UNC Basketball defeats Notre Dame in convincing fashion

The UNC basketball program took control early against Notre Dame, picking up a decisive victory on their home floor on Saturday afternoon.

Caleb Love started the game by hitting a wide-open three-pointer.

From there, the UNC basketball program left little doubt as to how this game would end.

The Tar Heels led for over 34 minutes of game time, as they defeated Notre Dame to improve to 11-5 on the season. With the win, North Carolina now holds an above .500 record in ACC play.

North Carolina was without Pete Nance, who is still dealing with a lower back injury. Hubert Davis elected to start Seth Trimble in his place, as the three-guard lineup worked well in the team’s recent victory over Wake Forest.

With the ability to mix and match, Davis got some very good production from his bench.

Puff Johnson, after not playing much over the last two contests, hit four of his five shots from the floor, as he finished with 11 points over 22 minutes of action.

D’Marco Dunn provided some high-energy minutes, as he finished with seven points in his 15 minutes of work.

Of course, as good as the bench was in this one, it was the common duo of Armando Bacot and Caleb Love that stole the show.

Bacot recorded his 58th career double-double, as he finished with a game-high 21 points and 13 rebounds. After a rough outing against Wake Forest, Love came back strong, as he recorded 18 points, three rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Things did get a bit chippy in the second half though, as Puff Johnson was fouled hard as he dunked the basketball on a fast break. After initiating the hard foul, Notre Dame senior Cormac Ryan fell on top of Johnson and proceeded to gently kick him in the face.

Well, that did not sit right with Love.

A small scuffle ensued, with Love telling Ryan “don’t do that.” The play would go to the monitor, and Ryan would be ejected, with Love and Notre Dame freshman Dom Campbell picking up technical fouls.

However, as much as Notre Dame tried to creep their way back into the game, the Tar Heels simply wouldn’t have it. The lead was cut down to as little as 9 in the second half, but the UNC basketball program found ways to keep the Fighting Irish at bay.

Riding a two-game winning streak, the Tar Heels prepare for a big-time matchup on the road against No. 11-ranked Virginia on Tuesday night. This game will certainly help measure where this group is at this point of the 2022-2023 season.

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