The best 11-17 team in the country sent State packing again.
Maybe Roy Williams ought to load up his schedule next season with schools that have “State” in their names – Arkansas State, Boise State, Cal State, well, you get the point.
UNC bookended wins over the Wolfpack to break a near-historic losing streak, and it took the usual suspects and one newcomer to get it done. Garrison Brooks, battling back from goggle-required eye injuries, missed 19 of 20 free throws over three games a month back. He made 14 of 16 to send N.C. State home seeing red again, losing for the 32nd time to UNC in their last 36 meetings and bumping Roy’s career coaching mark v. Pack to 37-4.
Brandon Robinson is back playing, but not shooting and scoring as he can. Step up, grad transfer Christian Keeling, who continued a hot February by making all five of his regular field goals and draining 2 of 4 biggies from behind the arc. His 16 points off the bench offset BRob’s 3, as he teamed with Brooks’ 30 and Cole Anthony’s 19 to tally 65 of the Tar Heels total 85.
Spotting State a 10-zip start, Carolina avoided losing eight in a row for the first time since 1951 and saved Ol’ Roy from matching his first such losing streak in his rookie head-coaching season at KU (’89). And his 13th sweep of the Wolfpack sent State slipping off the NCAA tourney bubble, a climb they will have to begin again over the last three games of the regular season and the ACC tournament.
Barring winning five straight in Greensboro, UNC will miss the Big Dance for only the second time in Williams’ 17 years back at dear old NCU. Carolina could probably make the NIT by running the regular-season table and winning four in the tournament to finish with the usually mandated .500 record.
Although there was enough red in the Dean Dome to allow State’s tacky ad-libbed last line of the National Anthem (Home of the WOLFPACK) to be clearly audible, the real home faithful had another great performance of their own, almost willing their team to victory in an all-too-common scary stretch run to the final buzzer.
Wearing their classic pre-argyle retro unies, the Heels showed the pluck of past teams by making enough shots, free throws and floor plays to keep even the most blue-blinded State fans in their long-appointed place… the short side of the final score.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe:
Related Stories
‹
![]()
UNC Virologists Discover New Strategy to Treat HIV InfectionsHIV has infected over 70 million people according to the World Health Organization, but virologists at UNC-Chapel Hill are now one step closer to stopping the spread of the insidious pathogen. The effective but temporary nature of current HIV treatments was the impetus for Dr. J. Victor Garcia and his team to consider how the […]
Carolina Angel Network to Support UNC Start-UpsInnovation costs money. And money isn’t something many start-up companies have much of, even if the ideas they aim to bring to life are great. That’s why the Carolina Angel Network (CAN) exists. It’s a newly developed UNC-based network that partners start-ups with bigger companies that act like an “angel” and provide advice, networks and […]
Chansky's Notebook: Wade's WorldMichael Koh discusses Will Wade's first season at NC State, and notes the head coach and the program are a perfect fit.
UNC Researchers Warn About Effects of Federal Funding Cuts on Cancer Discoveries, TreatmentsThreats of federal funding cuts are already felt within research circles at UNC, including the labs of some leading cancer research.
Art’s Angle: PerspectiveMack Brown was crying after the 41-34 shocker to Georgia Tech — but he was weeping about losing one of his former players and team leaders.
UNC Confirms Student Death in Residence Hall 1 Week Before Classes EndedWhile the UNC campus community is celebrating its last day of classes on Friday, details are emerging of a tragedy that took place one week before. A student death was reported in Thomas Ruffin Jr. Residence Hall on the morning of Friday, April 21, according to UNC Police’s crime log. WRAL first reported the student […]
INSIDE CAROLINA LIVE 2/18/23 - State Game and Jawad Williams!Tommy Ashley and Joey Powell host Inside Carolina Live ahead of the critical game for the Heels against NC State on Sunday. Jawad Williams joins the show for hour 2. You can watch this week's episode on YouTube here or listen to the radio broadcast via the player below.
UNC Cancer Hospital Renamed to Honor State LeaderMarc Basnight was North Carolina’s longest-serving legislative leader. After his death, state legislatures wanted to find a way to honor him.
UNC and NC State Joint Engineering Program Delivers Emergency Ventilator DesignMore than 70 percent of North Carolina ventilators are currently available to help COVID-19 patients in critical condition. But with hospitalizations continuing to hit record levels in the state and cases rising elsewhere in the U.S., the need for ventilators is still high. Months ago, a team of UNC and NC State students, faculty and […]
Chansky's Notebook: Still Seeing RedThe best 11-17 team in the country sent State packing again. Maybe Roy Williams ought to load up his schedule next season with schools that have “State” in their names – Arkansas State, Boise State, Cal State, well, you get the point. UNC bookended wins over the Wolfpack to break a near-historic losing streak, and […]
›
