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. 4 Duke | 12–1 | 23–2 | 2 |
| No. 15 Virginia | 10–2 | 22–3 | 19 |
| No. 20 Clemson | 10–3 | 20–6 | 32 |
| Miami | 9–3 | 20–5 | 35 |
| N.C. State | 9–4 | 18–8 | 29 |
| No. 11 North Carolina | 8–4 | 20–5 | 25 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 8–4 | 19–6 | 12 |
| SMU | 6–6 | 17–8 | 36 |
| California | 6–7 | 18–8 | 60 |
| Virginia Tech | 6–7 | 17–9 | 56 |
| Syracuse | 6–7 | 15–11 | 69 |
| Florida State | 5–7 | 12–13 | 82 |
| Stanford | 5–8 | 16–10 | 70 |
| Wake Forest | 4–8 | 13–12 | 64 |
| Notre Dame | 3–10 | 12–14 | 87 |
| Boston College | 2–10 | 9–16 | 153 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–11 | 11–15 | 163 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–11 | 9–17 | 122 |
* — Through Saturday games
Saturday’s results
No. 11 North Carolina 79, Pittsburgh 65
No 4 Duke 67, No. 20 Clemson 54
Notre Dame 89, Georgia Tech 74
California 86, Boston College 75
Florida State 92, Virginia Tech 69
Syracuse 79, SMU 78
Miami 77, N.C. State 76
Wake Forest 68, Stanford 63
No. 24 Louisville 82, Baylor 71
No. 15 Virginia 70, Ohio State 66
Monday’s game
Syracuse at No. 4 Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
Boston College at Florida State, 6 p.m., ACC Network
No. 11 North Carolina at N.C. State, 7 p.m., ESPN
No. 24 Louisville at SMU, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Virginia Tech at Miami, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Wednesday’s games
No. 20 Clemson at Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACC Network
No. 15 Virginia at Georgia Tech, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Saturday’s games
Florida State at No. 20 Clemson, noon, The CW
Wake Forest at Virginia Tech, noon, ACC Network
No. 11 North Carolina at Syracuse, 1 p.m., ABC
Miami at No. 15 Virginia, 2 p.m.
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Georgia Tech at No. 24 Louisville, 2:15, The CW
Boston College at SMU, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Stanford at California, 6 p.m., ACC Network
No. 2 Michigan at No. 4 Duke, 6:30, ESPN
Monday, Feb. 23, game
No. 24 Louisville at No. 11 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 22 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. 9 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 No. 25 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. 15 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 | W, 71–68 | vs. No. 4 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | L, 75–66 | at Miami | 19–5, 7–4 |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 79–65 | vs. Pittsburgh | 20–5, 8–4 |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN |
| 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 |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics
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