Carolina trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half against No. 18 UCLA at the CBS Sports Classic in Madison Square Garden on Saturday evening, but the Tar Heels climbed all the way back to beat the Bruins 76-74 and earn a critical win.

R.J. Davis scored 17 points in his New York homecoming, including two go-ahead free throws with 13 seconds remaining. Freshman Ian Jackson, originally from the Bronx, led the Tar Heels with 24 points off the bench. He played 32 minutes, more than any Tar Heel outside of Davis.

UNC’s 76-74 advantage was its first since the score was 2-0 in the game’s opening moments. The Bruins charged ahead after that leading by as many as 13 points at 31-18 before carrying a 40-32 advantage into halftime. Against one of the nation’s stingiest defenses, the Tar Heels committed 11 first-half turnovers and shot just 9-24 (37.5 percent) from the floor.

Meanwhile, the Bruins shot an efficient 16-30 (53.3 percent) and punished Carolina for its miscues. UCLA scored 12 points off turnovers in the first half. Tyler Bilodeau and Sebastian Mack did much of the heavy lifting for the Bruins, combining for 29 of UCLA’s 40 points in the half.

Bilodeau was at it again in the second half, knocking down consecutive three-pointers to give UCLA its largest lead at 59-43 with 12:50 remaining. He and Mack finished with 26 and 22 points, respectively.

But Bilodeau committed his fourth foul with 11:45 to go, forcing Bruins head coach Mick Cronin to sideline his star. With Bilodeau on the bench, Carolina rallied, outscoring the Bruins 18-6 in the next five minutes to close to within 65-63. The Tar Heels cut the deficit to one point multiple times, but missed multiple opportunities to tie the game. Davis and Elliot Cadeau both missed free throws which would have leveled the score, with Davis’ miss coming with 22 seconds remaining. He made his second attempt, and the score stood at 74-73.

The Tar Heels got the ball back immediately after Seth Trimble forced a UCLA turnover on the inbounds pass, and Davis drew a foul on the ensuing possession. This time, the fifth-year senior knocked down both foul shots to give UNC a 75-74 lead. On UCLA’s final possession, Mack cut into the lane but missed on a runner. Drake Powell came down with the rebound with 0.1 seconds remaining. He made one free throw and intentionally missed the second to run out the final tenth of a second.

Saturday’s game marks the second time the Tar Heels have come back from a double-digit deficit this season. It’s also the second “Quad 1” win for the team this season.

UNC has won seven straight against UCLA and also has 31 wins in the current iteration of Madison Square Garden.

The victory improves Carolina to 7-5 on the season. The Tar Heels will be back in action after the holiday break when they host Campbell at the Dean Smith Center on December 29 at 8 p.m.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Frank Franklin II

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 newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
Top Stories of 2025: UNC Men's Basketball Gets a Facelift
To reflect on the year, Chapelboro.com is re-publishing some of the top stories that impacted and defined our community’s experience in 2025. These stories and topics affected Chapel Hill, Carrboro and the rest of our region. The 2024-25 season was not what UNC would call “up to its standard.” The Tar Heels struggled for much […]
LEGOs, Stoicism and Basketball: UNC's Caleb Wilson is the Most Interesting Man in the World
Every morning, UNC freshman Caleb Wilson wakes up and reads Stoicism. “I feel like it’s beneficial to your mental health,” he said during a wide-ranging press conference at the Dean Smith Center Thursday afternoon. “I feel like it makes me approach the days differently […]
UNC's Drake Powell Declares for NBA Draft
UNC freshman wing Drake Powell has declared for the 2025 NBA Draft. Powell made the announcement on his Instagram page Wednesday afternoon. View this post on Instagram A post shared by D R I Z Z Y (@drakepoww) While playing at Pittsboro’s Northwood High School, Powell became a five-star prospect across all major recruiting services. […]
Here's a List of Who is Transferring Out of the UNC Men's Basketball Program (2025)
The college basketball transfer portal opened March 24, and several Tar Heels have entered their names in. Here’s a list of which players have expressed their intention to leave Chapel Hill this offseason: F Ven-Allen Lubin Lubin announced his entry into the portal April 21, but with a catch: the big man said his “full […]
Seth Trimble Confirms His Return for A Senior Season With UNC Men's Basketball
Guard Seth Trimble posted on Instagram with the UNC men's basketball account Tuesday confirming he is planning to play a fourth season in Carolina blue.
'We've Got to Get Bigger': Highlights from Hubert Davis' Final Radio Show of the Season
UNC men’s basketball head coach Hubert Davis recorded his final radio show of the season Wednesday night. Davis addressed multiple topics during the hour-long broadcast, including next steps for his program, goals in the transfer portal and his recruiting process during the offseason. Here are some of Davis’ comments, which have been lightly edited for […]
Chansky's Notebook: Just Too Small
UNC head coach Hubert Davis and new general manager Jim Turner need to turn over the roster again to return the Tar Heels to relevance.
UNC's Season-Ending Loss Showed the Tar Heels' Identity, For Better And For Worse
UNC ended the season much the same way it began it: consistently inconsistent, and falling a few plays short of a signature win.
Ole Miss Holds Off Comeback, Ends UNC Men's Basketball's Season in NCAA 1st Round
Chapelboro.com’s coverage of UNC in the NCAA Tournament is proudly presented by Town Hall Grill in Southern Village, and High & Rubish Insurance Agency. UNC fell behind early and never recovered against No. 6 seed Ole Miss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday afternoon in Milwaukee, falling to the Rebels 71-64. The Tar Heels’ […]
Chansky's Notebook: Dour Dancing
The ACC needs more than one team to advance into the second round, or it would underscore criticism of the underperforming conference.
›