image via Associated Press/Scott P. Yates
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines