GREENSBORO, NC – North Carolina started the after-season in the same way that the regular season ended, which is a positive development for a team defined by contradiction this season. The sixth-seeded Tar Heels dropped the 11th-seeded Notre Dame, 101-59, in the second round of the ACC tournament.
UNC (17-9, 10-6 ACC) leaned on its strength inside and on the boards to take control in building a 50-36 halftime lead. The Tar Heels then blew the game open with a 37-2 run that stretched to 11 minutes and 32 seconds in the second half.
The 42-point victory is the biggest by UNC in the history of the ACC tournament, and it comes almost a year after an 81-53 defeat against Syracuse set the program record for the biggest defeat margin in the conference tournament.
UNC shot 50.6% from the floor and 37.5% from the three-point distance (9-of-24), while the Fighting Irish held 31.1% (26.9% 3FG).
Armando Bacot, fresh from his All-ACC selection from the third team, led UNC with 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting and 13 rebounds. His eight offensive setbacks are tied with the second most by a Tar Heel in an ACC tournament. Day’Ron Sharpe flirted with a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while RJ Davis added 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including a transitional dunk to push UNC into three figures.
Advice
By the time the halfway point of the first half arrived, UNC had already tried to make more than 16 goal attempts than Notre Dame (26-10). The Tar Heels doubled the Irish in total rebound in the first half (30-15). Their 18-7 lead in offensive rebounds gave them a 19-8 lead at halftime at halftime.
When all was said and done, UNC surpassed its opponent, 54-31, including a 25-15 lead on the offensive glass. The Tar Heels outscored the Irish 27-13 in the second chance points.
Steady point play
An important development that was hidden among the rebound totals was another great Caleb Love performance. The first-year guard turned a handful of pleasure outings, though he struggled to tie several together.
Love was effective on Saturday against Duke (18 points, 6-out-12 FG, 7 assistants) and was even more against Notre Dame, with 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting (3-of-6 3FG) and dish six assistants out. The 6-foot-4 guard was patient in carrying out the halfway offense while being aggressive in the transition. He also did not force circumferential shots, but rather looked at a number of open cans and flattened them.
Any chance of a post-season run for the Tar Heels starts and ends with their point guard, so it’s definitely positive for Love to play in his first ACC tournament.
Block party
Walker Kessler (16 points, 12 rebounds) blocked eight strokes, setting a freshman student’s school records for blocks and in a game of the ACC Tournament. His eight blocks are tied for the fourth most in a game in program history and are also equaled for the fourth most by a tar heel for an entire ACC tournament.
Brooks Out
Garrison Brooks did not play due to a left ankle injury. The senior forward dressed and did not take part in warm-ups before the match, but he was never officially ruled out. He also did not practice in the days before the ACC tournament.
Brooks landed on Matthew Hurt’s foot and rolled his ankle in the early moments of UNC’s victory over Duke on Saturday. He limped off the track and into the locker room, but returned later in the half and finished the game with 14 points and five rebounds in 25 minutes.
Mark Play
?? Kessler DENIAL x2! ??@UNC_Basketball | @GoHeels
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– ACC men’s basketball (@accmbb) 11 March 2021
ACCT Notes
UNC improved all the time to 103-48 in the ACC tournament, with a 41-19 record in Greensboro. The tar heels are now 3-1 in the second round.
Roy Williams is 28-14 in the ACC tournament all the time. His 28 wins are the third most in ACC tournament history.
Following
UNC advances to the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament and plays third-ranked Virginia Tech (ESPN / 2) on Thursday at 9 p.m. The scheduled regular-season game on Feb. 16 between these two teams was canceled due to a positive test, consequent quarantines and contact tracing within the Virginia Tech men’s basketball program. The Hokies (15-5, 9-4 ACC) have played two games in the last 32 days.