By R.L. Bynum
BLACKSBURG, Va. — North Carolina played like a team intent on breaking out of the bubble and making plans for March.
A season-high six-game win streak is generating visions of the Tar Heels’ 2022 run with spirited play and precision perimeter shooting that has been fun to watch. UNC rebounded from some uneven play in the first 12 minutes and rolled to a 91–59 victory over Virginia Tech on Tuesday at Cassell Coliseum.
RJ Davis experienced that 2022 run to the Final Four and sees shades of that sort of momentum, although he didn’t want to compare the teams.
“Yeah, I do,” said Davis who scored all of his 15 points and three 3-pointers in the first half, playing a season-low of just under 25 minutes. “What we see is we’re envisioning ourselves and to put ourselves in good positions leading up into this next stretch of March and ACC tournament. I think we’re envisioning success right now, actually believing and playing with confidence right now.”
UNC (20–11, 13–6 ACC) scored a season-high 15 3-pointers, giving the Heels at least 10 3-pointers in three consecutive games for the first time since the first three rounds of the 2022 NCAA tournament against Marquette, Baylor and UCLA.
Carolina turned a two-point deficit after 12 minutes into a 17-point lead, dropped the hammer and left the Hokies no hope, expanding the lead to 36 points midway through the second half.
This is clearly a different team than the one that lost at Clemson, and UNC is stacking the sort of performances that were rare before that.
“That’s a major difference than what was happening at the beginning of the year, pretty much almost three quarters of the year, especially at the beginning, we were generating leads, and then it wasn’t sustained play,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said.
The players were having fun, and that continued with a loud karaoke session after the game in a festive dressing room. Ian Jackson admitted that the singing wasn’t nearly as good as their play during the game.
“We’re having fun. We’re enjoying each other,” said Jackson, who led UNC with 19 points and a season-high five 3-pointers as “Clarity” by Zed could be heard in the background. “I think this last few weeks our chemistry is at an all-time high. It’s great to be around. It’s great to hear and see.”
Seth Trimble was a walking highlight reel for much of the game, finishing with 17 points, three steals and one memorable first-half block. His energy off the bench was a big reason that UNC pulled away late in the first half.
“I know guys feed off of it. Guys fed off of it last year,” Trimble said. “We kind of flipped the switch and started firing.”
You know it’s going well when you are making program history.
Five Tar Heels scored in double figures, marking the first time in program history that’s happened in four consecutive ACC games, with Drake Powell adding 13 points and Ven-Allen Lubin registering his first double-double of the season with 10 points and a season-high 11 rebounds.
Carolina outrebounded Virginia Tech 38–27, marking the first time in program history with a double-digit rebounding margin in five consecutive ACC games.
“You want five guys out there to have the ability to be able to score, and we’ve been consistently doing that over the last three weeks,” Coach Davis said. “We’re getting impactful plays from a number of different people.”
He said that the confidence level of several players is at its highest. That may include Elliot Cadeau. He only scored two points, but he dished out 12 of UNC’s season-high 24 assists against only three turnovers.
The Tar Heels shot 54.8% from the floor in the first half and 64% in the second half, and have shot at least 50% in 11 of the last 12 halves.
Carolina’s defensive pressure kept Virginia Tech (13–17, 8–11) from getting into much of a rhythm, and down the stretch, it was evident that the Tar Heels were in better condition.
“We were defending without fouling,” Coach Davis said. “And, more importantly, our ball pressure really bothered them. I felt like our ball pressure created turnovers, allowed us to get out in transition.”
Three of UNC’s first four field goals were 3-pointers — two from Davis on his first two attempts — as the Heels made 4 of their first 7 shots. But Virginia Tech (13–17, 8–11) scored three 3s in the first 6½ minutes, taking a brief two-point lead on Ben Burnham’s 3 with 13:21 left in the first half.
After Trimble’s block on one end and transition layup on the other put UNC up by three, the Hokies responded with a 10–5 run to take a two-point lead with 7:44 left in the first half.
Carolina’s play was uninspired to that point, but it was all UNC after that.
Three consecutive layups started a 23–5 run — including a 15–1 flurry — to take a 13-point lead on a Davis jumper with 52 seconds left in the first half, and the Tar Heels led 46–29 at halftime.
