UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Destroys Notre Dame in the Second Round of the ACC Tournament
by Derrick Clyburn
The North Carolina basketball team totally dominated Notre Dame in the Second Round of the ACC Tournament from start to finish. The Trio of big men Bacot, Sharpe, and Kessler owned the glass getting put backs at will. All three players had double-doubles to help the Tar Heels cruise to a 42 point victory.
The Tar Heels didn’t show any ill effects playing without their senior big man Garrison Brooks who is nursing a sore ankle. UNC move the ball well and got it inside to their big men who cashed in with buckets. The guards controlled the game creating pressure on the defense and hitting timely perimeter shots to keep Notre Dame at bay. Walker Kessler had another dominating game controlling the paint with 8 blocked shots to go along with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Five Tar Heels scored in double-figures.
UNC Game Stats
1st 2nd TOT
North Carolina 50 51 101
Notre Dame 36 23 59
North Carolina
Pts FG 3FG FT REB A TO Blk Min +/-
1 BLACK 4 2-7 0-1 0-0 2 1 3 0 28 29
2 LOVE 15 6-14 3-6 0-0 4 6 1 0 25 21
5 BACOT 20 7-10 0-0 6-7 13 1 1 2 24 25
11 SHARPE 14 7-10 0-0 0-3 10 6 3 0 19 24
24 WALTON 3 1-5 1-5 0-0 3 3 0 0 22 21
0 HARRIS 8 3-4 2-2 0-0 1 0 1 0 13 32
3 PLATEK 7 1-4 1-3 4-4 4 1 0 1 13 26
4 DAVIS 14 5-9 2-5 2-2 2 0 0 0 19 39
13 KESSLER 16 7-11 0-0 2-2 12 0 1 8 21 24
21 MANLEY 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 2 -8
22 MILLER 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 -5
25 LEBO 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 2 -8
30 SMITH 0 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 3 -5
35 MCADOO 0 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 1 0 0 3 -5
TOTALS 101 39-77 9-24 14-18 54 19 11 12 200
50.6% 37.5% 77.8%
Notre Dame
Pts FG 3FG FT REB A TO Blk Min +/-
2 WERTZ 3 1-9 1-4 0-0 2 1 2 0 26 -36
3 HUBB 13 3-8 3-7 4-4 0 3 4 0 27 -18
11 DURHAM 10 4-9 0-0 2-2 6 0 1 3 18 -12
13 DJOGO 1 0-1 0-0 1-2 3 0 0 0 16 -9
14 LASZEWSKI 13 4-7 0-2 5-8 4 1 1 0 33 -37
5 RYAN 6 2-9 0-4 2-2 3 1 3 0 23 -29
12 SANDERS JR. 6 2-4 2-3 0-0 4 0 1 1 11 -18
23 GOODWIN 5 2-8 1-5 0-0 4 1 2 0 31 -38
25 ZONA 0 0-4 0-1 0-0 3 0 0 0 10 -18
31 MORGAN 2 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 0 0 3 5
TOTALS 59 19-61 7-26 14-18 31 8 16 4 200
31.1% 26.9% 77.8%
UNC Bright Spots
Armando Bacot had 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Walker Kessler had 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 blocks.
Caleb Love had 15 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds.
Day’Ron Sharpe had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists.
R.J. Davis had 14 points and 2 rebounds.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels played a complete game. They just need to get Kerwin Walton going from the 3 point line. He went 1 of 5 from the field.
Final Observations
North Carolina has played two straight complete games for the first time this season. They had a balanced attack from the perimeter and dominated the inside. The players finally seem to understand their roles and how to execute what Roy wants them to do. They are having fun and are becoming a dangerous team to deal with due to Walker Kessler blossoming as a big man.
The guards are taking better care of the ball and there is better movement on offense. This team is becoming more fun to watch as they develop and grow into what Roy has been envisioning his team to be. Next up Virginia Tech at 9 pm on ESPN.