Three strikes knocked out The Hokies in what resembled a prize fight.
In a test of manhood as much as a basketball game, the Tar Heels combined more toughness, better defense and clutch outside shooting than perhaps in any game of the season to repel a physical Virginia Tech team and advance to their sixth semifinal of the ACC Tournament since 2015.
Carolina will play Florida State in attempting to reach a fourth championship game in that span and 10th in this century. Trying to win Coach Roy Williams’ fourth ACC tournament comes under the most bizarre circumstances in conference history, with the well-rested Seminoles getting a triple bye into the semis thanks to Duke’s withdrawal after one of its reserve players tested positive for COVID.
So while posting two of its most impressive wins among the 18 this season, the question is will the Heels have enough left against FSU, which has not played a game since last Saturday in a loss at Notre Dame. The effort expended to turn back the Hokies was much greater than in their second-half blowout of the Fighting Irish Wednesday night.
Virginia Tech frustrated Carolina with its body-banging defense and ability to spread the court and pull the bigs away from the basket to get almost any shot it wanted in the first half. Ol’ Roy might have made some adjustments at halftime on how to better set and combat ball screens, but his primary message was to man up.
“I felt very lucky that we were only down by three at the half,” said Williams, who won his 903rd career game and moved past Bob Knight into third place on the all-time coaching list. By midway through the second period, the Tar Heels were pounding the Hokies, who had not played in 12 days, into submission on the boards, at the defensive end and from the perimeter.
This was a team victory from another second-half-domination on the glass led by Armando Bacot to huge 3-pointers from RJ Davis and Leaky Black to only committing three turnovers.
It was a man’s game, and UNC indeed manned up. Now the Heels have to find a way to do it again against arguably the best team in the ACC that is just as big, probably faster and shoots better from both the paint and outside. It’s almost unfair to ask against such odds.
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