UNC kept it going in the second half. Two Jackson 3-pointers and one from Jae’Lyn Withers started a 15–0 run to balloon the lead to 34 with 11:53 left. A Lubin dunk capped a 7–0 run with 8:11 left to push the lead to 36.
Burnham and Jaydon Young led the Hokies with 12 points each.
NOTES — Ahead of Saturday’s 6:30 senior night game against No. 2 Duke (27–3, 18–1), the Blue Devils rolled to a 93–60 home win Monday over Wake Forest. … UNC has led at the half in 16 of 19 ACC games, winning 12 of the previous 15. … UNC has scored 46 or more first-half points for five consecutive games and at least 42 in six straight. … Carolina has led 16 of 19 conference games at halftime. … The 17-point halftime lead tied for the second-largest with the Dec. 14 93–67 home win over La Salle. The Heels led N.C. State by 28 points at halftime of their 97–73 home win on Feb. 19. … Cadeau’s 12 assists were the most in program history against Virginia Tech, topping the previous high of nine by Kendall Marshall in 2011 and Phil Ford in 1975. … UNC is 24–16 in ACC road games under Coach Davis. … It was RJ Davis’ 169th ACC game, tying Armando Bacot for the most in league history. … It was the first time UNC has scored at least 90 points in three straight ACC games since 2016–17. … Carolina’s offensive efficiency was 135.0 (points per 100 possessions), its sixth consecutive game at 124.0 or better and the fourth-highest in an ACC game this season; five of UNC’s six-best offensive efficiencies in ACC play have come in the last six games. … Ty Claude played for the first time since Feb. 24 at Florida State and the second time since the Jan. 28 game at Pittsburgh, all on the road. … James Brown played a season-high six minutes, getting into a game for the first time since the Feb. 8 home win over Pittsburgh. … Coach Davis had a discussion with Withers after he got in a shoving match with a Hokies player in the second half. … Three UNC walk-ons played the last 1:46 of the game. …It’s the 65th 20-win season in UNC program history and fourth in as many seasons under Coach Davis. … Carolina leads the series with Virginia Tech 74–17, including 23–8 in Blacksburg. … Coach Davis is 4–2 against Virginia Tech and Hokies coach Mike Young is 3–6 against Carolina.
UNC 91, Va. Tech 59
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Duke | 11–1 | 22–2 | 3 |
| No. 15 Virginia | 10–2 | 21–3 | 18 |
| No. 20 Clemson | 10–2 | 20–5 | 33 |
| N.C. State | 9–3 | 18–7 | 29 |
| Miami | 8–3 | 19–5 | 36 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 8–4 | 18–6 | 14 |
| No. 11 North Carolina | 7–4 | 19–5 | 25 |
| SMU | 6–5 | 17–7 | 34 |
| Virginia Tech | 6–6 | 17–8 | 50 |
| California | 5–7 | 17–8 | 63 |
| Syracuse | 5–7 | 14–11 | 68 |
| Stanford | 5–7 | 16–9 | 69 |
| Florida State | 4–7 | 11–13 | 95 |
| Wake Forest | 3–8 | 12–12 | 66 |
| Boston College | 2–9 | 9–15 | 150 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–10 | 11–14 | 158 |
| Notre Dame | 2–10 | 11–14 | 88 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–10 | 9–16 | 124 |
* — Through Thursday games
Tuesday’s results
Miami 75, No. 11 North Carolina 66
No. 15 Virginia 61, Florida State 58
SMU 89, Notre Dame 81
No. 4 Duke 70, Pittsburgh 54
Wednesday’s results
Virginia Tech 76, No. 20 Clemson 66
Syracuse 107, California 100, 2 OTs
Wake Forest 83, Georgia Tech 67
Stanford 70, Boston College 64
Saturday’s games
No. 20 Clemson at No. 4 Duke, noon, ESPN
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame, noon, The CW
California at Boston College, noon, ACC Network
Pittsburgh at No. 11 North Carolina, 2 p.m., ESPN
Florida State at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at Syracuse, 2 p.m., The CW
No. 24 Louisville vs. Baylor in Fort Worth, Texas, 4 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
Stanford at Wake Forest, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Miami at N.C. State, 4 p.m., ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
No. 15 Virginia vs. Ohio State in Nashville, 8 p.m., Fox
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
| 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 | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 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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