Late in the first half of Saturday night’s NCAA Tournament second round matchup in Raleigh between top-seeded UNC and No. 9 seed Providence, Tar Heel forward Brice Johnson flexed and roared after swatting an opponent’s shot into orbit.
The teams were tied at the time, but UNC used its superior depth to flex and roar to a 85-66 victory the rest of the way—advancing to the Sweet 16.
Led by Johnson’s 21 points and 10 rebounds, the Tar Heels had five players score at least 12 points.
That proved to be much more than enough to pull away from Providence’s star tandem of guard Kris Dunn and forward Ben Bentil, which battled foul trouble all night long.
Brice Johnson reacts after a big dunk against Providence. (Todd Melet)
It was yet another example of what UNC head coach Roy Williams has when his team is clicking on all cylinders—more weapons than most any other team in the country can match.
Even if that doesn’t necessarily mean anything in the one-and-done nature of the NCAA Tournament.
”I think we’ve played our best basketball the entire season these last couple weeks,” Williams said after the game. “Is that gonna transfer to how we play next weekend? I have no idea because they’re 18, 19, 20 and 21-year-olds—so I have no idea.”
Projected to be a top-10 pick in this summer’s NBA Draft, Dunn had 10 of his 29 points in the first nine minutes and helped the Friars take control early on. However, he sat out the final 11 minutes before the break after picking up his second foul, and played the final eight minutes with four fouls–which limited his aggressiveness.
Bentil sank a trio of three-pointers and had 21 points, but needed 17 shots to get them. He also fouled out with just under nine minutes left.
Sophomore wing Justin Jackson, who scored 15 points and spent some time guarding each player, felt good about UNC’s overall defensive effort.
“Looking at the stat sheet it doesn’t look like we did much to them,” Jackson said. “But we tried to make everything as hard as we possibly could. I think the team did a really good job of rotating and just everything that Coach always tells us and teaches us on defense.
“I think at the end of the day we forced them to one shot and got out in transition—which really helped.”
The Friars shot 40 percent as a team and were outrebounded by the Tar Heels 42-24.
Besides Dunn and Bentil, only one other Providence player—sophomore Kyron Cartwright with seven—had more than two points.
Isaiah Hicks added 13 points off the bench for the Tar Heels, and had all seven of his rebounds in the second half–while also providing solid defense on Bentil.
UNC as a team held Providence without a field goal over the last five minutes of the first half and simply wore its opponent down throughout the game.
“I’m getting more and more confident with my team every day,” Williams said.
A couple of Tar Heel teammates, Justin Jackson (left) and Brice Johnson (right) share a laugh on the bench late in Saturday’s game. (Todd Melet)
“I always write three things down on the board, and today was the first time I’ve written this one down,” he continued. “I said, ‘Make our defense the biggest factor in the game.’ And we were pretty good.”
Paige was also limited by foul issues in the first half, but finished with 12 points and showed remarkable poise with a big-time spurt where he scored five points on back-to-back possessions midway through the second half—extending UNC’s lead to double digits.
Along with the energy provided by Johnson’s rim-rattling dunks and high-powered blocks, the two seniors are leading this deep group of talented Tar Heels to statement performances under the brightest of spotlights.
“I think every coach will tell you they want talent,” Williams said. “And the second choice would be experience.
“But if they had their choice of anything it would be experienced talent,” he continued. “And I think with Brice and Marcus, we’re getting some of that right now.”
Up Next:
UNC will be on to Philadelphia for the East Regional now, as the Tar Heels are all set to take on the No. 5-seeded Indiana Hoosiers in a matchup of two of college basketball’s most storied programs.
Game Notes:
- Brice Johnson’s double-double was his 21st of the season, trailing only LSU freshman Ben Simmons (23) for most in the nation. It was also his sixth 20-point, 10-rebound game.
- Sophomore UNC wing Theo Pinson went to the locker room momentarily during the game, but returned soon after. The team said he was feeling lightheaded.
- Roy Williams has coached UNC to six 30-win seasons. There had been six of those in history of the program prior to his arrival.
They Said It:
“I’m being honest. It does suck playing at 9:40 at night when you’re just sitting in the hotel room all day.” – UNC forward Brice Johnson on the game’s late tip time
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines