CHAPEL HILL, NC – It was a grind for North Carolina against Wake Forest for much longer than it should have been on Wednesday night, but this is UNC basketball in 2020-21. Tar Heels withdrew from the unfortunate Demon Deacons late to get an 80-73 win and secure his fourth win in five games.
UNC stumbled its way through the first half of the game before setting its offensive pace at halftime. Tar Heels converted 11 of 17 pitches over a period of 12 minutes and 30 seconds at halftime to turn a five-point handicap into a 45-35 lead. The Demon Deacons, without talent, but without resistance, responded with an 18-8 run to tie the game at 53-53 with 10:12 to play.
UNC closed strong again, making seven of his last 10 field goal attempts to achieve his 12th victory in 14 attempts against his rival Tobacco Road.
Caleb Love scored 20 points, the best of his career, in 7 of 12 shots to lead Tar Heels, while Armando Bacot scored 18 points in 8 out of 10 shots. RJ Davis scored 13 points and Garrison Brooks added 10 points and seven rebounds.
Despite shooting below 40 percent for the sixth time in nine halves in the first half, UNC hit 54.8 percent after the break to finish with 46.8 percent for the game. Wake Forest hit 39.0 percent of the ground and 38.2 percent of the 3-point streak (13 of 34).
The UNC beat their opponents 38-36, although the visiting team had an 18-9 lead on second chance points.
Turnover works in favor of UNC
Tar Heels has been playing 14 games this season and still has a negative assistance-turnover ratio, but that differential is slowly evaporating. The UNC gave 18 assists against 12 turns on Wednesday, marking the fourth time in five games that the proportion has been favorable.
By limiting mistakes and forcing them into defense, the Tar Heels were able to create a 24-15 point advantage in losses.
Note Status
UNC has played seven consecutive ACC games decided by seven points or less for the first time in the program’s history.
Harris Impact
After making his Florida State debut on Saturday, Anthony Harris played fewer minutes with less impact against Wake Forest. The freshman redshirt guard missed his only attempt at a field goal and added a rebound and an assist after six minutes of action.
Harris had more / less negative-8 after delivering contributions more / less than -10 or better in his previous four games.
First 25
The first 25 UNC assets were not for the faint of heart. The Tar Heels scored in eight possessions, averaging 0.6 points per possession, totaling as many plays as baskets made (6). Despite losing as many layups (2-6) as 3 points (0-4), UNC only lost 18-15 due to scoring six points in seven turns of Wake Forest.
Next
UNC will end its first homestand of the season when NC State arrives for a tip at 2pm on Saturday (ESPN). Wolfpack lost three consecutive games after opening the season with six wins in their first seven games, which included a 79-76 victory over Tar Heels on December 22.