By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — There was plenty that Coach Hubert Davis didn’t like about how No. 4 North Carolina let Louisville pull within five points in the second half of Wednesday’s 86–70 victory.
But Davis said he was happy to see his team’s response, as the Tar Heels took control to earn their seventh straight win. It was just the latest time that his team has reacted strongly in a tough moment.
“That’s something that I’ve been really proud of them about. They just don’t seem like they panic out there,” said Davis, who instead saw his players turn their attention to being more focused, making the right plays and being in the right places.
“There’s also a poise about it, a calmness, a confidence that we know what we need to do, and we need to change it and we need to do the things that allow us to be successful,” he said.
Davis said that UNC blew its big lead because it was not playing ball screens well, getting over screens or talking on defense, which gave Louisville hope.
“In the huddle, I specifically said that I’m not upset that we’re in this situation,” Davis said. “I just felt like defensively, we were sloppy in our rotations.”
The result was 64% second-half shooting by the Cardinals, the highest of any opponent in a half this season.
“That just can’t happen,” Davis said. “I felt like that put that in perspective of us getting back to what has allowed us to be successful.”
It all starts with rebounding and defense for league-leading UNC (14–3, 6–0 ACC) as they visit Boston College (11–6, 2–4) at 2:15 Saturday (The CW), and Davis wasn’t happy with either for much of the second half.
“That ties into the offensive end and allows us to get out in transition,” Davis said. “It’s just something that I think you can bring every day. Consistently, you can’t count on making shots. But you can count on rebounding, you can count on defense, you can count on concentration and effort and enthusiasm. That’s their job and the requirement to bring that every day and to bring it at a high level.”
The focal point of the defense on Saturday will be 7–0, 235-pound graduate Quinten Post, one of the most versatile centers in the ACC, with his length and ability to stretch the floor with his perimeter shooting.
Post leads the Eagles in scoring (16.9 points per game), rebounding (7.4) and blocks (2.1), and is second on the team in 3-point shooting (24, 44.4%) and assists (3.8).
and 3-point shooting (Photo via @BCMBB)
Post single-handedly helped BC win 63–59 at home Monday against Notre Dame with three big late 3-pointers in the last five minutes to finish with 17 points.
“We just don’t play many guys at that size who can shoot the ball from outside and be that effective,” Davis said. “It stretches you out defensively. He can also score consistently down low in the paint. That’s what makes him one of the better players in our conference.”
It will be similar to UNC’s challenge when it faced Clemson’s PJ Hall, a center with perimeter shooting skills. That worked out well for the Tar Heels in the 65–55 road win. Hall was 4 of 13 from the floor, missed all five 3-point attempts and only scored 10 points.
Post will be a formidable challenge for Armando Bacot, Jalen Washington, and any other Tar Heel who guards him, considering how well he gets open off ball screens and dribble handoffs.
“Just their ability to be able to guard him in the post but also be in a position to contest a 3 and not let them be a factor,” said Davis, pointing out that Post is an excellent passer when positioned in the high post.
In UNC’s two wins over BC last season, Post had 17 points (the most in four meetings with Carolina, all losses) in the Tar Heels’ 72–64 win on Jan. 17 in Chapel Hill. He scored 13 in UNC’s 85–61 ACC tournament victory on March 8.
Post has 13 career games with at least 20 points, six of those this season, including a career-high 31 on Nov. 6 against Fairfield.
NOTES — It will be a quick turnaround for UNC, which hosts Wake Forest at 7 p.m. Monday (ESPN). The Demon Deacons (12–5, 4–2) have lost two of their last three games entering Saturday’s noon home game (ESPNU) against Louisville (6–11, 1–5). …Carolina leads the series with Boston College 22–6, including 20–5 in ACC play and 9–1 at the Conte Forum. … This is the ninth time BC has faced a top-five-ranked UNC team. … The Eagles are 70–259 all-time against ranked teams, last beating a top-five team with an 89–84 win on Dec. 9, 2017, against No. 1 Duke. … Boston College has lost to all three teams that Carolina also has faced (84–78 in overtime Dec. 2 vs. N.C. State, 69–59 on Jan. 10 at Syracuse and 89–78 Jan. 13 at Clemson), all UNC wins. … Another double-digit UNC victory would be the Heels’ eighth in a row for the first time since the 2009 national-championship season. … The Tar Heels’ seven-game win streak is their longest since winning eight in a row, all against ACC teams, in the 2018–19 season. The 6–0 ACC start is Carolina’s best since the 2015–16 team began league play 6–0. … UNC has led by double figures in all six ACC games and has won the last five January league games by at least 10 points. … Tom Werme and Mike Gminski will be on the call of the broadcast on The CW. Read this story for details of where you can find The CW. … Marcus Ginyard will be the Tar Heel Sports Network color analyst. … The game is sold out.
