UNC basketball kicks off 2022 with a dominant performance

The UNC basketball program put together a strong combined effort in a blowout victory over Boston College.

It was a great start to 2022 for the UNC basketball program, as they picked up their second conference victory of the season on the road against Boston College.

The beginning of the game did not start as planned for Hubert Davis’ team, as the Tar Heels missed each of their first seven shots from the floor. However, North Carolina figured it out quickly, as the first half served as the deciding factor in this contest.

After the sluggish start, the Tar Heels knocked down 16 of their final 27 shots during the first 20 minutes of play, finishing the first half shooting 47.1% from the floor. North Carolina put together a trio of big scoring runs to really take Boston College out of the game early on.

On the other side of the court, the Eagles mightily struggled, knocking down just six of their first 36 shots. Although the second half was more favorable for them, the deficit, along with another strong second-half shooting performance from the Tar Heels, was still too much for them to overcome.

Although the Tar Heels had to manage without Dawson Garcia, who left the game early in the first half due to a possible head injury, Davis’ squad got plenty of production from a handful of their key contributors. Heading into the final 20 minutes of play, North Carolina already had four players score in double-figures.

Even with a big lead, the Tar Heels didn’t slow down in the second half. Thanks, in large part, to three early second-half three-pointers from Caleb Love, North Carolina put the final stamp on this game, making the lead too much for Boston College to come back from.

Now, of course, it’s important to note that the Eagles did not play a game for three weeks due to COVID-19 protocols. You could easily tell that the layoff affected them, as they were certainly not the team that beat Notre Dame just a few weeks back.

Love led all scorers with 22 points. Armando Bacot put together another double-double performance, as he recorded 18 points and 11 rebounds, while fellow co-captain R.J. Davis was perfect from the floor, adding 17 points of his own. Brady Manek was also a force to be reckoned with, as he contributed 17 points off the bench.

The scoring output from Love, Bacot Davis, and Manek marks the first time that four UNC basketball players have each scored 17 or more points in a single game since 2019 when Luke Maye, Coby White, Kenny Williams, and Cam Johnson accomplished the feat against N.C. State.

The win is not only a great start to the new year but could also serve as a huge momentum builder for the Tar Heels as they get back into ACC play.

Not only will Garcia’s injury status be interesting to monitor, but the Tar Heels were also without Justin McKoy on Sunday, as he was unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols. The Tar Heels are hopeful that neither player will miss significant time moving forward.

Looking ahead, the UNC basketball program is scheduled to continue ACC play on Wednesday night, as they’ll travel to Notre Dame to end a short two-game road trip. Tip-off is scheduled for 9 PM EST, and the game will once again be aired on ESPN2.

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