Behind strong showings from freshman point guard Caleb Love and sophomore forward Armando Bacot on Wednesday night at the Smith Center, the UNC men’s basketball team held off Wake Forest for an 80-73 victory—moving the Tar Heels back above .500 in ACC play.
The subject of plenty of scrutiny this season for his inconsistency, Love showed why he was named a McDonald’s All-American against Wake Forest by posting a career-high 20 points on an efficient 7-for-12 shooting performance from the floor.
His effort on defense also helped the Tar Heels push the ball out in transition more after halftime, and even earned himself a pair of emphatic dunks down the stretch.
After the game, UNC head coach Roy Williams had nothing but praise for Love’s efforts as his team improved to 9-5 overall and 4-3 inside the conference.
“I think he can be one of the best defensive guards I’ve ever coached,” Williams said. “Playing his position, he has strength, he has speed, he has jumping ability, he has great feet. Most of the time when you get a freshman, it doesn’t mean that much to him. But it’s meaning more and more to Caleb all the time.”
On the inside, Bacot was limited to just 22 minutes due to foul trouble but still managed to rack up 18 points, six rebounds and three assists—with 14 of his 18 points coming in the second half.
His presence in the paint was sorely needed with both Garrison Brooks and Day’Ron Sharpe struggling to score efficiently. Although Brooks had 10 points and was one of four Tar Heels in double figures—joining Love, Bacot and guard R.J. Davis, who had 13—he and Sharpe combined to make just four of their 17 shots.
This left Bacot to do the heavy lifting, even while battling his foul issues.
“I thought we would have an advantage inside, but our guys struggled inside except for Armando,” Williams said. “Early in the second half, he was most of our offense at that time.”
Three-point shooting carried Wake Forest (3-6, 0-6 ACC) throughout the game, with the Demon Deacons making 13 shots from long range compared to just 10 inside the arc.
Daivien Wilson and Isaiah Mucius combined to make 10 of those three-pointers and each finished the night with 27 points apiece.
Their efforts helped Wake Forest lead for much of the first half, but the Demon Deacons ultimately saw their slim, two-point halftime lead disappear for good just three minutes into the second half as UNC corrected some early shooting woes and upped the intensity on defense.
As a result, the Tar Heels won for the fourth time in five games and for the 12th time in the last 14 meetings against the Demon Deacons—who are still searching for their first ACC win under new head coach Steve Forbes.
“Tonight is what’s been happening to them all year,” Williams said, about Wake Forest’s struggles in the second half this season. “I told Steve I like what he’s doing. It doesn’t get him a raise by me saying that, but it was difficult for us tonight.”
Up Next:
UNC is currently scheduled to host NC State this Saturday for what will be the second meeting of the season between the two schools, with the matchup in Raleigh back on Dec. 22 going to the Wolfpack by a score of 79-76. Tip-off for Saturday’s game is set for 2 p.m.
Game Notes:
- Although he didn’t score in double figures, junior guard Leaky Black was all over the stat sheet for UNC, putting up eight points, eight assists and six rebounds.
- The Tar Heels forced Wake Forest into 20 turnovers, which were converted into 24 points on the other end.
- Wake Forest’s last win over UNC in Chapel Hill came on Jan. 20, 2010 by a score of 82-69.
- Isaiah Mucius was 4-for-24 from three-point range over Wake Forest’s first eight games. He went 7-for-12 on Wednesday against the Tar Heels.
Photo via Robert Willett
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