UNC Basketball Overcomes First Half Struggles, Wins ACC Opener

The UNC Basketball program overcame a sluggish first 30 minutes in the ACC opener against Florida State to begin conference play 1-0.

The first 30 minutes felt like a sleepy Saturday afternoon in December for the UNC Basketball team. For a moment, it felt like it was the type of game against an inferior non-conference opponent. In fact, it was anything but that.

With the new ACC scheduling format, Florida State entered the Dean Smith Center on Saturday, December 2nd, for the first conference game of the season, and the Seminoles came in ready for a fight.

Florida State came into the game averaging just seven threes per game and, in the first half, matched that average. The Seminoles hit 7 of their 14 three-point attempts to hold a 35-29 halftime lead on the Tar Heels, including an 8-0 run to end the half.

Meanwhile, the UNC Basketball team had offensive struggles of their own. For starters, the Tar Heels hit just four of their 19 field goal attempts over the final 13:30 in the first half. Ultimately, Carolina shot 37% from the field and 18% from three (2-11) in the first half.

Obviously, with limited shot-making, there are limited assist opportunities. The Tar Heels had just six assists while turning the ball over seven times in the first half.

The Tar Heels were lucky to be as close as they were at the half, thanks to RJ Davis and Armando Bacot. Davis had 11 points, while Bacot had 6 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Meanwhile, the rest of the team had just 12 points on 5-17 shooting.

The struggles didn’t stop there, though, as the second half got off to a rough start. Florida State began the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 45-31 lead with 17:15 remaining in the game. Going back to the first half and into the second, the Tar Heels went nine minutes with just one field goal.

With 13:05 remaining, Carolina still trailed 52-40… and then it all turned around, starting with a Cormac Ryan three-pointer with 13:01 remaining in the game to cut the deficit to 52-43. Florida State would keep the lead at 8 with under 10 minutes to go and hold a 56-48 lead.

After that, the Tar Heels used a Bacot and-one, Davis three-pointer, and Davis assisted to Seth Trimble to tie the game at 56 in a span of 1:20 with 8:00 to play. The run wouldn’t stop there, though.

Carolina used a full-court press in the second half to give the Seminoles problems and ultimately go on a 22-0 run from the 9:18 mark until the 4:34 remaining in the second half to take a 14-point lead of their own at 70-56. The Seminoles didn’t go away easily, as they used a 9-1 run to get back within 6, but the Tar Heels didn’t fold and held on for a 78-70 victory to begin conference play 1-0.

Davis once again had a monster game, as he led all scorers with 27 points. Bacot added to his double-double career total with a 13-point, 13-rebound performance. Harrison Ingram joined Davis and Bacot as the only other Tar Heel in double figures.

The Tar Heels as a team shot 42.1% from the field but just 22.7% from three with a 5-22 performance. On a night when the shots weren’t falling, and the opponent shot well (FSU was 12-28 from 3), Carolina found a way to win. Free throws were a deciding factor in this one, as Florida State was 4-8 from the line, while the Tar Heels were 25-31.

Next up for UNC Basketball will be a trip to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, December 5th, to play defending National Champion No. 4-ranked UConn.

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