The UNC men’s basketball team rode another outstanding defensive effort to a 67-54 win at NC State on Wednesday night. The victory is Carolina’s fifth in a row, and moves the team into sole possession of first place in the ACC at 4-0 in league play. It’s also the Tar Heels’ third in a true road environment after finishing just 4-7 in road games last season.
𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐋𝐒 𝐖𝐈𝐍.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/aE3uDvXv1h
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) January 11, 2024
“It was another collectively great effort,” said head coach Hubert Davis. “I told them after the game that they’re not playing good defense, they’re playing elite defense.”
NC State finished the game with a mere 18 made field goals. The Wolfpack’s final shooting line of 18-67 (26.9 percent) is their lowest against Carolina since at least 1954, according to UNC. It’s also the fourth-lowest by any ACC opponent against the Tar Heels in league history. NC State made only two three-pointers on the night and shot 0-10 from long range in the first half. Despite the Wolfpack’s struggles offensively, Carolina led by only two points, 30-28, at halftime. The Tar Heels shot 13-34 (38.2 percent) in the first half.
“We don’t panic,” said center Armando Bacot, fresh off his fifth and final game at PNC Arena (he ends with a 3-2 record in Raleigh). “We thought all game that we were in control… We knew they gave us their best shot in the first half. In the second half, we had no doubt.”
The Tar Heels held the lead for the entire second half. The Wolfpack cut the lead to two points multiple times, but Carolina used a 19-4 run over a span of six minutes to firmly put the game to bed. UNC turned a slim 48-46 advantage into an untouchable 67-50 lead with 4:06 left, capped off by an R.J. Davis three-pointer. Davis, the ACC’s leading scorer, finished with a game-high 16 points, though he needed 19 shots to do so.
NC State’s top weapons had no such luck. D.J. Horne, the Wolfpack’s leading scorer, finished 2-16 from the floor and recorded only six points. Hulking center D.J. Burns finished with 11 points, but did not score after picking up his third foul midway through the second half.
“We’ve identified what allows us to be really good in rebounding and defending,” Hubert Davis said.
Harrison Ingram finished with an historic rebounding line for Carolina. The transfer from Stanford pulled down an eye-popping 19 boards, the most ever by a Tar Heel against NC State. It’s easily a career high for Ingram, who had set a previous career high of 15 just two games ago at Pittsburgh.
“I don’t know what else to say about him,” Davis said of Ingram. “He’s just a complete player in terms of giving you everything that you want… for him to get 19 rebounds, that’s just off the chart.”
Ingram’s excellence contributed to a 49-42 advantage for Carolina on the glass. UNC has now outrebounded its opponent in four straight games.
Carolina has won 37 of its last 43 games against the Wolfpack, and is 23-6 all-time at PNC Arena (that number includes NCAA Tournament games as well). With this latest win, the Tar Heels improve to 12-3 on the season. The team will be back in action on Saturday when it hosts Syracuse at noon in the Smith Center.
Featured image via Associated Press/Karl B. DeBlaker
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