CHAPEL HILL, NC – Roy Williams has expressed the need for his North Carolina team to play more home games in recent weeks. The Tar Heels proved their point again on Saturday and demolished Louisville, 99-54, to claim their best win of the season.
UNC (14-7, 8-5 ACC) improved to 8-0 at the Smith Center, locking up its eighth ACC win at halftime. A 20-0 run in the second half caused media members to flip through the record books while the game clock ticked to zero. The 45-point victory was the Tar Heels’ biggest in ACC play since a 107-56 victory over NC State on March 9, 2017.
Louisville has not played a game in 19 days – the longest season without playing in 54 years – and has had limited training opportunities due to a COVID-19 interruption following the victory over Georgia Tech on February 1st. The long dismissal was clear after a solid start, as the Cardinals were unable to match UNC’s energy.
The Tar Heels opened a close game in the final seven minutes of the first half with a run of 21-6 to take a 48-29 lead. The 48 points were the most UNC scored in the first half of this season, and the 19-point halftime margin was the largest of the season.
UNC shot 60.9 percent off the floor – its highest point since shooting 62.3 percent on Wake Forest on February 16, 2019 – and 44.4 percent from three, while Louisville shot at 32.8 percent. The Tar Heels scored 26 points from 16 turnovers and took a 14-6 lead in second-half points.
Five Tar Heels scored in double figures, led by Day’Ron Sharpe’s 21 points and 11 rebounds and Kerwin Walton’s career high of 19 points. Armando Bacot contributed 14 points and nine rebounds, while Garrison Brooks added 12 points on 5-of-7 shots.
Newcomer Boost
Garrison Brooks’ free-throw to give UNC a 15-14 lead 13-14 before halftime was notable because it was the last point a returning Tar Heel scored in the first half. The first-year class took the reins from that point forward, scoring the last 33 points of the half and outscoring the Cardinals by 16 points.
Walton knocked down three three-pointers and a jumper to score 11 points in that stretch, while Sharpe did his job on the edge with 12 points. Walker Kessler and RJ Davis each added three points, while Love rounded off the half with a rattling dunk at the buzzer.
Kessler finishes with 10 points and four rebounds, while Love adds nine points and three assists.
Free throw misery
No matter how explosive UNC was off the floor, its struggle continued from the charity line. The Tar Heels shot 38.9 percent from the free-throw line (7-out-18) and their season percentage dropped to 64.9.
If the percentage holds true, it will represent the UNC’s worst release rate since 2013-14 (62.6) and its third worst percentage of the ACC era.
Highlight Play
Caleb Love concludes half with an exclamation ????# ACCMBB | @ caleb2love
– ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) 21 February 2021
Following
UNC will retire from the conference next Wednesday (19:00 / ESPN2) to host Marquette at the Smith Center. The Golden Eagles (10-12, 6-10 Big East) have lost six of their last eight games.