In a game where each team had multiple opportunities to come out with the victory on Wednesday night in Blacksburg, it was the Virginia Tech Hokies who came out on top in double overtime–as they defeated UNC 79-77 thanks to a layup in the final second from guard Tyrece Radford.
That bucket represented Radford’s only two points of the game, and it completed an epic comeback for the Hokies (14-5, 5-3 ACC) while sending the Tar Heels (8-10, 1-6 ACC) to their fifth consecutive loss overall and their sixth straight in ACC play.
UNC led by as many as 12 points midway through the second half, and were still up by seven with just under four minutes remaining until the Hokies came storming back with an 8-1 run over that span to send the game into overtime.
Junior forward Garrison Brooks carried the Tar Heels once again on Wednesday, leading the team with 28 points, 13 rebounds and six assists while also playing a team-high 48 minutes. He was joined in double figures by Justin Pierce–who had 15 points and eight rebounds in by far his best game as a Tar Heel–and Leaky Black, who set a new career high with 12 points.
Early on, the Tar Heels found success against the undersized Hokies by pounding the ball inside to Brooks and freshman Armando Bacot. UNC scored 26 points in the paint in the first half on the way to a 36-30 lead at the break.
After halftime, though, UNC managed only 14 points in the paint over the final 30 minutes of the game–allowing Virginia Tech to slowly crawl back into the game with its three-point shooting.
The Hokies hit 14 three-pointers on the night, representing over half of their final point total. Of those made shots, six came from guard Jalen Cone as he willed Virginia Tech back into the game down the stretch.
Virginia Tech was also helped by the Tar Heels’ poor free throw shooting. UNC made only six of its 12 free throws in the second half, including a crucial miss by Black with 19 seconds remaining–which led the Hokies tie the game with a pair of successful foul shots on the other end.
Brooks then missed a short jumper at the buzzer that would have won the game for the Tar Heels, while Black missed from three-point range with the game tied at the end of the first overtime.
“In the Clemson game, we turned it over and turned it over,” head coach Roy Williams said afterwards, as he continues to need just one more win to pass his mentor Dean Smith on the all-time list. “Tonight, we just missed shots.”
With UNC failing to convert in the most important moments and Virginia Tech stealing the win away at the end, this game closely resembled the six-overtime football game played between the two teams in Blacksburg this past October.
While the Tar Heels were expected to go through ups and downs in football this season, this basketball season has been a shock to many as the losses–and the injuries–continue to mount with no end in sight.
This loss represents the first time in program history that UNC has lost six straight ACC games, while the Tar Heels have also now reached double digits in the loss column before the beginning of February.
“It’s not in the freakin’ Constitution that the University of North Carolina is gonna determine whether they win or lose every time,” a frustrated Williams told reporters.
Up Next:
The Tar Heels will host Miami this Saturday at the Smith Center, with tip-off set for noon.
Game Notes:
- This was UNC’s first double overtime game since a 103-93 win over Clemson on Feb. 10, 2008.
- Brandon Robinson did not make the trip with the Tar Heels, as he has been dealing with persistent neck pain related to a car accident he was involved in following UNC’s loss to Clemson on Jan. 11. Justin Pierce started in place of Robinson.
- Garrison Brooks recorded his sixth consecutive double-double, becoming the first Tar Heel to do that since John Henson had nine in a row during the 2010-11 season.
- Leaky Black set new career highs with 12 points and three made shots from three-point range.
Cover photo via Associated Press
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