By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — When the mindset changed after an animated halftime discussion, so did the game.
With more of a presence inside and better rebounding, No. 18 North Carolina pulled away from a tie game at halftime for a big 89–82 victory Saturday at the Smith Center over Virginia Tech.
After allowing the Hokies to score repeatedly at the rim in the first half, the Tar Heels (23–6, 11–5 ACC) responded to the challenge that Coach Hubert Davis gave them at halftime.
“We had some spirited conversations at halftime,” said Davis after his team won the rebounding battle 34–22. “I just want to dominate points in the paint. I felt like in the first half we were settling, not persistent, and trying to get to the paint.”
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North Carolina had only 11 paint points at halftime and was tied at 44 after Henri Veesaar’s three-point play with four seconds left in the half. That was not nearly enough for a team that Davis believes is at its best attacking the rim.
“We had a couple of their bigs in foul trouble, and we wanted to establish Henri,” Davis said. “When Henri is going offensively, it opens up everything for us.”
The Tar Heels made a concerted effort in the second half to drive to the basket and get inside, not attempting a 3-pointer for the first 7:13 after halftime after Davis said his team settled for jump shots too often in the first half. Veesaar scored 10 of the Tar Heels’ first 15 second-half points on his way to a game-high 26 points, which tied his career-high.
A 3-point attempt early in the shot clock by Luka Bogavac midway through the second half drew Davis’ ire, and he soon spent the rest of the game on the bench.
“Being able to get it more inside was definitely a topic that we talked about,” Veesaar said, “and I think it’s one of the core values for the whole team that we need to get.”
Davis noticed a different approach from Veesaaar after halftime.
“I felt like he worked harder to catch the ball where he wanted,” Davis said. “I felt like in the first half, he was letting Virginia Tech dictate where he was catching the ball, which was too far out. I felt like he worked extremely hard to catch the ball closer to the basket. If they came with a double, it was an easy pitch-out to the perimeter. And for him, just one dribble step, and he was always already at the rim with his length.”
Seth Trimble (20 points) provided his usual burst, including a steal and tomahawk dunk during an 8–2 run that stretched the lead to double digits. Even after admitting he felt sluggish early, he found another gear.
“I think I had a lot more juice the second half, than I did in the first,” Trimble said.
That inside emphasis opened up everything else. Jonathan Powell (15 points), who hit four 3-pointers, made Virginia Tech pay when the Hokies collapsed.
“All I need is one, and the rim is wide,” Powell said on how his confidence soars when his first attempt goes in. “That helps me a lot. Just seeing that one go in, and then all I need is a little bit of space to let it go, and it kept going in.”
Powell’s shooting stretched the defense, but Davis was just as pleased with the sophomore guard’s work on defense and rebounding (five rebounds).
“He was huge for us,” Davis said. “He played at a high level on both ends of the floor. Did a good job taking care of the basketball as well.”
UNC’s work under the boards and at the point of attack flipped the defensive script after halftime. Virginia Tech shot 54% in the first half but found fewer open shots in the final 20 minutes, going 5 of 15 from 3-point range.
“I felt like in the first half, we were playing defense and reacting when the action started,” Davis said. “So, I’m getting ready to play defense, but the guy was already coming down, setting the screen. It’s too late. You’re one or two steps behind.”
Zayden High made a big contribution again off the bench, finishing with 12 points and five rebounds.
The difference, according to guard Kyan Evans, was more about resolve than scheme.
“I don’t think we really changed much as far as the plan,” Evans said. “It was just kind of a mentality that we just wanted better in the second half defensively.”
Virginia Tech turned a four-point deficit into a four-point lead on a transition Jaden Schutt 3-pointer at 13:19 of the first half to cap a 10–2 run.
UNC responded with an 11–2 run to go up by five, 21–16, on a Evans 3-pointer with 9:40 left. Trimble’s jumper with 5½ minutes left pushed the lead to eight, but a 9–0 Hokies run gave VT a 33–32 lead with 3:54 left.
The Hokies led by four when a High layup ended a more than 3½ minute UNC field-goal drought. After Veesaar’s three-point play made it a 44-all tie at halftime, UNC scored the first six points of the second half, four from Veesaar.
Veesaar’s third consecutive UNC bucket after the Hokies had tied it started an 11–3 Tar Heels run to go up 68–60 on a Trimble drive with 11 minutes left.
Tech pulled within five, but a Trimble steal and tomahawk dunk came during an 8–2 UNC run, with a Veesaar 3-pointer giving the Heels an 11-point lead with 6:22 left.
Carolina wouldn’t score another field goal for 5½ minutes, as it seemed more intent on slowing down the offense and burning time, with Evans giving up a layup at one point to kick the ball out.
