By R.L. Bynum
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Whatever it takes.
That’s what Coach Hubert Davis said he got from No. 10 North Carolina to survive abysmal second-half shooting and finally leave John Paul Jones Arena with a victory for the first time since 2012.
It’s never easy playing Virginia with its slow pace on offense and pack line defense, but the Tar Heels found a way in a 54–44 victory Saturday.
Games against Virginia are never works of art; this was no exception. But the ACC standings look beautiful for UNC (21–6, 13–3 ACC), which has a one-game lead over Duke after the No. 8 Blue Devils lost 83–79 at Wake Forest on Saturday.
“One of the things that we consistently said to each other is, whatever it takes on both ends of the floor,” said Davis, whose team shot 26.1% in the second half. “Whatever it takes to get through a screen, to the box out, to rebound and talk on defense and dive on loose balls.”
It also took huge games from two of UNC’s graduate players.
Guard Cormac Ryan continued his hot-shooting streak with 18 points and a season-high six 3-pointers. Armando Bacot, playing only 26½ minutes because of two early fouls, produced his 81st career double-double and 15th of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He pulled down many huge second-half rebounds to continue possessions and allow UNC to burn time off the clock.
Ryan was only 13 the last time Carolina won at Virginia (21–6, 13–3).
“That meant a lot for us as Carolina basketball players to come in here and break that streak, and we knew we could do it,” he said. “We knew we had the team to do it. Obviously, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It’s never easy against Virginia. But we did a good job tonight.”
Ryan, with the most 3-pointers since Caleb Love also scored six against UCLA in the 2022 Sweet 16, exploited one of the vulnerabilities of the Cavaliers’ over-helping the Cavaliers in the pack line defense.
“They clog up the paint, and they recover out to the 3-point line,” said Ryan, who led UNC in scoring for the first time this season. “If you break them down with enough pace, that makes a longer closeout. So, a couple of my open looks were basically created because they had to scramble to get back.”
Having Elliot Cadeau (four points, six assists), RJ Davis (12 points, two blocks), Harrison Ingram (seven points, 10 rebounds), and Bacot as teammates also helps.
“We did a good job of breaking down the defense,” Ryan said. “Elliot, RJ, Harrison and Armando, they take so much attention. They’re such good players. They are able to drive and kick and create open shots.”
Some UNC fans were ready to yank Ryan out of the starting lineup because of his shooting struggles a few games ago. But while they lost confidence in his shot, Ryan never did.
“I never lost it; the shots just haven’t gone in,” said Ryan, who has made 14 of his last 27 3-point attempts. “It’s the same stroke. It’s all about staying confident and staying ready. And I’ve got extreme confidence in myself, and I know these guys do with me. That’s part of being a member of a great team. You get guys who have your back, and nobody’s rolling their eyes. Nobody’s counting you out.”
Carolina probably would have come away with another loss at Virginia without Ryan, who was 6 of 11 from 3-point range.
“Him making them, I think, stretched out their defense,” Coach Davis said. “So, when we had Cormac coming off those screens, they were so aware of where he was, we were able to get some baskets [in the second half] around in the paint because of Cormac and his ability to shoot the basketball today.”
Bacot was a big beneficiary, scoring 11 second-half points.
“In the second half, I wanted to make huge plays,” Bacot said. “I thought we had an advantage in terms of size and getting rebounds. Getting huge rebounds versus them is amazing, and it came at the right time.”
Earlier in the season, Carolina might not have survived RJ Davis going 1 of 14 from the floor and 1 of 8 from 3-point range, but the team has evolved.
“It shows how much on this team the [other] players contribute,” RJ Davis said. “I always don’t have to score 20, 25, 30 points for us to win. You have a lot of players that are able to step up big-time moments. In different games, it’s going to be somebody else. Today, it was Cormac.”
UNC seized an early five-point lead when Cadeau zipped by Virginia center Jordan Minor for a layup just before the first television timeout.
By the time Blake Buchanan’s dunk ended a nearly eight-minute Virginia scoring drought, and then Cadeau’s layup ended a three-minute UNC scoring drought, the Heels led 14–6. That bucket started a 6–0 run, with Ryan’s 3-pointer stretching UNC’s lead to 12.
