CHAPAL HILL, NC – In recent weeks, Roy Williams has faced the need to play more home games on his North Carolina team. The Tar Hills proved their point again on Saturday, beating Louisville, 99-54, to get their best win of the season.
UNC (14-7, 8-5 ACC) improved to 8-0 at Smith Center and their eighth ACC victory was locked at halftime. Media members, scoring 20-0 in the second half, were scrolling through the record books as the game clock was reduced to zero. The 45-point win in the ACC game was Tar Hills’ biggest win since winning the NC State 107-56 on March 9, 2017.
Lewisville played no games in 19 days – the longest season without playing in 54 years – and February. There were limited practice opportunities due to the Covid-19 stop following his win over Georgia Tech on the 1st. After a solid start because the Cardinals were unable to match the UNC match.
Tar Adiz took an open 48-49 lead in a quick game 21-6 to 21-2 in the final seven minutes of the first half. UNC scored the most UN 48 points in the opening half of the season and a half-time margin of 19 points was the biggest of its season.
UNC shot 60.9 percent off the floor – the highest mark since the 62.3 percent shooting in Wake Forest on February 16, 2019 – and kept Louisville at 32.8 percent shooting. Tar Hills scored 26 points from 16 turnovers and went 14-6 in second chance points.
D’Ron Sharp’s 21 points and 11 rebounds and Carvin Watton’s career-high 19 points led to five Tar Heels double figures. Armando Buckot contributed 14 points and nine rebounds, while Garrison Brooks added 12 points in a 5-of-7 shooting.
Freshman Boost
Garrison Brooks’ free throw was notable before halftime to give the UNC a 15-15 lead with a 13-14 lead as it was the last point of the wire heel returning to the previous round. The new class took an extra lead beyond that point, scoring 33 points in the final half and outsourcing the Cardinals by 1 point.
Vonton scored 11 points by pulling down a trio of 3 stinters and a jumper, while Sharpe did his job on the rim with 12 points. Vicker Kessler and RJ Davis added three points each, while Love halved the half with a rim-rattling dunk on the market.
Kessler finished with 10 points and four rebounds, while Love added nine points and three assists.
Throw free
As explosive as the UNC could be from the floor, its struggles continued from the charity bar. Tar Heels shoots 38.9 percent from the free throw line (7-of-18), where their season percentage drops to 64.9.
If it has a percentage, it will represent the UNC’s worst free throw percentage since 2013-14 (62.6) and its third worst percentage of the ACC era.
Highlight play
Caleb Love closes half with an exclamation ????#ACCMBB | caleb2love
– ACC Digital Network (@ ACCDN) February 21, 2021
Now the next
UNC Next Wednesday (7pm / ESPN2) Smith will once again walk out of the conference to host the Marquette at the Center. The Golden Eagles (10-12, 6-10 Big East) have lost six of their last eight games.
