By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — The shots fell for Carolina as hard as the snow outside the Smith Center before a rowdy crowd of mostly students.
It turned into showtime for the Tar Heels, who forced turnovers for easy shots, dominated the boards and rolled to a 97–73 victory over N.C. State on Wednesday at the Smith Center.
About 14,000 fans braved the elements on a night with open seating when you didn’t need a ticket to get into the arena, nearly filling the lower bowl and about a third of the upper arena.
Coach Hubert Davis said the fans made a big difference, as his team (16–11, 9–6 ACC) never trailed for the second consecutive game.
“The energy in the Smith Center was a huge determining factor of our energy out there on the floor,” Davis said. “It was just loud from the start. I felt it, the players felt it, and it really did make a difference for them and they showed it.”
Weirdness happens at a snow game when the crowd is smaller but is much louder than usual. Cade Tyson had one 3-pointer in an ACC game before swishing in two contested shots outside the arc late in the first half, prompting the fans to chant his name.
Every scholarship player scored multiple field goals, led by RJ Davis, who had 21 points, five assists and two steals, with Seth Trimble adding 15 points and 7 rebounds.
Ven-Allen Lubin collected 13 points and 5 rebounds, while Ian Jackson scored 12 points and two 3-pointers, giving him multiple 3-pointers for the 11th time this season. Jae’Lynn Withers scored eight points and two 3-pointers.
“I thought it was one of our most — if not the most — complete game that we played all season,” Coach Davis said.
Jackson and RJ Davis said it was the most fun they’ve had during a game all season. Davis said it was UNC’s most complete game.
“From the first half, I think everyone had a smile on their face,” he said. “We were moving the ball around. We had a lot of transition buckets, and we were getting stops, and I think that kind of led to our adrenaline flowing, and just the overall joy from the starting five and even to the bench.”
It was somewhat like the 2017 N.C. State game, postponed by one day by snow, which UNC led by 34 at halftime and won 107–56. These Tar Heels also had a flurry of first-half points. It was a fun night for the students, like the 2000 snow game, which UNC won over Maryland 75–63.
N.C. State (10–16, 3–12) usually protects the ball well. The Pack’s season-high for turnovers coming into the game was 12, but they already had nine by halftime.
“I thought our defense was really good, especially off of ball screens,” Coach Davis said. “We stayed with their shooters. We didn’t allow lanes to get to the basket. The first time that we played, they were scoring at will in the paint. And then the biggest reason is the rebounding.”
UNC dominated the boards 40–21 to create 21 second-chance points, the most since the Tar Heels had 21 in the opener against Elon.
“It’s something that I communicated to them every second of the day the last couple of days at practice,” Coach Davis said. “It was huge for us to finish the possession with a box out. And we felt like if we could box out and rebound, we would be in perfect position to be able to get out in transition. And that’s what we were able to do.”
RJ Davis said that an All-Star break visit from Harrison Ingram, who has spent nearly all of his rookie pro season in the G League, was helpful in adjusting the attitudes of the team.
“Just having him back to give you a remembrance of what he brought to the table,” Davis said. “He was like a competitive bully every day he came to practice. That was the main message to the team was, just go out there and compete, and you’re going to have joy in competing.”
Withers and Davis each hit tough 3-pointers to give UNC an early 6–2 lead, but Dontrez Styles, who heard boos in his return to the Smith Center, tied it 90 seconds later. UNC outscored the Wolfpack 31–9 over the next eight minutes.
UNC forced two turnovers with a full-court press during a 10–0 run to take a 10-point lead and prompt N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts to call a timeout with 13:48 left in the first half.
Coach Davis said he thought the press increased his team’s energy level and sped up the Wolfpack.
“It’s something that’s just really been good for us, and it’s something that we’re going to use every game,” he said.
Withers’ second 3-pointer pushed the lead to 13. A Seth Trimble drive capped a 15–3 run to balloon the lead to 28.
Two Tyson 3-pointers gave UNC a 54–26 halftime lead, scoring 1.63 points per possession for the Tar Heels’ biggest halftime margin since leading Florida State by 38 on Feb. 12, 2022. It was the third ACC halftime lead of at least 10 points this season and the sixth overall.
“Very disappointed in that first half,” Keatts said. “Obviousl,y I am not taking away from what Carolina did. I thought Carolina played really well on their home floor. We got beat to a lot of fifty-fifty basketball. We gave up seven three’s in the first half. We turned the ball over nine times in the first half. So what we did, we dug such a huge hole and it’s hard to come back.”
Lubin, who started for the seventh consecutive game but was the only Tar Heel playing in the first half who didn’t score, scored UNC’s first seven points after halftime.
After scoring only 26 first-half points, N.C. State needed only 10½ minutes to match that, thanks to poor UNC defense that drew the ire of Coach Davis as well as sloppy offense.
N.C. State twice cut UNC’s lead to 20, but a pair of James Brown buckets in the last minute made it a 24-point win.
