CHAPEL HILL, NC – North Carolina broke a 10-game losing streak for AP classified opponents with an exciting second-half performance on Saturday, recovering from a 16-point deficit to defeat No. 11 Florida State, 78-70, for his biggest win of the season.
If Tar Heels (15-8, 9-5 ACC) was at his worst in the first half, making 14 turnovers and shooting 25%, then they were certainly at their best after the break. UNC overtook the Seminoles, 30-11, to open the second half and build their greatest leadership at 59-52. Tar Heels forced 12 turnovers and kept the ACC lead team at 35.0% in the second half to complete a week-long roller coaster and almost seal their invitation to the NCAA Tournament.
FSU reduced his deficit to 61-59 with 5:03 to play, but Kerwin Walton responded with a 3-point basket five seconds later and Tar Heels made all his free throws in the final stretch to guarantee victory. UNC hit 27 out of 30 in the charity band, including 14 out of 14 in the second half.
Tar Heels hit 50% after the break and 38.3% for the game (21.7% 3FG), while keeping the Seminoles at 38.8% (29.4% 3FG).
Tar Heels lost 41 to 29 in the interval, making this recovery the fifth biggest disadvantage of the interval overcome in a victory in the history of the Smith Center. It was the biggest home recovery for UNC in the range since recovering from a 13-point deficit for Georgia Tech on February 15, 2006.
Discovery Kessler
The revival of UNC at the end of the first half coincided with the addition of Walker Kessler to the team. The 7-foot freshman was the best player on the pitch from that point on, establishing the best of his career with 20 points out of 9 out of 10 shots, eight rebounds and four blocks.
Their game was a significant development, given that strikers Garrison Brooks, Armando Bacot and Day’Ron Sharpe combined 13 points out of 3 out of 7 shots.
No. 900 for Roy Williams
The head coach of the Hall of Fame won his 900th career game in his 500th home game on Saturday. Williams has 900-260 in 33 seasons as head coach and is now two wins from drawing with Bobby Knight for third place on the all-time winning list. He won 900 games faster than any of the three coaches who reached that benchmark.
The 18-year-old UNC coach improved to 443-57 at home, including a 242-41 mark at Chapel Hill.
Reversal of Turnover
The 14 UNC turnovers before the break represent the highest number of turnovers in the middle of this season (13 vs Stanford, 2H) and correspond to the highest number since 15 in the first half at Georgia Tech on February 16, 2010. FSU scored 19 points in these turnovers building a 41-29 range advantage.
It was the Seminoles’ turn in the second half, however. FSU had more turnovers (12) than did field goal (11) after the break, which configured the UNC’s strong close.
For the game, UNC scored 15 points on 17 FSU turnovers. The Seminoles scored 25 points on 21 UNC turnovers.
Featured game
?? buried are good photos pic.twitter.com/UQ2JRgLukc
– Dadgum box scores (@dadgumboxscores) February 27, 2021
Fans Return
North Carolina Executive Order 195 allowed a limited return of fans this weekend, as indoor arenas with at least 5,000 seats would have 15% of the allowed capacity. This was equivalent to about 3,200 fans at the Dean E. Smith Center. With 75% of that total coming from the student lottery system, Tar Heels had a real advantage at home for the first time this season.
Next
UNC returns to the road after a four-game home game with a trip to Syracuse on Monday (19h / ESPN). Orange lost two in a row to drop to 13-8 (7-7 ACC) in the last week of the regular season.