UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Staves Off Wake to Win on Senior Night

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

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The Tar Heels basketball team won their third game in a row against Wake Forest on Senior Night. North Carolina once again played well on the offensive end of the floor shooting 50% from the field and 58% from the three-point line. UNC controlled the game from the opening tip with an early 12-0 run and would have the lead for the rest of the game.

Even without Armando Bacot, the Heels outscored the Demon Deacons in the paint 34-28. Garrison Brooks had his third straight game with at least 25 points. They also got great offensive contributions from Cole Anthony and Brandon Robinson, who scored 28 points and 18 points respectively.

UNC Game Stats

1          2          T

North Carolina          35        58        93

Wake Forest              34        49        83

North Carolina

                                    Pts      FG       3FG    FT       REB    A         TO       Min     +/-

4 ROBINSON           18        6-11    5-9      1-2      4          3          2          35        11

11 RUSH                   0          0-1      0-1      0-0      0          0          0          1          -2

32 PIERCE               4          2-5      0-1      0-0      3          1          1          24        8

34 O’HAN                  0          0-0      0-0      0-0      0          0          0          1          -2

55 KEELING             9          3-8      1-1      2-3      2          0          0          27        2

1 BLACK                   9          3-10    0-0      3-4      8          5          1          32        7

2 ANTHONY           28        8-14    4-5      8-8      4          7          1          38        12

3 PLATEK                 0          0-0      0-0      0-0      1          1          0          7          -6

15 BROOKS             25        9-12    0-0      7-11    7          1          2          34        11

22 MILLER                0          0-0      0-0      0-0      0          0          0          1          0

25 ELLIS                    0          0-0      0-0      0-0      0          0          0          1          0

TOTALS                     93        31-61  10-17  21-28  31        18        7          200

                                    50.8% 58.8% 75.0%

Wake Forest

                                    Pts      FG       3FG    FT       REB    A         TO       Min     +/-

0 CHILDRESS         24        7-16    2-7      8-8      1          9          1          36        -11

1 MUCIUS                 13        5-9      1-2      2-4      8          1          2          30        -15

4 NEATH                   10        4-8      1-1      1-1      4          4          6          31        -8

23 BROWN               8          2-4      2-2      2-2      3          1          3          23        -5

30 SARR                   12        5-8      0-0      2-3      11        0          0          24        -8

2 WRIGHT                 2          1-1      0-0      0-0      0          1          0          8          2

13 WHITE                  9          3-7      2-4      1-2      2          0          0          23        -5

25 MASSOUD          5          1-5      1-4      2-2      0          1          1          15        -1

31 BUCHANAN       0          0-0      0-0      0-0      0          0          0          0          0

33 OGUAMA             0          0-0      0-0      0-0      4          0          0          9          1

52 VAN BEVEREN 0          0-0      0-0      0-0      0          0          0          0          0

55 LESTER               0          0-0      0-0      0-0      0          0          0          0          0

TOTALS                     83        28-58  9-20    18-22  34        17        13        200

                                    48.3% 45.0% 81.8%

UNC Bright Spots

Cole Anthony had 28 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds.

Garrison Brooks had 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist.

Brandon Robinson had 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.

Needs Work

The Tar Heels need to cut down on their turnovers. They also need to work on their on-ball defense and help defense. Too many times they were lazy on the defensive end when rotating or keeping their man in front of them.

Final Observations

The Tar Heels are on a three-game winning streak for the first time since November. UNC is playing the best basketball at the right time. If they continue to play like this, they will have a legit shot to win the ACC tournament next week, despite being at the bottom of the standings.

North Carolina now has four players that can score the ball which will put a lot of pressure on their opponents. Getting Bacot back will build depth for their stretch run. They look to continue their winning streak on Saturday when they take on Duke in their last regular-season game.