Jayden Taylor led the Wolfpack with 19 points, with Styles scoring 14 of his 18 points in the second half
NOTES — UNC is back home at 4 p.m. Saturday (ESPN2) to face Virginia (13–13, 6–9), which lost at home Monday to No. 3 Duke 80–62 to end a three-game win streak. … UNC had season-highs in ACC play in field-goal percentage (57.4%), rebound margin (40–21), second-chance points (21) and bench points (43). … State’s 26 first-half points were the fewest by a UNC opponent since California scored 24 in the second half on Jan. 15. … UNC is 28–2 under Hubert Davis when scoring at least 90 points. … UNC has swept State for the 15th time in the last 21 seasons. ….UNC chancellor Lee Roberts, after initially getting booed, drew huge cheers during a first-half timeout when he announced that Thursday classes were canceled. … UNC football coach Bill Belichick, NASCAR driver Joey Logano and former Maryland coach Mark Turgeon were at the game. … UNC wore 1980s Jordan-era throwback uniforms. … UNC honored the national champion women’s soccer team during a second-half timeout. … Ty Claude (lower-body injury) wasn’t in uniform for Carolina. … UNC finished its second consecutive regular-season sweep of N.C. State, and leads the series 168–81, including 83–23 in Chapel Hill and 32–7 in the Smith Center.
UNC 97, N.C. State 73
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Duke | 0–0 | 11–0 | 2 |
| California | 0–0 | 10–1 | 60 |
| No. 12 North Carolina | 0–0 | 10–1 | 20 |
| No. 23 Virginia | 0–0 | 9–1 | 21 |
| Miami | 0–0 | 10–2 | 31 |
| Virginia Tech | 0–0 | 10–2 | 59 |
| No. 11 Louisville | 0–0 | 9–2 | 11 |
| SMU | 0–0 | 9–2 | 41 |
| Stanford | 0–0 | 8–2 | 109 |
| Clemson | 0–0 | 9–3 | 30 |
| Notre Dame | 0–0 | 9–3 | 67 |
| Wake Forest | 0–0 | 8–3 | 48 |
| Georgia Tech | 0–0 | 7–4 | 204 |
| N.C. State | 0–0 | 7–4 | 36 |
| Syracuse | 0–0 | 6–4 | 92 |
| Boston College | 0–0 | 5–6 | 181 |
| Florida State | 0–0 | 5–6 | 132 |
| Pittsburgh | 0–0 | 5–6 | 167 |
* — Through Monday games
Tuesday’s results
No. 12 North Carolina 77, East Tennessee State 58
No. 3 Duke 97, Lipscomb 73
No. 20 Tennessee 83, No. 11 Louisville 62
Dayton 97, Florida State 69
Clemson 68, South Carolina 61
Miami 98, Florida International 81
Georgia Tech 87, Marist 76
Wednesday’s games
Longwood at Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Mercyhurst at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Binghamton at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Texas Southern at N.C. State, 7 p.m. ACCN Extra
UT Arlington at Stanford, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
Friday’s games
Mississippi Valley State at Florida State, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Morgan State at California, 10 p.m., ACCN Extra
Saturday’s games
Montana at No. 11 Louisville, noon, ACCN Extra
Lafayette at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Elon at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Ohio State vs. No. 12 North Carolina at CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta, 3 p.m., CBS
Northeastern at Syracuse, 4 p.m., ACCN Extra
Maryland at No. 23 Virginia, 6 p.m., ESPN
No. 3 Duke at No. 16 Texas Tech, 8 p.m., ESPN
Stanford at Colorado, 8 p.m., ESPNU
Sunday’s games
Penn State vs. Pittsburgh in Hershey, Pa., noon, Big Ten Network
Ole Miss vs. N.C. State in Greensboro, 1 p.m., ESPN
No. 13 Vanderbilt at Wake Forest, 1 p.m., The CW
Purdue Ft. Wayne at Notre Dame, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Central Arkansas at SMU, 2 p.m., ACCN Extra
Cincinnati vs. Clemson in Greenville, S.C., 3 p.m., ESPN
North Florida at Miami, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Columbia at California, 5 p.m., ACCN Extra
Monday’s games
American at Virginia, 6 p.m., ACCN Extra
Jacksonville at Florida State, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Stonehill at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
Fairleigh Dickinson at Boston College, 7 p.m., ACCN Extra
East Carolina at No. 12 North Carolina, 8 p.m., ACC Network
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 10 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. 17 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. 9 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. East Tennessee State | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | 3 p.m. | vs. Ohio State | CBS |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | 8 p.m. | vs. East Carolina | ACCN |
| 30 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Florida State | ESPN2 |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | 2:15 | at SMU | The CW |
| 10 | Saturday | 6 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 14 | Wednesday | 9 p.m. | at Stanford | ACCN |
| 17 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at California | ACCN |
| 21 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 or 2:30 | at No. 23 Virginia | ESPN or ESPNU |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 3 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. 11 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics
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