GREENSBORO, NC – North Carolina freshmen once again stole the spotlight at the ACC Tournament, adding 51 points to lift sixth Tar Heels with an 81-73 victory over third-placed Virginia Tech in the quarterfinals on Thursday .
Less than 24 hours after the UNC rookie class scored 70 points in a 101-59 victory over Notre Dame, they recorded the second highest total of Tar Heel freshman points in the history of the ACC tournament. RJ Davis scored 14 of his team’s 19 highest points after the break, while Day’Ron Sharpe added 10 points and five rebounds.
UNC (18-9, 10-6 ACC) was left behind by eight points at the start, but resumed the lead courtesy of the freshmen, who scored 26 consecutive points over a 17-minute period. Armando Bacot made a point of representing for the second year class by scoring 17 points from 7 of 9 shots and catching 13 rebounds for the team.
Tar Heels lost 35-32 and up to six points at the start of the second half, before beating the Hokies, 32-24, in the final 11 minutes.
UNC shot 44.4% of the ground, including 38.1% of the 3-point streak. Virginia Tech connected in 46.7% of his attempts at field goal. Tar Heels beat his opponent by 43-32.
Recovery edge return
If Wednesday was an offensive rebound clinic for Tar Heels, Thursday had the potential to offer a counterattack to his board work. UNC totaled 12 offensive rebounds against Notre Dame in the second media timeout, but only managed two in the first half against the Hokies, who entered the ACCT quarter-final round in third place among the top conference teams in percentage of defensive rebounds (76.5).
Tar Heels, who leads the country in percentage of offensive rebounds (41.4), returned to his imposing approach after the break, achieving 13 offensive rebounds and scoring 15 points for a second chance.
Brooks offers defense
Garrison Brooks returned to the starting lineup after losing the second round game on Wednesday due to an injury to his left ankle. It was a key development for Tar Heels, who needed the senior’s defensive prowess to contain the attacker of the second All-ACC team, Keve Aluma.
Hokie’s standout ability to play on the perimeter is a difficult question for UNC’s other big three, although Brooks has been able to limit its effectiveness. Aluma scored two points out of 1 out of 8 shots in the first half and finished with nine points out of 4 out of 13 shots.
Highlight parts
RJ Davis trey ball, steal & E OONNEEE! ??@UNC_Basketball | @GoHeels
??: https://t.co/Gbci2dUcV4 pic.twitter.com/0ffLNGbyCH
– ACC Men’s Basketball (@accmbb) March 12, 2021
Roy Williams career gains note
The UNC Hall of Fame coach overtook Bobby Knight on the career win list with his 903rd win on Thursday night. Williams now occupies the third place of all time, behind Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Jim Boeheim of Syracuse.
ACCT Notes
UNC improved to 104-48 at all times in the ACC Tournament, including a record of 42-19 in Greensboro. Williams has 29-14 of all time in the ACC Tournament. His 29 wins are the third most in the history of the ACC tournament.
Next
The Tar Heels advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament and play in 15th place in the state of Florida. The Seminoles have not yet started their postseason after winning a double bye and then having Thursday’s quarterfinal match against Duke canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test on the Blue Devils basketball program. . UNC disturbed FSU, 78-70, on February 27.