UNC Men's Basketball Fights Past Michigan at Jumpman Invitational

There was no love lost between the Tar Heels and Wolverines Wednesday night in Charlotte. Fortunately for Carolina, the game wasn’t lost in the process.

In a scrappy contest which featured four technical fouls and a healthy amount of trash talk, the UNC men’s basketball team fought off Michigan 80-76 at the Jumpman Invitational. It’s Carolina’s fourth straight win after a four-game losing streak. The team takes a 9-4 record into the Christmas holiday.

HEELS WIN.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/XXSc1AHmum

— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) December 22, 2022

All four technical fouls came in one fell swoop. With the Wolverines leading 26-22 midway through the first half, junior guard Caleb Love was fouled attempting a runner. He fell at the feet of Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson, who stood over Love and appeared to briefly kick at him. Love took exception, prompting a scuffle between the two teams which also involved Armando Bacot.

Two technical fouls were assessed to each team: Bacot and Love drew them for UNC, and Dickinson and guard Dug McDaniel drew them for Michigan. No additional free throws were awarded after the fracas, but the sequence fired up the Tar Heels.

Carolina proceeded to outscore the Wolverines 19-8 in the remainder of the first half, using dominant post play from Bacot to take the lead and extend it to seven points, 41-34, at halftime. Bacot played hard against his friend Dickinson, scoring 14 points on 6-8 shooting in the first half alone. Dickinson had just 2 points at halftime.

Bacot continued to cook in the second half, scoring six of UNC’s first eight points on his way to 26 for the game. Carolina was able to keep the Wolverines at bay for most of the half, but were never able to push the lead to larger than nine points. Michigan made several attempts to close the gap, with the last few powered by a familiar face. Joey Baker, a transfer from Duke, scored nine points in the second half, including a three-pointer to cut Carolina’s lead to just three points with 3:37 remaining.

The Wolverines whittled the deficit down to as little as two points on another three-pointer (the Wolverines made seven of them in the second half alone), but clutch defensive plays by Leaky Black and a late runner from R.J. Davis ensured Carolina’s lead was safe. Black very nearly recorded his first double-double of the season with nine points and 10 rebounds, but his best play came when the defensive specialist blocked a Michigan layup in transition, then threw the ball off a Wolverine before landing out of bounds to give possession back to Carolina.

Apparently bolstered by the team’s recent trip to his home state of New York, Davis found his shooting touch from deep. His four three-pointers against the Wolverines are a season-high and his most in a game since making five against Baylor in last season’s NCAA Tournament. He ended with 19 points. Love, no worse for wear after his scuffle, scored 18. Bacot, despite his dominant scoring effort, missed out on his 57th career double-double by ending the night with a season-low five rebounds. His chase of Billy Cunningham’s school record of 60 double-doubles will have to wait until after Christmas.

The win is Carolina’s second over Michigan in as many years after the Tar Heels defeated the Wolverines in Chapel Hill in last season’s ACC-Big Ten Challenge. It’s also Carolina’s last non-conference game of the regular season, as the team will jump into the heart of ACC play after the holidays. The first game back will come at Pittsburgh on December 30 at noon.

Featured image via Carolina Basketball on Twitter

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UNC Men’s Basketball Fights Past Michigan at Jumpman Invitational

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