With a chance for a statement victory Saturday night at the Dean Dome, the 12th-ranked UNC men’s basketball team put together its most impressive offensive performance of the season to defeat the No. 4 Gonzaga Bulldogs by a score of 103-90 in a rematch of the 2017 national championship game.
Playing in front of a sold out crowd, the Tar Heels (8-2) jumped ahead by as many as 17 points in the first half and then absorbed Gonzaga’s best shot in the second half on the way to the win in an atmosphere that made it feel like a big-time conference showdown.
Graduate transfer Cameron Johnson led all scorers with 25 points and six three-pointers—including one in the second half from way beyond the line that sent Tar Heel fans into a frenzy.
Senior forward Luke Maye added a double-double with 20 points and 16 rebounds, as UNC was lights out all night long.
Cameron Johnson made six three-pointers and scored a team-high 25 points to lead UNC to a huge victory over No. 4 Gonzaga on Saturday. (Todd Melet)
The Tar Heels set a new season-high by shooting 57 percent from the floor and converted on 13 of their 25 attempts from three-point range.
This more than made up for defense that was far from spectacular, and the whopping 23 turnovers that Gonzaga (9-2) turned into 29 points on the other end.
Unsurprisingly, UNC head coach Roy Williams repeated one of his favorite mottos after the game—telling the assembled media that everything looks better when the ball goes in the basket.
“Take away the turnovers and then miscommunication on the defensive end several times and I thought we really did some good things,” Williams said. “We made a bunch of shots. I’ve been telling Cam [Johnson], Kenny [Williams] and Luke [Maye] that you guys are our best shooters. How about being our best makers?
“I thought Cam was really something tonight.”
Although Gonzaga came out hot in the second half, the Tar Heels never allowed the Bulldogs to cut the deficit less than eight points simply by refusing to go cold.
Plenty of that had to do with Johnson’s cold-blooded shot-making from long range.
His performance—coupled with the way the rest of the team played—could be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to providing the confidence needed to compete with the best teams in America come tournament time in March.
“This was a great opportunity to prove to ourselves that we belong at the top,” Johnson said. “I think we’ve got a really good team. I’ve said all along that you’re gonna see strides.
Senior forward Luke Maye contributed 20 points and 16 rebounds on Saturday. (Todd Melet)
“You’re gonna see strides in maturity from guys, you’re gonna see strides of the team just finding our chemistry,” he added. “And I think we found a little bit of that tonight.”
The loss was the second in a row for the Bulldogs, who lost to No. 3 Tennessee last week after a 9-0 start to the season. That defeat knocked Gonzaga down from its perch as the No. 1 team in the country, a spot it gained after upsetting Duke in the Maui Invitational—a squad that was hyped up as unbeatable early in the year.
Despite bringing their best effort to Chapel Hill on Saturday in an attempt to avenge the national title game loss in 2017, though, it was simply not enough to overcome a Tar Heel team that guard Kenny Williams said wasn’t looking to prove anything to outsiders.
Instead, it was all about proving something to themselves having yet to pick up a signature victory before getting this one.
“It was all to ourselves,” Kenny Williams said. “Proving that we can play at a high level and defend at a high level. And get these big wins.”
Up Next:
The Tar Heels will take on No. 19 Kentucky in Chicago as part of the annual CBS Sports Classic in their next game, which is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 22 at 5:15 p.m.
Game Notes:
- UNC’s 53 points in the first half represented the team’s ninth 50-point half of the season, more than any other team in the nation so far.
- The 13 made three-pointers by the Tar Heels were the most they’ve had in a game this year.
- It was the fourth time in 10 games that UNC has reached the 100-point mark.
Cover photo via Todd Melet
