Looking to avoid its longest losing streak of the decade on Saturday afternoon at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the UNC men’s basketball team finally showed some signs of life in a 74-64 victory over the UCLA Bruins.
It was a pair of freshmen that guided the Tar Heels (7-5) to victory over the Bruins (7-5), as forward Armando Bacot broke out of his recent slump by posting a team-high 15 points and 12 rebounds and guard Anthony Harris scored all of his career-high 14 points in the second half to help fight off UCLA’s spirited comeback attempt.
The Tar Heels led by 13 points at halftime, but nearly allowed UCLA to take the lead back when the Bruins opened the second half on a 12-0 run.
Bacot and Harris then spearheaded a run which allowed head coach Roy Williams’ team to regain a double-digit advantage it would hang on to the rest of the way.
Garrison Brooks was one of five Tar Heels to score in double figures in Saturday’s victory over UCLA in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
“I’ve told the guys all season long, if you want to play more, play better,” Williams told reporters after the game. “If you want to play more, play tougher.
“And I think Anthony [Harris] gave us some of that toughness,” the coach continued. “I’m not saying he’s a great shooter, but he willed a couple of those shots in today. He got a couple steals and goes down and makes a basket. So, I think he was probably the biggest story in the game for us.”
Junior forward Garrison Brooks also continued to provide a steady hand with 12 points and nine rebounds in UNC’s third game since star point guard Cole Anthony suffered a torn meniscus that has kept him on the sidelines.
Although UCLA is far from the national powerhouse it once was, this win should at least provide Brooks and the rest of the Tar Heels with some hope that they can tread water long enough until Anthony’s return.
“It was a tough stretch for us,” Brooks said, of UNC’s recent losing skid. “We didn’t plan on this at all—losing four straight games—but it’s not a sigh of relief. We’ve got ACC play coming up, so we know that’s gonna be even tougher and we’ve got to be prepared for that also. But it’s a good sign that we got back on the right track.”
For all of the offensive struggles the Tar Heels have had this season—both with and without Anthony—they met a UCLA team on Saturday which appeared to have even bigger problems on that end of the floor.
Neither team played very sharp offensively, but the Tar Heels forced the Bruins into a whopping 23 turnovers while also holding them to just four made three-pointers on 21 attempts. In addition, the Bruins converted on just 10 of their 18 free throws.
With both teams shooting 42 percent from the floor, those numbers ultimately proved to be the difference.
As a result, this young group of Tar Heels snapped the program’s longest losing streak since 2010, which was also the last time UNC failed to make the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s hard for freshmen at North Carolina,” Williams said. “Because everybody expects you to win every game. And you start feeling that stress if you don’t do it. I tell them just do the best you can do, and do what I ask you to do, and it’ll usually work.”
Up Next:
UNC will have over a week off before returning to action at home against Yale on Monday, Dec. 30. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Game Notes:
- The game was part of the annual CBS Sports Classic, which has featured UNC, UCLA, Kentucky and Ohio State playing games against one another since 2014.
- UNC had five players score in double figures, with guards Brandon Robinson and Jeremiah Francis each adding 12 points to the winning cause despite combining to shoot just 4-for-18 from the floor.
- UCLA out-rebounded the Tar Heels 42-37, meaning it has yet to lose the rebounding battle in any of its 12 games this season.
- In his previous two games prior to Saturday, Armando Bacot made just three of his 20 shot attempts and scored a combined 10 points.
Cover photo via Associated Press
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines