Just over a year removed from losing by 51 points at the Dean Dome, the NC State Wolfpack returned to Chapel Hill Saturday afternoon with a vengeance—shooting their way past the 10th-ranked Tar Heels for a thrilling 95-91 overtime victory in the first game against UNC for new head coach Kevin Keatts.
The Wolfpack (15-7, 5-4 ACC) nailed 15 of their 30 three-pointers—including a staggering 7-for-7 performance from guard Allerik Freeman—while the Tar Heels (16-6, 5-4 ACC) would have struggled hitting the broad side of a barn with the way they shot the ball from distance.
Freeman finished with 29 points to lead NC State while his teammates in the backcourt, Torin Dorn and Markell Johnson, each added 20 points apiece.
The trio combined to make 13 shots from behind the three-point line, while sophomore forward Omer Yurtseven—a seven-footer from Turkey—made life difficult inside for UNC.
Turkish seven-footer Omer Yurtseven (14) was outstanding for NC State in the paint, contributing 16 points and 13 rebounds while playing tight defense inside. (Todd Melet)
With another guard, freshman Braxton Beverly, as the fifth member of the Wolfpack to play at least 37 minutes, NC State’s shooting and playmaking ability proved to be too much to handle for a Tar Heel team with clear issues on the defensive side of the ball.
Although the Wolfpack have taken some questionable losses so far this season, UNC head coach Roy Williams said afterwards that the NC State team he saw more closely resembled the group that’s already earned upset wins over nationally-ranked teams like Duke, Arizona and Clemson.
“They played four guys who can really handle the ball,” Williams said. “They create and have great spacing. They penetrate and pitch. They played well.
“I watched parts of three of their games, and they’re so much different than they were earlier in the year.”
Luke Maye and Theo Pinson each posted monster games on Saturday, but with the Tar Heels struggling to match NC State’s production from deep–it all went for nothing.
Maye had 31 points and 12 rebounds, and made a pair of clutch threes in overtime to keep hope alive. The junior forward finished 3-for-6 from downtown, but the rest of the UNC players combined to go just 1-for-13.
Pinson, meanwhile, was extremely aggressive while posting a pair of career-highs with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Despite those individual efforts—not to mention the team shooting 53 percent on all shots and gaining a 58-36 advantage in points in the paint—NC State still found a way to steal the win.
The Tar Heels did have chances to take control down the stretch, however.
Wide open shots were missed, free throws were missed and a crucial steal by freshman forward Sterling Manley with six seconds left turned into a quick turnover instead of a game-tying bucket.
While things certainly didn’t go as planned for UNC, there’s still plenty of time to address the problems.
Theo Pinson posted career highs with 22 points and 15 rebounds against NC State, but it would not be enough to help UNC pull out a win. (Todd Melet)
“I just want us to play better,” Williams told reporters. “That’s my whole thing. I don’t think we’ve moved as well as we’ve needed to on offense.
“A lot of times when we’ve been really good and needed a shot, someone shoots it and it goes in,” the coach continued. “We had Cam [Johnson] wide open in the corner [with a minute left in overtime] and I just knew it was going in. Then it didn’t.”
“We’re not ready to panic, and I’m not ready to panic or abandon ship or anything like that.”
It’s not often that the Tar Heels shoot that poorly from three-point range, and it’s certainly not the norm for senior point guard Joel Berry to finish with just six points and three assists.
With that in mind, Pinson spoke for the team when he reminded the assembled media that UNC has no time to dwell on the loss with a game against a ranked opponent just three days away.
“We don’t have time to have a little pity party,” Pinson said. “We have to get ready for Tuesday against Clemson who is going to be ready for us. We beat them here and they’re going to want to protect home court.
“We have to get back in the lab and get better.”
Up Next:
The Tar Heels will now get set to head to Clemson for a rematch against the 18th-ranked Tigers on Tuesday, Jan. 30., after coming out victorious at the Smith Center back on Jan. 16.
Game Notes:
- UNC missed its first eight three-point attempts of the game before freshman guard Andrew Platek got one to fall from the right corner with just under four minutes left in the first half.
- In the previous two meetings between the two rivals, the Tar Heels led wire-to-wire each time–meaning Saturday’s game marked the first time NC State held a lead against UNC since Feb. 2016.
- NC State became the 15th team to make at least 10 three-pointers against the Tar Heels, and its 15 total threes were the most made by a UNC opponent this season.
- It was the first game all year in which Joel Berry, Cameron Johnson and Kenny William each failed to make a three for UNC.
Cover photo via Todd Melet
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