UNC Basketball: Harrison Ingram "took Blake Hinson matchup personally"

Harrison Ingram was a man on a mission on Friday night.

The versatile junior forward played a big role in the UNC basketball program's ACC Tournament semifinal victory over Pittsburgh, but if you look at his final stat line, you won't see the true impact he had on this game.

Ingram drew the assignment to guard Blake Hinson, one of the ACC's leading scorers. Before we talk about this matchup, let's take a moment to remind you:

Hinson was named a first-team All-ACC player for the 2023-2024 season, while Ingram was tabbed as a third-team recipient.

Looking to prove a point, Ingram played lockdown defense on Hinson, limiting him to just five points on 2-12 shooting from the floor. Hinson typically can find a way to generate offense, as he averages just under 19 points per game, but on this night, he couldn't find much open space with Ingram guarding him.

After the game, Ingram was asked about his success against Hinson, as he took this matchup personally given the recent circumstances.

By no means was Ingram trying to disrespect the season that Hinson put together. However, Ingram feels that he is better than Hinson, and that argument could definitely be a justifiable one when you look at all the factors.

Sure, Hinson averages more points than Ingram, and let's face it: the voters tend to look at stats when taking these accolades into consideration. However, Ingram does a little bit of everything for the UNC basketball program, as his impact is much more than just putting the ball in the basket.

Friday night was a perfect example of that.

The UNC basketball program picked up another hard fought victory, and of course, a lot of the attention will focus on the likes of RJ Davis and Armando Bacot. However, Ingram is an unsung hero in this game, as he took his matchup personally in an effort to prove a point.

It's safe to say that mission was successfully accomplished.