By R.L. Bynum
NEW YORK — After North Carolina struggled to get the big stop and the big rebound to finish off top-level competition through a brutally tough schedule, both finally came in the World’s Most Famous Arena.
That was a huge relief for the Tar Heels, who earned a 76–74 win over No. 18 UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden for the Tar Heels’ second Quad 1 victory, led by Bronx native Ian Jackson’s season-high 24 points.
“We’ve talked about and experienced not doing the little things that make big things happen, a box out, an execution, a loose ball, a free throw, different stuff like that,” said UNC coach Hubert Davis, whose only issue down the stretch was putting UCLA on the free-throw line too much. But he liked going from 11 first-half turnovers to only seven in the second half.
Carolina (7–5) led for only 50 seconds, including the last 13.6 seconds. But it was enough, thanks to clutch plays down the stretch after trailing by 16 points with 12:50 left. UNC shot 56.5% in the second half, the third consecutive second half in which it shot at least 56%.
“There’s been several games where we’ve been close and didn’t finish it, and it’s one of those games where we got it done,” Jackson said. “It showed us how hard winning is, especially at this level. To come out here and get that final stop was big for us.”
After RJ Davis’ two free throws with 13.6 seconds gave the Heels a one-point lead, UCLA’s Sebastian Mack couldn’t convert on a drive with one second left.
Seth Trimble was initially guarding Mack, but Elliot Cadeau switched on him and played outstanding defense as Mack tried to bull his way to the rim. Freshman Drake Powell hauled down the huge rebound and hit a free throw with 0.1 of a second left.
“Down the stretch, we got a stop, got the rebound, made the free throws,” Coach Davis said. “That’s something that we hadn’t done in past games, and so I was really proud of them.”
RJ Davis, the most accurate free throw shooter in program history, had split a pair of free throws with 22.2 seconds left with a chance to tie it. But Seth Trimble gave Davis another chance with an outstanding defensive play to knock the ball away from UCLA’s Dylan Andrews on the inbound pass, leading to Davis making both clutch free throws with a second chance.
“That’s the reason why he won the game,” RJ Davis said. “He was able to deflect the ball off of the guard’s leg, and he was able to get [us] another chance. Going to the line the next time, I was able to kind of just free my mind a little bit and just tell myself I was going to knock it down. And I visualized it before I got the ball that was going to knock it down.”
The game wasn’t won yet, though, as Coach Davis told the team during the timeout before UCLA’s ill-fated final possession.
“We talked about being in that situation in the past, and for us not getting the box out costing us a win, and that all we needed was one stop,” said Coach Davis, whose team outrebounded UCLA 34–28 after trailing by at least 10 points for the seventh time.
It felt like a home game in terms of crowd support, with many more cheering for UNC fans than for UCLA (10–2), and it was a true home game feel for RJ Davis, who is from White Plains, N.Y., and Jackson.
Jackson got his team-point total in a season-high 32 minutes and continues to give UNC instant offense off the bench.
“The energy here was electric,” said Jackson after playing at the Garden for the first time. “It felt like a home game, definitely. It was just fun. I had so much fun out there. “
Could Jackson be working himself into the starting lineup? Coach Davis started him in the second half in place of Powell. The guards led the way in the second half, with Jackson scoring 11, Trimble netting 11 of his 12 points and RJ Davis scoring 10 of his 17.
“I just felt like they were loading up on RJ, and Ian got it going offensively as well in the first half,” Coach Davis said about the lineup change. “Just having multiple scorers out, I thought would be really good for us.”
Coach Davis likes the dilemma it created for UCLA. Would they go big or match up with Carolina and extend the pressure?
“We may not have tremendous size, but we do have athleticism, and so when you pick up full court, [it] speeds teams up. We can get steals and deflections, and we get the pace that we want,” Davis said.
There may have been some anxiety at the end that the UCLA game might finish like several others against ranked teams, but it didn’t show.
“I feel like having these battle-tested games early on helps us build,” RJ Davis said. “Obviously, we’ve made some mistakes, and we lost some games that we should have won, but I think overall, it’s helping us build into the team I know we can be.”
Cadeau made some costly mistakes at the end of the Florida loss. He still finished with as many turnovers as assists (5) but was solid in the final minutes.
“The difference was I focused on taking care of the ball and not turning over the ball,” Cadeau said. “That was just in my head, the whole last four minutes. Just be strong with the ball because UCLA is really good at working turnovers. So that was a big thing for me.”
UNC couldn’t stop Tyler Bilodeau, who torched the Heels from the perimeter with a game-high 26 points (13 in each half) and five 3-pointers. But he played only 13 minutes in the second half because of foul trouble.
Bilodeau scored UCLA’s first 11 points, including nine consecutively, to give the Bruins an early 9–2 lead. UNC tied it at 9 with six straight points, including Davis and Jackson 3s, at 15:51 of the first half.
Two of the three 3-pointers from Mack, who scored 22 points off the bench, capped an 18–5 UCLA run to put UNC in the dreaded double-digit first-half hole at 31–18. The Tar Heels responded with nine straight points, the last seven from Jackson; his 3-pointer cut the deficit to 31–27 at 4:20.
UCLA opened up an 11-point lead on William Kyle III’s dunk, but a Cadeau three-point play cut the Heels’ halftime deficit to 40–32.
