For years, the UNC men’s basketball team has found a formula for success against rival NC State by playing to its advantages inside the paint.

That old formula helped the Tar Heels again on Saturday at the Smith Center, as UNC put together an 86-76 victory over the Wolfpack.

Sophomore forward Armando Bacot finished with a team-high 17 points to go with eight rebounds, while freshman Day’Ron Sharpe added a double-double with 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds–helping UNC avenge a loss to the Wolfpack suffered back in December.

Even with Garrison Brooks held to just four points and rendered largely ineffective due to foul trouble, Bacot and Sharpe did enough to carry the load inside.

The Tar Heels led nearly the entire game and finished with 48 points in the paint on the way to their highest scoring total of the season. Of their 37 made shots in the game, 20 were either dunks or layups.

It was the kind of basketball head coach Roy Williams prefers his team to play, and one that gave UNC its fifth win in its last six games. 

“I love balance, guys,” Williams told reporters afterwards. “But shooting the ball inside is something that should be important for us because we have four guys that I have confidence in.” 

The Tar Heels were also aided by their freshmen guards, who have continued to improve as the season progresses.

Caleb Love poured in 15 points and led the team with five assists. Both R.J. Davis and Anthony Harris added 10 points apiece. Kerwin Walton just missed double figures in scoring at eight points, but accounted for half of the team’s four three-pointers in the game.

What was a huge weakness for UNC early in the season—inexperience in the backcourt—is beginning to fix itself ever so slowly.

With the ACC wide open this year and many more strange circumstances sure to come, the Tar Heels are keeping themselves in position to continue climbing the league standings. 

“I told them at one timeout that we’ve had 60 practices,” Williams said. “We’ve had 14 games. So I think at that time, you should no longer be freshmen.  

“The tough thing for our freshmen is that I expect more of them,” the coach added later. “Because I think we have that ability there. We’ve just got to get our brain and our heart involved. Not just our ability.” 

Up Next:

A road trip to Pittsburgh awaits the Tar Heels for a game at Pitt on Tuesday. Tip-off for that contest is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Game Notes:

  • UNC is 32-5 against NC State since Roy Williams arrived as head coach prior to the 2003-04 season.
  • The Tar Heels shot 56.8 percent from the floor in the first half, their best shooting performance in any half to date this season. They finished the game at 54.4 percent.

 

FINAL BOX SCORE

 

 

Photo via ACC Media

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