Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball: Win over Gonzaga catapults Tar Heels into ESPN top-10

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 15: (L-R) Brandon Robinson #4, Cameron Johnson #13, Luke Maye #32 and Garrison Brooks #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrate during the final minute of their game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Dean Smith Center on December 15, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 103-90. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 15: (L-R) Brandon Robinson #4, Cameron Johnson #13, Luke Maye #32 and Garrison Brooks #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels celebrate during the final minute of their game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Dean Smith Center on December 15, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 103-90. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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North Carolina on the rise after statement win over Gonzaga

North Carolina’s mid-December matchup with Gonzaga was tabbed as one of the biggest non-conference matchups of the season, and the Tar Heels entered the home game as a 2.5-point favorite over the fourth-ranked Bulldogs.

After 40 minutes of basketball, though, it was North Carolina that impressed the nation and blew Vegas’ odds out of the water.

In one of the most impressive performances that we’ve seen from any team this season, particularly on the offensive end of the court, North Carolina scored 1.23 points per possession and shot better than 50 percent inside and outside the three-point line. The Tar Heels got impressive performances from Luke Maye (20 points, 16 rebounds) and Cameron Johnson (game-high 25 points) in route to a 103-90 victory over the Zags.

It was a statement win, to say the least, and ESPN staff writer Jeff Borzello was among those impressed by the Tar Heels’ prime time performance.

"“Saturday was a statement win for the Tar Heels, as they dominated Gonzaga from very early and never looked back,” Borzello writes. “The emergence of Cameron Johnson has been a huge boost for Carolina, and it also received bench production from Seventh Woods (14 points), especially down the stretch of the first half. A neutral-court showdown against Kentucky in Chicago is up next for the Tar Heels.”"

ESPN’s latest college basketball power rankings released Monday morning reflect the Tar Heels’ beat down of the Bulldogs, catapulting them from 13th to 10th.

They’re one of five ACC programs listed in the 16-team power ranking, and one of three in the top-10. Duke is second behind No. 1 Kansas, and Virginia sits just one spot outside the top-5. Florida State and Virginia Tech are ranked 11th and 12, respectively.

Next. Kendall Marshall graduates from UNC. dark

The Tar Heels get a full week off between their win over Gonzaga, and a Saturday evening matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats in Chicago.

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