No. 6 UNC Falls to Michigan in First Loss of Season

No. 6 North Carolina suffered its first loss of the season, as the team fell to Michigan 73-64 in the semifinal round of the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament.

The Tar Heels, who fell to 5-1 on the season, faced a challenging deficit after a 19-0 run by the Wolverines early in the second half. After a timeout called by head coach Roy Williams when the team trailed by 24 points, UNC went on a 9-0 run to bring the game back, but struggled to cut into the deficit further.

Freshman guard Cole Anthony struggled in the first half, ultimately finishing the game with 22 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Junior forward Garrison Brooks was North Carolina’s second-leading scorer, putting up 13 points despite being limited after getting poked in the eye during the first half.

Michigan’s junior guard Eli Brooks lead the Wolverines, pouring in 24 points and shooting 4-of-6 from three-point range. As a team, the Wolverines shot 42 percent from three, hitting 11-of-26 shots. In comparison, North Carolina shot just 2-of-13, with Anthony hitting both of the Tar Heels’ threes.

In addition to being beaten from the three-point line, Thursday’s match was a rare time where Carolina’s frontcourt was outmatched by its opponent. The Tar Heels out-rebounded the Wolverines 36-34, but Michigan dominated points in the paint and finished with seven blocks on the game. Senior center Jon Teske consistently stood his ground in the post against both Brooks and freshman forward Armando Bacot, defending Bacot so effectively that Williams used reserves Brandon Huffman and Walker Miller late into the second half. In addition, the pair of Teske and junior forward Isiah Livers shot the ball well from outside the paint, hitting a combined four three-pointers.

Up Next:

The Tar Heels will take on No. 11 Oregon Friday at 11:30 a.m. for the third-place game. The Ducks lost in overtime Thursday to No. 8 Gonzaga, 73-72.

Game Notes:

It’s the second straight season the Tar Heels lost to Michigan. The Wolverines, ranked eighth in the country at the time, upset No. 3 North Carolina 84-67 in 2018’s Big Ten-ACC Challenge.
While many reasons contributed to the Tar Heels’ loss, the team shot only 50 percent from the free-throw line, making 10 of 20 attempts. UNC is shooting 62 percent on free throws this season.
Michigan made its 19-0 second half run largely with senior guard Zavier Simpson on the bench in foul trouble. Simpson, who played 34 minutes against the Heels in 2018, played sparingly in the second half before fouling out with seven points.

No. 6 UNC Falls to Michigan in First Loss of Season

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