UNC Basketball: Self-inflicted wounds, Purdue’s post play dooms Tar Heels

UNC basketball falls to Purdue in Cheez-It Hall of Fame Tip-Off behind superb performances from Trevion Williams and Boilermaker guards.

Purdue sophomore guard Jaden Ivey was sensational against North Carolina on Saturday, scoring 22 points to go with 10 rebounds and six assists in a 93-84 Boilermakers victory. Ivey hit 8-of-17 shots for the game, 2-of-6 from three-point range and 4-of-5 at the free throw line. He also had a pair of steals, and made a number of big plays down the stretch of a game that wasn’t decided until the very end.

Senior guard Sasha Stefanovic had a superb first half that saw him score 16 of his 23 total points. He hit five three-pointers and all four of his free throw attempts, and dished out a game-high eight assists. The Boilermakers were aided by a terrific game from senior big man Trevion Williams, who scored 20 points off the Purdue bench on an 8-for-10 shooting performance. He also gave UNC big man Armando Bacot (two points and five rebounds in 17 minutes of play) fits all game long, which led to the latter’s eventual disqualification via foul out. None of the Tar Heels’ bigs had an answer for Williams all game long.

As for the Tar Heels, it wasn’t solely the spectacular offense of the Boilermakers that ultimately found them on the losing end of this one. North Carolina had 11 first-half turnovers that proved costly, and Bacot’s lack of impact on the game’s final score was obvious. The Tar Heels also missed a few close shots, and didn’t take full advantage of opportunities against a team that the margin for error will remain fairly small this season. The Boilermakers are, after all, a legitimate Final Four contender.

Dawson Garcia had his best game as a Tar Heel, scoring 26 points on a 10-for-13 shooting performance to go along with a team-high eight rebounds. He connected on 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and all three of his free throws before fouling out in the game’s final minutes. R.J. Davis and Caleb Love each scored 18 points on Saturday, combining to hit 13-of-28 shots for the game, 4-of-12 from long-range and 6-of-7 at the foul line. Davis pulled down seven rebounds and Love had three, while both had a team-high four assists.

Purdue shot 55.7 percent (34-for-61) for the game, while North Carolina converted 44.9 of their attempts (31-for-69) from the floor. Both teams shot well from three-point range — Purdue 43.5 percent (10-for-23) and UNC 41.4 percent (12-for-29) — while the Tar Heels hit 83.3 percent (10-for-12) of their free throws to the Boilermakers’ 68.2 (15-for-22). The Tar Heels outrebounded the Boilermakers by six, but also committed five more turnovers and four more personal fouls.

The undefeated No. 6 Boilermakers will face off with the fifth-ranked 3-1 Villanova Wildcats on Sunday before the 3-1 Tar Heels take on the 2-1 Tennessee Volunteers to close out the 2021 Hall-of-Fame Tip-Off.

Check back with Keeping It Heel for complete coverage of Sunday’s game, as well as all the latest on the UNC basketball program.