UNC Basketball: HOW ABOUT THEM TAR HEELS!!!!!!!

Thanks to a tremendous team effort, the UNC basketball program pulled off a major upset victory in Durham in Coach K’s final home game.

What more is there to say…. HOW ABOUT THEM TAR HEELS!!!

The UNC basketball program pulled off one of their biggest upsets in team history, as they defeated No. 4 ranked Duke on their home floor in Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

With all the hoopla surrounding Coach K’s final voyage along with Duke defeating North Carolina by 20 in Chapel Hill just a month ago, not many people believed the Tar Heels had a chance in this one.

However, North Carolina lived by its motto, “Play Hard. Play Smart. Play Together,” and pulled off a tremendous (and much needed) victory in their final regular-season contest.

In a game like this, it would be totally unfair to give just one “Tar Heel of the Game.” With a handful of key contributors, we’re going to split the award and talk about each contributor and their role in the victory.

Let’s start with Armando Bacot, who proved (once again) that he IS the ACC Player of the Year.

Bacot was tremendous, as he knocked down 10 of his 11 shots en route to a 23-point performance. Although he was plagued with foul trouble in the first half, the junior big man was able to play smart and avoid even more foul trouble, as his presence was much needed for the Tar Heels to come away with a win.

As Roy Williams would say, R.J. Davis is a “tough little nut.” You can make the case that Davis saved his best regular-season performance for last, as he was simply sensational.

Without Davis, the Tar Heels definitely don’t stay in the game throughout the first half. The sophomore guard continued making big shots, including a huge three-pointer at the end of the half to cut the Duke lead to just three and made some big plays in the second half to give North Carolina the lead for good. Overall, Davis finished with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals.

Don’t we all just love Brady Manek?! The senior forward played a huge role (as he normally does), picking up a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double performance. He continued his success from beyond the arc, knocking in five of his 10 attempts.

Although he made just four of his 17 shots, Caleb Love still finished with 22 points. When the Tar Heels needed him the most, his confidence kept him going, as he made some big shots and free throws down the stretch. He was a perfect 12-12 from the line, as he’s the guy the Tar Heels want with the ball late in the game when they are trying to secure a victory.

Of course, we didn’t forget about Leaky Black! The senior only had six points (one basket was a really nice acrobatic layup), but his presence on the defensive end was definitely felt. After AJ Griffin torched the Tar Heels in the first matchup, Black played a huge role in holding the freshman to just five points overall.

Puff Johnson didn’t see much playtime in the second half due to his first-half foul trouble but give him a ton of credit for providing the Tar Heels with some quality minutes when they desperately needed to protect Bacot from additional foul trouble.

Last, but certainly not least, congratulations to coach Hubert Davis on his first head coaching victory against Duke. What a game to pick up that first victory!

For someone who loves the UNC basketball program more than anything, this win most definitely must be very rewarding for the first-year head coach. Although this win is very nice, Davis wants to continue picking up wins with his team as they begin ACC Tournament play this week.

In honor of this victory, we are presenting our “Tar Heel of the Game” award to the entire UNC basketball program. What a way to end the regular season!

Tar Heel fans, enjoy this one! We all deserve it!

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