UNC Basketball: What a dadgum day for the Tar Heels!
The UNC basketball program made the most of “Roy Williams Day,” as they completely dominated NC State on Saturday afternoon.
Heading into Saturday’s anticipated matchup against NC State, there was a lot of pressure placed on this year’s UNC basketball squad.
For starters, we all know how the Tar Heels have dominated the Wolfpack over the years. Playing at the Dean Smith Center, you know this group did not want to lose to one of their in-state rivals.
To add to that, the UNC basketball program was also celebrating “Roy Williams Day,” not only honoring the legendary head coach, but also the 1982 National Championship team that Williams was an assistant coach on.
Basically, this group was not only playing in front of a large crowd that came to support the current team and Williams, but also in front of some legendary Tar Heels such as Michael Jordan.
For some, that might be a nerve-wrecking task. However, North Carolina understood their assignment, as they completely dominated NC State to extend their current win streak to three games.
Now, recently it’s been tough to pick a “Tar Heel of the Game,” as there have honestly been only a few standouts for Hubert Davis’ team. In this game, it seemed like everyone was involved throughout, so we’re going to highlight some of the standout performances.
-Caleb Love led the Tar Heels with 22 points. Although he struggled a bit from two-point range, the sophomore guard dialed it up from deep, hitting four of his six three-point field goal attempts.
-Armando Bacot picked up yet another double-double, his 16th of the season, as he scored 18 points and hauled in 13 rebounds. The big story surrounding Bacot was him reaching the 1,000 career points milestone, becoming the 79th Tar Heel ever to accomplish the feat.
-Brady Manek was recruited by Davis and his staff because of the things he can do offensively. Not many players have his size and shooting ability. In this game, Manek showed that shooting touch, making five three points en route to a 17point outing.
-Sophomore guard R.J. Davis is quietly having an impressive season for the Tar Heels, as he has shown some NBA-range level shooting as of late. Davis tallied 17 points while hitting six of his eight shots from the floor.
-Bench production has been a huge issue for North Carolina, but got a good amount of it against NC State. Puff Johnson scored eight points over 17 minutes, While freshman Dontrez Styles, who only played five total minutes, scored six points in his limited action.
After a brutal, brutal offensive performance against Boston College, the UNC basketball program bounced back nicely. Of course, how could they disappoint Roy Williams on his special day, as the former Tar Heel coach got to see his beloved school beat up on one of the teams that he despises the most.
Needless to say, it was a dadgum day in Chapel Hill for the Tar Heels.
We’re not awarding a single player the “Tar Heel of the Game,” however, we are going to give out the award to the entire team for this one. Everyone contributed in this blowout win, and sent everyone home happy with some biscuits!
Check back on Tuesday night to see which UNC basketball player will earn the “Tar Heel of the Game” award for the team’s ACC matchup on the road against Louisville.
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