UNC Basketball: Tar Heels Sting Yellow Jackets for the win
The North Carolina Tar Heels and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets faced off in an important conference game in Chapel Hill.
Chapel Hill got 10 inches of snow this past week.
In the South that is enough to shut life down, but it didn’t shut down the Dean Dome as the fans were ready for the hometown Tar Heels showdown against the Yellow Jackets.
This was the first time the two teams had faced since New’s Year Eve of last season where the Yellow Jackets beat UNC 75-63 in Atlanta.
But this contest was different. This one was in Chapel Hill and it resulted in a 80-66 victory for UNC.
What happened for the Tar Heels to get their fifth-straight win.
The Game
North Carolina came out slow against Georgia Tech. For at least the third time this season, the Tar Heels seemed to be lacking energy at home.
UNC had 10 first-half turnovers with freshman Garrison Brooks committing three of those in a three-minute span.
The game also saw another slow start from senior point guard Joel Berry.
Berry started the game 1-of-8 from the field for just four points. The made field goal was the first time he had made a field goal in the first half since two minutes left in the Notre Dame game.
Berry struggled most of the game finishing 3-of-17, including 1-of-8 from downtown. He did end up with 16 points though, thanks to going 9-for10 from the charity stripe.
Luckily for the Tar Heels, Georgia Tech couldn’t take advantage, committing eight turnovers themselves while shooting 1-for-9 from the three-point line.
That is where Sterling Manley came in.
Manley was the energy North Carolina needed off the bench going 4-for-4 from the field and grabbing three rebounds. He also had some crowd awakening dunks.
The second half was the Luke Maye Show.
Maye had 11 points in the second half to help the Tar Heels to victory. He finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double in the past four games.
However, Georgia Tech just would go away.
The Yellow Jackets kept the game close thanks to the scoring of backcourt duo Josh Okogie and Jose Alvarado. The two finished with 35 combined points on 14-of-27 shooting.
The effort was not enough though as the Tar Heels held on for the 14 point victory, thanks to the play of Theo Pinson who finished with a double-double as well scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 boards. He also had four assists and three steals.
Player of the Game
Luke Maye. Maye now has 11 double-doubles this season. The Tar Heels are 10-1 when Maye records a double-double, including 4-0 in ACC play.
Notable Stat
19. The Tar Heels had 19 offensive rebounds against Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels were so good on the boards, that the 19 offensive boards was just one fewer than Georgia Tech had total rebounds in the game with 20.
What’s Next
Up next for the Tar Heels is a road game against Virginia Tech on Monday night. The Hokies have not been as good as expected this year, having already lost twice at home in conference play this season.
It is a quick turnaround for both teams as the Tar Heels will be looking to make it three home losses for the Hokies.
Next: Justin Jackson's jersey goes into the Dean Dome rafters