Bacot sat for the last 13:45 of the first half after picking up two fouls.
“The first one, I didn’t think I fouled him, and then the second one, he tripped over me,” Bacot said. “It was two unfortunate calls, and I definitely was upset.”
Ryan had more points than the entire Virginia team for most of the last 11:30 of the first half. UNC led by as many as 13 points before taking a 26–16 halftime lead.
“I think the biggest part of that was defensively,” Ryan said. “We were getting stops and a lot of stops.”
RJ Davis didn’t score until he hit two free throws with 17:25 left in the game, after Virginia had pulled within six points. His first field goal didn’t come until a 3-pointer with 13:45 remaining, which started a 7–0 run that expanded the lead to 13.
A Minor follow shot ended a 9–5 Cavaliers run with 5:27 left, cutting the lead to eight. Bacot’s dunk with 3:30 left put UNC up by 10 and ended a seven-minute field-goal drought since his dunk for the Tar Heels’ previous field goal.
An Elijah Gertrude jumper cut Virginia’s deficit to five with 1:04 left, but Carolina finished off the win by scoring the last five points of the game at the free throw line, four from RJ Davis.
NOTES — It’s a quick turnaround for the Tar Heels, who host Miami (15–13, 6–11) at 7 p.m. Monday (ESPN), their second meeting in 16 days after UNC’s 75–72 win at Coral Gables, Fla., on Feb. 10. The Hurricanes were again without Nijel Pack, but Matthew Cleveland returned for their 80–76 home loss Saturday to Georgia Tech, their sixth straight. … Ryan scored 15 of UNC’s 26 first-half points. It was the first time a Tar Heel outscored the rest of the UNC team in a half since RJ Davis did it on Dec. 12 in the second half against No. 1 UConn. … Davis’ UNC-record streak of multiple threes ended at 23 (eight more games than the previous record). … There were NBA scouts representing the Bucks, Jazz, Magic, Knicks, Pistons and Bulls at the game. … Virginia had a moment of silence before the game for Eric Montross. … Virginia’s 16.7% first-half shooting was the worst by an opponent since Boston College matched that in the first half of UNC’s 91–65 road win on Jan. 2, 2022. … Virginia scored two more first-half points than its football team had (16) in the Cavaliers’ 31–27 win over UNC last season. … Carolina’s first win at Virginia since a 54–51 victory on Feb. 25, 2012, gave the Tar Heels a 125–62 lead in the all-time series, including 45–38 at Charlottesville and 5–8 at John Paul Jones Arena. … The 54 points are the fewest in a Carolina win since the previous win at Virginia, a 54–51 victory on Feb. 25, 2012. … Virginia’s 44 points were the fewest UNC has allowed since the Cavaliers’ 43 on March 10, 2022, in Brooklyn. … Carolina blocked a season-high 10 shots, the most since the Tar Heels had 10 in a four-OT loss to Alabama last season. … Both teams made 16 field goals. It was the first time both teams made that few since Carolina’s 51–40 win over The Citadel on Feb. 1, 1980 (UNC made 16, The Citadel 15). … The last time UNC played an ACC game when both teams made 16 or fewer field goals was March 4, 1966, when Carolina and Duke both made seven in a 21–20 Blue Devils win in the ACC tournament.