Davis’ 3-pointer trimmed UCLA’s lead to five at 17:41 despite three turnovers at the start of the second half. The Bruins pushed it to 16 on two 3s from Bilodeau (the second at 12:50), who picked up his fourth foul shortly afterward.
Jackson’s transition layup and Cadeau’s 3-pointer capped a 12–2 UNC run to slice the lead to six at 9:08. UCLA pushed it back to 10 before Carolina scored eight straight points to cut it to two on a pair of Jackson free throws at 6:28.
For a stretch, it looked like UNC wouldn’t be able to break through and lead. A Jackson jumper cut it to one 44 seconds later, as did Davis with a layup at 4:41, Cadeau with a free throw at 4:05 and Trimble with a baseline drive at 2:29.
A Jalen Washington follow shot with 1:32 left tied it. RJ Davis then got whistled for two fouls in 12 seconds; the second was a blocking foul that led to two Mack free throws with 36 seconds left to put UCLA up by two before Davis split the pair of free throws.
NOTES — Carolina players will be home with their families for a few days before the Tar Heels host Campbell at 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 29 (ACC Network). The Camels (5–7), who went 14–18 last season and are picked to finish 13th in the 14-team CAA, have lost to two power conference teams, falling 65–56 at Virginia on Nov. 6 and 104–60 at Ohio State on Nov. 22. … Jackson’s 24 points were the second-most by a UNC freshman in Madison Square Garden. Rashad McCants (25 vs. Kansas and 21 vs. St. John’s) and Brandan Wright (21 vs. Gonzaga on Nov. 22, 2006) are the only other Carolina freshmen to score 20 or more in the Garden. … UNC wore throwback Jordan-era road uniforms. … It was the most points by a freshman since Caleb Love scored 25 vs. Duke on Feb. 6, 2021. … UNC trailed Dayton by 21 in a win on Nov. 25. UCLA’s largest lead was 16. This is the first time since 2011 that the Tar Heels have rallied for two wins when trailing by at least 15 points. In 2011, UNC overcame a 19-point deficit to Miami and a 16-point deficit against Virginia Tech. … UNC was 24 of 35 from the free-throw line. UNC is 4–1 this season when it makes 20 or more free throws. … Carolina’s free-throw rate (ratio of field-goal attempts to free-throw attempts) for the game of 74.5% was the best by a UCLA opponent this season and the best by UNC since 80.4% against Kentucky on Dec. 14, 2013. … The Bruins’ 24 points off turnovers were the most by an opponent this season (the previous high was 21 by Dayton). … UCLA scored only two second-chance points, the fewest by an opponent this season. … Washington, Ven-Allen Lubin and Jae’Lyn Withers combined for seven points and seven rebounds. … UNC has the best CBS Sports Classic record at 7–4 after rebounding from last season’s 87–63 loss in Atlanta to Kentucky. … UNC is 3–0 in the event against UCLA, which is 3–7. … Carolina has beaten UCLA seven consecutive times and leads the series 12–3. … Carolina is 31–12 in the current Madison Square Garden.
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Duke | 10–0 | 21–1 | 1 |
| No. 20 Clemson | 8–1 | 18–4 | 31 |
| No. 18 Virginia | 7–2 | 18–3 | 18 |
| N.C. State | 7–2 | 16–6 | 26 |
| No. 14 North Carolina | 6–3 | 18–4 | 25 |
| Miami | 6–3 | 17–5 | 38 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 5–4 | 15–6 | 17 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–5 | 16–7 | 56 |
| SMU | 4–4 | 15–6 | 34 |
| California | 4–5 | 16–6 | 51 |
| Syracuse | 4–6 | 13–10 | 72 |
| Stanford | 3–6 | 14–8 | 77 |
| Florida State | 3–6 | 10–12 | 101 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–7 | 11–11 | 142 |
| Notre Dame | 2–7 | 11–11 | 85 |
| Wake Forest | 2–7 | 11–11 | 73 |
| Boston College | 2–7 | 9–13 | 153 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–7 | 9–13 | 111 |
* — Through Monday games
Monday’s result
No. 14 North Carolina 87, Syracuse 77
Tuesday’s games
No. 4 Duke 67, Boston College 49
Pittsburgh at No. 18 Virginia, 9 p.m., ACC Network
N.C. State at SMU, 9 p.m, ESPN2
Wednesday’s games
Notre Dame at No. 24 Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Georgia Tech at California, 8 p.m., ACC Network
No. 20 Clemson at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACC Network
Saturday’s games
Virginia Tech at N.C. State, noon, The CW
Syracuse at No. 18 Virginia, noon, ESPN
No. 24 Louisville at Wake Forest, noon, ACC Network
Miami at Boston College, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at Pittsburgh, 2 p.m., The CW
Florida State at Notre Dame, 4 p.m., The CW
No. 4 Duke at No. 14 North Carolina, 6:30, ESPN
No. 20 Clemson at California, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Georgia Tech at Stanford, 8 p.m., ESPNU
Monday’s game
N.C. State at No. 24 Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday, Feb. 10, games
No. 14 North Carolina at Miami, 7 p.m., ESPN
No. 18 Virginia at Florida State, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Notre Dame at SMU, 7 p.m., ACC Network
No. 4 Duke at Pittsburgh, 9 p.m., ESPN
UNC 76, No. 18 UCLA 74
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 16 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 11 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 10 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | W, 85–80 | at No. 18 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 24 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 20 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
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