A Jailen Bedford 3-pointer with 3½ minutes left cut the Hokies’ deficit to six, and a Ben Hammond three-point play cut it to five with 2:45 left. Trimble hit two free throws with 1:04 left to give UNC an 85–75 lead.
Bedford got tangled up with former Hokie Jaydon Young, and shoving ensued with 55.1 seconds left. Both drew technical fouls.
UNC then broke the press to produce a Veesaar dunk and an eight-point Tar Heels lead with 48.6 seconds left.
Evans delivered one of his steadier floor games, pushing the pace when appropriate and handling late pressure as Virginia Tech tried to rally.
“I think I kind of got into the flow of things early, and then I just felt good from there,” Evans said. “I think I just came in feeling good tonight.”
Neoklis Avdalas led the Hokies (18–11, 7–9 ACC) with 19 points.
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Notes
— Carolina’s senior night game is Tuesday at 7 o’clock against Clemson (21–8, 11–5), which snapped a four-game losing streak with a 75–60 win Saturday at home against No. 24 Louisville.
— UNC is 17–0 at home, setting a program record for home wins at the Smith Center. The 17 home win in 2016–17 included a game in Greensboro.
— UNC shot 60.9% in the second half, marking the third consecutive game shooting at least 60% in a half (61.5% in the second half against Syracuse and 60.7% in the first half against Louisville).
— In addition to honoring seniors Trimble and Elijah Davis before the game, the official unveiling of RJ Davis’ honored No. 4 jersey will be part of a halftime ceremony.
— UNC’s eight first-half turnovers were the most in a half since the Miami game.
— High had his fourth 4th double-figure scoring game this season and third in five games.
— UNC is 2–1 this season in games tied at halftime, earlier winning at Kentucky and losing at SMU.
— UNC beat Virginia Tech for the third straight time, and leads the all-time series 75–17, including 35–6 at home and 10–1 in the Smith Center.
No. 18 UNC 89, Va. Tech 82
| Team | League | Overall | NET* | WAB* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 Duke | 17–1 | 29–2 | 1 | 2 |
| No. 10 Virginia | 15–3 | 27–4 | 13 | 11 |
| Miami | 13–5 | 24–7 | 32 | 28 |
| No. 19 North Carolina | 12–6 | 24–7 | 23 | 19 |
| Clemson | 12–6 | 22–9 | 36 | 33 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 11–7 | 22–9 | 14 | 25 |
| N.C. State | 10–8 | 19–12 | 35 | 45 |
| Florida State | 10–8 | 17–14 | 69 | 74 |
| California | 9–9 | 21–10 | 65 | 49 |
| Stanford | 9–9 | 20–11 | 59 | 51 |
| SMU | 8–10 | 19–12 | 39 | 50 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–10 | 19–12 | 53 | 52 |
| Wake Forest | 7–11 | 16–15 | 64 | 81 |
| Syracuse | 6–12 | 15–16 | 83 | 92 |
| Pittsburgh | 5–13 | 12–19 | 109 | 146 |
| Notre Dame | 4–14 | 13–18 | 93 | 121 |
| Boston College | 4–14 | 11–20 | 159 | 217 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–16 | 11–20 | 167 | 210 |
* — Through Sunday games
Saturday’s results
No. 1 Duke 76, No. 19 North Carolina 61
Boston College 77, Notre Dame 69
Clemson 79, Georgia Tech 76
No. 24 Louisville 92, Miami 89
Florida State 92, SMU 78
Stanford 85, N.C. State 84
Wake Forest 80, California 73
Pittsburgh 71, Syracuse 69, OT
END OF REGULAR SEASON
ACC tournament
Spectrum Center | Charlotte
Tuesday through Saturday
| Date | Month/day | Scores | Opponent/event (current ranks) | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. 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. 11 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. 9 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. 1 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 10 | Tuesday | L, 75–66 | at No. 25 Miami | 19–5, 7–4 |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 79–65 | vs. Pittsburgh | 20–5, 8–4 |
| 17 | Tuesday | L, 82–58 | at N.C. State | 20–6, 8–5 |
| 21 | Saturday | W, 77–64 | at Syracuse | 21–6, 9–5 |
| 23 | Monday | W, 77–74 | vs. Louisville | 22–6, 10–5 |
| 28 | Saturday | W, 89–82 | vs. Virginia Tech | 23–6, 11–5 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | W, 67–63 | vs. Clemson | 24–6, 12–5 |
| 7 | Saturday | L, 76–61 | at No. 1 Duke | 24–7, 12–6 |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte | |
| 12 | Thursday | L, 80–79 | Quarterfinals: vs. Clemson | 24–8 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| 19 | Thursday | L, 82–78, OT | First round: vs. VCU in Greenville, S.C. | 24–9 |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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