No. 10 UNC 54, Virginia 44
ACC standings
| Team | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| No. 4 North Carolina | 17–3 | 25–6 |
| No. 11 Duke | 15–5 | 24–7 |
| Virginia | 13–7 | 22–9 |
| Pittsburgh | 12–8 | 21–10 |
| Clemson | 11–9 | 21–10 |
| Syracuse | 11–9 | 20–11 |
| Wake Forest | 11–9 | 19–12 |
| Virginia Tech | 10–10 | 18–13 |
| Florida State | 10–10 | 16–15 |
| N.C. State | 9–11 | 17–13 |
| Boston College | 8–12 | 17–14 |
| Georgia Tech | 7–12 | 14–17 |
| Notre Dame | 7–13 | 12–19 |
| Miami | 6–14 | 15–16 |
| Louisville | 3–17 | 8–22 |
Saturday’s games
No. 4 North Carolina 84, No. 11 Duke 79
Virginia Tech 82, Notre Dame 76
Florida State 83, Miami 75
Boston College 67, Louisville 61
Wake Forest 81, Clemson 76
Pittsburgh 81, N.C. State 73
Virginia 72, Georgia Tech 57
ACC tournament
March 12–16, Capitol One Arena, Washington
UNC season statistics
| Date | Month/day | Score | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 27 | Friday | W, 117–53 | vs. St. Augustine’s | Exhibition |
| November | ||||
| 6 | Monday | W, 86–70 | vs. Radford | 1–0 |
| 12 | Sunday | W, 90–68 | vs. Lehigh | 2–0 |
| 17 | Friday | W, 77–52 | vs. UC Riverside | 3–0 |
| Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas | ||||
| 22 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | Northern Iowa | 4–0 |
| 23 | Thursday | L, 83–81, OT | Villanova | 4–1 |
| 24 | Friday | W, 87–72 | Arkansas | 5–1 |
| ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | ||||
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 100–92 | vs. No. 6 Tennessee | 6–1 |
| December | ||||
| 2 | Saturday | W, 78–70 | vs. Florida State | 7–1, 1–0 ACC |
| Jimmy V Classic in New York | ||||
| 5 | Tuesday | L, 87–67 | No. 1 Connecticut | 7–2 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 16 | Saturday | L, 87–83 | No. 12 Kentucky | 7–3 |
| Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte | ||||
| 20 | Wednesday | W, 81–69 | Oklahoma | 8–3 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 29 | Friday | W, 105–60 | vs. Charleston Southern | 9–3 |
| January | ||||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 70–57 | at Pittsburgh | 10–3, 2–0 ACC |
| 6 | Saturday | W, 65–55 | at Clemson | 11–3, 3–0 ACC |
| 10 | Wednesday | W, 67–54 | at N.C. State | 12–3, 4–0 ACC |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 103–67 | vs. Syracuse | 13–3, 5–0 ACC |
| 17 | Wednesday | W, 86–70 | vs. Louisville | 14–3, 6–0 ACC |
| 20 | Saturday | W, 76–66 | vs. Boston College | 15–3, 7–0 ACC |
| 22 | Monday | W, 85–64 | vs. Wake Forest | 16–3, 8–0 ACC |
| 27 | Saturday | W, 75–68 | at Florida State | 17–3, 9–0 ACC |
| 30 | Tuesday | L, 74–73 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 9–1 ACC |
| February | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | W, 93–84 | vs. No. 13 Duke | 18–4, 10–1 ACC |
| 6 | Tuesday | L, 80–76 | vs. Clemson | 18–5, 10–2 ACC |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 75–72 | at Miami | 19–5, 11–2 ACC |
| 13 | Tuesday | L, 86–79 | at Syracuse | 19–6, 11–3 ACC |
| 17 | Saturday | W, 96–81 | vs. Virginia Tech | 20–6, 12–3 ACC |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 54–44 | at Virginia | 21–6, 13–3 ACC |
| 26 | Monday | W, 75–71 | vs. Miami | 22–6, 14–3 ACC |
| March | ||||
| 2 | Saturday | W, 79–70 | vs. N.C. State | 23–6, 15–3 ACC |
| 5 | Tuesday | W, 84–51 | vs. Notre Dame | 24–6, 16–3 ACC |
| 9 | Saturday | W, 84–79 | at No. 13 Duke | 25–6, 17–3 ACC |
| ACC tournament Washington | ||||
| 14 | Thursday | W, 92–67 | Quarterfinals: Florida State | 26–6 |
| 15 | Friday | W, 72–65 | Semifinals: Pittsburgh | 27–6 |
| 16 | Saturday | L, 84–76 | Final: N.C. State | 27–7 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 21 | Thursday | W, 90–62 | First round in Charlotte: Wagner | 28–7 |
| 23 | Saturday | W, 85–69 | Second round in Charlotte: Michigan State | 29–7 |
| 28 | Thursday | L, 89–87 | Sweet 16 in Los Angeles: No. 19 Alabama | 29–8 |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
tarheeltribune.com 
1 Comment