A rare early-morning start did nothing to slow down the Tar Heels Saturday. After tipping off at 11:30 a.m., Carolina handled Notre Dame 81-64 to remain undefeated at home this season. The team has won six of seven games following its four-game losing streak.
Heels win.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/IZYgmjD5cx
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) January 7, 2023
“One of the things I love about our guys is that we always get back up,” head coach Hubert Davis said after the game. “That’s a sign of a tough team, a resilient team. That’s the type of team that I love being associated [with] and being around.”
Four Tar Heels scored in double figures, with senior center Armando Bacot leading the way with 21 points. It’s Bacot’s fifth consecutive game scoring 20 or more, the longest such streak in the big man’s career. Not only that, but Bacot’s 13 rebounds secured his 58th career double-double, just two shy of tying Billy Cunningham’s school record of 60.
“I knew today I’d get a double-double,” Bacot said. “Because Notre Dame’s never really crashed the boards on offense… I was trying to get 20 rebounds today.”
Junior guard Caleb Love snapped out of his scoring slump with 18 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Love also knocked down three three-pointers against the Fighting Irish, extending his own school record of 44 consecutive games with a made three-pointer. Love had scored just 14 points in the previous two games combined.
“The past two games have been rough,” Love said. “But [I’m] just keeping my confidence high, trusting my work. Everything’s gonna work out. I try not to worry about the misses and the makes.”
R.J. Davis scored 13 points of his own (his fifth straight game with 10 or more), while Puff Johnson contributed a season-high 11 off the bench. Johnson had scored 11 points total in his previous seven games.
“What we need [Puff] consistently to bring is that energy and effort on both ends of the floor,” Hubert Davis said. “He’s one of those guys that just gets those 50-50 loose balls. He’s a great offensive rebounder. He’s a guy with size that can play multiple positions. We just need him out there.”
Johnson’s most memorable play came on a breakaway in the second half, when Johnson corralled a long pass from freshman guard Seth Trimble and dunked it on the fast break. Johnson and Notre Dame guard Cormac Ryan went down in a heap on the baseline, and a skirmish ensued between several Irish and Tar Heels. Ryan drew a flagrant 2 foul, and double technicals were assessed to love and Notre Dame’s Dom Campbell.
“I thought it was an and-1, honestly,” Johnson said. “So I thought it went to a media timeout… I was just confused as to what was going on.”
“He definitely got fouled,” Love said of the play. “Then the defender kind of kicked him in the face. I didn’t appreciate that. I’m gonna stick up for my teammates, and that’s what I did.”
The sequence fired up the lively Smith Center crowd, which hadn’t shown any sleepiness at the early tip-off. They were particularly appreciative of Trimble, who made his first career start in the place of Pete Nance. Nance dressed but did not play due to a nagging back injury suffered against Pittsburgh in December.
“What I was thinking was, what could start us off in the best position defensively?” Davis said. “Seth is a gifted defender. He played extremely well in the Wake Forest game, and we felt like we wanted to start the game like that.”
Davis also said he’s hopeful Nance will be available for Carolina’s next game at Virginia on Tuesday night. That contest will serve as an effective measuring stick for the Tar Heels, who haven’t won a game in Charlottesville in 11 years. The Cavaliers have been ranked as high as No. 2 this season after missing the NCAA Tournament in 2022 (when Carolina beat them twice).
“It’s a big game for us,” Love said. “We’re gonna go in with the same mindset we’ve had the last two games.”
The Tar Heels still haven’t won a true road game this season. After today’s early tip-off, they’ll shift back into night owl mode on Tuesday, tipping off with the Cavaliers at 9 p.m. on ESPN.
Featured image via Todd Melet. For a full photo gallery of the game, click here.
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