UNC season statistics
Boston College season statistics
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | BC |
| Overall ranking | 8 | 92 |
| Offensive efficiency | 118.5 (16) | 113.7 (57) |
| Defensive efficiency | 92.9 (5) | 105.0 (153) |
| Effective FG% | 51.8 (117) | 52.9 (78) |
| Turnover % | 14.4 (25) | 14.0 (16) |
| Offensive rebound % | 33.2 (66) | 26.8 (267) |
| FTA/FGA | 39.8 (33) | 27.2 (313) |
| Strength of schedule | 15 | 92 |
UNC-BC series
ACC standings
| Team | League | Overall | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Duke | 19–1 | 28–3 | 1 |
| No. 14 Louisville | 18–2 | 25–6 | 25 |
| No. 11 Clemson | 18–2 | 26–5 | 22 |
| North Carolina | 13–7 | 20–12 | 38 |
| SMU | 13–7 | 22–9 | 45 |
| Wake Forest | 13–7 | 21–10 | 72 |
| Stanford | 11–9 | 19–12 | 82 |
| Georgia Tech | 10–10 | 16–15 | 108 |
| Florida State | 8–12 | 17–14 | 89 |
| Pittsburgh | 8–12 | 17–14 | 60 |
| Virginia | 8–12 | 15–16 | 102 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–12 | 13–18 | 164 |
| Notre Dame | 8–12 | 14–17 | 101 |
| Syracuse | 7–13 | 13–18 | 141 |
| California | 6–14 | 13–18 | 125 |
| N.C. State | 5–15 | 12–19 | 128 |
| Boston College | 4–16 | 12–19 | 198 |
| Miami | 3–17 | 7–24 | 227 |
Saturday’s results
No. 2 Duke 82, North Carolina 69
Miami 72, N.C. State 70
No. 14 Louisville 68, Stanford 48
Wake Forest 69, Georgia Tech 43
Florida State 76, SMU 69
Notre Dame 112, California 110, 4 OTs
Clemson 65, Virginia Tech 47
Pittsburgh 93, Boston College 67
Syracuse 84, Virginia 70
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday’s first round (ACCN)
No. 12 Notre Dame (14–17) vs. No. 13 Pittsburgh (17–14), 2 p.m.
No. 10 Virginia Tech (13–18) vs. No. 15 California (13–18), 4:30
No. 11 Florida State (17–14) vs. No. 14 Syracuse (13–18), 7 p.m.
Wednesday’s second round
No. 8 Georgia Tech (16–15) vs. No. 9 Virginia (15–16), noon, ESPN
Notre Dame-Pitt winner vs. No. 5 North Carolina (20–12), 2:30, ESPN
VT-Cal winner vs. No. 7 Stanford (19–12), 7 p.m., ESPN2/U
FSU-Syracuse winner vs. No. 6 SMU (22–9), 9:30, ESPN2/U
Thursday’s quarterfinals (ESPN/2)
Ga. Tech-Virginia winner vs. No. 1 Duke (28–3), noon
Notre Dame, Pitt or UNC vs. No. 4 Wake Forest (21–10), 2:30
VT, Cal or Stanford vs. No. 2 Louisville (25–6), 7 p.m.
FSU, Syracuse or SMU vs. No. 3 Clemson (26–5), 9:30
Friday’s semifinals (ESPN/2)
Thursday afternoon winners, 7 p.m.
Thursday evening winners, 9:30
Saturday’s championship
Semifinal winners, 8:30, ESPN
UNC nonconference schedule
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | |||
| 24 | Friday | TBA | vs. BYU in Salt Lake City (exhibition) |
| 29 | Wednesday | TBA | vs. Winston-Salem State (exhibition) |
| November | |||
| 3 | Monday | TBA | vs. Central Arkansas |
| 7 | Friday | TBA | vs. Kansas |
| 11 | Tuesday | TBA | vs. Radford |
| 14 | Friday | TBA | vs. N.C. Central |
| 18 | Tuesday | TBA | vs. Navy |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | |||
| 25 | Tuesday | 6 p.m. | vs. St. Bonaventure |
| 27 | Thursday | 4:30 p.m. | vs. Michigan State |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | ||
| 2 | Tuesday | TBA | at Kentucky |
| ————————— | |||
| 7 | Sunday | TBA | vs. Georgetown |
| 13 | Saturday | TBA | vs. USC Upstate |
| 16 | Tuesday | TBA | vs. East Tennessee State |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | |||
| 20 | Saturday | TBA | vs. Ohio State |
| ————————— | |||
| 22 | Monday | TBA | vs. East Carolina |
Top photo via @UNC_Basketball
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